Military Valour of Centuries

Armour and arms of the Russian men-at-arms of Alexander Nevsky and the Teutonic Knights who had fought in Pskov and Izborsk and on the ice of Lake Peipus were presented at this exhibition. Thanks to the armour of the Mongolian warrior and the Russian “forged army”, you were transported to the Battle of Kulikovo of the 14^th century. Sets of arms and armour of the Russian boyar and the European knight of the Ivan the Terrible reign told about the Livonian Wars which didn’t end during the whole 16^th century.

The displayed examples of reconstruction of ancient defensive arms were unique. They were made using archeological finds and museum exhibits of the State Historical Museum, the Armory Museum, the Hermitage, the Kulikovo Field Museum, and European expositions. These sets of arms have undergone real field tests at military and historical festivals, jousting tournaments and mass battles held in full-contact – buhurts.

The other important peculiarity of the exhibition was reconstructions of armour and arms from different historical art sources. Detail examination of miniatures, icons and illustrations of the chronicles gave an opportunity to reconstruct elements of arms which didn’t have archaeological analogues. A striking example of such reconstruction was a helm “Bukovitsa” made by modern masters of Tula in accordance with the Novgorod Psalter of the 14^th century.

Emphasizing the importance of the rich heritage of the Middle Ages, achievements of people and our ancestors’ talent, having united the accumulated knowledge of scientists with experiences of experimental archaeology, we reconstructed unique sets, having united separate finds and data about the military science of ancient Russia in a single set of arms and armour.

The organizers of the exhibition were sure that visitors would be able to build a holistic picture of the military development of Russia from the 13^th till the 17^th century and would gain unforgettable impressions, having touched the revived epic heroes, knights and Mongolian warriors.