The land on which our distant ancestors lived was rich and fertile and constantly attracted nomads from the east, Germanic tribes from the west, besides, our ancestors tried to develop new lands.
Sometimes this colonization took place peacefully, but. often accompanied by hostilities.
The Soviet military historian E. A. Razin in his book “The History of Military Art” tells about the organization of the Slavic army during the period of the 5th-6th centuries:
“Among the Slavs, all adult men were warriors. The Slavic tribes had squads, which were recruited according to the age principle by young, physically strong and dexterous warriors. The organization of the army was based on the division into clans and tribes, the warriors of the clan were headed by an elder (headman), at the head of the tribe was a leader or prince.
Procopius from Kessaria in his book "War with the Goths" writes that the warriors of the Slavic tribe "used to hide even behind small stones or behind the first bush they come across and catch enemies. This they did more than once by the river Istra. So, ancient author in the aforementioned book, one interesting case is described, how a Slavic warrior, skillfully using improvised means of disguise, took the "language":
“And this Slav, having crept very close to the walls in the early morning, covered himself with brushwood and curled up in a ball, hid in the grass. When a Goth approached this place, the Slav suddenly grabbed him and brought him alive to the camp.
The area where the Slavs usually took the fight was always their ally. From dark forests, river backwaters, deep ravines, the Slavs suddenly attacked their opponents. Here is what the previously mentioned Mauritius writes about this:
“The Slavs love to fight their enemies in places overgrown with dense forests, in gorges. on the cliffs, they profitably use ambushes, surprise attacks, tricks, and inventing many different methods both day and night ... Having great help in the forests, they head towards them, because among the gorges they know how to fight perfectly. Often they abandon the prey they are carrying, as if under the influence of confusion, and run into the forests, and then, when the attackers rush to the prey, they easily rise and cause harm to the enemy. All this they are masters of doing in a variety of ways they come up with in order to lure the enemy.
Thus, we see that the ancient warriors prevailed over the enemy primarily by the lack of a template, cunning, skillful use of the surrounding area.
In engineering training, our ancestors were also recognized specialists; ancient authors write that the Slavs in the art of forcing rivers surpassed "all people." Being in the service in the army of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Slavic detachments skillfully ensured the crossing of rivers. They quickly made boats and transferred large military detachments to the other side of them. The Slavs usually set up a camp at a height to which there were no hidden approaches. If necessary, to fight in the open field, they arranged fortifications from wagons.
For a defensive battle, the Slavs chose a position that was difficult for the enemy to reach, or they poured a rampart and arranged an embankment. When storming the enemy's fortifications, they used assault ladders and siege engines. In deep formation, putting their shields on their backs, the Slavs went on the assault. From the above examples, we can see that the use of terrain in combination with available items deprived the opponents of our ancestors of the advantages that they originally had. Many Western sources claim that the Slavs did not have a system, but this does not mean that they did not have a battle order. The same Mauritius recommended building a not very deep formation against them and attacking not only from the front, but on the flanks and from the rear. From this we can conclude that for the battle the Slavs were located in a certain order.
The ancient Slavs had a certain battle order - they fought not in a crowd, but in an organized manner, lining up according to clans and tribes. Tribal and tribal leaders were chiefs and maintained the necessary discipline in the army. The organization of the Slavic army was based on a social structure - the division into tribal and tribal detachments. Tribal and tribal ties ensured the necessary cohesion of warriors in battle.
Thus, the use of battle order by Slavic warriors, which gives undeniable advantages in battle with a strong enemy, suggests that the Slavs but only carried out combat training with their squads. Indeed, in order to act quickly in battle formation, it was necessary to work it out to automatism. Also, it was necessary to know the enemy with whom to fight.
The Slavs could not only skillfully fight in the forest and field. To take the fortresses, they used a simple and effective tactic.
In 551, a detachment of Slavs numbering more than 3,000 people, without meeting any opposition, crossed the Istra River. An army with great strength was sent to meet the Slavs. After crossing the Maritsa River, the Slavs were divided into two groups. The Roman commander decided to break their forces one by one in an open field. Having a well-placed tactical intelligence and being aware of the movements of the enemy. The Slavs preempted the Romans and, suddenly attacking them from two directions, destroyed their enemy. Following this, Emperor Justinian threw a detachment of regular cavalry against the Slavs. The detachment was stationed in the Thracian fortress Tzurule. However, this detachment was defeated by the Slavs, who had cavalry in their ranks that was not inferior to the Roman. Having defeated the regular field troops, our ancestors began the siege of fortresses in Thrace and Illyria.
Of great interest is the capture by the Slavs of the seaside fortress of Toyer, which was located 12 days from Byzantium. The fortress garrison of 15 thousand people was a formidable force. The Slavs decided first of all to lure the garrison out of the fortress and destroy it. To do this, most of the soldiers settled in ambush near the city, and a small detachment approached the eastern gate and began to fire on the Roman soldiers. The Romans, seeing that there were not so many enemies, decided to go beyond the fortress and defeat the Slavs in the field. The besiegers began to retreat, pretending to the attackers that, frightened by them, they took to flight. The Romans, carried away by the pursuit, were far ahead of the fortifications. Then those who were in ambush rose up and, finding themselves in the rear of the pursuers, cut off their possible ways of retreat. And those who pretended to retreat, turning to face the Romans, attacked them. Having exterminated the pursuers, the Slavs again rushed to the walls of the city. Toyer's garrison was destroyed. From the foregoing, we can conclude that the interaction of several detachments, reconnaissance, and camouflage on the ground were well established in the Slavic army.
From all the examples given, it can be seen that in the 6th century our ancestors had perfect tactics for those times, they could fight and inflict serious damage on the enemy, who was much stronger than them, and often had numerical superiority. Perfect was not only tactics, but also military equipment. So, during the siege of fortresses, the Slavs used iron rams, setting up siege machines. The Slavs, under the cover of throwing machines and archers, moved rams close to the fortress wall, began to loosen it and make holes.
Apart from land army, the Slavs had a fleet. There is a lot of written evidence of their use of the fleet in the fighting against Byzantium. The ships were mainly used for transporting troops and landing troops.
For many years, the Slavic tribes, in the fight against numerous aggressors from Asia, against the powerful Roman Empire, against the Khazar Khaganate and the Franks, defended their independence and united in tribal alliances. In this centuries-old struggle, the military organization of the Slavs took shape, and the military art of neighboring peoples and states arose. Not the weakness of the opponents, but the strength and military art of the Slavs ensured their victory. The offensive actions of the Slavs forced the Roman Empire to switch to strategic defense and create several defensive lines, the presence of which did not ensure the security of the borders of the empire. The campaigns of the Byzantine army across the Danube, into the depths of the Slavic territories, did not achieve their goals.
These campaigns usually ended with the defeat of the Byzantines. When the Slavs, even during their offensive actions, met superior enemy forces, they usually evaded the battle, sought to change the situation in their favor, and only then went on the offensive again.
For long hikes, crossing rivers and capturing coastal fortresses, the Slavs used the rook fleet, which they built very quickly. Large campaigns and deep invasions were usually preceded by reconnaissance in force by forces of significant detachments, which tested the enemy's ability to resist.
The tactics of the Russians consisted not in the invention of forms of building battle formations, to which the Romans attached exceptional importance, but in the variety of methods of attacking the enemy, both in the offensive and in defense. To use this tactic, a good organization of military intelligence was necessary, to which the Slavs paid serious attention. Knowledge of the enemy made it possible to carry out surprise attacks. The tactical interaction of the detachments was skillfully carried out both in the field battle and during the assault on fortresses. For the siege of fortresses, the ancient Slavs were able to quickly create all the modern siege equipment. Among other things, the Slavic warriors skillfully used the psychological impact on the enemy.
So, in the early morning of June 18, 860, the capital Byzantine Empire Constantinople was subjected to an unexpected attack by the Russian troops. Russ came by sea, landed at the very walls of the city and laid siege to it. The warriors raised their comrades on their outstretched arms, and they, shaking their swords sparkling in the sun, plunged into confusion the Constantinopolitans standing on the high walls. This “attack” was filled with great meaning for Rus' - for the first time a young state entered into a confrontation with a great empire, for the first time, as events will show, presented its military, economic and territorial claims to it. And most importantly, thanks to this demonstrative, psychologically accurately calculated attack and the subsequent peace treaty of "friendship and love", Rus' was recognized as an equal partner of Byzantium. The Russian chronicler wrote later that from that moment "the land began to be called Ruska."
All the principles of warfare listed here have not lost their significance even today. Is disguise and military cunning ever nuclear technology and the information boom have lost their relevance? As recent military conflicts have shown, even with reconnaissance satellites, spy planes, advanced equipment, computer networks and weapons of enormous destructive power, it is possible to bomb rubber and wooden models for a long time and at the same time loudly broadcast to the whole world about enormous military successes.
Have secrecy and surprise lost their meaning?
Let us recall how surprised European and NATO strategists were when, quite unexpectedly, Russian paratroopers suddenly appeared at the Pristina airfield in Kosovo, and our “allies” were powerless to do anything.
© Vedic Culture Magazine, No. 1
The call to reign of the Varangian prince. Separation Eastern Slavs. The story of the calling of the Varangians. Versions of the origin of the word. The breakdown of the family structure. Miller. East Slavs. Rurik's mother. Balkans. Trade route. Information about the resettlement of the Slavs. The name didn't catch on right away. Concepts and terms.
"Slavs in Eastern Europe" - Chariots. Slavs and the great migration of peoples. Proto-Slavs. Eastern Europe. natural environment and man. The collapse of the Slavic community. Influence of geographical features. Northerners of Kursk. Dependent population among the Slavs. Settlement of Eastern Europe. Gods of the Slavs. The ancestral home of the Slavs. Slavs. Slavic community. Power. Difference from nature Western Europe. East Slavs. Germans. ancient European dialects.
"History of the ancient Slavs" - Beliefs of the Slavs. Friends of the Slavs. Wars of Emperor Justinian. Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. Tribes. Nestor. They called themselves northerners. Lifestyle. Lots of different lands. Old Russian history. Scientist Michael Vasilievich Lomonosov. Apostle Andrew. Shoots open up. Opinion on the origin of the name "Slavs". The story of Nestor the chronicler. Academician Boris Aleksandrovich Rybakov. Seventy-two peoples settled on the Earth.
“How the Slavs lived” - M.V. Nesterov “Two Frets”. Perun. Gathering. How did the Slavs defend themselves? Millstone. Slavs. Slavic warriors. Glade. Dazhdbog. Water. How they lived. Slavic jewelry. What did the Slavs look like? Lada. Prepare a retelling. Knowledge sheet. ZHU table. Spinning wheels. Our ancestors are Slavs. Baba Yaga. I want to know. Ancestors. The world. Goblin. House. Stribog. Where did the Slavs live? Battle of the Slavs with the Scythians. What did you do.
"Peoples of the Slavs" - East Slavic tribes. Slavs who lived on the shores of Lake Ilmen. Slavyan. Religion of the Eastern Slavs. Slavic movement to the east. Very little is known about the early history of the Eastern Slavs. Western Slavs. Shipbuilding was also an important role for the Slavs in the Khaganate. relationship with Byzantium. Where do the Slavs live? In 575-675 the region reaches the second, more powerful wave Slavs and Avars. In 668, Slavs from Thessalonica settled in the region of Nicomedia and Nicaea.
"Lands of the Slavs" - Tall strong Slavs in an open battle were known as brave warriors. Slavic defense of their lands. The Slavs did not lock the doors when leaving the house. The Slavs were distinguished by good nature. But not all neighbors had friendly relations. The Slavs treated their parents well. And they left the food, suddenly a stranger comes in. The fight against the nomads, the constant confrontation claimed thousands of lives, distracted them from peaceful labor.
"Do not boast about your strength when you go to Battle, but boast from the Field of Battle." God Perun
All men were warriors
The Slavs usually went to war on foot, in chain mail, a helmet covered their heads, a heavy shield was at the left hip, a bow and a quiver with arrows soaked in poison were behind their backs; in addition, they were armed with a double-edged sword, an ax, a spear and a reed. Over time, the Slavs introduced cavalry into military practice. The personal squad of the prince among all the Slavs was equestrian.
The Slavs did not have a permanent army. In case of military necessity, all men capable of carrying weapons went on a campaign, and they sheltered children and wives with belongings in the forests.
According to the Byzantine historian Procopius, the Sclavins and Antes were distinguished by their very tall stature and enormous strength. Since ancient times, chroniclers noted among the Slavs and Antes dexterity, endurance, hospitality and love of freedom.
A feature of the development of the Slavic tribes was the absence of debt slavery; only prisoners of war were slaves, and even those had the opportunity to redeem themselves or become equal members of the community.
According to Procopius, "these tribes, sklavins and antes, are not ruled by one person, but since ancient times they live in the government of the people, and therefore they have happiness and unhappiness in life considered a common thing." Veche (a meeting of a clan or tribe) was the highest authority. The affairs were in charge of the eldest in the family (headman, ruler).
Ancient sources noted the strength, endurance, cunning and courage of the Slavic warriors, who also mastered the art of disguise. Procopius wrote that Slavic warriors “got used to hiding even behind small stones or behind the first bush they came across and catching enemies. This they did more than once by the river Istra.
Mauritius reported on the art of the Slavs hiding in the water: “They courageously endure being in the water, so that often some of those who remain at home, being caught by a sudden attack, plunge into the abyss of water. At the same time, they hold in their mouths specially made, large reeds hollowed out inside, reaching the surface of the water, and themselves, lying supine on the bottom (of the river), breathe with their help; and this they can do for many hours, so that it is absolutely impossible to guess their (presence)."
During the battles, the Slavs widely used surprise attacks on the enemy. “To fight with their enemies,” wrote Mauritius, “they love in places overgrown with dense forest, in gorges, on cliffs; profitably use (ambushes), surprise attacks, cunning, day and night, inventing many (various) ways.
Mauritius said that in the art of forcing rivers, the Slavs were superior to "all people." They quickly made boats and transferred large detachments of troops to the other side of them.
Slavic warriors fought bravely, following the decisions made at the tribal meeting. Preparing to repel the impending aggression, they took an oath: to fight to the death for their father and brother, for the life of their relatives.
Captivity among the Slavs was considered the greatest shame. The word of honor was valued very highly, it obligated the soldiers to be faithful to the brotherhood of arms in any conditions - the most ancient custom of mutual assistance and mutual assistance in battle.
Prince Svyatoslav, before the battle with the Greeks in 971, turned to the soldiers with the words: “We have nowhere to go, whether we want to or not, we must fight ... If we run, we will be disgraced. So we won’t run, but we’ll stand strong, and I will go ahead of you: if my head lies down, then take care of your own.” The soldiers answered: "Where your head lies, there we will lay down our heads." In that cruel battle, ten thousand soldiers of Svyatoslav defeated the hundred thousandth army of the Greeks.
The Slavs swore an oath on a shield and a sword.
The military oaths of the Slavs were sealed with the name of the god Perun, since he was the patron of princes and retinues. Being in a foreign land, the warriors in honor of Perun stuck their fighting swords into the ground, and in this place, as it were, his camp sanctuary became.
Byzantine historians noted that the Slavs were “very tall and of great strength. Their hair color is very white and golden. Entering the battle, most of them go to the enemy with shields and darts in their hands, but they never wear shells. Further: “They are excellent warriors, because military affairs become with them a harsh science in every detail. The highest happiness in their eyes is to die in battle. To die of old age, or of any accident, is a disgrace, more humiliating than which nothing can be. Their gaze is more warlike than ferocious."
Shortly before the birth of Christ, dominion over the entire ancient world passed to the Romans. Among the most powerful enemies of the Roman Empire was the king of Asia Minor Mithridates the Great. Having inflicted a heavy defeat on the Scythians, Mithridates made peace and an alliance with them. In this world, the Scythian troops were supposed to go along with Mithridates to Rome, which they successfully did, terrifying the Roman legionnaires.
Mithridates was prouder of his victory over the Scythians than his other victories:
“Of mortals, I alone conquered Scythia, that Scythia, past which no one before could either safely pass or approach her. Two kings - Darius of Persia and Philip of Macedon dared not to conquer, but only to enter Scythia and fled in disgrace from where a great army has now been sent to us against the Romans.
After the defeat of the Scythians, the glory of invincible warriors passed to their half-blooded Slavic tribe of the Sarmatians. The name "Sarmatians" became so famous that for many centuries the Russian land was called Sarmatia.
The war with the Romans ended unsuccessfully for Mithridates the Great. He was defeated and committed suicide. His empire collapsed and was absorbed by Rome. The Slavic tribes, who, thanks to Mithridates, found out about the wealth of the Roman lands and recognized all the approaches to them, often began to disturb the Roman borders. In the first century after the birth of Christ, our ancestors already took the Greek city of Olbia on their shield.
The Romans were in a difficult position. They could not tame the Slavs - they easily hid in their forests and steppes. States and major cities they did not have, each tribe acted at its own peril and risk and often, gaining the right moment, attacked the Roman lands, devastating them.
Under the emperor Marcus Aurelius, there was also a formidable Slavic invasion of the Roman Empire, which lasted for fourteen years (166-180). In addition to the united Slavic tribes, the Germans also fought with Rome, and only with great difficulty did Marcus Aurelius manage to defeat the Germans. The Slavic tribes fought with Rome for a long time. The Roxalan and Iazyg tribes were especially famous for their courage. This war, called the Sarmatian by the Romans, was remembered by all coastal peoples for many centuries.
We can judge its size only by the fact that after the end of the war with Rome, the Yazygs alone returned to him one hundred thousand prisoners.
The Slavs invaded the boundaries of the Roman Empire both by land and water. Gathering on their nimble boats at the mouths of the Dnieper and Don, they boldly launched into the sea and reached not only Byzantium, but sometimes reached Athens itself and even Rome.
The Roman emperor Diocletian, also known for his ferocious persecution of Christians, decided to quarrel the Slavs with the Germanic tribes, who bore the common name Goths. This method of action was called by the Romans "divide and conquer." In this case, he was quite successful, and the Slavs and the Goths, inflamed with hatred, began to fiercely exterminate each other, leaving long years rest of the Roman Empire.
The conqueror Germanrich, who united all the Germanic tribes under his rule, strongly pressed the Slavs, seizing their lands and imposing heavy tribute on all Slavic settlements. The first to rise against the Goths were the warlike inhabitants of the lower reaches of the Don and the Dnieper - the Huns. The Huns were a tribal formation consisting of the Turkic-speaking Huns, who were joined by the Ugrians and Sarmatians. The Slavic tribes, conquered by Germanrich, rebelled against him, going over to the side of the Huns. Defeated by the Huns, Hermanrich threw himself on his sword in despair.
The next Gothic king, Vinitar, fought desperately against the Huns, but was killed by Valamir, the Hunnic ruler, a Slav, as you can tell from his name. Having married Vinitar's niece, Valamir conquered all the Gothic peoples almost without resistance.
The dominion of the Huns increased even more under the rule of one of their next rulers - Attila. After the death of Attila under his youngest son, part of the Slavic tribes, significantly mixed by the already great migration of peoples, settled on the Danube and formed the Bulgarian people, while the other part went beyond the Dnieper and Dniester - into the Russian land and settled down to the very Caucasus mountains.
Shortly before the invasion of the Huns, in 395, the Great Roman Empire was divided in two. This happened under Theodosius the Great, one of the successors of Constantine Equal to the Apostles, called Equal to the Apostles because he was the first of the Roman emperors to receive holy baptism.
In his will, Theodosius gave the Roman Empire to his two sons, dividing it into eastern and western. Since then, the Western emperors lived in Rome, while the Eastern ones chose Constantinople as their capital.
Even then, the first seed of discord was sown, which later led to the fragmentation of the churches and separation from the true Church. Orthodox Church Latin, whose cardinals, having made a number of changes to the liturgical rite and recognizing unreasonably that the Holy Spirit proceeds not only from the Father, but also from the Son, began to choose a separate head for themselves - the Pope.
The collapsed empire now became more vulnerable and continued to be attacked by our ancestors of the Slavs. Slavic rooks went to Constantinople almost annually, devastating its environs and then quickly sailing to Rus', although it often happened that they were overtaken by warships and burned with pots of oil, which were also called Greek fire.
In 558, an innumerable army of Slavic peoples crossed the Danube. Some of them went to fight Greece, while the other approached Constantinople and laid siege to it. The Slavic army was so great that the city could easily be taken. Our ancestors already poured earthen ramparts under its walls in order to freely climb the fortifications along them.
With great difficulty, the Greeks managed to convince the leader of the Slavs, Zavergan, not to take the city on a shield. Having received a huge ransom for the return of prisoners, the Slavs lifted the siege and withdrew to the Danube.
From that time on, the Greeks hated the Slavs for a long time and began to take all measures to quarrel them among themselves. Sending rich gifts to the elders of the Slavic tribes, the Greeks skillfully pitted individual tribes and clans of our ancestors against each other. The Slavic custom of blood feud, when a clan took revenge on another clan for every one killed, made the internecine war between the Slavic tribes endless. So, despite their undeniable courage, militancy and contempt for death, the Slavs were almost destroyed by these qualities, directed, alas, against their own half-brothers. The chronicler writes: "the Slavs do not tolerate any power and hate each other." Best Husbands died in battles with their own brethren, and this was successfully used by their enemies.
Having waited for the Slavs to bleed each other, the Greeks called from distant Asia a tribe of Avars, or obrovs, and persuaded them to go to the Slavs. “Slavs are rich. You will take many treasures from them!” the Greeks said. The Obry crossed the Volga and the Don and, after a bloody struggle, subdued the Slavic tribes weakened by strife.
When the Avars finally gained a foothold on the Black Sea coast, they began to take tribute not only from the Slavs themselves, but also to receive rich gifts from the Greeks, on whom they went to war along with the Slavs they had conquered.
Soon, power among the Avars gradually passed to the Jewish merchant elite, which persuaded all the Avar nobility and their kagan to their faith. Since then, the obry, who adopted the customs of the Jews, began to be called the Khazars, who turned into the worst enemies of our ancestors of the Slavs for almost two hundred years. Capital Khazar Khaganate was in the city of Itil, at the mouth of the Volga.
There, along with tribute, the Khazars delivered Slavic youths and maidens for sale, who were often captured during their raids, and prudent Jewish merchants, who knew how to take their price for everything, sold them as slaves to Greece, as well as to the Mohammedans.
The Slavs usually went to war on foot, in chain mail, a helmet covered their heads, a heavy shield was at the left hip, a bow and a quiver with arrows soaked in poison were behind their backs; in addition, they were armed with a double-edged sword, an ax, a spear and a reed. Over time, the Slavs introduced cavalry into military practice. The personal squad of the prince among all the Slavs was equestrian.
The Slavs did not have a permanent army. In case of military necessity, all men capable of carrying weapons went on a campaign, and they sheltered children and wives with belongings in the forests.
The Slavic tribes in the 6th century led a settled way of life, which is confirmed by the nature of their occupations and the arrangement of settlements, which were usually located in forests and swamps. These were settlements, consisting of dugouts with many exits, so that in case of an attack it was possible to hide through one of the emergency passages. The Slavs also settled on rivers and lakes, where special houses were built - pile buildings. Thus, the settlements of the Slavic tribes were securely hidden and difficult to access, and therefore there was no need to build such fortress-type defensive structures, which, for example, were built in Ancient Egypt, in the Middle East, in Greece and Rome.
The ancient Slavs knew how to make monoxyls - one-deck boats, on which they descended along the rivers to Pontus. On boats, Slavic warriors appeared near Korsun in the Crimea, near Constantinople and even on Crete in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the Byzantine historian Procopius, the Sklavins and Antes were very tall and of great strength, but here is how he described appearance ancient Slavs: "The color of their skin and hair is not very white or golden and not quite black, but still they are dark red." Since ancient times, chroniclers noted among the Slavs and Antes dexterity, endurance, hospitality and love of freedom.
From the stories of Mauritius, as well as from other sources, we can conclude that the Slavs had a blood feud, which resulted in armed conflicts between the tribes.
A feature of the development of the Slavic tribes was the absence of debt slavery; only prisoners of war were slaves, and even those had the opportunity to redeem themselves or become equal members of the community. It was patriarchal slavery, which among the Slavs did not turn into a slave-owning system.
The Slavs had a tribal community, which had land ownership. There was no private ownership of land even when the family began to receive a certain arable field, since arable land was periodically subject to redistribution. Pastures, forests, meadows, hunting and fishing grounds continued to be communal property.
According to Procopius, "these tribes, sklavins and antes, are not ruled by one person, but since ancient times they live in the government of the people, and therefore they have happiness and unhappiness in life considered a common thing." Veche (a meeting of a clan or tribe) was the highest authority. The affairs were in charge of the eldest in the family (headman, ruler).
Already at the end of the 5th century, more or less significant associations of Slavic tribes began to arise to repel the attacks of enemies or organize campaigns within the Eastern Roman Empire. The wars contributed to the strengthening of the power of the military leader, who began to be called a prince and have his own squad.
The social structure of the Slavs in the 6th century was a military democracy, whose organs were a veche or a meeting of tribes, a council of elders and a prince - a military leader. Some military leaders entered the service in the army of the Eastern Roman Empire. But the Slavic tribes settled on the Balkan Peninsula not as mercenaries, but as conquerors.
Mauritius noted that the Slavs had tribal strife. “Having no head over them,” he wrote, “they are at enmity with each other; since there is no unanimity between them, they do not gather together, and if they do, they do not come to a single decision, since no one wants to yield to another. To fight the Slavs, Mauritius recommended using their tribal strife, setting one tribe against another and thereby weakening them.
Byzantine politicians were very afraid of large political associations of the Slavs.
When external danger threatened the Slavs, the tribes forgot all their feuds and united for a common struggle for independence. Speaking about the struggle between the Avars and the “Sklavian people” at the end of the 6th century, Menander, a Byzantine, reported the answer of the Slavic elders to the leader of the Avars, who demanded that the Slavic tribes submit to him and pay tribute. “Has the man who would have subjugated our strength been born into the world?”
Eastern sources speak of the Slavs as a warlike people. Thus, the Arab writer Abu-Obeid-Al-Bekri noted in his writings that if the Slavs, this powerful and terrible people, were not divided into many tribes and clans, no one in the world could resist them. Other Eastern authors wrote about the same. The militancy of the Slavic tribes was emphasized by almost all Byzantine writers.
According to Mauritius, the Slavic tribes had squads, which were recruited according to the age principle - mostly young, physically strong and dexterous warriors.
The number of those who fought was usually in the hundreds and thousands, much less often in the tens of thousands. The organization of the army was based on the division into clans and tribes. The warriors of the clan were headed by an elder (headman), at the head of the tribe was a leader or prince.
Ancient sources noted the strength, endurance, cunning and courage of the Slavic warriors, who also mastered the art of disguise. Procopius wrote that Slavic warriors “got used to hiding even behind small stones or behind the first bush they came across and catching enemies. This they did more than once by the river Istra. During the siege of one of the cities, the Byzantine commander Belisarius summoned a Slav warrior and ordered him to get the language. “And this Slav, having made his way very close to the walls in the early morning, covered himself with brushwood, hid in the grass.” When a Goth approached this place, the Slav suddenly grabbed him and delivered him alive to the camp.
Mauritius reported on the art of the Slavs hiding in the water: “They courageously endure being in the water, so that often some of those who remain at home, being caught by a sudden attack, plunge into the abyss of water. At the same time, they hold in their mouths specially made, large reeds hollowed out inside, reaching the surface of the water, and themselves, lying supine on the bottom (of the river), breathe with their help; and this they can do for many hours, so that it is absolutely impossible to guess their (presence)."
Regarding the weapons of the Slavic warriors, Mauritius wrote: “Each is armed with two small spears, some also have shields, strong, but difficult to carry. They also use wooden bows and small arrows soaked in a special poison, which is very effective if the wounded person does not take an antidote beforehand or (does not use) other auxiliary means known to experienced doctors, or does not immediately cut around the wound so that the poison does not spread to the rest. body parts". In addition to the bow and darts for throwing, which Mauritius spoke of, the Slavic warrior had a spear for striking, an axe, a reed and a double-edged sword.
In addition to a large shield, the Slavs had chain mail, which reliably covered and at the same time did not hamper the movements of a warrior in battle. Chain mail was made by Slavic craftsmen. During this period, the Normans had armor made of leather with metal straps attached to it; Byzantine warriors had forged armor, which greatly hampered movement. Thus, the armor of the Slavs favorably differed from the armor of their neighbors - the Normans and Byzantines.
The ancient Slavs had two types of troops - infantry and cavalry. In the Eastern Roman Empire, under the ruler Justinian (c. 670-711), cavalry Slavic detachments were in the service, in particular, the Slavs served in the cavalry of Belisarius. The commander of the cavalry was Ant Dobrogost. Describing the campaign of 589, the ancient historian Theophylact Simokatt reported: “Having jumped off their horses, the Slavs decided to rest a little, and also give rest to their horses.” Thus, these data confirm the presence of cavalry among the Slavs.
During the battles, the Slavs widely used surprise attacks on the enemy. “To fight with their enemies,” wrote Mauritius, “they love in places overgrown with dense forest, in gorges, on cliffs; they profitably use (ambushes), surprise attacks, tricks, day and night, inventing many (various) ways. Having great help in the forests, they go to them, because among the gorges they know how to fight well. Often they abandon the prey they are carrying (as if) under the influence of confusion and run into the forests, and then, when the attackers rush to the prey, they easily rise and cause harm to the enemy. All this they are masters of doing in a variety of ways they come up with in order to lure the enemy.
Mauritius said that in the art of forcing rivers, the Slavs were superior to "all people." Being in the service in the army of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Slavic detachments skillfully ensured the crossing of rivers. They quickly made boats and transferred large detachments of troops to the other side of them.
The Slavs usually set up a camp at a height to which there were no hidden approaches. If necessary, to fight in the open field, they arranged fortifications from wagons. Theophylact Simokatt told about the campaign of one Slavic detachment that fought with the Romans: “Since this clash was inevitable for the barbarians (Slavs) (and did not bode well), they, having made wagons, made a fortification of the camp from them and in the middle of this camp placed women and children. The Slavs tied the wagons, and a closed fortification was obtained, from which they threw spears at the enemy. The fortification of wagons was a very reliable defense against cavalry.
For a defensive battle, the Slavs chose a position that was difficult for the enemy to reach, or they poured a rampart and arranged notches. When storming the enemy's fortifications, they used assault ladders, "turtles" and siege engines. In deep formation, putting their shields on their backs, the Slavs went on the assault.
Although Mauritius said that the Slavs did not recognize the military system and, during the offensive, moved forward all together, this, however, does not mean that they did not have a battle formation. The same Mauritius recommended building a not very deep formation against the Slavs and attacking not only from the front, but on the flanks and from the rear. From this we can conclude that for the battle the Slavs were located in a certain order. “Sometimes,” Mauritius wrote, “they occupy a very strong position and, guarding their rear, do not allow them to engage in hand-to-hand combat, or to surround themselves or strike from the flank, or go to their rear.”
If the Slavs repulsed all attacks, then, according to Mauritius, there was only one remedy left - a deliberate retreat in order to provoke a disorganized pursuit that would upset the Slavs' battle order and allow them to win a surprise strike from an ambush.
Starting from the 1st century, Slavic tribes fought against the troops of the Roman Empire. Ancient sources mention East Slavic tribes who fought against the Roman conquerors. There is a message from the Gothic historian Jordanes about the struggle of the Goths with the Antes in the 4th century. A detachment of Goths attacked the Antes, but was initially defeated. As a result of further clashes, the Goths managed to capture the leader of the Antes Bozh with his sons and 70 elders and execute them.
More detailed information about the wars of the Slavic tribes dates back to the 6th-8th centuries, when the Slavs fought against the Eastern Roman Empire.
By the beginning of the 6th century, the onslaught of the Slavic tribes from across the Danube intensified so much that the ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire Anastasius in 512 was forced to build a line of fortifications stretching 85 kilometers from Selymvria on the Sea of Marmara to Derkos on Pontus. This line of fortifications was called the "Long Wall" and was located 60 kilometers from the capital. One of his contemporaries called it "a banner of impotence, a monument to cowardice."
In the second quarter of the 6th century, Emperor Justinian, preparing to fight the Slavs, strengthened his army and built fortifications. He appointed, according to Procopius, head of the guard on the Istr River, Khilbudia, who successfully defended the Danube line from attacks by Slavic tribes for three years in a row. To do this, Khilbudiy annually crossed to the left bank of the Danube, penetrated into the territory of the Slavs and devastated there. In 534, Khilbudius crossed the river with a small detachment. The Slavs came out “against him all without exception. The battle was fierce, many Romans fell, including their leader Khilbudiy. After this victory, the Slavs freely crossed the Danube to invade deep into the Balkan Peninsula.
In 551, a detachment of Slavs numbering more than 3 thousand people, without meeting any opposition, crossed the Istra River. Then, after crossing the river Gevre (Maritsa), the detachment was divided into two detachments. The Byzantine commander, who had great strength, decided to take advantage of this advantage and destroy the scattered detachments in an open battle. But the Slavs got ahead of the Romans and defeated them with a surprise attack from two directions. This fact shows the ability of the Slavic commanders to organize the interaction of their units and carry out a sudden simultaneous attack on the enemy, who has superior forces and acts offensively.
Following this, regular cavalry was thrown against the Slavs under the command of Asbad, who served in the bodyguard detachment of Emperor Justinian. The cavalry detachment was stationed in the Thracian fortress of Tzurule and consisted of excellent horsemen. One of the Slavic detachments attacked the Byzantine cavalry and put it to flight. Many Byzantine horsemen were killed, and Asbad himself was taken prisoner. From this example, we can conclude that the Slavs had cavalry that successfully fought the Roman regular cavalry.
Having defeated the regular field troops, the detachments of the Slavs began the siege of fortresses in Thrace and Illyria. Procopius reported very detailed information about the capture by the Slavs of the strong seaside fortress of Toper, located on the Thracian coast, 12 days from Byzantium. This fortress had a strong garrison and up to 15 thousand combat-ready men - residents of the city.
The Slavs decided first of all to lure the garrison out of the fortress and destroy it. To do this, most of their forces settled in ambush and took refuge in difficult places, and an insignificant detachment approached the eastern gate and began to fire on the Roman soldiers: “The Roman soldiers who were in the garrison, imagining that there were no more enemies than they see, holding on to weapons, immediately went out against them all. The barbarians began to retreat, pretending to the attackers that, frightened by them, they took to flight; the Romans, carried away by the pursuit, were far ahead of the fortifications. Then those who were in ambush rose up and, finding themselves in the rear of the pursuers, cut off their opportunity to return back to the city. And those who pretended to retreat, turning their faces towards the Romans, placed them between two fires. The barbarians destroyed them all and then rushed to the walls. Thus the Toper garrison was defeated. After that, the Slavs moved to storm the fortress, which was defended by the population of the city. The first attack, insufficiently prepared, was repulsed. The defenders threw stones at the attackers, poured boiling oil and tar on them. But the townspeople's success was temporary. Slavic archers began to fire at the wall and forced the defenders to leave it. Following this, the attackers put ladders against the walls, entered the city and took possession of it. At the same time, archers and assault squads interacted well. The Slavs were well-aimed archers and therefore were able to force the defenders to leave the wall.
Of interest is the campaign in 589 by Peter, the commander of the Byzantine emperor Mauritius, against a strong Slavic tribe led by Piragast.
The emperor demanded swift and decisive action from Peter. Peter's army withdrew from the fortified camp and in four marches reached the area in which the Slavs were; he had to cross the river. For reconnaissance of the enemy, a group of 20 soldiers was sent, which moved at night and rested during the day. Having made a difficult night march and crossed the river, the group settled in the thicket to rest, but did not set up guards. The warriors fell asleep and were discovered by a cavalry detachment of the Slavs. The Romans were taken prisoner. The captured scouts told about the plan of the Byzantine command.
Piraghast, having learned about the enemy’s plan, moved with large forces to the place where the Romans crossed the river and secretly settled down in the forest. The Byzantine army approached the crossing. Peter, not assuming that there could be an enemy in this place, ordered to cross the river in separate detachments. When the first thousand people crossed to the other side, the Slavs surrounded them and destroyed them. Having learned about this, Peter ordered the whole army to cross, not being divided into detachments. On the opposite bank, the Byzantines were waiting for the ranks of the Slavs, who, however, dispersed under a hail of arrows and spears thrown from the ships. Taking advantage of this, the Romans landed their large forces. Piraghast was mortally wounded, and the Slavic army retreated in disarray. Peter, due to the lack of cavalry, could not organize the pursuit.
The next day, the guides who led the army got lost. The Romans had no water for three days and quenched their thirst with wine. The army could have died if it were not for the prisoner, who indicated that the Helicabia River was nearby. The next morning, the Romans came to the river and rushed to the water. The Slavs, who were in ambush on the opposite high bank, began to hit the Romans with arrows. “And so the Romans,” reports the Byzantine chronicler, “having built ships, crossed the river in order to grapple with the enemies in open battle. When the army was on the opposite bank, the barbarians in their entirety immediately attacked the Romans and defeated them. The defeated Romans fled. Since Peter was utterly defeated by the barbarians, Priscus was appointed commander-in-chief, and Peter, relieved of command, returned to Byzantium.
