To the 600th anniversary of the greatest battle of the Middle Ages! A new book by the author of bestsellers “The Massacre of Prince Igor,” “Battle of Kalka,” and “The Battle of Kulikovo”! The first Russian novel about the Battle of Grunwald. This grand battle changed the history of Europe. In it, the predatory Teutonic Order was routed, and the German “drang nach osten” was stopped. This day—July 15, 1410—has been forever etched not only in the annals of Lithuania and Poland, but also of Rus’, because it was Russian warriors who played a decisive role on the field of Grunwald: at the turning point of the battle, when the allies faltered and fled under the charge of Teutonic cavalry, three Smolensk regiments stood their ground to the last, without retreating a single step—at the cost of their own lives, saving the united army from annihilation. For the first time, this novel will let you look at the slaughter at Grunwald from right in the midst of the fighting, through the eyes of ordinary Russian soldiers who held out under the crushing удар of the best knightly cavalry—earning themselves immortal glory and ensuring a decisive victory over the crusaders.