The Battle on the Ice

Ford and I greatly enjoyed our time in Kiev admiring the unique architecture, so much so that we decided to go to Novgorod and admire the Hagia Sophia there. The journey took us further than we anticipated as we found ourselves in a later year. I also found myself out of funds and am always loathe to ask my brother for money, but as I am never afraid of a challenge, we decided to sell the carriage on arrival in Novgorod. If our travels continue to be hindered, I do not doubt I could try my hand at sandwich making. The Rus people would probably be delighted to have such a wonderful food introduced to them.

I have been learning the language lately with Ford’s help and decided to try engaging some passing soldiers in some conversation while at a pub. They were celebrating a decided victory over an army to the west and told me all about it (or as much as they could while being intoxicated).

Igor Vladimirovich, Pytor Petrovich, and Ivan Stepanovich informed me that they are archers and had just recently fought in the army led by Prince Alexander Nevsky. Astonishingly, they informed me that much of the battle had taken place next to and on a frozen lake just west of Novgorod called Lake Peipus.

Prince Alexander had just recently won a victory over invading Swedes from the north not two years ago and had yet again proven his prowess as a tactician and ruthless fighter (O’Reilly 4). I have gathered in my journey and stay here that this great land has fallen under control by a fierce horde of warriors. Many of the ruling Princes in the area must pay an exorbitant tribute to them or have their territories cruelly destroyed (O'Reilly 3). My archer friends kept calling this prince Alexander Nevsky and explained that he had won the name of Nevsky because his most recent fight had taken place next to the Neva River (Hellie 284). The Novgorodian people knew of Prince Alexander’s military prowess from the Battle at the Neva and had only just requested his help in the battle at the lake; he actually hailed from Periaslavl (Hellie 284). After his grand victory, all three archers further concluded that Prince Alexander would eventually be declared a Saint by the church.

I was greatly enjoying myself by this time and was curious still, so I bought the archers a round of drinks and kept asking questions.

“Who was defeated in this great battle?” I asked.

“Many men. Knights from the west,” replied Pyotr (Hellie 284).

“Да, I heard they are German and Lavonians, eager to bring us new religion" added Ivan (284).

I learned further that some Lithuanians and Estonians had joined the battle as well as the Lavonians, German, and Danish knights (Hellie 284). When I asked how many had taken part of the battle, I had a hard time getting a straight answer from my three friends. The drink had begun to make them stretch their stories. The numbers seemed to keep growing as war stories were want to change. Igor claimed the enemy had numbered in the thousands while the Novgorodians had barely outnumbered them. Pyotr placed the number higher at almost 20,000 on both sides while Ivan estimated far more conservatively (Ostrowski 300). I had to surmise that the most important detail about the numbers was that the Novgorodians outnumbered their enemy and thus had an advantage.

I have studied some war tactics in books, so I further pressed these three archers for details about their battle on the icy lake. Alexander had gone to the aid of Pskov who had been under attack by the army from the west (Ostrowski 301). Somehow, he pushed the army west and met them at the lake near a place called Raven's Rock (Ostrowski 295). Ivan noted that all three of these friends had been placed in the middle of the army and that most of the army had been placed on the flanks of the center force. This was opposite of the usual formation, but it turned out to be exactly the strategy needed (Hellie 285). The opposing army formed itself in a wedge shape to pierce Prince Alexander's force, but the Germans found themselves flanked on both sides by two-thirds of Alexander's army (O'Reilly 5). So effective was Alexander's strategy that his army eventually gave chase to the enemy across the frozen lake (Ostrowski 294).

Of course, by this time, I had gained great respect and awe for Prince Alexander's army, but I still needed to know one more thing, "Did not the ice break if you really did fight on top of it as you said?"

"I thought perhaps I heard the ice break, but I am not sure. The sound of battle distracted me" Igor answered (Ostrowski 299). 

Pyotr chimed in, "Many of us did not fight on the ice and many of us did. If someone did fall, we did not see them" (300). 

"But we do not think of that! Let the priest worry about the story. We have many prisoners, and the Germans fled before us. What a great victory we have won!" 

With this exclamation, Ivan drained his cup, slamming it down on the table to cheers from the rest of us in the bar. 

If Ford and I stay in Novgorod much longer (and we probably will seeing as I am almost reduced to becoming a sandwich-maker), I hope to see what else Prince Alexander will do and whether his luck will hold on much longer with the Mongols. In the meantime, I think I might try to find out more about the available texts to read here in this fascinating city.

Works Cited:

Hellie, Richard. “Alexander Nevskii’s April 5, 1242 Battle on the Ice.” Russian History, vol. 33, no. 2/4, 2006, pp. 283–287. www.jstor.org/stable/24664445.

O'Reilly, Donald. "Aleksandr Nevsky Russia's Savior." Military History 21.1 (2004): 58-80. History Reference Center. Web. 28 Jan. 2017.

Ostrowski, Donald. “Alexander Nevskii’s ‘Battle on the Ice’: The Creation of a Legend.” Russian History, vol. 33, no. 2/4, 2006, pp. 289–312. www.jstor.org/stable/24664446.

Architecture of Kievan Rus'

What a long and arduous journey this has been! After Ford and I fled England in pursuit of eastern attractions, we took our time, stopping and exploring along the way. However, we have finally ventured so far east as to find ourselves in a most magnificent city. I have not quite seen the like of these buildings. Ford tells me this city is a very famous one and that the Slavic people hold it in high esteem. I find something else quite....interesting as well. I don't want to be too alarmed, as I am making a great effort to be curious and amiable, but Ford and I seemed to have traveled across more than land and sea on our way here. We seem to be in another time. The last I heard, Russia was a gigantic empire, but this place seems quite different from the empire about which I heard. I informed Ford, and he merely told me, "Don't panic." I will try to take his advice.

I have decided to write something of a guide to these lands and peoples in the East of Europe, for I found myself far too ignorant of these places when Ford first told me of his heritage. Hopefully, some other curious and hapless Englishman will find this information of use.

One of the most astonishing and unique aspects of Kievan Rus's capital is its incredible architecture. Firstly, I must describe my first impression of this great city to begin my exploration of the architecture. We had had a long day’s journey and the sun was setting behind us when Ford yelled down to me from the top of the carriage, inviting me to take in the view ahead. I am ever so grateful I did, for ahead of us, gleaming in the dying sunlight, was a grand and beautiful gate.

The gate looked as if it was trimmed in gold (as we passed through the gate, I saw that it was actually bronze). The shape and angle of the gate seemed not quite Romanesque and somewhat Greek, with many arched windows and a dome (Massie, 30). The gate served a beautiful and practical purpose, of course. If its purpose was to protect as well as inspire and intimidate, it accomplished that quite well. 

Since my first impression of Kiev was of its unique and stunning architecture, I planned to visit other places of interest. I asked Ford to inquire as to where we could go in order to admire more edifices in the Kievan style. Having traveled to Rome and Vienna, I had seen quite a few impressive pieces of architecture, not to mention London's offerings. Ford promptly consulted the innkeeper, who was only too happy to point two non-believers to the greatest religious buildings in the area: Saint Sophia's Cathedral and the Cave Monastery, an underground monastery.

We pulled up to Saint Sophia's Cathedral most astonished by the lavish beauty. Like the Golden Gate, the monastery was capped with domes. I don't think I have ever seen so many domes on a building before or such a method of architecture before. Many cathedrals in Rome had domes, but never so many and not quite shaped like this.

The cathedral consisted of a few different separate buildings, all with at least one dome (Rice). What I saw tended to be symmetrical, and the windows were tall, thin and arched (not resembling any Gothic styles I had seen, which have a pointed middle, but arched like a near-perfect half circle) (Ionassian 11).  

I sent Ford to find a monk who would be kind enough to tell us and show us more of this wonder of architecture. Ford left for a time but soon returned in the company of a much better guide: an architect! The architect had been supervising some work and was only to happy to show me some of the handiwork. Anatoly showed us both the exterior and interior. I couldn't talk directly to him, but he spoke to Ford, who then relayed the information to me. The exterior showed that no expense had been spared, and the interior was even more ornately decorated. When I walked in, I recognized the scent of incense and cold stone. The paintings on the walls, ceiling, and most any other surface consisted of bright depictions of the saints, the Holy Christ-child, the Virgin Mother, and the Apostles.

I was particularly astonished by the mosaics on the upper walls because they surpassed all beauty and artistry I have ever encountered (Cambridge History of Russia, 96). I was told that the distinct style of the architecture was in a sort of imitation of the Byzantine architecture found further to the south (Cambridge, 96).

Astonishingly, the Cathedral of Saint Sophia was built to rival a similar cathedral found in Constantinople. The ruler of Kievan Rus,' Yaroslav Vladimirovich, commanded its construction employing Byzantine specialists like Anatoly (Cambridge, 94). Yaroslav also commissioned two other churches to be made by Byzantine specialists called St. George and St. Irene (94). Similar to the churches I am familiar with, the St. Sophia Cathedral is laid out in the shape of a cross, though this one is the Greek cross. Many of the apses are also semicircular, echoing the same shape as the domes and the arched windows (Rice). I remarked on the excellent red stonework, and Anatoly told us that all but one church in Kievan Rus' had been built using wood but since the Cathedral of Saint Sophia was commissioned as a rival to one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Constantinople, it was the largest stone church built in Kievan Rus' (Massie, 30, Cambridge, 94).

Ford and I spent as much time as possible admiring the opulence of the cathedral, but eventually gave in to fatigue and headed back to the inn. We decided that the next day would be best spent devoted to the Monastery of the Caves.  

Works Cited

Ioannisian, Oleg and Gleb Ivakin. "Construction Materials and Building Techniques in the Architecture of Medieval Rus' from the 10th to the Beginning of the 12th centuries." Masons at Work, University of Pennsylvania Center for Ancient Studies, pp. 1-19, http://www.sas.upenn.edu/ancient/masons/Ivakin_Ioannissian.pdf.

Massie, Suzanne. Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old Russia. Heart Tree Press, 1996.

The Cambridge History of Russia: Volume I From Early Rus' to 1689. Edited by Maureen Perrie, Cambridge University Press, 2006

Rice, David Talbot. "Western Architecture: Kievan Rus' and Russia." Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/art/Western-architecture/The-Christian-East.

Arthur Phillip Dent

My name is Arthur Phillip Dent II. My father was Sir Arthur Phillip Dent I, a gentleman landowner of West Yorkshire. I was born in in 1730 much to the consternation of my elder brother, John (more about him later). My mother died when I was young from a fever, so my brother and I were mostly raised by various governesses. My father inherited his land and small title, so we lived a comfortable life and had access to the best education England had to offer. We were even so fortunate as to be able to visit the great cities of Europe while I was in my early teens, going as far as Vienna and Rome. 

Sadly, tragedy struck our family again. My father died while on his way home from London from what the doctor suspected was a stroke. While I grieved desperately, I was also concerned about my security without the kind influence of my father. You see, my brother, John, despises everything about me and so does his wife, Lady Vogon (That's my nickname for her; her real name is Lady Tricia). Because my father died, John was to inherit my father's land and estate. I was planning on keeping out of their way by moving to our summer home in the west country, but after the funeral, I overheard my brother and his wife planning to destroy the home. I remember quite distinctly my sister-in-law saying something like the following, "I can't stand that beastly cottage standing in that dreadful spot. We need to tear it down! Put a highway there or something; anything would be better." I don't understand the reasoning for destroying my house to put a highway there (or something), but Lady Tricia comes from a long line of bureaucrats who often have no justification for their decisions. She might even be related to Cromwell now that I think of it.

Having no other family to turn to, I examined my options. My first instinct was to stay in the summer home and refuse to leave so as to discourage any destruction that might incur if I was away. I tried this for a time, trying my hand at making John Montagu's new sandwich invention, painting, reading, and writing to pass the time. One can only stay occupied inside for so long, however. So, my good valet Ford convinced me that life abroad would be much more invigorating and enlightening and allow me to avoid any confrontation with my dear brother and sister-in-law. 

Ford was born in the great Russian Empire before his parents settled in Germany. When my family visited Germany, he and his mother were part of the staff at the inn at which we stayed. My father recognized Ford's value and hired him to be my valet. He is only a few years older than me, so we get along well me at 26 years and he at 30. His actual name is Fyodor, but Ford found he got along better with an English name. He convinced me to journey to this grand empire to the east, promising me art, literature, architecture, intrigue, and most of all, delicious tea. I agreed to the excursion with a little trepidation, but after Ford promised to help me learn the language, we set out by carriage towards the channel and then beyond to the great eastern empire.