Velikiy Novgorod
In the middle of the 15th century, the Novgorod Republic was on the decline. The former remnants of people's democracy are a thing of the past. Everything was ruled by the boyar (oligarchic) Council of Lords. All decisions of the veche were prepared in advance by the "gentlemen". This led to a conflict between the social elite (boyars, higher clergy and wealthy merchants) with the people. Often there were riots of the people against the nobility, which tried to reduce and make up for their losses at the expense of the lower and middle strata of the population.
Also, there was a strengthening of neighboring Moscow, which claimed dominion over all Russian lands. To fend off the threat from Moscow and suppress the discontent of the common people, the "gentlemen" began to look for an external patron. A pro-Lithuanian party was formed, headed by Martha Boretskaya (her husband Isaac Boretsky was a Novgorod mayor). As the widow of a large landowner, she constantly increased her holdings, and was one of the richest people in the Novgorod region. Her son Dmitry Boretsky became a Novgorod mayor and married a representative of the noble Hungarian family Bathory.
The Lithuanian party in Novgorod wanted to liquidate the Yazhelbitsky treaty, signed following the results of the Moscow-Novgorod war in 1456. Having suffered a heavy defeat from the troops of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II the Dark, the Novgorodians asked for peace, according to which the Novgorod Republic was curtailed in rights. Novgorod was deprived of the right to independent foreign policy and supreme legislation. The Grand Duke of Moscow received the highest judicial power. This agreement was repeatedly violated by Moscow and Novgorod, and both sides constantly accused each other of violating the terms of the peace. Novgorod gave refuge to the enemies of the Grand Duke. The grand-ducal power decided court cases in favor of the Moscow boyars, who received land in the Novgorod land. This became one of the prerequisites for a new war.
The Lithuanian party began negotiations with the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the Polish King Casimir IV on the entry of the Novgorod Republic into the Grand Duchy on the basis of autonomy and protection of the political privileges of Novgorod. Lithuania supported this idea, the annexation of Novgorod significantly increased the military and economic power of the Grand Duchy. In the future, Novgorod could join the union, submitting to the supreme authority of the Pope.
After the death of the archbishop of Novgorod Jonah, who was the head of the boyar government, a protege of Lithuania - Prince of Kopyl and Slutsk Mikhail Olelkovich, a cousin of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir Jagiellonchik and a cousin of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III Vasilyevich, arrived in the city. He was supposed to defend Novgorod from a possible attack by Moscow.
Also, the Novgorodians decided to send the candidate for the post of archbishop not to Moscow, as before, to Metropolitan Philip of Moscow and All Russia (independent of the Patriarch of Constantinople), but to Metropolitan Gregory of Kiev and Galicia, who was in Lithuania. In Novgorod itself, there was a split between the supporters of Lithuania and Moscow. The zemstvo people did not want an alliance with Lithuania. There was no unity among the Novgorod nobility, where there was a pro-Moscow party. This weakened the military strength of the republic.
"Crusade" against Novgorod
It is clear that the grand-ducal Moscow government could not close its eyes to the possible loss of Novgorod or part of it. The Novgorod land was the largest and richest in resources among the Russian lands. The loss of Novgorod threatened Moscow with defeat in the big game for leadership in Russia.
At first, the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III Vasilyevich tried to avoid war, to calm down the Novgorodians with persuasion. The main role in this was played by the church. Metropolitan Philip of Moscow called on Novgorodians to be loyal to Moscow, then reproached Novgorod for "treason", demanded that the Lithuanian "Latinism" be abandoned. However, this did not help. As a result, the actions of the Novgorodians were regarded as "betrayal of the faith."
Meanwhile, in Novgorod, despite the opposition of the Boretskys' supporters, Theophilos, an opponent of the union with the West, was elected archbishop. Prince Mikhail Olelkovich, faced with strong opposition among the Novgorodians and learning about the death of his brother Semyon, Prince of Kiev, decided to leave for Kiev. In March 1471, he left Novgorod and plundered Staraya Russa on the way.
Moscow decided to punish Novgorod in a demonstrative way, to organize an all-Russian "crusade" against it. According to the Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich, this was to unite all the Russian lands against the "traitors", he asked the princes to send squads to the "holy cause."
Moscow carried out a wide informational anti-Novgorod campaign. The neighbors of Novgorod, residents of Vyatka (Khlynov), Veliky Ustyug and Pskov were attracted to the campaign. That is, Novgorod was covered from the west, south and east, cutting off the city from its heels (volosts), cutting off the path to Lithuania. This cut off Novgorod from possible aid and dispersed its forces. Two detachments advanced from the east and west, the main forces from the south.
Novgorod entered the war without allies.
Negotiations with Lithuania have not been completed. King Casimir at this time was busy with Czech affairs and did not dare to start a war with Moscow.
The beginning of hostilities
In May 1471, the northern army was formed, reinforced by detachments from the Ustyuzhans and Vyatchans, led by the voivode Vasily Obratsy Dobrynsky-Simsky. She advanced in the Dvina land (Zavolochye), diverting the forces of the Novgorodians. Moscow has long laid claim to Zavolochye, as there was a river route connecting Novgorod with the Urals and Siberia. From here Novgorod received its main riches. Therefore, the Novgorodians dispatched large forces to defend Zavolochye.
The main forces began their offensive in the summer of 1471. Summer was usually an unfortunate time for military operations in the Novgorod region. It was a land of lakes, rivers, rivers and huge swamps. The wooded and swampy terrain around Novgorod was impassable.
However, the summer turned out to be hot, the rivers became shallow, the swamps dried up. Troops could move overland. In early June, the host of princes Danila Kholmsky and Fyodor Pestroi-Starodubsky performed. They were followed by the regiments of the brothers of the Grand Duke Yuri and Boris. The Moscow army numbered about 10 thousand soldiers.
In mid-June, the army under the command of Prince Ivan Obolensky-Striga set out from Moscow to Vyshny Volochek and then began an offensive against Novgorod from the east. Kasimov Khan Daniyar walked with Obolensky "with his princes, princes and Cossacks." On June 20, the main forces set out from Moscow and went through Tver, where the Tver regiment joined them.
The Novgorodians were also preparing for the decisive battle. They gathered a large army - up to 40 thousand people (apparently an exaggeration). Part of the troops was cavalry - the boyars' squads, the archbishop's regiment, part of the ship - the infantry. However, the Novgorodians in this war had a low fighting spirit. Many ordinary townspeople-militias did not want to fight with Moscow, they hated the boyars.
In addition, the Moscow regiments largely consisted of professional soldiers who had experience of war with the Tatars and Lithuanians, and the Novgorod militias were inferior to them in training. The Novgorod cavalry set off along the western shore of Lake Ilmen and further along the left bank of the river. Shelon to the Pskov road in order to intercept the Pskovites, prevent them from connecting with the Muscovites. The ship's army was supposed to land the infantry on the southern bank of the village. Korostyn and strike at Kholmsky's army. A separate detachment was sent to defend the Dvina land.
Thus, both sides dispersed their forces, each detachment acted independently. The Pskov army hesitated. The main forces under the command of the Grand Duke lagged behind the advanced forces of Kholmsky. The whole burden of the struggle fell on the front line of Kholmsky.
Muscovites showed decisiveness and toughness, higher fighting qualities. And the Novgorodians, who had a numerical advantage, were defeated.
The defeat of the Novgorodians
On June 24, 1571, Kholmsky's army took and burned Staraya Russa. From Russa, the Moscow army went along the shore of Lake Ilmen to the Shelon River in order to unite with the Pskovites.
After joining the Pskovites, Kholmsky was to launch an offensive against Novgorod from the southwest. According to the chronicles, the Moscow governors "dismissed their soldiers in different directions to burn, and capture, and full of news, and execute the inhabitants without mercy for their disobedience to their sovereign, the Grand Duke."
It is worth noting that this was an ordinary medieval war. All Russian principalities, Moscow, Tver, Lithuania, Horde, etc. fought in this way. Russians from Moscow, Ryazan, Novgorod, Lithuania (a Russian principality, 90% consisting of Russian lands) beat and cut each other, as strangers, and even angrier.
Obviously, the Novgorodians decided to use the opportune moment to crush Kholmsky's detachment until the main enemy forces approached. Part of the infantry was landed at the village. Korostyn to strike on the right wing of the Moscow army, another detachment went on ships to Russa to attack from the rear. The cavalry was supposed to force the river. Shelon and simultaneously with the infantry to attack the Muscovites. However, the Novgorodians were unable to organize general interaction, they acted separately.
At the village of Korostyn, the Novgorodians unexpectedly landed on the shore and hit the Moscow army. Initially, the Novgorodians were successful and pushed the enemy back. But Muscovites quickly came to their senses, regrouped and counterattacked. The Novgorodians were defeated.
Muscovites were cruel to the enemy, the chronicler noted:
"I beat many, and with the other hands I took away, with the same tortured by myself I commanded the noses and lips and ears to cut, and let them go back to Novgorod."
Obviously, the cruelty was associated with the desire to intimidate the enemy.
Having received news that a new Novgorod army had been spotted at Russa, Kholmsky turned back. The Moscow army swiftly attacked the Novgorodians and defeated them. As a result, the ship's army of Novgorodians was defeated, and the cavalry at that time was inactive. However, these successes were not easy for the Moscow army, Kholmsky lost half of the detachment. The voivode took the army to Demyansk and informed the Grand Duke of the victory. Ivan Vasilyevich ordered Kholmsky to go to Sheloni again to unite with the Pskovites.
Kholmsky's army again went to Sheloni, where they faced the Novgorod cavalry, commanded by the most prominent boyars - Dmitry Boretsky, Vasily Kazimir, Kuzma Grigoriev, Yakov Fedorov and others.
On July 14, 1471, in the morning, a firefight began across the river. Then Muscovites, inspired by the first victories, crossed the river and fell on the shy Novgorodians. The battle was stubborn, but in the end the Novgorodians could not withstand the onslaught and fled. Muscovites pursued them.
The Novgorodians had a numerical advantage, but could not use it. Many warriors were morally depressed and did not want to fight, moreover, even during the flight they began to settle scores with each other. And the regiment of the Novgorod ruler (archbishop), the best armed and prepared, did not enter the battle at all.
Losses of Novgorodians - 12 thousand killed, 2 thousand prisoners (possibly overstated). Many noble people were captured, including the mayor Dmitry Boretsky and Kuzma Avinov.
Korostynsky world
The Battle of Shelonne was of strategic importance.
At first, the Novgorodians even wanted to continue the war. They burned the suburbs and the monasteries closest to the city, prepared for the siege. We sent ambassadors to the Livonian Order to fight together with Moscow. However, it soon became clear that the war was lost. Ordinary Novgorodians did not want to fight for the "masters" anymore. Many villagers joined the Moscow regiments. The suburbs of Novgorod are cut off from the capital. The Novgorod land was devastated by the war:
"… and all their land was captured and burned to the sea."
The Moscow sovereign showed great determination. On July 24, prominent Novgorod boyars, including mayor Dmitry Boretsky, were convicted of treason and executed in Russ. For the first time, the Novgorod boyars were treated not as privileged captives subject to exchange or ransom, but as subjects of the Grand Duke, who revolted against him. On July 27, on the Shilenga River (a tributary of the Northern Dvina), the 4,000-strong army of Vasily Obrats defeated the 12,000-strong Novgorod army.
On July 27, a Novgorod delegation headed by Archbishop Theophilos arrived in Korostyn. The archbishop begged the great sovereign to start peace negotiations.
Novgorodians
"You began to beat your forehead about your crime, and that your hand was raised against it."
It was a complete and unconditional surrender.
Ivan Vasilyevich, as a sign of mercy, ceased hostilities and released the captives. On August 11, the Korostynsky Peace Treaty was signed.
Boyar Fyodor the Khromoy was sent to Novgorod to swear in the townspeople and take a ransom from them (16 thousand rubles in silver). Formally, Novgorod retained its autonomy, but its will was broken. The Novgorod land became the "fatherland" of the great sovereign, a part of the Russian state, the Novgorodians recognized the power of the great princes. Novgorod ceded part of the Dvina land to Moscow, which undermined its economic base.
Seven years later, Ivan III completed the work he had begun and destroyed the remnants of the independence of the Lord of Veliky Novgorod.
