Since the last century, the Pskov Museum has been displaying a sword that was previously kept in the sacristy of the Trinity Cathedral. Its length is a little more than a meter, its weight is about two and a half kilograms. If you look closely at the steel blade, then at the very crosshairs you can see the image of a predatory beast grinning. This is the famous "Passau wolf" - the brand of master gunsmiths from the city of Passau on the Danube, whose blades were in great demand among European knights. But the sword is not only famous for this. In Pskov, it is revered as a shrine and has its own name - "Dovmont sword". Who is this Dovmont, whose memory the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on May 20 (June 2), and why is he so revered in the ancient city?

Dovmont (Russian transcription of the Lithuanian name Daumantas) for more than 30 years protected the lands of Pskov from the raids of Lithuanians and Teutonic knights.

In 1266, as a result of internal strife, he was forced to leave Lithuania and move to Pskov, where he was elected prince at the veche.

There is rather vague information about Dovmont's life in Lithuania. It is known that he was married to the sister of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Mindovga. In 1263, as a result of a political conspiracy

Mindovg was killed. Participation in the Lithuanian "jam" of Dovmont is recognized by all chronicle sources. The Galician-Volhynian chronicle, for example, considers him and the Zhemait Prince Troikat to be the main organizers of the murder of Mindovg, after which Dovmont was forced to flee to Pskov with his retinue and servants.

Pskov as a place of further refuge was chosen by him not by chance. Family traditions allowed Dovmont to hope for a warm welcome in Pskov land. It is known that Dovmont's aunt Efrosinia was a princess in Pskov, where she founded the women's St. John the Baptist Monastery, the church of which has survived to this day. Efrosinia, the daughter of Prince Rogvold Borisovich of Polotsk, was the wife of Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich of Pskov, who was expelled from the city in 1214 and fled to the Livonian knights. In 1243, her husband invited her to the Order for negotiations, and on May 8, she was treacherously killed. The princess's body was then transported to Pskov and buried in the church of the Ioannovsky Monastery. The memory of the innocently murdered Princess Euphrosyne, Venerable of Pskov, was deeply revered by the inhabitants of the city.

In 1265. Dovmont converted to Orthodoxy and "was baptized in the cathedral Church, in the Holy Trinity, and his name was called Timothy in holy baptism. And there was great joy in Pleskov...", and after a while on Vecheva Square in front of the Trinity Cathedral, Pskov people from all six city ends chose Dovmont as a prince, entrusting him with the defense of the borders of their land.

Pskov was at that time a "suburb" of Novgorod and had some autonomy, which was expressed in the presence of its own veche. At the same time, its political dependence on Novgorod was manifested in the fact that the posadnik who led the vechem was appointed by Novgorod. The Pskov prince, also usually sent from Novgorod, was the viceroy of the Novgorod prince and served the city as a hired leader of the local squad, receiving "food" for it.

Frequent robber raids of the Crusaders in the 60s of the XIII century on Russian lands required the principalities of north-eastern Russia to take retaliatory measures. In 1268, the great campaign to Livonia took place, which became an important milestone in the history of the struggle against crusader aggression on the Baltic coast. The campaign was all-Russian in nature. Many princes, putting aside personal ambitions and resentments, rallied their regiments into a single army. Prince Dmitry of Pereyaslavl led the regiments, and Yaroslav of Tver sent detachments. Participated in the campaign squad of Novgorod. The Pskov militia was led by Dovmont.

On February 18, 7 km from the town of Rakovora (now Rakvere, Estonia), a battle with Livonian troops took place on the Kegole River. According to eyewitnesses, there was a terrible massacre. Initially, the knights inflicted heavy damage on the center of the Russian army. The Germans operated in two detachments. The first "iron wedge" attacked the Novgorod and Pskov regiments standing directly in front of it, and the second, which was in ambush at the beginning of the battle, struck from the rear and broke into the wagon train. The "big regiment" had to fight surrounded. The fierce battle continued with varying success for four hours. Only in the evening, thanks to the courage and steadfastness of the Russian warriors, a turning point came. Even his enemies noted Dovmont's bravery in this battle. The German Rhyming Chronicle called him one of the heroes of the battle.

The Battle of Rakovor weakened both sides, so the campaign of the united Russian forces did not continue. Most of the soldiers returned to their homeland. Only Dovmont with his detachment reached the Baltic Sea coast, and then returned home with a large booty.

Some time after the Rakovorsk campaign, a German detachment of about 1,000 soldiers invaded the territory of Pskov land and captured several border villages. Dovmont without delay, with only a small army on 5 rooks, went out to meet the robbing Livonians and attacked them on the Miropovna River. The suddenness of the appearance and speed of the attack-these are the main factors that determined the victory of Pskov over a superior enemy. This battle took place on April 23, the day of memory of St. George, the patron saint of all soldiers.

In 1269, the master of the Livonian Order, Otgon von Rodenstein, gathered under his banners all the available forces (almost 18 thousand people), moved to Pskov in several columns. Some of the crusaders went by land, and some "both on ships and in lodges." They carried with them a large number of wall-breaking guns and siege engines. The Germans burned many villages, some of whose inhabitants were killed, and some were taken prisoner. The well-fortified Izborsk was stormed and looted. At the end of June, the enemy approached the walls of Pskov and immediately launched an attack, which was successfully repulsed by the Pskovites. The siege lasted ten days. At a crucial moment, when the forces of the besieged were running out, a solemn ceremony took place in the Trinity Cathedral. Dovmont entered the cathedral with a large crowd and laid his sword on the altar. A whole procession of church attendants in appropriate ceremonial robes marched to the altar and consecrated the prince's weapons. Then Abbot Sidor took the sword and girded it around the prince's waist. This ceremony raised the spirits of the warriors preparing for battle with the enemy. The prince-voivode was solemnly presented with a sword as a symbol of the people's trust and a guarantee of victory. Several times Pskov residents under the command of their brave prince made sorties and inflicted heavy damage to the knights. Dovmont participated in these battles not only as a military commander, but also as a simple warrior. The chronicles mention that in one of these fleeting battles, the magister himself was wounded by the prince's sword. When the Germans heard a rumor that large forces of Novgorodians were coming to Pskov's aid, they decided not to push their luck and lifted the siege on July 8.

The Battle of Rakovor, followed by the battles of Miropovna and Pskov, ended another long period of Russian struggle against aggression coming from the Northwest. The victories of Russian weapons showed that our land, despite numerous Mongol-Tatar raids, has sufficient forces to resist the encroachments of the invaders.

Dovmont enjoyed great popularity not only among the population of Pskov, but also throughout north-eastern Russia. He was considered the perfect warrior-knight. For his inherent nobility and honesty, he was respected even in the camp of enemies. The prince's successful actions against the Livonians, as well as his marriage to Alexander Nevsky's granddaughter Maria Dmitrievna in 1282, significantly strengthened his position among the Rurik princes.

Dovmont remained in the history of Pskov not only as a fearless warrior and defender of his native hearth, but also as a tireless builder. The walls of the second row of Pskov fortifications still encircle the territory of the Pskov Krom (Kremlin), located on the peninsula. According to legend, Dovmont began to build them in 1266. In memory of this and to this day they bear the name of the prince. The territory inside the ring of these fortifications was called Dovmontova city.

Dovmont performed his last feat in the spring of 1299. On March 4, the Livonians unexpectedly attacked Pskov posad and killed many residents. In the Snetogorsky monastery, the crusaders committed a real massacre, killing all the inhabitants. The next day the enemy laid siege to the city. Pskov was not ready for a long siege, its own forces were clearly not enough for this. A messenger was sent to Novgorod asking for help. Dovmont, being a talented commander, took into account the tactical mistakes made by the Livonians in organizing the siege. The main forces of the Order's army were spread out along the fortress walls, and at the weakly fortified headquarters, in the center of which was the tent of the commander of the Order, an insignificant guard remained. The idea of the Pskov prince was simple - to destroy the command top of the order's army, and then kill the rest of the knights, deprived of control and combat organization.

Довмонт "...выеха с малою дружиною и противо им вполчився". Псковская рать свалилась на немцев как снег на голову, и "...бысть сеча зла, яко же николи же не бывала у Пскова". Растерявшись, ливонцы попытались спастись бегством. Преследуемые воинами Довмонта, они устремились к реке Великой, где их ждали ладьи. В неописуемом ужасе рыцари бросались вниз с крутых берегов и пытались вплавь добраться до кораблей. Но не всем это удалось, многие нашли свою смерть на речном дне. Довмонт, несмотря на свой преклонный возраст, находился во главе дружины и бился бок о бок с простыми ратниками. Победа была полной и убедительной. В плен попали многие рыцари, которых Довмонт отправил великому князю владимирскому как свидетельство торжества Пскова над ливонцами.

Никто не ведал тогда, что жить храброму князю оставалось всего два месяца... 20 мая 1299 г. он скончался. Псковский люд очень горевал о князе: "Бысть же тогда жалость велика во Плескове мужам и женам и малым детям по добром господине благоверном князе Тимофее". Погребен Довмонт был в правом приделе Троицкого собора, главной усыпальнице псковских князей.

The reign of Dovmont-Timofey was a time of glorious victories over Lithuania and the Livonian Order, important not only for Pskov, but for the entire Russian land. Defending the walls of the Pskov Kremlin, repelling the raids of the Livonian knights, the inhabitants of the city under the leadership of Dovmont defended not only their right to freedom, but also saved the entire Russian land from Western invaders. Pskov residents highly valued Dovmont and considered him the best among other princes. Each new prince, sitting on the Pskov throne, was blessed with a "Pre-mounted sword" - a symbol of victory, the image of which was even on coins minted in Pskov.

In 1374, when Pskov finally gained independence from Novgorod, the prince was canonized and included in the Pskov pantheon.

The name of this Russian prince is associated with the first heroic pages of Pskov history, it became a symbol of military valor and courage for Pskov residents. Pskov residents always remembered the Pre-Vmont when it was necessary to strengthen the morale of the city's defenders before a battle with the enemy.

In 1581, a huge Polish-Lithuanian army of Stefan Batory laid siege to the city. Fewer and fewer defenders of the fortress were left alive. After a six-month siege, there was an acute shortage of food, and disease and hunger literally mowed down people. There was no place to expect help. And when the enemy made a decisive assault, the Pskov monks, inspiring the soldiers to the feat, brought icons depicting the faces of Pskov saints to the fortress walls, among which was the icon of St. Prince Dovmont. The enemy was driven back from the fortress walls. Batory's army was never able to capture the city.

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