Despite the successful completion of the Russian-Lithuanian war of 1487-1494 (for more details in the article VO: Little-known wars of the Russian state: the Russian-Lithuanian "strange" war of 1487-1494), the issue was not closed. Ivan III Vasilievich considered the outcome of the war unsatisfactory. The process of uniting most of the Russian lands around Moscow was not completed. And Lithuania also sought to return the lands that had been transferred to the Moscow state. A new war was inevitable. Even the marriage of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Jagiellon to the daughter of the Moscow Tsar Ivan Elena, which was supposed to reconcile the two powers, did not end the disagreements, but, on the contrary, gave new reasons for conflict. Ivan was annoyed at attempts to convert his daughter, Grand Duchess Elena of Lithuania, to Catholicism.
As a result, the Moscow sovereign made a decision that violated the condition of "eternal peace" in 1494, it forbade the princes to leave for the service of another sovereign. Ivan again begins to accept princes into the Moscow service, who ceased to serve the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russia and Zhemoytsky. In April 1500, Prince Semyon Ivanovich Belsky moved to the service of Ivan III Vasilyevich. The possessions of S. Belsky - the city of Belaya to the south-west of Tver, also passed to the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The prince named the loss of the “affection” of the Grand Duke of Lithuania as the reason for his departure, as well as Alexander's desire to translate him into “Roman law” (Catholicism), which was not the case under the previous grand dukes. The Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander sent an embassy to Moscow with a protest, categorically rejecting the accusations of being forced to convert to Catholicism and calling Prince Belsky a traitor. To the Lithuanian envoys who arrived in Moscow, the sovereign of Russia not only confirmed the fact of the departure of Prince Belsky, but also announced his transfer to his service with the fiefdoms of the princes of Mosalsky and their relatives, the princes Khotetovsky. Religious oppression was also called the reason for their transition to the side of Moscow.
In the same April, princes Semyon Ivanovich Starodubsko-Mozhaisky and Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich Novgorod-Seversky went to serve in Moscow. As a result, vast lands in the east of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including the cities of Belaya, Novgorod-Seversky, Rylsk, Radogoshch, Gomel, Starodub, Chernigov, Karachev and Hotiml, became part of the Moscow Grand Duchy. The war became inevitable.
On the eve of it, Alexander Kazimirovich Jagiellon took steps to strengthen Lithuania's foreign policy position. He initiated the renewal and confirmation of the Gorodelsky Union of 1413. He was supported by his brother, the Polish king, Jan Olbracht. In May 1499 in Krakow the act of union was confirmed by the Polish gentry, and in July of the same year by the Lithuanian nobility in Vilna. In the same year, a decree of the Vilna Sejm was issued, according to which henceforth neither the Grand Duke of Lithuania could be elected without the consent of the Polish gentry, nor the Polish throne could be occupied without the consent of Lithuania. And on October 25, 1501, the Melnytsky Privilege came out, which established that since then Poland and Lithuania should form a single state, consisting under the rule of one king, elected in Krakow. This norm was applied in the same year - Jan Olbracht died unexpectedly, and Alexander became the Polish king. The main goal of the union was a military-strategic alliance - Lithuania and Poland could now conduct defensive and offensive operations together. Poland was threatened on the southern borders - the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire, and on the eastern - Moscow.
In addition, Lithuania strengthened ties with the Livonian Order and began to establish contacts with the Great Horde. True, neither Poland, nor Livonia, nor the Great Horde could provide immediate assistance to Lithuania.
The beginning of the war
Ivan III decided not to expect a campaign of Lithuanian troops against the defectors, the arrival of Polish forces to help Lithuania, and in May 1500 opened hostilities. Russian troops acted according to a clear plan. According to Ivan III's plan, the Russian forces were supposed to advance in three directions: 1) northwestern (towards Toropets and Belaya), 2) western (Dorogobuzh and Smolensk) and 2) southwestern (Starodub, Novgorod-Seversky and other cities of the Seversk land). On the eve of the war, three ratias were formed. In addition, a reserve was created to provide support to those troops against which the Lithuanians would oppose. The main one at the first stage of the war was considered the southwestern direction (because of the desire to gain a foothold in the Seversky lands).
The Russian army set out on a campaign almost simultaneously with the departure of messengers with a declaration of war on Lithuania (the ambassadors were Ivan Teleshov and Athanasius Sheenok). The troops were commanded by the exiled Kazan Khan Mohammed-Emin and Yakov Zakharyich Koshkin. Russian troops in the southwestern direction occupied Bryansk, Mtsensk and Serpeysk (their owners went over to the side of Moscow). The cities of Chernigov, Gomel, Pochep, Rylsk and others surrendered without a fight. The power of Moscow was recognized by the Trubetskoy and Mosalsky princes. In the western direction, the Russian troops were also successful. Dorogobuzh was taken.
The Russian command received information about military preparations in Lithuania. The most dangerous direction was considered to be the west. From the direction of Smolensk, a strike was expected on Dorogobuzh. A reserve army of Tver was sent here through Vyazma, under the command of the governor Daniil Vasilyevich Shcheni-Patrikeev. The reserve united with the detachment of Yuri Zakharyich Koshkin, D. Shchenya led the entire army. The number of Russian troops in this direction increased to 40 thousand people. It was the right decision. From Smolensk through Yelnya, a 40,000-strong Lithuanian army was moving, led by hetman Konstantin Ivanovich Ostrozhsky. On July 14, 1500, the Battle of Vedrosha (a few kilometers from Dorogobuzh) took place, which became the key event of the Russian-Lithuanian war of 1500-1503.
Battle of Vedrosh
Before the battle, the Russian army was in a camp at Mitkovo Pole (near the village of Mitkovo), which was located 5 km west of Dorogobuzh, beyond the Vedrosh, Selia and Trosna rivers. True, historians do not have accurate data on the place of the battle: some researchers believe that the battle took place not to the west, but about 15 kilometers southeast of Dorogobuzh, on the banks of the modern rivers Selnya and Ryasna.
The only bridge in these places was thrown across the Bucket. Learning about the approach of the enemy. The Russian commanders built a Big Regiment, but the bridge was not destroyed. The right flank of the Russian army was facing the Dnieper, not far from the confluence of the Trosna, the left was covered by a dense forest. In the same forest, an ambush was set up - the Guard Regiment under the command of Yuri Koshkin. Units of the Advanced Regiment were moved to the western bank, which was supposed to engage in battle and retreat to the eastern bank of Vedrosha, exposing the Lithuanians to the blow of the Big Regiment.
Unlike the Russian command, the Lithuanian hetman did not have accurate information about the enemy. From the defector, information was received about a small Russian detachment. On July 14, Ostrozhsky attacked the advanced Russian units, overturned them and began to pursue. The Lithuanians crossed the river and entered the battle with the forces of the Great Regiment. The furious slaughter lasted 6 hours. The forces were approximately equal and both sides fought bravely. The outcome of the battle was decided by the Russian ambush regiment. Russian troops attacked the enemy's flank, went to the rear of the Lithuanians and destroyed the bridge. The enemy lost the opportunity to withdraw. The Lithuanians fell into a panic, a large number drowned trying to escape, others were captured, including Hetman Konstantin Ostrozhsky. The entire Lithuanian convoy and artillery were captured. The death toll of Lithuanians is estimated in different ways - from 4-8 - to 30 thousand killed and captured. There are no data on Russian losses.
It was a serious defeat - the most combat-ready units of the Lithuanian army were killed or captured in the battle. In addition to the hetman, other eminent Lithuanian commanders were captured - voivode Grigory Ostikovich Trotsky, Marshal Ivan Litavor ("Lutavr"), voivode Nikolai Glebov, Nikolai Zinoviev, princes Drutskiy, Mosalskiy and other noble people. Having suffered a crushing defeat, Lithuania was forced to switch to a defensive strategy.
Russian troops continued their successful campaign. On the south-western direction, on August 6, voivode Yakov Koshkin took Putivl. In the northwestern direction, the Novgorod-Pskov army of Andrei Fedorovich Chelyadnin, which advanced from Velikiye Luki, took Toropets on August 9, and then Belaya. At the same time, an ally of the Moscow state, the Crimean Khan Mengli I Girey made a raid in the south of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. At the end of the year, the Russian Tsar Ivan III planned to build on the achieved success and make a winter campaign to Smolensk, but the harsh winter of 1500-1501. did not allow her to fulfill her plans.
War with Livonia (1501-1503)
Back in 1500, the Lithuanian embassy was sent to the Grand Master of the Livonian Order Walter von Plettenberg (Master of the Livonian Order from 1494 to 1535), with a proposal for an alliance against Moscow. Remembering the previous conflicts with Lithuania, Master Plettenberg gave his consent to the union not immediately, but only in 1501. The successes of the Russian troops in the war with Lithuania alarmed the Livonians, and they decided to help the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. On June 21, 1501, a union treaty was signed in Wenden. The master even tried to convince Pope Alexander VI to declare a crusade against Russia, but the idea failed.
Back in the spring of 1501, more than 200 Russian merchants were arrested in Dorpat, their goods were plundered. The Pskov ambassadors sent to Livonia were detained. The war with Livonia threatened the northwestern Russian lands. The Moscow Tsar Ivan III sent to Pskov a detachment from Novgorod under the leadership of princes Vasily Vasilyevich Shuisky and the Tver army under the command of Daniil Alexandrovich Penko (Penko). In early August, they united in Pskov with the detachment of Prince Ivan Ivanovich Gorbaty. On August 22, the army under the command of Daniil Penko reached the border, where clashes with Livonian troops had already taken place.
On August 26, 1501, the Livonian army, led by Master V. Plettenberg, crossed the Russian border near the town of Ostrov in order to unite with the allied Lithuanian troops on Russian territory and strike at Pskov. It should be noted that Master Walter von Plettenberg was one of the greatest leaders of the order in its entire history.
Already on August 27, Plettenberg's forces clashed with the Russian army in the battle on the Seritsa River, 10 versts from Izborsk. The forces of the Livonians and the Russians are estimated at about 6 thousand people. The main feature of the Livonian detachment was the presence in it of a significant amount of artillery: field guns and hand squeaks. The advanced Russian regiment (Pskovites) unexpectedly came across large forces of the Livonians. The Pskovians under the command of the mayor Ivan Tenshin attacked the Livonian vanguard and overthrew it. Pursuing the enemy, the Pskovians ran into the main forces of the enemy, which had time to deploy the batteries. The Livonians fired a volley at the Pskovites; mayor Ivan Tenshin was one of the first to die. The Pskovites began to retreat under fire. The Livonians transferred fire to the main forces of the Russian detachment. The Russian forces mixed and withdrew, abandoning the baggage train. The reasons for the defeat of the Russian army, in addition to the adversary's skillful use of artillery, was also in the unsatisfactory organization of intelligence, interaction between the Pskov and Novgorod-Tver units of the army. In general, both sides suffered minor losses. The main thing was that the Russian army was demoralized and gave the initiative to the enemy.
Russian forces retreated to Pskov. The Livonian master did not pursue them and organized the siege of Izborsk. The garrison of the Russian fortress, despite heavy shelling, repulsed the enemy's attack. Plettenberg did not linger and moved towards Pskov, the fords across the Velikaya River could not be occupied. The Livonians laid siege to the small fortress Ostrov on September 7. Cannon fire fell on the town. With the help of incendiary shells, fires were triggered. On the night of September 8, the storming of the fortress engulfed in fire began. The city was captured, during the assault and massacre, the Livonians destroyed the entire population of the Island - 4 thousand people. After that, the Livonians hastily retreated to their territory. Researchers name two reasons for the retreat of the Livonians: 1) an epidemic began in the army (the master also fell ill), 2) the position of the Lithuanian allies - the Lithuanians did not come to the aid of the Livonians. The Polish king Jan Olbracht died and the Grand Duke of Lithuania had to resolve issues related to the succession to the throne. A small detachment was sent to help the Livonians, but it appeared when the Livonians had already retreated. The Lithuanians besieged the Opochka fortress, but could not take it and soon retreated.
Ivan III Vasilievich took advantage of the inconsistency in the actions of the opponents. In October, a large Moscow army, led by governors Daniil Shcheny and Alexander Obolensky, moved to the northwestern borders. It also included the allied detachment of the Kazan Tatars. Having united with the Pskovites, the army at the end of October crossed the border and invaded Livonia. The eastern regions of Livonia, especially the Dorpat bishopric, suffered a terrible devastation (sources report 40 thousand killed and taken away). The Livonian master tried to take advantage of the fact that the Russian troops were divided, devastating enemy territory. On the night of November 24, 1501, he attacked the Moscow army under the Helmed castle, near Dorpat. At the very beginning of the battle, voivode Alexander Obolensky was killed, Russian troops mixed and retreated. But soon the Russian and Tatar cavalry overturned the enemy, the battle ended in a significant Russian victory. The Germans were driven ten miles.
In the winter of 1501-1502, the Russian army under the leadership of Shchenya made a trip to Revel. German lands were devastated again. In the spring of 1502, the Livonians tried to answer. The German knights advanced in two directions: a large detachment moved to Ivangorod, and the other to Krasny Gorodok (a fortress belonging to the Pskov land). On March 9, a battle took place at the outpost near Ivangorod. The Novgorod governor Ivan Kolychev died in the battle, but the enemy attack was repulsed. On March 17, the Germans laid siege to Krasny Gorodok, but could not take it. Having learned about the approach of the Pskov army, the Germans lifted the siege and retreated.
In early autumn, the Livonian master launched a new offensive. At this time, the main Russian troops in the western direction besieged Smolensk and Orsha. September 2, 15 thous. the Livonian army approached Izborsk. The Russian garrison repulsed the assault. Plettenberg did not linger and moved towards Pskov. On September 6, the Germans began a siege of Pskov. Attempts with the help of artillery to destroy part of the fortifications and create gaps were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, a host under the leadership of Shchenya and the Shuisky princes came out to help Pskov from Novgorod. The Germans began to withdraw, but they were overtaken at Lake Smolin. On September 13, a battle took place near Lake Smolin. The Livonians were again able to take advantage of the inconsistency in the actions of the Russian regiments and won the victory. But, apparently, the success of the operation is exaggerated (it is reported about the loss of the Russian 12 thousand troops - 3-8 thousand soldiers), since the Livonians could not take advantage of the victory, and were forced out abroad. Already in the winter of 1502, the troops of the princes Semyon Starodubsky-Mozhaisky and Vasily Shemyachich made a new raid on the lands of Livonia.
Wenden Castle.
War with the Great Horde and Lithuania
At this time, the great Lithuanian prince was greatly benefited by the Khan of the Great Horde (the remnant of the Golden Horde, after the separation of other khanates from him) Sheikh Ahmed Khan. In 1500 and the first half of 1501, he fought against the Crimean Khanate, but in the fall of 1501 his forces carried out a devastating raid across the Seversk land. Rylsk and Novgorod-Seversky were plundered. Some detachments even reached the outskirts of Bryansk.
But, despite the attacks of the forces of the Livonian Order and the Great Horde, the Russian command in the fall of 1501 organized a new offensive against Lithuania. On November 4, 1501, a battle took place near Mstislavl. The Lithuanian army under the command of the voivode Mikhail Izheslavsky tried to stop the Russian forces, and was completely defeated. The Lithuanians lost about 7 thousand people and all the banners. True, they failed to take Mstislavl. Russian troops limited themselves to the destruction of the Mstislavl district. The troops had to be transferred to the south in order to drive out the Tatar detachments from the Seversk land.
Sheikh Ahmed Khan was unable to deliver a second blow: in the winter - summer of 1502, he fought with the Crimean troops. The Khan of the Great Horde suffered a crushing defeat. Sheikh Ahmed Khan fled to Lithuania, where he was soon arrested by his former allies. The Great Horde ceased to exist. Its lands temporarily became part of the Crimean Khanate.
At this time, Ivan III Vasilievich was preparing a new offensive to the west. The target was Smolensk. Considerable forces were collected, but the siege of Smolensk, begun at the end of July 1502, ended in vain. Affected by the lack of artillery, the Lithuanians put up stubborn resistance and were soon able to move significant forces to the fortress. Russian troops withdrew from Smolensk.
After that, the nature of the war changed. Russian troops switched from large campaigns and sieges of fortresses to raids with the aim of devastating the border volosts. Simultaneously, the Crimean detachments of Mengli I Girey invaded Lithuania and Poland. The districts of Lutsk, Turov, Lvov, Bryaslav, Lublin, Vishnetsk, Belz, Krakow were devastated. In addition, Poland was attacked by Stefan Moldavsky. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was drained of blood and could not continue the war. The Poles were engaged in the defense of the southern and southwestern borders.
Truce
The King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Jagiellon, having previously agreed with the Master of the Livonian Order Plettenberg, with the mediation of the Hungarian king Vladislav Jagiellon and the Roman Pope Alexander, began to search for a peace agreement with the Moscow sovereign. At the end of December 1502, the Hungarian ambassador Sigismund Santay arrived in Moscow, who was able to persuade Ivan to peace negotiations. In early March 1503, the Lithuanian and Livonian embassies arrived in the Russian capital. Lithuania was represented by Pyotr Mishkovsky and Stanislav Glebovich, and Livonia was represented by Johann Gildorp and Klaus Golstvever.
It was not possible to agree on peace, but a ceasefire was signed for 6 years. The Annunciation Truce was signed on March 25, 1503. As a result of this agreement, a huge territory was transferred to the Russian state - about a third of the entire Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Russia received the upper reaches of the Oka and the Dnieper with 19 border cities, including Chernigov, Novgorod-Seversky, Gomel, Bryansk, Starodub, Putivl, Dorogobuzh, Toropets, etc. This was a significant success of Russian arms and diplomacy. In addition, Moscow received an important strategic advantage over its main western enemy - the new Russian-Lithuanian border now ran 100 km from Smolensk and 45-50 km from Kiev. Ivan III Vasilyevich understood that this was not the last war with Lithuania, the process of the reunification of Russian lands had not yet been completed. Both sides were actively preparing for a new war.
On April 2, 1503, an armistice was signed with the Livonian Order. According to it, the status quo ante bellum was restored, that is, the powers returned to the state of the borders before the outbreak of hostilities.
