This week in Christian history: Battle of Lake Peipus; Bakht Singh arrives in Bombay; William Thomson dies

By Michael Gryboski, Editor
Sunday, April 05, 2026

The Battle of Lake Peipus – April 5, 1242

A 16th-century depiction of the 1242 Battle of Lake Peipus, where Russian forces under the command of Prince Alexander Nevsky defeated an army of Teutonic knights. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Russian forces under the command of Prince Alexander Nevsky defeated the Teutonic Order of knights at the Battle of Lake Peipus.

Commonly known as “The Battle on the Ice” because a substantial portion of the fight took place on a frozen lake, the conflict was part of the broader Northern Crusades, an effort by Catholic military orders to conquer the Baltic region.

The Teutonic forces and their allies sought to take control of the Russian Orthodox city of Novgorod and defeat its ruler, Nevsky. However, Nevsky’s forces held strong and ultimately repulsed the knights.

“Alexander rode home in triumph, with much money, a lot of horses and armor, and as prisoners tied to the harnesses of their own and other captured war horses,” noted the Warfare History Network.

“As for the Teutonic Order, the knights would continue their crusading efforts and find many new enemies to fight, their arrogance unrestrained by the defeat at Lake Peipus.”