The Battle of Rakovor (Russian: Раковорская битва) or Battle of Wesenberg (German: Schlacht bei Wesenberg) was a battle fought on February 18, 1268, between the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Knights and a coalition of Russian princes. The Knights were beaten so thoroughly that they would not undertake a new campaign against Northern Russia for the following thirty years. Image File history File links Confederation_of_Livonia_1260. ... Baltic Tribes, ca 1200 CE This article is about the region in Europe. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Conradin (right) is executed by Charles I of Sicily, thus extinguishing the Hohenstaufen dynasty, in 1268. ... County Lääne-Viru County Area 10. ... Pskov Feudal Republic (Псковская феодальная республика in Russian) was a Russian medieval state between the second half of the 13th century and early 16th century. ... The Novgorod Feudal Republic (Russian: ) was a large mediæval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries. ... Livonian Brothers The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Latin Fratres militiae Christi, literally the brothers of the army of Christ), also known as the Christ Knights, Sword Brethren or The Militia of Christ of Livonia, was a military order organized in 1202 by Albert of Buxhoeveden, bishop of Riga (or... Dovmont Town in Pskov. ... Dmitry Alexandrovich (ca. ... Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Conradin (right) is executed by Charles I of Sicily, thus extinguishing the Hohenstaufen dynasty, in 1268. ... Livonian Brothers The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Latin Fratres militiae Christi, literally the brothers of the army of Christ), also known as the Christ Knights, Sword Brethren or The Militia of Christ of Livonia, was a military order organized in 1202 by Albert of Buxhoeveden, bishop of Riga (or... For the historical novel, see The Teutonic Knights (novel). ...

The two armies clashed within 7.5 kilometers (roughly 4.5 miles) from the Livonian town of Rakvere (Russian: Rakovor; German: Wesenberg). Russian forces, numbering up to 30,000 troops, were led by Dmitry of Pereslavl (representing the Novgorod Republic) together with his future son-in-law, Daumantas of Pskov (representing the Pskov Republic). Baltic Tribes, ca 1200 CE This article is about the region in Europe. ... County Lääne-Viru County Area 10. ... Dmitry Alexandrovich (ca. ... Medieval walls of Novgorod City The Novgorod Feudal Republic (Новгородская феодальная республика or Novgorodskaya feodalnaya respublika in Russian) was a powerful medieval state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th century. ... Dovmont Town in Pskov. ... Pskov Feudal Republic (Псковская феодальная республика in Russian) was a Russian medieval state between the second half of the 13th century and early 16th century. ...

Apart from the knights, the Livonian army included Danish forces (right flank) and local Estonian militia (left flank). The crusading army was led by Master Otto von Lutterberg. The Teutonic knights in Pskov in 1240. ...

The German forces deployed in their customary deep "boar's head" wedge of heavily armoured knights, called by the Russians the "great iron pig." These deep wedges had considerable penetrative power, but were unmaneuverable and vulnerable to flank attack due to the resulting narrow frontage of the army, facts which led to the ultimate defeat of the Knights at the Battle of Lake Peipus. As a result, the Germans attempted to remedy this situation at Rakovor by splitting their knightly assault force into two formations, deploying one wedge in the open and a second in ambush, so that when the first wedge was attacked on all sides by the Russians the second wedge would burst from ambush and in turn encircle the enemy. A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... The Battle of the Ice also known as the Battle on Lake Peipus (Russian: Ледовое побоище, German: Schlacht auf dem Peipussee), took place in 1242. ...

The tactic worked well at first, as the wedge of German knights smashed the Novgorod and Pskov forces facing them, but then the second wedge, seeing the Russians in retreat, apparently assumed the battle was won and emerged from their ambush position to loot the Russian baggage. This abandonment of the battle plan led to the first wedge being encircled.

The fighting to reduce the first wedge was apparently terrific. "Neither our fathers nor forefathers have witnessed such a cruel fighting", reports the Livonian chronicler. At last the Novgorodian militia prevailed, although its leader, the posadnik Mikhailo Fyodorovich, was killed in action. Posadnik (Посадник in Russian) was a deputy of Kniaz in some East Slavic places assigned to rule a city or a land. ...

The Russian princes pursued the knights up to Rakvere. Prince Dovmont of Pskov, whose bravery was recognized even in the German chronicles of the battle, pursued the defeated knights all the way to the coast of the Baltic Sea, and took substantial booty before returning to the Russian lines. Upon his return to his camp, Dmitry of Pereslavl discovered that it had been looted by another regiment of the knights. He decided to wait for the morning. Three days passed and no new attack ensued on the part of the knights. The Russian leaders claimed victory and returned to Novgorod in triumph. The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Russian: ) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the M10(E95) federal highway connecting Moscow and St. ...

References

• Nicolle, David. Medieval Russian Armies 1250 - 1450. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002.