Imaginary opponents

A certain interest, shown by readers in my essays about the prerequisites of the ice battle ( part 1 , part 2 , part 3 ), brought to the idea of ​​painting on paper a kind of registry of Russian-German military-political relations in a historical perspective-exclusively in order to compare what will turn out with our sustainable idea that the Germans were our typical enemies-opponents on the battlefield. So to speak, we grew up as a nation in a German threat - it was she who forced us to improve, increase muscles, strengthen the spirit and all that.

Is this so upon closer examination? Let's see. But before - a few words about the rules of the game. To simplify the scheme, we will consider the Germans all the political entities in which the language of the authorities was German-including, for example, the Austria, the Holy Roman Empire, the Livonian Order, etc. And the Russian side-in full accordance with the Soviet tradition-consistently Kievan Rus, the Vladimir-Suzdal system, the Moscow state, the Russian Empire, the USSR (leaving, say, relations with the Germans of the Lithuanian Lithuania. Rus'.)

So, "Dark Middle Ages." There, the only plot, the plot is the confrontation with Polotsk, Novgorod and Pskov during the German colonization of the Baltic states (there are still all sorts of marginal moments, such as the anti-Polish and anti-General unions with the Austrian Dukes of the Galician-Volyn princes, but we will lower them here). As for the Baltic affairs, there, right up to the end of the 15th century, there were quite common for that era, one might say, routine “neighboring” showdowns. Without much bitterness - that is, without setting serious geopolitical tasks.

The next century. The participation of the Livonian Confederation in the war with Moscow 1500 - 1503. In the days of Vasily III, there was a test of political rapprochement between Moscow with the Holy Roman Empire and the dying Teutonic Order. Moreover, with the latter there was a fact of the realized military union, i.e. Synchronous hostilities against the common enemy-the Polish-Lithuanian conglomerate. Then there was the Livonian war 1558 - 1583, at the initial stage of which the enemy of Russia was the Livonian Confederation (again, we will omit marginal episodes, such as the Union to Ivan the Terrible Livonian puppet education under the rule of the Danish Prince of Magnus). All. Total, for the 16th century - two wars with the Germans and one union. 2: 1

In the XVII century, Russia did not conduct wars with a sovereign German enemy. Participation in the pan-European thirty-year war was reduced to the Smolensk campaign against Poland in 1632-1634. However, in the Russian (and Polish) troops, many German -speaking mercenaries fought - however, we will also exclude this phenomenon from the consideration.

But, under the curtain of the century, Russia entered the Holy League - a military alliance against Ottoman Turkey, one of the members of which was the Holy Roman Empire. It was the experts-“Imperials”, “Cesar” helped the young Peter take Azov. 0: 1.

The XVIII century began, as you know, in the Northern War, at different stages of which the allies of Peter were Saxony, Hannover, Prussia. The next war with Turkey and the war for the Polish inheritance waged in alliance with Vienna and Saxony. In the seven-year war of 1757-1762, Russia fought against Prussia and a number of German-allied German states, but ... Russia itself was an ally of the Holy Roman Empire, that is, Austria and several other German states. We will not count together with Austria and Prussia to be considered parties of Poland. But the participation of the Austrians in the war of Russia with Turkey of 1787-1792, on the contrary, we count. And finally, an alliance with the same Austria during the Italian-Switzeric campaign of Suvorov in 1799. Total for the century: 1: 6.

XIX century. It begins with the era of Napoleonic wars. It is quite difficult to count here, since our country always included in some time in some coalitions, they opposed another, and both German states were included in those and others. Say, in the so -called The wars of the Third Coalition - 1805 - Russia was the alliance of Austria, and the South German states were the allies of France. In the war of the fourth coalition - 1807 - in a similar way, Russia performed in an alliance with Prussia, and on the side of France the troops of the states of the so -called Rhine Union fought. However, their role was not too significant and not particularly voluntary. In the next war of the fifth coalition (1808-1809), Russia was already an ally of Napoleon, and Austria as a common enemy. Well, and the Rayn Union, including Saxony, was also on the side of France. At the same time, Russia did not conduct active hostilities against Austria then. But in the war of 1812, Russia really opposed the German enemy - both Austria and Prussia were forced by the allies of the French emperor, and the contingents of the countries of the Rhine Union were a fairly noticeable part of the Great Army. In the war of the sixth coalition-1813-the Germans again fought on both sides, right up to the Leipzig "battle of peoples", already during which the troops of Saxony crossed from Napoleon to his opponents. And only in the campaign of 1814, the France that did not have German allies opposed the Russian-Austrian-Prussian-Swedish-Bavarian-Bavarian and so on forces.

After the completion of the Napoleonic epic, the only Russian-German episode was a joint suppression of the Hungarian uprising of 1848-1849 with Austria.

As a result, if we count in the above way, over the century, the score will be 5: 6.

Thus, between the 1500 and 1900, that is, in 400 years, the Russians on the battlefield were allies of the Germans 14 times, and the opponents - 8.

In order to evaluate this ratio, let's estimate the same for Russian-French military interactions (where France is and where we are!). For the first time, they took place during the war for the Polish inheritance of 1733-1735: France was our enemy “tested” on the battlefield. Considering then, according to a scheme similar to the “German”, we will receive an invoice 8: 3 in the same 170 years. Three times we were allies (in the seven -year war, in the campaign of 1809 and during the Navarinsky Sea battle of 1827) and eight times - real enemies.

So who should be considered a traditional, historical military enemy of Russia?