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The Battle on the Ice (Russian: Ледовое побоище - Battle of Chud Lake), 1242, also called the Battle of the Lake Peipus, was the greatest defeat sustained by the Teutonic knights until the 15th-century Battle of Grunwald. It effectively stopped their Northern Crusade against Novgorod and other Russian territories in the aftermath of the conquest of Estonia.
Hoping to exploit Russia's weakness in the wake of Mongol and Swedish invasions, the Teutonic knights occupied Pskov, Izborsk, and Koporye in the autumn of 1240. When they approached Novgorod itself, the local citizens recalled to the city 20-year-old prince Alexander Nevsky, whom they had banished to Pereslavl earlier that year. During the campaign of 1241, Alexander managed to retake Pskov and Koporye from the knights.
In the spring of 1242, the knights defeated a reconnaissance detachment of Novgorodians 18 km to the south from the fortress of Derpt. In the hope of gaining easy victory over Novgorod, the main force of the Teutonic knights under leadership of the Grand Master of the Order entered the vast ice-covered Lake Peipus and marched on towards Pskov.
On April 5, 1242 the armies clashed on the ice of the lake. After hours of hand-to-hand fighting, Alexander ordered the left and right wings of his archers to enter the battle. The knights started to retreat in disarray, and the appearance of the fresh Russian cavalry made them run for their life. Under weight of heavy armour, thin ice started to collapse, and many knights drowned. Only the grand master, bishops, and a handful of mounted knights managed to return back to Derpt after the battle.
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