If you do not take into account the XX century, in which two world wars fit in, then there were few military clashes between Russia and Germany. Victory has always been on our side. However, the king of Prussia Frederick II was the idol of Peter III, so the Russian emperor returned to Prussia all the territories that had been inherited at the cost of the lives of 140 thousand Russian soldiers.
Fight against German orders
The expansion of the borders of the German orders at the expense of the Baltic territory led to the "acquaintance" with the Novgorod principality. The rich Russian cities became tasty prey for them.
In 1240, the "combined team" of the Germans, consisting of swordsmen, Revels, Derps and other knights, attacked the lands of Pskov. Izborsk was the first to fall under a powerful blow. Inspired by their quick successes, the knights soon "appeared" under Pskov itself and managed to capture the city. Not without, however, betrayal on the part of the besieged.
Then the Germans invaded the Novgorod lands and settled in the Koporye fortress. The greatest military leader Alexander Nevsky had to take personal part. First, the troops under his command managed to drive the knights out of Koporye, and then from Pskov.
The main battle between Russian and German troops took place on April 5, 1242 on Lake Peipsi. The Livonian knights suffered a crushing defeat. After that, peace was concluded between the order and Novgorod, according to which the Germans returned all the occupied territories. In the 1230s, the Order's shadow hung over the long-suffering Galicia-Volyn principality. However, in the battle of Dorogichyn, Prince Daniil Romanovich managed to defeat the invading troops.
Daniil Romanovich.
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In 1267, the Novgorodians decided to "go" to Lithuania. But since they did not have a single commander, the troops went to modern Estonia, then under Danish rule. In 1268, near the Wesenberg fortress, a grandiose battle took place between the united troops of Denmark and the Livonian Order with the armies of the North Russian principalities (the Novgorod and Pskov republics, as well as the Vladimir-Suzdal principality).
The victory remained with the Russians.
A year later, the Germans attacked Pskov and besieged it for ten days, but they failed to capture the city. Thanks to victories in 1268 and 1269, German-Danish expansion was halted for three decades.
Destruction of the Livonian Confederation
At first, the Smolensk detachments took part in the decisive battle of the “Great War” (1409-1411) between the Teutonic Order and the Polish-Lithuanian troops, on the side of the latter. We are talking about the Battle of Grunwald (July 15, 1410). The Order lost its former power and lost almost all of its army.
Since the 1470s, the Grand Duchy of Moscow has often attacked the weaker Livonian Confederation, both militarily and economically. Unable to give an answer, Livonia constantly made concessions that were not unfavorable for itself.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the Livonians entered into an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania against Russia. At first, the troops, led by Walter von Plettenberg, managed to win several important victories, but in the end he did not succeed in building on this success.
Jan Matejko, "Battle of Grunwald".
On November 20, 1501, the Battle of Helmed took place. Russian troops had to face field artillery. The guns did not affect the course of the battle, the army of the Livonian Confederation was defeated. And the Russian voivode Daniil Shchenya walked with fire and sword through the enemy land up to Revel. The Livonian War became fatal for the German knights.
Ivan the Terrible in 1557 refused to receive the Livonian ambassadors and continued to escalate the situation. In 1561, the order was finally defeated and ceased to exist. Its last ruler (landmaster), Gotthard Kettler, "turned" into the Duke of Courland (by the decision of the Vilin Treaty of 1561), which put a fat point in the existence of the once powerful state.
Rzeczpospolita and Sweden divided the knightly lands among themselves.
Bloody war with Prussia
In the middle of the 18th century, Prussia began to take the lead in Europe. In St. Petersburg, they understood that sooner or later Frederick II would want to encroach on the western borders of Russia and gain a foothold in the Baltic.
In 1746, an alliance was concluded between the Russian Empire and Austria. Elizaveta Petrovna joined the ranks of the anti-Prussian coalition. And in 1756 the famous Seven Years War began. Of the allies (the main striking forces were the armies of Austria, France and Russia), things were going best with the troops of Elizabeth. The inconsistency of actions, different interests and goals did not allow to finally finish off Frederick, who several times found himself on the edge of the abyss.
After the death of Elizabeth, Peter III ascended the throne, for whom the Prussian leader was a real idol. Therefore, he concluded a peace treaty and returned all the territories captured by the Russian troops.
Moreover, from 1762 the Russian Empire began to fight on the side of Prussia.
Frederick II.
This policy caused a lot of discontent in the elite top. And soon there was a coup - Catherine II ascended the throne. She brought the country out of the war, but did not make claims to the given territories.
It turns out that in the bloody war, the Russian Empire received only experience, while losing about 140 thousand soldiers. And in the winners, despite numerous cruel defeats, Prussia remained.
It is interesting that in 1779 Frederick, speaking with the new ambassador to Russia, uttered the following phrase:
“I will never stop mourning Peter III. He was my friend and savior. Without him, I would have to lose."
After that, the king could not restrain his emotions and burst into tears.