The Battle of Lake Chud was a battle between the army led by Alexander Nevsky of the Novgorod Republic and the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Knights of the Germans on Lake Chude, in which Alexander Nevsky gave full consideration to the situation of both sides and chose such a location as Lake Chude, so that the Germanic heavy cavalry lost their original advantage, and thus lost the battle, the background of the Battle of Chud Lake is described below.
Statue of Alexander Nevsky
Background of the Battle of Chude Lake: In the early twelfth century AD, the Teutonic Knights of the Germans conquered many areas in the lands of Eastern Europe, including the vast area on the south bank of the Baltic Sea from the Elbe river to the mouth of the Vistula River, the area east of the Vistula River, including Poland and Lithuania, Livonia and Estonia. In 1237, the Knights of the Sword in Livonia were formally merged with the Teutonic Knights of Germany, and the rich and prosperous Principality of Novgorod became the next target of the Germanic nation's conquest.
In 1940 Alexander Nevsky, Duke of Novgorod, defeated the Swedish army at the mouth of the Neva River and later ruled the Duchy of Novgorod, but was later opposed by the nobles and lords, and Duke Alexander Nevsky settled in Pereiaslavl with his courtiers. Later, seeing that the Germanic cavalry regiment had reached the area on the outskirts of Novgorod, the nobles hurriedly asked Alexander for help, so Alexander Nevsky organized an army to defend against the Germans, and after many investigations and considerations, Alexander Nevsky chose to fight the Germans at Lake Chud, so at dawn on April 5, 1242, Alexander Nevsky went to war with the Germans at Lake Chude.
Introduction to the Battle of Chude Lake
The Battle of Chud Lake was a famous battle between the Russian Republic of Novgorod and the Teutonic Cavalry Regiment of the Germanic Nation, in which the Duke of Novgorod, Alexander Nevsky, after careful consideration and arrangement, fought a fierce battle with the Teutonic Cavalry Regiment that had won many battles in the battlefields of Eastern Europe, and achieved the final victory of this battle, wiping out the Teutonic Cavalry Regiment.
The image comes from the Internet
In 1240-1242, the German Teutonic Cavalry regiment and the feudal lords of Denmark and Sweden took advantage of the weakening of the Rus' resistance to the Mongol Battu Khan's army and intensified their invasion of the territory of northwestern Rus. During this time, the Teutonic cavalry regiment could be called invincible, successfully capturing Izborsk, Pskov, Kopolje villages and many other places, and the invaders even reached the outskirts of Novgorod. In a dire situation, the nobles of Novgorod had no choice but to put aside their internal grievances and ask Duke Alexander Nevsky to return to power.
Under the leadership of Alexander Nevsky, the Novgorods conquered two cities in a row and won a victory against the invasion, after which Alexander Nevsky carefully planned a decisive battle with the Teutonic cavalry regiment at Lake Chude, in which Alexander Nevsky took advantage of the relatively thin ice layer of Lake Chude and could not bear the favorable conditions of the Teutonic heavy cavalry, and at the same time adopted a strategic policy of avoiding its main force to attack its two wings, and finally almost completely annihilated the Teutonic cavalry regiment in the Chude Lake area. For a long time thereafter, the Germans did not dare to covet the Principality of Novgorod.
The course of the Battle of Lake Chude
The Battle of Lake Chud was a battle that took place between the Duchy of Novgorodro and the Teutonic Knights of the Germans, in which the leader of the Duchy of Novgorod, Alexander Nevsky, made full preparations before the battle took place, conducted an investigation by many parties, and finally decided to carry out the battle at Lake Chude, the results of the battle proved that Alexander Nevsky's prediction was accurate, and the following is the process of the Battle of Chud Lake.
Battle of Chude Lake
Before the Battle of Lake Chude, Alexander Nevsky made a full investigation of the site of the battle, there were many hot springs near Lake Chude, so that the ice of Lake Chude was not very thick, these ice may not be able to resist the weight of heavy cavalry, so in the battle it would be very unfavorable to the Teutonic cavalry regiment, after examining the formation of the Teutonic cavalry regiment, Alexander Nevsky formulated a strategic plan in favor of himself, and on April 5, 1242, the Teutonic Knights launched an attack on the avant-garde regiment of the Duchy of Novgorod. It quickly crushed it and broke through Novgorod's Chinese army from the march, but formed a fierce white-knife battle with the two wings on the shores of Lake Chude. Novgorod's army's powerful two-wing regiment made it impossible for the Teutonic Knights to maneuver. The samurai troops ambushed and put the Teutonic cavalry under siege. The main force of the Teutonic Knights was compressed and encircled in a narrow lake area, surrounded on all sides by Novgorod infantry. As Alexander Nevsky predicted, the thin ice of Lake Chud could not withstand the pressure of the heavy knights and broke, many of the knights fell into the lake and drowned, and only a few cavalry were able to break through and escape. Novgorod's cavalry pursued the ice all the way to the shore of Subolić, annihilating all the invaders.
Through the course of the Battle of Chude Lake, it can be seen that in the cruel war, as long as there is a little thought, it may suffer a catastrophe, and for the Teutonic heavy cavalry who has won many battles, it may be a light enemy, which led to the defeat of this battle.
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