King Pyrrhus. Source: commons.wikimedia.org
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory that was won at too high a price, the result of which did not justify the effort and money invested.
Origin of expression
The origin of the expression is associated with the battle of Ausculum (in 279 BC). Then the Epirus army of King Pyrrhus for two days attacked the Roman troops and broke their resistance, but the losses were so great that Pyrrhus remarked: “One more such victory, and I will be left without an army.” Another version of the same phrase is known: "Another such victory, and we were lost."
The Secret of War Elephants
In this battle, Pyrrhus won thanks to the presence in his army of war elephants, against which at that time the Romans did not yet know how to fight and therefore were powerless in front of them, “as if before rising water or a destructive earthquake,” as he wrote. Plutarch. The Romans then had to leave the battlefield and retreat to their camp, which, according to the customs of those times, meant a complete victory for Pyrrhus. But the Romans fought courageously, so the winner that day lost as many soldiers as the vanquished - 15 thousand people.
Expression predecessors
Before Pyrrhus, the expression "Cadmean victory" was in common use, based on the ancient Greek epic "Seven against Thebes" and found in Plato in his "Laws". interpretation this concept can be found in the ancient Greek writer Pausanias: telling about the campaign of the Argives against Thebes and the victory of the Thebans, he reports:
"... but for the Thebans themselves, this case was not without great losses, and therefore the victory, which turned out to be disastrous for the winners, is called the Cadmeian." (c) "Description of Hellas", book. IX.
Epirus is a geographical and historical region in southeastern Europe between present-day Greece and Albania. Epirus was part of ancient Hellas with the Acheron and Kokytos rivers and the Illyrian population. To the north of Epirus was Illyria, to the northeast - Macedonia, to the east - Thessaly.
To the south were the regions of Ambracia, Amphilochia, Acarnania, Aetolia.
Pyrrhic victory
Over the years, Rome has increasingly expanded its influence. So, once the inhabitants of the Greek city of Tarentum, in southern Italy, flooded the Roman ships that entered their harbor and thus gave Rome a pretext for war, which was declared to Tarentum in 281 BC. e. Fearing the power of the Roman state, the Tarentines sent for help to the Greek kingdom of Epirus, where Pyrrhus, a famous warrior and commander, ruled at that time. Knowing that after unsuccessful war with Macedonia, Pyrrhus spends his days in idleness, the ambassadors of Tarentum came with rich gifts, promising Pyrrhus the help of all the Greek cities of Italy, if he opposes Rome.
Pyrrhus, flattered by these speeches, agreed. All associates unanimously supported him, and only the wise Kineas, the king's adviser, tried to dissuade him, anticipating failure.
“Tell me, my king, if the gods send us victory over Rome, what will you do next?” asked the cautious sage. “What a stupid question! Pyrrhus laughed. “If we defeat the Romans, not a single city of Italy will stand before us, and all this rich land will become ours!” “And what will you do when you take possession of Italy?” continued the insistent Kineas. “Yes, this is understandable for a child! - answered the king. “Sicily lies nearby, and it will be easy to capture it.” “Your words are reasonable,” agreed Kineas. “So your campaign will end in Sicily?” - “No, what are you! Pyrrhus was surprised. “After all, Sicily is within easy reach of Africa, and even if we take possession of Carthage, not a single enemy in the world will dare to oppose us.” “That’s right,” Keaney admitted. - I have no doubt that you will return Macedonia without effort. But what next, my king? - "What's next?" Pyrrhus wondered. - "Further we will be able to feast in silence for a pleasant conversation and no longer think about the war." “But even now we are feasting calmly,” the sage answered slyly. “Why put yourself in so many dangers to get back to where you started?”
But no matter how witty and fair the speeches of Cineas were, Pyrrhus did not listen to him. Soon he landed with an army at Tarentum, and there, having gathered all the Italic Greeks, he moved towards the consular legions. In the battle, the consul was defeated, and Pyrrhus began to send messengers to Rome with an offer of peace. But the Romans, embittered by defeat, abandoned peace, and the most intelligent of them understood, in addition, that the army of Pyrrhus in a foreign land was melting day by day, while the Romans could recruit twice as many soldiers as before.
Pyrrhus, who knew about this, was looking for new battles. With an army, he overtook the Romans near Ausculum, and there a battle broke out, which, as they say, lasted two whole days. This battle was so difficult that if it were not for the war elephants of the army of Pyrrhus, which the Romans considered equal to an earthquake, which mortals could not fight, then Pyrrhus would never have been able to throw the enemy back into the camp. But in the battle, most of the Epirus army, all the confidants and generals of the king, died.
Looking around the battlefield, littered with the bodies of his soldiers, Pyrrhus heard one of the survivors praising the gods for the victory. “If we win another victory over the Romans,” Pyrrhus exclaimed in his hearts, “we will finally perish!”
Being, however, a reasonable ruler, Pyrrhus did not bring his army to death, because at that moment the Sicilians turned to him for help and he left Italy, but his battle with Rome at Ausculum entered the annals as the famous Pyrrhic victory - a victory that came at the cost of , essentially equal to defeat.
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In ancient times, the state of Epirus existed in the northwest of Hellas. His king's name was Pyrrhus. A talented commander, he enriched military affairs with many innovations. He was the first to enclose the military camp with a defensive rampart and a moat. Used in the fighting elephants.
In 281 BC. e. King Pyrrhus started a war with Rome. Landed in Italy and began to win victories. A year later, the Romans equipped an army designed to crush Pyrrhus. In 279 BC. e. The armies of Rome and Epirus met at the town of Ausculum. After a long battle, the Romans withdrew in full order of battle.
The victory went to Pyrrhus. But when he counted his losses, he exclaimed: “One more such victory, and I will be left without an army!” Almost half of the tried and true veteran soldiers died on the battlefield.
After some time, the Romans, having rested and pulled up their reserves, attacked Pyrrhus and inflicted a crushing defeat on him. And the expression "Pyrrhic victory" has become a household word, meaning "victory like defeat."
Battle of Lützen
There are many such pyrrhic victories in history. Sometimes not even big losses, but the death of one person led to defeat. During Thirty Years' War(1618-1648) The Swedish army under the command of King Gustav II Adolf was considered invincible. Gustav Adolf himself, a magnificent commander and a skilled politician, was the idol of Sweden and its army.
On November 16, 1632, near the town of Lützen (near Leipzig), the Swedish army met in battle with the imperial troops of Albrecht Wallenstein.
King Gustavus Adolphus personally led the charge of the Smolland Cavalry Regiment, but was wounded in the arm in action and the charge continued without him. Seven people remained with the wounded king. A group of Imperial cuirassiers stumbled upon them in the mist. In the ensuing skirmish, Gustav Adolf was killed.
But the battle continued. The command was taken over by Prince Bernhard of Weimar. The Swedes prevailed, and the defeated, but not defeated, imperial troops were forced to withdraw. It seems to be a victory. The Swedes occupied Leipzig, capturing rich warehouses there and capturing the wounded abandoned by the imperials. But the death of Gustav Adolf, a skilled politician and commander, soon affected the integrity of the coalition. The allies broke away - Russia, Saxony, Brandenburg and others.
Soon the hitherto invincible Swedes suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Nördlingen and withdrew to Poland.
Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf
There were times when a brilliant victory turned into a defeat due to stupidity, and even outright betrayal. During Seven Years' War(1756-1763) Russian troops defeated the Prussian army of Field Marshal Lewald near Gross-Jegersdorf.
But the commander of the Russian army, S.F. Apraksin did not take advantage of the victory. On the contrary, having learned about the illness of Empress Elizabeth and wishing to please the heir to the throne Peter III, an ardent admirer of the Prussian king Frederick II, he gives a treacherous order to retreat beyond the Neman. A hasty retreat turns into a stampede. Cannons, ammunition, carts with food and the wounded were thrown. The Prussian cavalrymen are chasing the Russian units all the way. In addition, a smallpox epidemic begins. So a brilliant victory turned into a catastrophic defeat. Apraksin was removed from his post and put on trial, but, without waiting for him, he died from a blow.
Battle of Isandlwana
And it also happens that a victory, instead of demoralizing the enemy and plunging him into dust, on the contrary, hardens the defeated side, forces it to consolidate. On January 22, 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War at the Battle of Isandlwana, a 22,000-strong Zulu army under the command of Nchingwayo Khoza destroyed a large British detachment. Of the 1,400 Englishmen, only 60 escaped. The victory at Isandlwana was pyrrhic for the Zulus - not only because of the losses they suffered in 3,000 people.
Even those of the British who did not want war began to support the "hawks" in the government and agreed to provide all the resources necessary to defeat the Zulus. Troops were sent to South Africa and invaded Zululand, and soon the Zulu state ceased to exist.
Myshkova river
December 12, 1942. German troops under the command of Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, an attempt was made to unblock the Paulus group surrounded in Stalingrad. The Soviet command did not expect an attack in this sector. The powerful tank formations of General Herman Goth were opposed by the weakened and exhausted units of the 51st Army and the 4th Mechanized Corps.
Soviet soldiers rose to death near the village of Verkhne-Kumsky. Fierce and stubborn fighting continued with varying success from 13 to 19 December. Our units were almost completely destroyed. But the losses of the Nazis turned out to be huge - by December 17, Goth had only 35 combat-ready tanks left. Only pulling up the reserve 17th tank division, the Germans were able to break through to the Myshkova River. There were only 40 kilometers to Stalingrad, but the moment was lost. The soldiers of the 51st Army and the 4th Mechanized Corps detained the enemy for five days, paying for it with their lives. During this time, the fresh 2nd Guards Army of General Malinovsky approached, which completely defeated the enemy. So the victory of the Germans near the village of Verkhne-Kumsky can be safely called a Pyrrhic victory.
Borodino
And, of course, the classic example of a Pyrrhic victory is battle of Borodino. The main goal of Napoleon is not a tactical victory, not the capture of Moscow, but the complete defeat and demoralization of the Russian army. And that just didn't happen. The Russian army was leaving the Borodino field, wanting to fight again. Of course, the columns went thinner, the losses were huge - 44 thousand fighters. Still, the bloodiest one-day battle in history!
The French lost even more - 50 thousand people, including 49 of the best generals. But losses are different.
If the Russian army, being on its territory, quickly received reinforcements, then the French were in a less advantageous position.
General Yermolov said that the French had broken their teeth on the Borodino field. But he said these words later.
Initially, the retreat from the battlefield and the subsequent withdrawal from Moscow were perceived by the army and the people as a heavy defeat. All of Russia reacted extremely negatively to Kutuzov's decisions. The wounded Prince Bagration tore off the bandages and bled to death, Emperor Alexander defiantly dressed in civilian clothes, theatrically declaring that it was now shameful to wear a Russian uniform.
The generals criticized the commander, the officers cursed, the soldiers grumbled.
Ermolov subtly slandered and frankly rude. Only a couple of weeks later, when Napoleon began to make unsuccessful attempts at peace, when the quartermaster detachments of the French began to be exterminated by Russian peasants, when provisions and fodder for horses ran out in Moscow, when Cossacks and partisans began to drive thousands of crowds of prisoners to the Tarutinsky camp, the attitude towards Kutuzov became change. Understanding the ingenious strategic idea that drove Napoleon into the Moscow mousetrap, the army and the people moved from censure to approval of Kutuzov.
So a skilled chess player, sacrificing a strong piece, eventually wins the whole game. Borodino was a pyrrhic victory for Napoleon. A tactical victory leading to a catastrophic strategic defeat. The beginning of the collapse of his empire.
Pyrrhic victory- a victory that came at too high a price; victory equals defeat.
The origin of this expression is due to the battle of Ausculum in 279 BC. e. Then the Epirus army of King Pyrrhus for two days attacked the Roman troops and broke their resistance, but the losses were so great that Pyrrhus remarked: “ One more such victory, and I will be left without an army» .
Before Pyrrhus, there was an expression in everyday life " Cadmeian victory", Based on the ancient Greek epic " Seven against Thebes" and found in Plato in his "Laws".
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Notes
An excerpt characterizing a Pyrrhic victory
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“Now he has changed a lot,” said Anna Mikhailovna. “So I wanted to say,” she continued, “by his wife, the direct heir to the entire estate, Prince Vasily, but Pierre was very fond of his father, was engaged in his upbringing and wrote to the sovereign ... so no one knows if he dies (he is so bad that they expect it every minute, and Lorrain came from St. Petersburg), who will get this huge fortune, Pierre or Prince Vasily. Forty thousand souls and millions. I know this very well, because Prince Vasily himself told me this. Yes, and Kirill Vladimirovich is my maternal second cousin. It was he who baptized Borya, ”she added, as if not attributing any significance to this circumstance.
Excursion into history
In 280 BC, King Pyrrhus landed in Italy with his large army. On the side of Pyrrhus were the recalcitrant Samnites. The army included war elephants, which was a big surprise for the Romans. The first battle ended in a decisive victory for Pyrrhus's army, even though the Romans were vastly outnumbered. A year later, in 279, the Romans sent a new army to crush Pyrrhus. After a long battle, Pyrrhus again managed to defeat the Romans, but, counting the losses, the king cried out: "Another such victory and I will be left without an army!" The Romans fought courageously, and the losses were equivalent - 15 thousand people.
Achievements of Pyrrhus
The king of Epirus is famous not only for the phrase “Pyrrhic victory”, but also for some achievements that enriched the military affairs of that time. It was he who first began to enclose the battle camp with a moat and rampart for defense. After the battle with the Romans, the expression "Pyrrhic victory" became widespread. Basically, it is pronounced when success had to be paid very dearly. Such victories include the Battle of Malplac, the War of the Spanish Succession (1709). Then the British, after defeating the French, discovered that a third of their troops had died. The Battle of Maloyaroslavets (1812) is also a Pyrrhic victory. The French then still managed to take the city, but, as you know, the Napoleonic army did not receive anything worthwhile from such an acquisition.
Contemporaries often compared Pyrrhus to a dice player whose every throw is successful, but who does not know how to use his luck. As a result, this feature of Pyrrhus became the cause of his death. In addition, it was the war elephants, his secret "wonder weapon", that played a decisive role in his death.
Battle of Argos
When the army of Pyrrhus besieged Argos, his soldiers found an opportunity to quietly penetrate the sleeping city, but the king decided to bring war elephants into the city. But since they did not pass through the gate, this caused a noise, and the Argives grabbed their weapons. The battle in the narrow streets led to general confusion, no one heard the orders, it was impossible to determine where anyone was. As a result, Argos became a huge trap for the Epirus army. Trying to get out of the city, Pyrrhus sent a messenger to his son with an order to break the walls so that his army could leave the “captured city”. But his order was misunderstood, and the son of Pyrrhus went to the city to save his father. At the gate, two streams - retreating and those who hurried to their rescue - collided. In this pandemonium, Pyrrhus died at the hands of the mother of the warrior Argos, with whom he fought. The woman decided to help her son and threw a tile at Pyrrhus, hitting him right in the neck, not protected by armor.
"Pyrrhic victory": meaning
So, a Pyrrhic victory is called a victory for which a very high price had to be paid. This is a success that can be equated with defeat. In St. Petersburg, in the very center of the city, there is the Admiralty Tower. Four seated warriors can be seen against the background of the sky at the corners of the tower. Few people know who they are, but these are the four most famous commanders of ancient times: Caesar, Achilles, Pyrrhus and Alexander.