Battle on the Ice
Lake Peipus, between Estonia and Russia
What happened
Prince Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod and his brother Andrey led the armies of Novgorod and Vladimir against the Livonian Order and the forces of Bishop Hermann of Dorpat. Crusader knights from the Livonian Order and Russian princes were fighting over lands in Estonia and around Novgorod. Alexander set up his army by frozen Lake Peipus, and on 5 April 1242 the crusader knights charged across the ice. Novgorod's foot soldiers slowed them, and after about two hours Alexander sent in his flanks and cavalry, and the tired knights retreated.
Why it matters
Result: Novgorod–Vladimir victory. Leaders: Hermann of Dorpat against Alexander Nevsky / Andrey Yaroslavich. Why it matters: The victory stopped the Livonian Order's push east. Alexander Nevsky became a famous hero in Russian memory.
What came next
The Germans agreed to give up any Russian land they still held and to exchange prisoners. Alexander later became Grand Prince of Vladimir and was made a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.
Did you know?
The famous picture of knights crashing through breaking ice mostly comes from a 1938 film, Alexander Nevsky; the early accounts do not say the ice broke.
Timeline
- 1240 CERus' chronicles tell of Alexander's victory over Swedish invaders at the Neva.
- 5 April 1242 CEAlexander defeats the crusader knights on frozen Lake Peipus.
- 1252 CEAlexander becomes Grand Prince of Vladimir.
- 14 November 1263 CEAlexander Nevsky dies.
- 1547 CEThe Russian Orthodox Church declares Alexander a saint.