Novgorod War Game: Lake
Peipus (Russia) Battle (1242) Created by Ruth Paget
Adversaries:
Russia
under the command of Prince Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod
Versus
Combined
allied forces of:
-Danish
Knights
-Dorphat
(Estonia) Militia
-Teutonic
Knights
-Estonian
enlisted soldiers
Under
the command of Bishop Hermann of Dorphat
Outcome:
Russia
Victorious
Novgorod’s
position as the leading Russian state was confirmed and the rule of the tsars
was established.
Novgorod Game
Objectives:
Main Objective:
Analyze
Lake Peipus battle conditions and evaluate if the outcome would have been the
same in 2020 as it was in 1242.
Secondary Objectives:
Learn
about the cultures of Russia, Germany, Denmark, and Estonia
Novgorad contains 20 Levels
Level 1: Icebreaker Social
Event
-Locate
Russia, Germany, Denmark, and Estonia on a map
-Locate
Lake Peipus on a map
-Watch
the film Alexander Nevsky directed
by Sergei Eisenstein and Dmitri Vasilyev
-Discuss
the number of troops on each side in the battle after the film
-Have
there been instances in military history where much larger forces were defeated
by smaller ones? If so, how were they
able to do it?
Level 2: Do Background
Work on Lake Peipus Battle
-Look
up this battle on several online websites and compare facts and evaluations of
the battle. Note the sources.
-Read
Lake Peipus 1242: Battle of the Ice by
David Nicolle
-Read
The Teutonic Knights by William
Urban
-List
at least 10 characteristics of the Lake Peipus Battle in 1242
Level 3: Role of
Language in Warfare
-Hostile
nations often speak different languages with some troops who can speak several
languages.
-Allied
forces can have the problem of speaking many languages as well, making
communications difficult.
-How
is a common language chosen among allies?
-Research
the Russian language and note characteristics.
-Research
the German language and note characteristics.
-Research
the Danish language and note characteristics.
-Research
the Estonian language and note characteristics.
-What
role do translators and interpreters have in warfare?
-Silent
language and gestures vary according to culture. Read The
Silent Language by Edward T. Hall for information on this aspect of
language.
Level 4: Role of
Culture in Warfare
-Speaking
a foreign language does not mean that you instantly know the culture
-Allied
nations from different cultures can have cultural misunderstandings within
their ranks and with civilian populations
There
are several books by Edward T. Hall that I recommend to identify what often
causes culture shock when dealing with people from other cultures than your
own:
-The Hidden Dimension by Edward T. Hall
-Then Dance of Life:
The Other Dimension of Time by Edward T. Hall
-Beyone Culture by Edward T. Hall
-Understanding Cultural
Differences: Germans, French, and Americans by Edward T. Hall
Books
about the very interesting Edward T. Hall follow:
-West of the Thirties by Edward T. Hall
-An Anthropology of Everyday Life by
Edward T. Hall
Levels 5 – 8 Note:
Food
supplies are always important in warfare.
If troops do not have food, the historical precedent has been for them
to pillage the countryside to feed themselves until supplies become available.
In
the next four levels, I would like you to examine the ingredients and cooking
methods of Russian, German, Danish, and Estonian cuisines to see how it might
have been prepared at Lake Peipus, if at all.
I
will also ask what the ingredients tell us about the geography and climate of
Russia, Germany, Denmark, and Estonia.
Level 5: Analyze
Russian Food
-What
do the following cookbooks tell you about Russian geography and agriculture?
-What
do the ingredients tell you about Russian climate?
-What
ingredients did not exist in Russian cuisine until the Americas were explored
by Europe beginning in 1492?
-The
cookbooks follow:
-Babushka: Russian Recipes from a Real
Russian Grandma by Anastasia Petrov
-Beyond the North Wind:
Russia in Recipes and Lore by Darra Goldstein
-Classic Russian
Cooking: A Gift to Housewives by Elena Molokhovets
-The Food and Cooking
of Russia by
Lesley Chamberlain
-Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking by
Bonnie Framkin Morales
-Please to the Table:
The Russian Cookbook by
Anya von Bremzen
-Russian Cuisine:
Traditional and Contemporary Russian Home Cooking by Maria Dopenweiler
-Russian, German, and
Polish Food and Cooking with over 185 Traditional Recipes by Lesley Chamberlain
-The Russian Heritage
Cookbook: A Culinary Tradition in over 400 Recipes by Lynn Visson
-The Russian Tea Room
Cookbook by
Faith Stewart-Gordon
-A Taste of Russia: A
Cookbook of Russian Hospitality by Darra Goldstein
Level 6: Analyze German
Food
-What do the following
cookbooks tell you about Russian geography and agriculture?
-What
do the ingredients tell you about German climate?
-What
ingredients did not exist in German cuisine before the Americas were explored
by Europe in 1492?
-The
cookbooks follow:
-The Berghoff Café Cookbook by Carlyn
Berghoff
-Classic German Baking: The Very Best Recipes for Traditional
Favorites by Luisa Weiss
-The Cuisines of Germany: Regional Specialties and Traditional Home
Cooking by Horst Scharfenberg
-The German Cookbook by Alfons Schuhbeck
-The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to
Mastering Authentic German Cooking by Mimi Sheraton
-German Family
Cookbook: More than Hundred Traditional Recipes by Hannelore
Dittmer-Ilgen
-German Meals at Oma’s: Traditional Dishes
for the Home Cook by Gerhild Fulson
-Grandma’s German
Cookbook by
Lina Schmidt
-The New German Cookbook by Jean
Anderson
Level 7: Analyze Danish
Food
-What do the following
cookbooks tell you about Danish geography and agriculture?
-What
do the ingredients tell you about Danish climate?
-What
ingredients did not exist in Danish cuisine before the Americas were explored
by Europe in 1492?
The
cookbooks follow:
-150 Ebelskiver Recipes by Camille
Saulsburg
-Cooking Danish: A
Taste of Denmark by
Stig Hansen
-Danish Cooking and Baking Traditions by
Arthur Meyer
-The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by
Beatrice Ojakangas
-Open Sandwiches: 70
Smorrebrod Ideas for Morning, Noon, and Night by Trine Hanemann
-Scandinavian Gatherings: From Afternoon
Fika to Midsummer Feast by Melissa Bahen
-Wonderful, Wonderful Danish Cooking: A
Double Cookbook of 500 Danish Recipes by Ingeborg Dahl Jensen
Level 8: Analyze
Estonian Food
-What
do the following cookbooks tell you about Estonian geography and agriculture?
-What
do the ingredients in Estonian cooking tell you about the climate?
-What
ingredients did not exist in Estonian cuisine before the Americas were explored
by Europe in 1492?
The
cookbooks follow:
-Baltic: New and Old
Recipes from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania by Simon Bajada
-The Estonian Cookbook by Margrit Arthurs
-Estonian Tastes and
Traditions by
Karin Annus Kärner
-Traditional Estonian
Cooking by
Margrit Mikk-Sokk
Level 9: Why is
Novgorod Important?
Novgorod
was part of a Middle Ages trading union called the Hanseatic League.
Do
some research on the Hanseatic League to discuss Novgorod’s past and present
importance to Russia.
The
following books may be of some assistance:
-The Baltic: A History by Michael North
-Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Saved the
World by Mark Kurlansky
-Forces of the Hanseatic League: 13th
to 15th Centuries by David Nicolle
-The Hansa Towns and the Hanseatic League by
Helen Zimmern
-Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
-Research
the role of herring in the Hanseatic League
-Watch
the film The Herring Belt directed
by Julius Kohanyi to learn about herring
-What
goods did Novgorod trade for other Hanseatic League products?
-What
trade links does Novgorod have today?
Level 10: Gender Inclusive Armies
-Would gender-inclusive
armies have had an impact on the outcome of the Lake Peipus Battle?
-Are
there differences in the way that genders communicate among themselves and with
one another?
-Read
You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men
in Conversation by Deborah Tannen for a discussion on this topic.
Level 11: Modern
Technology Considerations
Would
modern technology have changed the outcome of this battle?
Here
I would like you to specifically think about:
-mobile
phones
-satellites
-computers
-weather
information
-translation
software
-video
game skills
-transportation
Level 12: Geographical Change Over Time
-Were
there forests and swamps around Lake Peipus in 1242 that no longer exist?
-What
is the transportation infrastructure around Novgorod like today? Would that have affected the battle outcome?
-What
is the food system like in Russia, Denmark, Germany, and Estonia?
Level 13: Medical
Services
-What
medical advances would have made a difference in this battle?
-What
public health advances would have made a difference in this battle?
Level 14: Role of
Modern Media
-Would
TV, radio, newspaper, and social media coverage have made a change to this
battle’s outcome?
Level 15: Russian Culture
-List at least 10 things
you have learned about Russian culture from playing Novgorod
Level 16: German Culture
-List
at least 10 things you have learned about German culture from playing Novgorod
Level 17: Danish Culture
-List
at 10 things you have learned about Danish culture from playing Novgorod
Level 18: Estonian Culture
-List
at least 10 things you have learned about Estonian culture from playing
Novgorod
Level 19: Make a Food
Preference List
-Go through the foods of
Russia, Denmark, Germany, and Estonia and list 5 to 10 items for the items
below:
-Foods
to I would like to try
-Food
that seem okay to me
-Foods
I would definitely not like
Level 20: Wrap-Up Celebration
-Drink tea and eat baked
goods with jams and butter and discuss each level
-Have
a secretary take notes and type them up or put them in a personal journal if playing
alone.
Novogorad
War Game Created by Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click for Laurent Paget's Books
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