Russian divers discover a battlefield from the time of Tsar Ivan the Terrible

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Russian divers have discovered a battlefield from 1555 in the Orlovsk region. At that time Russian and Tatar troops clashed with each other near the village of Sudbishchi.

The archaeologists found the Sudbishchensk battlefield thanks to The group of DIVO divers from Orzeł. In April this year, during diving in the river they came across a number of metal artefacts. The objects were clearly of a military nature and included arrowheads and spearheads. They informed archaeologists of their discovery and so serious research began.

As a result of the excavations to date Russian archaeologists have surveyed the area approximately 2km2, and they carried out their work until October. In total, they discovered over 2,000 artefacts that can be linked to the battle of sudbishchens. These include arrowheads, spearheads, fragments of sabres and other white weapons, pieces of armour, fragments of firearms, as well as pieces of clothing, coins and personal effects.

According to the researchers, the artefacts date from the second day of fighting, when the fighting became extremely fierce. However, archaeologists have still not established the exact area of the battlefield. They have also not located the places where the camps of both armies were situated. The researchers hope that, among other things, this will be determined during the next works conducted in this area.

The Battle of Sudbishchensk

The clash between the forces of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the combined armies of the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire took place on 24 and 25 June 1555. On the battlefield the Russians were led by the voivode Ivan Vasilyevich Sheremetev, who had at his disposal a group of 17 thousand soldiers. His opponent was the Crimean khan Devlet I Girej, whose forces numbered 60 thousand soldiers.

The Tatars had a huge advantage over the Russians, but failed to tip the balance of victory to their side. Then, on the second day of the battle chan Dewlet I Girej received information of an approaching Russian relief force. Wanting to avoid confrontation with the army of Ivan the TerribleThe khan left the battlefield together with his army, which was coming from the Tula region. In Russian historiography, the loss is compared to great medieval battles, such as the story of Yevpaty Kolovrat and the destruction of Ryazan, the Battle of Kulikovo Field and the Battle of Molody.

Photo: Diafragma Agency