Global InformationBattle on the Ice information
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2023) |
| Battle on the Ice | |||||||
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| Part of the Northern Crusades and the Livonian campaign against Rus' | |||||||
 Depiction of the battle in the late 16th century illuminated manuscript Life of Alexander Nevsky | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Livonian Order
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Novgorod Republic
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Hermann of Dorpat Andreas von Velven |
Alexander Nevsky Andrey Yaroslavich | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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2,600:[1]
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5,000:[1]
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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Livonian Rhymed Chronicle: Novgorod First Chronicle: 50 Germans imprisoned "Countless" Estonians killed[3] | No exact figures | ||||||
The Battle on the Ice,[a] alternatively known as the Battle of Lake Peipus (German: Schlacht auf dem Peipussee; Russian: битва на Чудском озере, romanized: bitva na Chudskom ozere), took place on 5 April 1242. It was fought largely on the frozen Lake Peipus between the united forces of the Republic of Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal, led by Prince Alexander Nevsky, and the forces of the Livonian Order and Bishopric of Dorpat, led by Bishop Hermann of Dorpat.
The battle was significant because its outcome determined whether Western Catholicism or Eastern Orthodox Christianity would dominate in the region. In the end, the battle represented a significant defeat for the Catholic forces during the Northern Crusades and brought an end to their campaigns against the Orthodox Novgorod Republic and other Russian territories for the next century.[4]
The significance and likely the scale of the battle was exaggerated in later Russian sources, which hailed it as one of the great Russian victories of the Middle Ages.[5] The event portrayed in Sergei Eisenstein's historical drama film, Alexander Nevsky (1938), later created a popular but inaccurate image of the battle.
The Novgorodian victory is commemorated today in Russia as one of the Days of Military Honour.
- ^ a b "Histoire Russe." Volume 33. University Center for International Studies, University of Pittsburgh, 2006. p. 300.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Nicollewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ The Chronicle of Novgorod (PDF). London. 1914. p. 87.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2003. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-85229-961-6.
- ^ Fonnesberg-Schmidt 2007, p. 218, ...later to become hailed as one of the great Russian victories of the Middle Ages... scale of the battle was, however, most likely exaggerated in the later Russian sources, as was indeed its significance.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).