Evpaty Kolovrat: what is the Russian hero famous for.

Evpatiy Kolovrat (sk. 1237/38), Ryazan nobleman, governor and hero. With a detachment of 1700 people who survived the Tatar-Mongol defeat of Ryazan, he attacked the camp of Batu Khan and confused the invaders, killing many "deliberate" Mongol heroes. The Tatars managed to defeat the Kolovrat detachment after they used "vices" against him - stone throwers. Evpatiy died in battle and received the highest praise even from his enemies - Batu Khan and his entourage.

Evpatiy Kolovrat and other heroes of the battles with the Horde

The tragic events of 1237-1241 showed many examples of the courage and selflessness of our ancestors. No one was going to submit to powerful conquerors without a fight. In all Russian principalities, they answered with a decisive refusal to the proposal to recognize slave dependence on the Mongols. The exploits of the Ryazan hero Yevpaty Kolovrat, the defenders of Kozelsk and Kyiv, and many other famous and unknown heroes of that distant era are fanned with unfading glory. But the valor of the Russian soldiers could not compensate for the lack of unity and solidarity in the face of enemies. For strife and civil strife, they had to pay with bitter defeats, and then two hundred years of submission to foreigners.

The first victim of the Mongol invasion of Rus' was the Ryazan principality, located in the southeast of the country and bordering on the territories occupied by the enemy. The descendants of the Chernigov prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich (the third son of Yaroslav the Wise) ruled in Ryazan, Murom, Pronsk - close relatives of the princes of Chernigov, Novgorod Seversky, Putivl. However, the Ryazan principality had no less close connection than with Chernigov land with the neighboring Grand Duchy of Vladimir. As early as the 12th century, under Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest of Vladimir, the Ryazan princes were in vassal dependence on the latter. When at the end of 1237 the enemy hordes approached the borders of the Ryazan land, when the ambassadors of Batu who arrived in Rus' demanded to submit to the Mongol Khan, it was in Chernigov and Vladimir that the Ryazan prince Yuri Ingvarevich turned with a request to help him repel aggression. However, even if other princes sent their regiments to defend Ryazan, the overwhelming numerical superiority would still be on the side of the conquerors. It was almost impossible to stop the Horde hordes at the borders of Rus' in those conditions. And each prince, caring first of all about the security of his territory, did not want to waste the forces necessary for the defense of his own possessions. The people of Ryazan had to face formidable enemies alone.

The ancient monuments that have come down to us - chronicles, historical stories, lives of saints - cover the tragic events of the winter of 1237-1238 in different ways.

According to the "Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu", the Ryazan prince Yuri Ingvarevich sent his son Fyodor to Batu for negotiations. The Mongols deliberately presented unacceptable conditions and, having received a refusal from Fyodor Yurievich, killed the young prince. And soon his wife, Eupraxia, also died: the Mongols were going to deliver her to their khan, and the princess, in order not to fall into the hands of enemies, threw herself from a high tower and fell to her death.

Having received no help from their neighbors, having failed in their attempts to reconcile with Batu on acceptable terms, the princes of Ryazan, Pronsk, Murom with their troops met the hordes of the Mongols "in the field", not far from the border, "and the slaughter was evil and terrible." Describing the huge numerical superiority of the enemies, the witness adds that the Russians fought "one with a thousand, and two with darkness" (tens of thousands). The Mongols won this battle and on December 16, 1237 they approached Ryazan. For five days, the Horde ceaselessly stormed the city. The large number of troops allowed them to replace the detachments that were tired in the battle with fresh forces, and the defenders of Ryazan did not have time to rest. On the sixth day, December 21, 1237, when many Ryazanians died in battle, and the rest were wounded or exhausted from incessant battle, the Mongols broke into the fortress. Ryazan suffered a terrible defeat, most of the townspeople perished. "And not a single living thing remained in the city: they still died and drank a single mortal cup. There was neither groaning nor crying - neither father and mother about children, nor children about father and mother, nor brother about brother, nor relatives about relatives, but all lay dead together." Having devastated some other cities of the Ryazan land, Batu moved on, intending to conquer the rest of the Russian principalities.

However, not all Ryazans died. Some have been away from their hometown on business or for some other reason. One of the most valiant warriors, Prince Yuri Ingvarevich, the boyar Yevpaty Kolovrat, was not in Ryazan at the fateful hour. He was in Chernigov - apparently, on behalf of his master, he negotiated assistance to the principality subjected to aggression. But then the sad news came about the death of Ryazan and the death of Prince Yuri Ingvarevich. Further stay in Chernigov lost its meaning for Kolovrat, and he considered that he should be where the fate of his land was decided in mortal battles. It is necessary to stand in the way of the enemy, to avenge Ryazan, to protect the cities and villages that have not yet been captured by the Mongols.

And Evpaty Kolovrat with his small retinue hastily returns to the ashes of Ryazan, perhaps still hoping to catch one of his relatives and friends alive. But on the site of the city that had recently flourished, Kolovrat and his companions saw a terrible sight: "I saw the city devastated, the sovereigns killed and many people who died: some were killed and whipped, others were burned, and others were drowned in the river." The heart was filled with unspeakable sorrow, Evpaty gathered the surviving Razan warriors (there were now about seventeen hundred people in the squad) and went after the Mongols. It was already possible to overtake the enemies within the limits of the Suzdal land. Evpatiy Kolovrat and his warriors suddenly attacked the Horde camps and mercilessly beat the Mongols. “And all the Tatar regiments mixed up ... Yevpaty, passing through the strong Tatar regiments, beat them mercilessly. And he rode among the Tatar regiments bravely and courageously,” reports the ancient author. Strong damage was inflicted on the enemy. The Horde, who did not expect a blow from the Ryazan land they had devastated, were horrified - it seemed that the dead had risen to avenge themselves. Doubts receded only when they managed to capture five wounded Russian soldiers. They were brought to Batu, and when the khan asked who they were, the answer was: “We are people of the Christian faith, and the soldiers of the Grand Duke Yuri Ingvarevich of Ryazan, and from the regiment of Evpaty Kolovrat. and give honor to you. Do not be surprised, king, that we do not have time to pour the cups [of death] on the great power - the Tatar army. " Batu was surprised at their answer. And one of the noble Mongols, the mighty Khostovrul, volunteered to defeat the leader of the Ryazans in a duel, capture him and deliver him alive to the khan. It turned out, however, quite differently. When the battle resumed, the Russian and Mongol heroes gathered to fight one on one, and Kolovrat cut Khostovrul in half, to the saddle. Some other strongest Mongol warriors also laid down their lives on the battlefield. Unable to cope with a handful of brave men in open battle, the frightened Horde sent guns for throwing stones against Evpaty Kolovrat and his squad, which were used during the assault on the fortifications. Only now did the enemies manage to kill the Russian knight, although at the same time they had to destroy many of their own. When the rest of the Ryazan soldiers died in an unequal battle, the Mongols brought the dead Kolovrat to Batu. Khan's associates admired the courage of Russian heroes. Batu himself exclaimed: "O Kolovrat Evpatiy! You beat many heroes of a strong horde, and many regiments fell. If I had such a servant, I would hold him against my heart. "Khan ordered the Ryazans captured in the battle to be set free and Kolovrat's body to be given to them to be buried according to their custom.

Such is the story of the feat of the Ryazan hero Yevpaty Kolovrat and his brave squad, told by an ancient military tale (created, most likely, in the 14th century). There is no mention of Evpatiy Kolovrat in other sources. However, from some chronicles it is known that the remnants of the Ryazan and Pronsk regiments, led by Prince Roman Ingvarevich, fought the Mongols already within the Suzdal land.

In January 1238, a major and stubborn battle with the Mongols took place near Kolomna. Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich sent his regiments to this fortress, which covered the path to capital Vladimir. The surviving Ryazan warriors also came here. According to some researchers, in this case, an attempt was made by the Grand Ducal Vladimir rati to restrain the further offensive of the Horde, and the battle near Kolomna is one of the most significant during the period of Batu's invasion of Rus'. On the part of the Mongols, the combined army of all twelve Genghisid princes, aimed at conquering Rus', participated in the battle. As historians note, the seriousness of the battle near Kolomna is evidenced by the fact that one of the Genghisid khans, Kulkan, was killed there, and this could only happen in the event of a major battle, accompanied by deep breakthroughs in the battle order of the Mongols (after all, the Genghisid tserevichis during the battle were behind the battle lines). Only because of the huge numerical superiority Batu managed to win. Almost all Russian soldiers (including Prince Roman) died in battle. The way to Moscow and Vladimir was open. However, such stubborn battles as this exhausted the forces of the conquerors and were able to delay the enemies for a long time. It is no coincidence that Batu could not get to Veliky Novgorod, Pskov, Polotsk, Smolensk.

The details of what happened near Kolomna, the names of the distinguished soldiers are unknown - the reports of the annals are too short, laconic. Perhaps the exploits of the Ryazan boyar Yevpaty Kolovrat and his small squad are also connected with these events. Probably, it was the people of Ryazan, who lost their relatives and friends through the fault of the Mongols, who showed extraordinary courage near Kolomna. They did not leave the battle alive, but the memory of these heroes could be kept for several decades in oral legends, which were subsequently recorded and included in the "Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu".

The idea to find the last refuge of Yevpatiy Kolovrat was firmly planted in my head fifteen years ago, when I read "Origin". Something in his image, so vividly depicted by Selidor, inexorably attracted me. I really wanted to visit those places, to touch the GLORY of the HERO hidden in the earth, who so desperately and selflessly defended the Motherland.

Apparently, it is not by chance that I am now building my family nest not far from the supposed place of his burial. The small village of Sennitsy, where I am trying to rebuild a house, is located about sixty kilometers from the Vozha River, on the banks of which, according to legend, the legendary berserker who terrified the Mongols was buried, fiercely avenging the devastation of his native land, tormenting the rear of the Mongol invasion with his desperate squad; the epic hero, who cut to the saddle in a ritual duel, before his last battle, the brother-in-law of Batu, the Horde hero Hostavrul.

The nearest city to these places is Zaraysk, only fifteen kilometers from Sennitsa. For eight years I have been there quite often. He began to make inquiries at the local museum of local lore. By the way, I did not receive any intelligible information there. Of course, they knew about the fact that he was buried somewhere near Zaraisk, but they didn’t say anything specific about the place of his burial, they recommended contacting the historical archive of Ryazan. I did not get there, but suddenly, almost by accident, in this year 2008, on the official Zaraisk website, I came across the following information:

Historical Chronograph of Zaraysk:
1237 December 28 (?). The Russian bogatyr-voivode of Ryazan Evpaty Kolovrat, who returned from Chernigov and visited the plundered and burned Ryazan, arrived in Krasny (Zaraisk) and, according to legend, formed a squad of 1700 warriors on the Great Field.
1238 January (?). The squad of Evpaty Kolovrat overtook Batu's regiments on Suzdal land and attacked their camps
March 4th. The decisive battle of the squad of Evpaty Kolovrat with the Mongol-Tatars on the Sit River; Evpaty died in this battle.
March, April (?). The five Russian knights who survived "exhausted from great wounds" delivered the body of Evpaty Kolovrat to the Zaraisk land and buried, according to popular rumor, on the left bank of the Vozha River, between the villages of Kitaevo and Nikolo-Kobylskoye; this place is popularly known as the Bogatyr's Tomb.

In the book "The Art of Partisan War" Selidor refers to an article by a certain V. Polyanichev "The last refuge of Evpatiy Kolovrat?", Which was published in April 1986 in the newspaper "Lenin's Banner". Here are excerpts from the book:
"... From Zaraisk, the funeral procession (with the body of the governor) continued south, to Ryazan.
Vozha got in the way... The river swelled under the pressure of spring waters, and it became impossible to overcome it. The warriors realized that it would no longer be possible to save Yevpaty’s body from decay, and they decide to bury him right there on the river bank ... "Further, the researcher writes that meetings with old-timers of the Privozhsky villages led him to this conclusion. In these places, there was an ancient road that they traveled Ryazan ambassadors to Batu's headquarters. Just a verst from the road is the village of Ostroukhovo, on a flood meadow that stretches between the ancient Zaraysk villages of Kitaevo and Nikolo-Kobylskoye, where Evpaty Kolovrat rests. His grave is called the "Chapel", because earlier there was a chapel above it When in the thirties the chapel was dismantled, experiencing a need for bricks on the collective farm, they found a stone underground, under which there was the grave of "some epic hero."

Having downloaded a map of the area on the Internet, I noticed that the villages of Nikolo-Kobylskoye and Ostroukhovo were not marked there, I had to go and sort everything out on the spot.

As soon as the opportunity presented itself, I went there. On foot from Zaraysk, I think I would have been stomping all day and looking for a place for the same amount, but hiking was not part of my plans. Since there was little time - an ordinary weekend, on Monday to work - my beloved and children need attention, so I decided to combine business with pleasure: I took the whole family with me, since the car allowed.

The Korean all-wheel drive "Hyundai Tuscon", which I accidentally got at work, was the best suited for this trip: it is still more of a crossover than a jeep, the cross-country ability is better than that of ordinary cars, but worse than SUVs. Nevertheless, the machine coped with the task quite well.

Leaving Zaraysk in the direction of the village of Karino, after 25 km I turned onto a country road near the village of Kobylye. Judging by the map, through the villages of Vereykovo and Klishino, I can easily get to Kitaev after some 10-12 km. However, the off-road realities of the middle lane have made their own adjustments. I had to go around ravines, unmarked streams and summer cottages. As a result, having driven into Nikolo-Kobylskoye, which was not marked on the map, I realized that there was no correspondence with the map, I was more embarrassed by the fact that the Vozha River was not even close by, it flows much to the south. I decided to move to the village of Kitaevo, at least it is mentioned in the article and on the map.

After three hours of wandering along rollicking forest roads, I drove to the village of Kalinovka, which stands near the Vozha River, overgrown on both banks with forest.
Judging by the map, the desired Kitaevo was very close. After asking the locals, I moved in the right direction. On the outskirts of Kalinovka (for some reason, associations with the Kalinov Bridge across the Oblivion River came into my head) I noticed a lonely hill, as if leaning against a small forest.

The road went just around the hill, it stood very well - I climbed on it and took a few pictures of the surroundings. The view was impressive: expanse of fields with picturesque woodland. Below was the river Vozha. I tried to imagine how much it could overflow in the spring: if that meadow below is flooded, then the water could well reach the foot of this hill.

It turns out that theoretically this hill could well be the burial mound of a furious warrior! The place is the highest in the area, probably the same "chapel" stood here. And indeed, the locals already from the village of Kitaevo were nodding towards the hill: "Well, yes, there is a chapel, the Bogatyr's Tomb - we know!"

I, exhausted by the road, rejoiced at my luck, but later doubts arose: could five wounded warriors have been able to pour a rather impressive Kurgan? Over the 770 years that have passed since those events, the landscape of the area could have changed more than once. Even the surrounding villages have changed their names since 1986: Ostroukhovo - Kalinovka?
I failed to find out this, as well as why Nikolo-Kobylskoye turned out to be much north of the Vozha River.

In other words, I will not argue that this is the Kolovrat Mound, but I propose to organize an expedition there in the summer of 2009, preferably bringing up specialists in this matter, people with a geological and archaeological education, stock up on satellite navigators. In short, conduct a detailed study of this issue.

I think it will be of interest to many. After all, the story of Yevpaty Kolovrat is the story of a real ancient Russian HERO - a warrior and governor. This is our history with you, Our Land and Our People. She must not be forgotten! No matter how pathetic it sounds, but it's actually true.

When was Evpatiy Kolovrat born?

The story begins with a message about the arrival of the "godless king" Batu on Russian soil, his stop on the Voronezh River and the Tatar embassy to the Ryazan prince demanding tribute. The Grand Duke of Ryazan, Yuri Ingorevich, turned to the Grand Duke of Vladimir for help, and when he was refused, he convened a council of Ryazan princes, who decided to send an embassy with gifts to the Tatars.

The embassy was headed by the son of Grand Duke Yuri Fedor. Khan Batu, having learned about the beauty of Fedor's wife, demanded that the prince let him know the beauty of his wife. Fedor indignantly rejected this proposal and was killed. Upon learning of the death of her husband, the wife of Prince Fyodor Evpraksia threw herself with her son Ivan from a high temple and fell to her death.

After mourning the death of his son, Grand Duke Yuri began to prepare to repulse the enemies. Russian troops opposed Batu and met him at the Ryazan borders. In the ensuing battle, many regiments of the Batyevs fell, and among the Russian soldiers "one fought with a thousand, and two fought with darkness." David of Murom fell in battle. Prince Yuri again turned to the Ryazan brave men, and the battle broke out again, and the strong Tatar regiments barely defeated them. Many local princes - and staunch governors, and daring and brave armies, the color and decoration of Ryazan - all the same "drank one cup of death." Captured Oleg Ingorevich Red Batu tried to win over to his side, and then ordered to be executed. Having devastated the Ryazan land, Batu went to Vladimir.

At that moment, Evpaty Kolovrat, who was in Chernigov during the Tatar-Mongol invasion, rushed to Ryazan. Gathering a squad of one thousand seven hundred people, he suddenly attacked the Tatars and "chopped them mercilessly" so much that even the swords became dull, and "the Russian soldiers took the Tatar swords and flogged them mercilessly." The Tatars managed to capture five wounded Ryazan brave men, and from them Batu finally learned who was destroying his regiments. Evpatiy managed to defeat Khristovlur, the brother-in-law of Batu himself, but he himself fell in battle, struck down from stone-throwing guns.

The "Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" ends with a story about the return of Ingvar Ingorevich from Chernigov to the Ryazan land, his weeping, praise for the family of the Ryazan princes and a description of the restoration of Ryazan.

For the first time, N. M. Karamzin drew attention to the story. Since then, it has been analyzed by many researchers, writers and poets have turned to it. Back in 1808, G. R. Derzhavin wrote his tragedy "Evpraksia", the heroine of which was the wife of Prince Fyodor. D. Venevitinov, who created the poem "Evpraksia" in 1824, also turned to the same plot. In the same 1824, N. M. Yazykov also wrote his poem "Evpaty". In the late 50s of the 19th century, L.A. Mey created "The Song about the boyar Yevpaty Kolovrat". In the 20th century, S. A. Yesenin wrote a poem about Evpatiy Kolovrat on the plot of the Tale; its poetic translation was created by Ivan Novikov. The material of the old Russian "Tale of the ruin of Ryazan by Batu" was used by D. Yan in the story "Batu" and V. Ryakhovsky in the story "Evpatiy Kolovrat". It is known to a wide circle of readers in the retelling of a school textbook and in its numerous editions.

Turned to the "Tale of the ruin of Ryazan Batu" and many researchers. Their works collected dozens of her manuscripts, identified various editions and determined the relationship between them. However, the question of the time of creation of this masterpiece of ancient Russian literature is still open. V. L. Komarovich and A. G. Kuzmin are inclined to date it to the 16th century, D. S. Likhachev refers the "Tale" to the end of the 13th - the beginning of the 14th century. The latter point of view was entrenched in textbooks on ancient Russian literature, was reflected in the editions of the Tale, and was used in studies on the history of literature of ancient Rus'. The works of V. L. Komarovich and A. G. Kuzmin, for some reason, were not even included in a solid academic reference book.

Perhaps such a situation with the dating of "The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu" is explained by the peculiarities of the monument itself. Indeed, what doubts can there be about its early appearance? After all, the events of Batu's campaign against Rus' are taken as a plot. The author describes the invasion emotionally and colorfully, gives many details, among which there are those that have not been preserved in the pages of ancient Russian chronicles. In addition, such monuments of ancient Russian literature as "Zadonshchina", "The Tale of Tokhtamysh's Invasion of Moscow", "The Tale of the Life and Repose of the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, Tsar of Russia", the story of Nestor-Iskander, have lines similar to the text of "The Tale about the ruin of Ryazan by Batu", from which, it would seem, one can conclude that this story was famous for Russian scribes of the XIV-XV centuries.

But if only it were that easy! After all, the author can choose as a plot for his work not only recent events, but also the affairs of bygone days. Facts unknown to other chronicles may testify not only to the awareness of the creator of the Tale, but also to his artistic imagination and raise doubts about the reliability of the information he reports.

At the same time, in "The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu" a number of oddities are striking, which are alarming. Perfectly describing the fallen soldiers, whose bodies are covered with snow on the battlefield, the walls of the city cathedral blackened from the inside, the author forgets the names of the Ryazan princes, their family ties. Thus, David Muromsky and Vsevolod Pronsky, named among the fallen in the battle with the Tatars, died before the Tatar-Mongol invasion. Mikhail Vsevolodovich, who, according to the Tale, had to rebuild Pronsk after Batu, did not live to see the ruin of Ryazan either. Oleg Ingorevich Krasny, who, by the way, was not a brother, but a nephew of the Ryazan prince Yuri, did not fall from Tatar knives. The terrible death attributed to him by the author of the Tale awaited his son Roman 33 years later.

The Bishop of Ryazan also did not die in the besieged city, but managed to leave it shortly before the arrival of the Tatars. Svyatoslav Olgovich and Ingor Svyatoslavich are named as ancestors of the Ryazan princes, who in fact were not the ancestors of the Ryazan princely house. The very title of Yuri Ingorevich "Grand Duke of Ryazan" appeared only in the last quarter of the XIV century. Finally, the definition of Evpaty Kolovrat's squad, which numbered 1,700 people, as a small one does not correspond to the realities of pre-Mongolian and specific Rus'.

Let's look at the text itself. Among its ten editions, the most ancient are those named by D.S. Likhachev Main A and Main B. The latter has been preserved in two forms. It is to them that all the other editions of the Tale go back.

The similarity of individual fragments of the text of "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" with some literary monuments of the late XIV-XV centuries is beyond doubt and has been noted by many researchers. But it can be generated by common literary clichés used by ancient Russian scribes when describing certain events. The relationship may also turn out to be the opposite, that is, it was not the "Tale" that influenced the monuments of literature of the 15th century, but, on the contrary, they served as a source for the author to create the work.

If you look closely at the text, you can say that the similarity between the "Tale" and "Zadonshchina" is explained by the common genre nature of the monuments. Both military stories do not have verbatim textual coincidences. These coincidences exist between "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" and "The Tale of Tokhtamysh's Invasion of Moscow". But on the basis of these texts it is impossible to say which of the monuments was older. But this can be said about the "Word on the life and death of the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, Tsar of Russia": Evdokia's lament for Prince Dmitry from this monument certainly served as the basis for the "lament of Ingvar Ingorevich" from "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu". This is evidenced by the use of Ingvar in relation to many fallen addresses in the singular ("master", "my red month", "soon-dead").

These words, which did not correspond to the lament for the devastated Ryazan land, were appropriate in the mouth of Evdokia, addressing her husband. But "The Word on the Life and Repose of Dmitry Ivanovich" is included in a cycle of stories about the events of the last quarter of the 14th - early 15th centuries, compiled for the annals of 1448. Among them is "The Tale of Tokhtamysh's Invasion of Moscow". Consequently, she was the source of "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu". With another monument of the XV century, "The Tale", the expressions "one fights with a thousand, two with darkness", "giant with strength", "sanchakbey" are associated. We find these words and speech turns in the story of Nestor-Iskander about the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. But the title "sanchakbey" is associated precisely with the organization of the Turkish army and could not be borrowed by Nestor-Iskander from the story of the Mongol invasion. More likely is the dependence of the Ryazan story on the composition of the second half of the 15th century.

In addition, "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" has come down to us as part of a cycle of tales about Nikol Zarazsky. This cycle brought together literary monuments that are different in nature, information content and artistic merit. In addition to our "Tale", it included "The Tale of the Bringing of the Icon of St. Nicholas of Korsun to Ryazan", "The Tale of the Death of Prince Fyodor and His Family", "The Genealogy of the Priests Who Served at the Icon of St. Nicholas", and "Tales of miracles from the icon in 1513 and 1531". Some basis for dating "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" can be provided by an analysis of this literary convoy.

The cycle has come down to us in various editions, but in most cases it opens with "The Tale of Bringing the Icon of Nikola Korsunsky to Ryazan". Most likely, it was written by Eustathius the Second, the son of the priest Eustathius Raki, who brought the icon. The former independent existence of this text is confirmed by the ending phrase preserved in some editions: "Glory to our God", appropriate in the absence of further works of the Nikolo-Zarazsky cycle. The time of creation of this story is the 13th century.

Closely connected with the story of the bringing of the icon is the second story of the Nikolo-Zarazsky cycle, which tells about the death of Prince Fyodor during an embassy to Batu and the suicide of his wife, who threw herself down from a high temple. This legend has the character of a toponymic legend. It ends with the phrase: "and from sowing guilt, the great miracle worker Nicolae Zarasky is called, as if blessed Eupraxea with her son Prince Ivan infects herself", which indicates that we have a literary processing of the folk etymology of the toponym Zarazsk. But a toponymic tradition cannot appear before the appearance of a point with such a name. The "List of Russian cities far and near", compiled at the end of the 14th century, does not know the town of Zarazsk, from which we can conclude that the legend about Prince Fedor and his family appeared no earlier than the 15th century.

But after all, "The Tale of the Death of Prince Fedor and His Family" preceded "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu". The latter almost literally repeats the text of the Zarazskaya legend, which causes its duplication within a single cycle. Consequently, our "Tale" was formed no earlier than the 15th century. But when?
The answer to this question can be suggested by the "Genealogy of the priests who served at the icon of Nikola Zarazsky" and "The legend of the miracle from the icon that happened in 1513".

The genealogy of priests (or Rod of the priests) has two main editions: listing 9 generations without indicating the term of the unchanging service of the family at the icon and listing 10 generations that served 335 years. It is indicative that the first edition usually precedes "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu", immediately following the "Tale of the Death of Prince Fyodor", and the second is placed after the legend of the Batu invasion of Ryazan.

Therefore, we have the right to assume that the "Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan" was added to the Genealogy of the Priests, which consisted of 9 generations and originally completed the stories about the bringing of the icon and the death of Prince Fyodor. One generation later, this story immediately began to adjoin the story of the death of Prince Fedor, and Rod Popovsky, brought to 10 tribes, began to complete the entire cycle.

It is easy to calculate that the main editions A and B of the first type arose before 1560. This date is indicated to us by the period of unchanging service of one priestly family. But since the author of the genealogy allocates 33.5 years for one generation (335 years divided into 10 generations), the oldest edition of the Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu was created after 1526 (1560 minus 33.5), since it is preceded by a genealogy compiled on one generation before.
The Tale of the Miracle of 1513, which follows the oldest edition of the Tale, helps to clarify this date even more. It was created before 1530, since in the call to prayer for the sovereign's health, the brother of the Grand Duke was named as the heir, which would have been unthinkable after the birth of Ivan the Terrible on August 25, 1530.

This means that the oldest edition of "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" was written after 1526, but before 1530. This conclusion is of great importance.

What does the new dating of the monument give us? First of all, it obliges us to change our attitude to the unique details reported by the author of The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu, since he worked in the 16th century, and not in the 13th.
Secondly, our understanding of the history of ancient Russian literature is changing. Rus', torn to pieces by the Mongol invasion, was unable to create such a monument as "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu". The tragic pathos of this work was based on confidence in the unconditional final victory over the enemy. This level of awareness of events was still inaccessible to the Russian people in the early years of the Mongol yoke. With the new dating of the Tale, the verbosity and ecclesiastical edification of the author, more characteristic of the 15th-16th centuries than of the 13th century, become clear.

The "Tale" itself was created on the basis of the Ryazan legend about the Batu invasion, preserved in the Novgorod First Chronicle and supplemented by a local legend about Prince Fyodor, a story about the death of Oleg Krasny, a legend about Evpatiy Kolovrat and the cry of Ingvar Ingorevich. As sources, the author, in addition to the Novgorod First Chronicle, used the collection of 1448 (primarily "The Word on the Life and Repose of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, Tsar of Russia" and "The Tale of Tokhtamysh's Invasion of Moscow") and the Life of Jacob Persky. A special place among the sources is occupied by "Praise to the family of the Ryazan princes", introduced in the final part of the "Tale". Compiled on the basis of praise to the house of the Novgorod-Seversky princes, it contains many archaisms. So, among the virtues of the princes is their struggle with the Polovtsy ("and with the filthy Polovtsy fought for the holy churches and the Orthodox faith"). Perhaps we have the remains of a monument of the XII century.

With all this, the "Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" dating back to the 16th century does not lose its significance as a source. Its value lies not in telling us new details about the Mongol invasion, but in reflecting this event in the public consciousness of Russia on the eve of the capture of Kazan by the Russians. Indicative is the very appeal to the topic of the ruin of Russian lands at a time when the growing Russian state was preparing for the last battle with the once dangerous, but increasingly weakening enemy. The author of the story does not leave a place in history for a 250-year yoke. In his opinion, clearly expressed in the last lines of the text, the people who survived the Batu defeat had already been delivered by God from the Tatars. In some lists, this story is continued by a fantastic story about the murder of Batu.

In the abundance of prayers, in calls to stand up against "warriors in the Christian faith," the author's perception of the confrontation between Russians and Tatars as a religious struggle, and the special role of the church in shaping public opinion on the Tatar issue, are also manifested. It is important that in this struggle between the Forest and the Steppe, the national question did not occupy a large place in the minds of the people of the 16th century. As enemies, the Polovtsians (mentioned in "Praise to the Family of the Ryazan Princes"), the Mongols, and the Crimeans (they are present in the "Tale of Miracles") are one and the same for them.

Of particular interest is the colorful description of the feat of Evpatiy Kolovrat. Of course, we have before us a record of the epic legend about the hero. Even his death is unusual. Yevpaty is struck from siege engines, which is impossible in a real field battle. + This image is close to a whole galaxy of similar images reflected in Russian literature of the 15th-17th centuries. Mercury Smolensky, Demyan Kudenievich, Sukhman - they all suddenly collide with the enemy, independently decide to repulse the enemy, fight with superior enemy forces, win and die, but not in a duel, but as a result of some kind of enemy cunning; their feat initially has no witnesses.

The story about Evpaty Kolovrat, as well as the Life of Mercury of Smolensk and the Nikon Chronicle, fixes the process of formation of this legend. Neither the name of the hero nor the place of action has yet been settled (Ryazan, Smolensk, Pereyaslavl Russian). All this will acquire its final form only in the 17th century in the Tale of Sukhman. Therefore, reading the pages of "The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu", we are present at the birth of epics of the 16th-17th centuries.

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Evpatiy Kolovrat is a person more legendary than historical. Little is known about him to historians, few texts have been preserved - written and oral, in which this Ryazan prince would be mentioned.

Evpatiy Kolovrat appears in the Ryazan folk legend and in the Old Russian “The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu”, written quite late - only in the 16th century, three centuries after the alleged feat.

And although in these monuments, in comparison with other medieval texts, there are practically no fantastic details, the events described still seem implausible.

This is understandable - folk tales reflect the feelings and emotions of ordinary people who fell into despair due to some kind of disaster, therefore they almost always contain an irrational plot; and chronicles, chronicles and other medieval historical writings were based on those same folk tales, ancient history did not yet know the rational scientific method.

The legend of the figure of Evpaty is confirmed by the fact that he is mentioned together with the Ryazan prince Ingvar Ingvarevich, whose existence is rejected by current historians (he is identified with his own father, Ingvar Igorevich, also a Ryazan prince, who died in 1235.

Ryazan principality

In the feudal fragmentation of Ancient Rus' and the subsequent invasion of Batu, the Ryazan principality played a special role. It was the first Russian land bordering on the possessions of the Tatar-Mongols; therefore Ryazan took upon itself the first blow of the invaders.

Evpatiy Kolovrat with an army photo

The descendants of the Chernigov princes ruled in this principality, therefore Ryazan had a close connection with the Chernigov principality. In addition, earlier the Ryazan principality was part of the Vladimir principality, with which the Ryazans continued to maintain close relations even during the period of independence.

Attack

“The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu” tells that when the Tatar Khan approached Ryazan and demanded a tenth of the wealth, the prince was indecisive. On the one hand, he presented Batu with gifts and sent his son Fyodor to him for negotiations, and on the other hand, he turned to Vladimir and Chernigov for help.

Khan remained implacable; not getting what he wanted, he killed Fedor and broke into the city, the population of which was completely destroyed. But the texts of the "Tale" and the folk tale say that some of the Ryazan people hid outside the city, and some went away to other places on business. All of them, of course, survived and in the future made up the militia that came out to fight Batu.

There was also no approximate Ryazan prince in the city - the boyar Evpaty Kolovrat, who was just in Chernigov. Having received the news of the ruin of his native city, he hurried there. Finding Ryazan devastated, he gathered all those who survived and set off in pursuit of the Tatar army. The invaders, apparently, did not expect such an attack, so they left slowly, rejoicing at their victory.

Evpaty Kolovrat with his "small army", which, according to some sources, was only 1,700 people, attacked the Tatar rearguard on the territory of the Suzdal principality and killed it all. The text tells that the warriors of the prince fought so fiercely and mercilessly that their swords became dull, and then they took away the swords from the Tatars and beat the enemy with them. Batu fell into amazement at this act.

Realizing that the Ryazan governor was not an easy person, he sent Khostovrul, his wife's brother, to meet him. He boastfully promised the khan that he would bring Yevpatiy to him alive. However, instead, he died, fighting with him one on one: Evpaty cut him in half with his sword, right to the saddle. Khostovrul brought with him a large detachment, which Yevpaty's soldiers mercilessly killed, despite the significant superiority of the enemy in numbers.

battle Evpatiy Kolovrat photo

The story says that the Tatars were able to destroy Evpaty only with the help of "vices" - stone-throwing tools that were usually used to storm the fortress walls. Batu was so struck by the courage of the Russian soldiers that he decided to give the body of Evpatiy to the Russians so that they would bury him with honor, and let them go in peace.

Dating of "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu"

Scientists did not immediately come to the dating of the historical monument reporting the feat of Evpatiy Kolovrat. There were those who believed that it was written "in hot pursuit", that is, in the XIII century. Others put forward versions relating the story to the 14th and even to the 15th century. A comparative analysis of it with other works of ancient Russian literature and other considerations helped modern scholars to establish the exact date of writing the work.

Here is some of them:

The text has coincidences with other military stories of Ancient Rus', is saturated with patterns and clichés typical of literary monuments of the 15th-16th centuries;

The author of the story vividly describes the courage and death of Russian soldiers, poetically depicts the battle, but forgets and confuses the names of the princes, governors, boyars and church leaders who appeared in the event, confuses their family ties, therefore, he clearly described "the affairs of bygone days"; For the author of the story, the edifying, theological component of the story is important, he makes an attempt to philosophically comprehend the events described, all this could not be done by the inhabitants of the devastated Ryazan and nearby cities in the 13th century: the Russian people experiencing disasters had no time for philosophical reflection.

The educational orientation of the story, in turn, is an explanation of why the author of the story did not seek to study in detail and reflect historical realities; Only the author, who lived in the “post-Mongolian” time, when the Russian lands united and created a kind of standing army, could call the Ryazan army of 1700 people a “small squad”. In the conditions of the feudal fragmentation of the XIII century, a detachment of 1700 people is a huge crowd, constituting a significant part of the population of the middle principality.

In the sensational film "The Legend of Kolovrat" the hero does not really correspond to disparate historical sources. Evpaty Kolovrat came from Ryazan, was a boyar and a real hero.

New action movie "The Legend of Kolovrat" Janika Fayzieva and Ivan Shurkhovetsky received mixed reactions from film critics and audiences alike. Although the creators of the picture do not pretend to comply with historical canons, characterizing the genre of "Legends ..." as a fantasy, they did not fail to "convict" of the lack of texture of the protagonist and numerous inaccuracies. However, Evpatiy Kolovrat- a figure so mysterious that even historians have more questions about him than answers. So what was the famous Russian hero like, and indeed - did he exist? Let's try to figure it out.

Boyar and Governor

Most historians believe that, unlike many heroes of the epic, the hero Yevpaty Kolovrat, most likely, actually existed. We know about a resident of the Ryazan principality with such a name who possessed remarkable strength and incredible courage from ancient chronicles, epics, “The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan Batu and other literary works. The exploits of the hero inspired various poets, including Nikolay Yazykov and Sergei Yesenin.

According to legend, Yevpaty was born in a small village in the Shilovsky volost (on the territory of the modern Shilovsky district of the Ryazan region), presumably at the very beginning of the 13th century (according to some sources in 1200, according to others - 2-5 years earlier). That is, at the time of the invasion of Batu Kolovrat, who was played in the film by a 27-year-old Ilya Malakov, was at least 35 years old (or even all 40) - he was far from young and was no longer in the prime of physical strength by the standards of that time. But who he was, a noble boyar or governor, according to various sources, is not known for certain (it is quite possible that one did not interfere with the other).

Yes, and Kolovrat is not a fact that the surname, as many decided after watching the film. According to many historians, this is a middle name or nickname. According to his father, as indicated in some sources, Evpaty was Lvovich, but in the XIII century, surnames in Rus' were just beginning to appear, and even many noble people went "without a surname" for another couple of centuries.

By the way: The first film adaptation of the life and exploits of the ancient Russian hero was the Tale of Evpatiy Kolovrat, a cartoon released in 1985.

Cunning partisan

According to The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu, the Mongol invasion of 1237 caught Evpaty Lvovich in Chernigov - according to one source, there he learned about the fall of Ryazan, the ruin of the Ryazan principality and the death of its leader Yuri Igorevich, after which, with the squad, which he was able to gather, he hastily moved into place. According to another version, Kolovrat found out about the invasion, gathered a squad, rushed to the aid of the Ryazan people - but he was too late.

One way or another, on the site of the city, he saw the ashes - and, having gathered the surviving soldiers (according to the "Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu", there were 1,700 of them), he set off in pursuit of the Mongols. The Russians overtook an army of many thousands of the enemy on Suzdal land - and here Evpaty Kolovrat and his retinue showed remarkable ingenuity. Realizing that the forces are not equal, they began to wage a guerrilla war. So cunning and successful that the panicked warriors of Batu even decided that they were dealing with forest spirits avenging them for the murdered ones.

The last battle

In January 1238, however, the detachment of Kolovrat had to enter into an open battle with the army of the Golden Horde. There are many descriptions of her in the sources, all of them emphasize the courage and courage of Evpaty Lvovich and his associates. Traditions say that he chopped dozens of warriors with his sword. Among them were the main heroes of the Mongol principality, including the closest relative of Batu, the invincible Hostovrula, who had previously volunteered to bring the captured Russian hero to the khan.

It was thanks to this battle that the fame of Kolovrat arose as a mighty hero and a man of great strength. “Evpatiy cut Khostovrul ... to the saddle,” says the Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu.

But the forces were unequal. As a result, Evpatiy and most of his soldiers fell on the battlefield. According to legend, the Horde were able to win only after they used stone-throwing tools. Everything ended as the legend should. Struck by the courage of the Russians, Batu released the surviving combatants - and gave them the body of the deceased Kolovrat so that he would be buried with all honors.

According to some versions of the “Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu”, which was repeatedly written and rewritten, Yevpaty Lvovich was buried in the Ryazan Cathedral, and the date is also called January 11, 1238.

His name is unknown,– immortal

The personality of Kolovrat has been of concern to researchers since the 16th century - from the moment the "Tale ..." was published. Historians tried to find out a more accurate biography of him, to clarify his age - but even the approximate date of birth could not be established. Some believe that his real name was Hypatius, in Rus' the name came from Greek and was very common, as it is associated with a revered holy martyr, bishop Hypatius of Gangra.

The second name (or nickname) raises even more questions. Some believe that this is a direct "indication" that the ancient hero was a pagan (Kolovrat in pagan mythology is a symbol of the Sun).

In those days in Rus', self-firing kolovrats were in use, gear devices for cocking crossbow guns - maybe the hero got his nickname from them? There is also a version that Kolovrat Evpaty Lvovich was nicknamed for his ability to fight simultaneously with two blades, quickly turning in different directions. And another hypothesis - that he was a guard and stood near the gate - near the gate, hence the nickname.

It is also suggested that Kolovrat was a Scandinavian - a mercenary from the Varangians who settled in the Ryazan region, but it was "profitable" for the chroniclers to make him a Slav.

There is also a version that in fact Yevpaty Kolovrat is a collective image, personifying the strength of the spirit of Russian soldiers of those times. Hence the large number of inconsistencies and hyperbole in the legends about his exploits. Many, in particular, have doubts that the Mongols took catapults on that campaign, historians are also surprised by the size of Evpaty Lvovich’s squad - if the male population was mobilized, the invaders killed almost all the men in Ryazan and its environs (descriptions of this were also preserved), then from where could take almost 2000 men capable of fighting? By the way, in the film "The Legend of Kolovrat" the number of warriors is completely different, and they are dressed like they are, like the Mongols, to put it mildly, not at all in the fashion of that period - but these are far from the only liberties that the creators of the picture allowed themselves.

One way or another, but the name of the hero is still forever inscribed in history. The exploits of Kolovrat are also marked with monuments. One of them stands in the village of Shilovo (according to some sources, it was there that he was born), the other is in the center of Ryazan.

On February 9, 2014, a young man by his name entered the church in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and shot the parishioners there with a gun. This young man was fascinated by neo-paganism.

“... and begging him with a great prayer to stand strong for Orthodox Christianity against besermenovstvo". - The Tale of Standing on the Ugra // Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles. T. 24: Chronicle according to the Typographic list. Pg., 1921.

In the 90s of the twentieth century, neo-pagan newspapers circulated a large number of articles with drawings of various types of swastikas with names and descriptions of each. Names like "gromovik", "svetokrug", "kolovrat", etc. were simply the fruits of the imagination of the authors of these articles, references to any scientific historical research were not given. In these articles, the swastika was called the original Slavic symbol, although this statement is erroneous: varieties of swastikas are known in many cultures. A variation of the swastika is also used in the Christian Church; in particular, the book “How to choose a pectoral cross” (M.: Trifonov Pechenegsky Monastery; “The Ark”, 2002) provides the following information: “The “gamma” cross (swastika). This cross is called "Gamma" because it consists of the Greek letter "Gamma". Already the first Christians in the Roman catacombs depicted a gamma cross. In Byzantium, this form was often used to decorate the Gospels, church utensils, temples, and were embroidered on the vestments of Byzantine saints. In the 9th century, by order of the Empress Theodora, a Gospel was made, decorated with gold ornaments from gamma crosses. The book “Matenadaran” depicts a four-pointed cross surrounded by twelve gamma crosses. And in Rus', the form of this cross has long been used. It is depicted on many church objects of the pre-Mongolian period, in the form of a mosaic under the dome of the Cathedral of St. Sophia of Kyiv, in the ornament of the doors of the Nizhny Novgorod Cathedral. Gamma crosses are embroidered on the phelonion of the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhy.

« Crossbow(old) - a bow embedded in a wooden plow (butt) with a strip (stock); bowstring descended with the help of the gate (self-shooting Kolovrat). In Western Europe it was called a crossbow. - Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron. Pg.: Publishing Society "F. A. Brockhaus - I. A. Efron, 1907-1909.

The last two concepts come from the word "chur", which, according to the Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, is the proper name of a Slavic mythological deity who patronized acquisition and profit. His symbol was chocks and chumps, that is, boundary marks.

Сalendae (calends)- the names of the first day of each month in ancient Rome. Cm.: Ruban Yu.I. What is a calendar? // Bible in Russian translation. M., 1999. It is also worth noting the fact that in our language, unlike some European ones, there are no pagan echoes even in the names of the days of the week, which undoubtedly confirms the presence of such explicit Christian names as "Saturday" and "Sunday" .

Defense of Ryazan. Diorama Deshalyt

The ancient monuments that have come down to us - chronicles, historical stories, lives of saints - cover the tragic events of the winter of 1237-1238 in different ways.

Having downloaded a map of the area on the Internet, I noticed that the villages of Nikolo-Kobylskoye and Ostroukhovo were not marked there, I had to go and sort everything out on the spot.

This means that the oldest edition of "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" was written after 1526, but before 1530. This conclusion is of great importance.