Crusaders were not limited to the Crusades. And the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller weren’t the only militaristic orders in the Christian church. In the 13th Century, the Teutonic Knights were warriors for Christ in Eastern Europe. Not that they were particularly religious. They participated in wars along the Baltic frontier. They used force to spread Christianity and in the process expand their territory and increase their wealth. In 1240, the order decided to take advantage of Mongol attacks that had weakened the Novgorod Republic, which was centered on the trade center of Novgorod. The Knights gobbled up some cities. Because of the threat, Novgorod returned its Prince Alexander Nevsky from exile. The 20-year-old prince had been banished two years earlier, but the crisis required a great military leader.
Nevsky decided to go on the offensive by launching a putative expedition into the territory of the Teutonic Knights. This provoked the Knights under the leadership of Prince-Bishop Hermann of Dorpat. (Yep, back then you could be a secular and religious leader at the same time.) He chased the withdrawing Novgorod army, just as Nevsky had planned. Even though the Knights cut off and decimated part of his army, Nevsky was confident his army would hang together and put up a good fight. He allowed himself to be run down on the opposite shore of the frozen Lake Peipus (the fourth largest lake in Europe). The battle is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Lake Peipus. The Teutonic Knights were overconfident and launched a frontal attack. Their army was about 2,600 men, but only 100 were Teutonic Knights. Nevsky had around 5000 soldiers, with 1,000 being his elite body guard.
The Knights’ attack was pelted by arrow fire and then they had to fight their way through the enemy infantry. By the time they reached Nevsky’s knights, exhaustion was setting in. Nevsky’s counterattack pushed the Teuton’s back onto the ice. He then used his horse archers to hit both wings. The enemy panicked and ran. According to legend, the ice broke, drowning many of them. However, many historians dispute this legend. Apparently, the broken ice scene was written into history by the classic movie “Alexander Nevsky”.
The battle had a significant impact. It strengthened the border between the European Catholic Church and Russian Eastern Orthodox Church.
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/lake-peipus-battle-on-the-ice/
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