"Eternal Peace", signed on October 8, 1508 between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Moscow state, became just another temporary respite and lasted only two years. The reason for a new war was the information received by Vasily III Ivanovich about the arrest of his sister Alena (Elena) Ivanovna, the widow of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Kazimirovich. She was arrested after an unsuccessful attempt to leave for Moscow. In addition, the conclusion of a treaty between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crimean Khanate aggravated the relations between the two powers to the limit. Sigismund I the Old incited the Crimean Tatars to attack the southern Russian lands. At the request of the Polish king in May 1512, detachments of the Crimean Tatars under the command of the sons of Khan Mengli-Girey, the "princes" Akhmet-Girey and Burnash-Girey, came to the cities of Belev, Odoev, Aleksin and Kolomna. The Tatars ravaged the Russian lands beyond the Oka River and left safely, taking a huge full. The Russian regiments led by the brothers of the sovereign Andrey and Yuri Ivanovich, the governor Daniil Shcheny, Alexander Rostovsky and others, could not prevent the Crimean horde. They had a strict order from Vasily III to limit themselves to the defense of the line along the Oka River. Three more times in 1512 the Crimean Tatars invaded the Russian lands: in June, July and October. In June, they attacked the Seversk land, but were defeated. In July, at the borders of the Ryazan principality, the "prince" Muhammad-Girey was put to flight. However, the autumn invasion of the Crimean horde was successful. The Crimean Tatars even laid siege to the capital of the Ryazan principality - Pereyaslavl-Ryazan. They could not take the city, but they ravaged all the surroundings and took many people into slavery.
The beginning of the war
In the fall of 1512, Moscow received information that the Tatar invasions of this year were the consequences of the Crimean-Lithuanian treaty directed against the Russian state. Moscow in November declares war on the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In mid-November 1512, the advanced army of the Vyazma governor, Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Repni Obolensky and Ivan Chelyadnin, went on a campaign. The army received the task, without stopping at Smolensk, to go further to Orsha and Drutsk. There, the advanced army was to unite with the detachments of princes Vasily Shvikh Odoevsky and Semyon Kurbsky, who set out from Velikiye Luki to Bryaslavl (Braslavl).
On December 19, 1512, the main forces of the Russian army under the command of Tsar Vasily Ivanovich himself set out on a campaign. In January 1513, the Russian army, numbering up to 60 thousand soldiers with 140 guns, approached Smolensk and began a siege of the fortress. At the same time, strikes were struck in other directions. The Novgorod army under the command of princes Vasily Vasilyevich Shuisky and Boris Ulanov advanced in the direction of Kholm. From the Seversk land, the army of Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich set out on a campaign against Kiev. He was able to burn the Kiev townships with a surprise attack. Regiments of I. Repni Obolensky, I. Chelyadnin, V. Odoevsky and S. Kurbsky. Fulfilling the order of the Grand Duke, they marched across a vast territory with fire and sword, devastating the outskirts of Orsha, Drutsk, Borisov, Bryaslavl, Vitebsk and Minsk.
The siege of Smolensk did not yield positive results. The garrison stubbornly defended itself. At the very beginning of the siege, in January, the Moscow army tried to take the fortress on the move. The attack was attended by foot militias, including the Pskov squeakers. However, the garrison repulsed the assault, with heavy losses for the troops of the Grand Duke - up to 2 thousand people were killed. The shelling of the Smolensk fortress did not help either. The situation was complicated by the winter conditions of the siege, the difficulties associated with supplying the army with food and fodder. As a result, the command, after 6 weeks of the siege, decided to retreat. At the beginning of March, the army was already in the Moscow area. On March 17, it was decided to prepare a new campaign against Smolensk, it was appointed for the summer of the same year.
Very significant forces took part in the new offensive against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Grand Duke Vasily himself stopped in Borovsk, sending his governors to the Lithuanian cities. 80 thous. the army under the command of Ivan Repni Obolensky and Andrei Saburov again laid siege to Smolensk. 24 thous. an army under the command of Prince Mikhail Glinsky laid siege to Polotsk. 8 thous. a detachment from the Glinsky forces surrounded Vitebsk. 14 thous. the detachment was sent to Orsha. In addition, part of the Moscow troops under the command of Prince Alexander of Rostov and Mikhail Bulgakov-Golitsa, together with detachments of the Verkhovian princes, were deployed on the southern lines to defend against the Crimean Tatars.
As before, the main events took place near Smolensk. The capture of Smolensk was the main task of this campaign. The siege of the city began in August 1513. At the very beginning, the Lithuanian troops under the command of the governor Yuri Glebovich (shortly before the start of the second siege, the garrison was replenished with mercenary infantry) fought outside the city walls. The Lithuanians were able to press Repni Obolensky's regiment, but were soon put to flight by the arriving reinforcements. The Lithuanians suffered significant losses and retreated outside the city walls. The Moscow army began a siege, bombing the fortress. The artillerymen tried to breach the walls so that they could launch an assault. However, the garrison covered the wooden walls with earth and stones and they withstood the shelling. Only the advanced fortifications and towers were able to break. Several times Russian troops went on the attack, but the garrison was able to repel all attacks. Yet it was clear that without outside help, the garrison of Smolensk would not last long.
At this time, Sigismund I gathered 40 thousand army and moved troops to the rescue of the besieged Vitebsk, Polotsk and Smolensk. Leading Lithuanian detachments appeared in the combat area in October. Grand Duke Vasily, who was with the army, decided not to accept the battle and to withdraw. Following the main forces, the rest of the detachments retreated to their territory. However, this retreat did not disrupt the plans of the Grand Duke of Moscow, the war continued.
Campaign of 1514. Battle of Orsha (September 8, 1514)
At the end of May 1514, Vasily Ivanovich for the third time moved his regiments, first to Dorogobuzh, and then to Smolensk. The army was commanded by Daniil Shchenya, Ivan Chelyadnin (commanders of the Big Regiment), Mikhail Glinsky and Mikhail Gorbaty (Advanced Regiment). On June 8, 1514, the Grand Duke of Moscow himself set out on a campaign, and his younger brothers, Yuri Dmitrovsky and Semyon Kaluzhsky, went with him. Another brother, Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka, stood in Serpukhov, guarding the flank from a possible attack of the Crimean horde.
The fall of Smolensk. The Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund I the Old, guessing about the inevitability of a new Russian attack on Smolensk, put an experienced voivode Yuri Sologub at the head of the garrison. May 16, 1514 80-thous. the Russian army with 140 guns besieged Smolensk for the third time. As before, separate detachments were sent to Orsha, Mstislavl, Krichev and Polotsk. The siege of Smolensk lasted three months. Engineering preparation went on for two weeks: a palisade was built around the Smolensk fortress, slingshots were erected opposite the gates to prevent the garrison's sorties, and positions for guns were set up. Sources report a powerful bombing of the city and mention the name of the best Russian gunner - Stephen, who caused significant damage to the defense of Smolensk. The Resurrection Chronicle says that the Russian soldiers "set up big guns and squeaked near the city," and the Grand Duke "commanded the hailstorms from all sides, and the attacks are great to repair without breath, and fire cannons into the hailstorms." The actions of the Russian artillery and the long absence of assistance eventually broke the resolve of the garrison.
The Smolensk garrison offered to start negotiations on an armistice, but this request was rejected by the Grand Duke Vasily III, who demanded immediate surrender. Under pressure from the townspeople, the Lithuanian garrison surrendered on July 31. On August 1, the Russian army solemnly entered the city. Bishop Barsanuphius of Smolensk served a prayer service, during which the townspeople swore allegiance to the Moscow sovereign. The governor of Smolensk, Yuri Sologub, refused to take the oath and was released to Lithuania, where he was executed for surrendering the fortress.
Battle of Orsha (September 8, 1514)
The fall of Smolensk caused a great resonance. Almost immediately the nearest cities - Mstislavl, Krichev and Dubrovna - swore allegiance to the Moscow sovereign. Vasily III, inspired by this victory, demanded that his governors continue their offensive actions. The army under the command of Mikhail Glinsky was moved to Orsha, to Borisov, Minsk and Drutsk - the detachments of Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov, Dmitry Bulgakov and Ivan Chelyadnin.
However, the enemy became aware of the plans of the Russian command. Prince Mikhail Lvovich Glinsky, during the Russian-Lithuanian war of 1507-1508. who betrayed Lithuania (for more details in the articles VO: Little-known wars of the Russian state: the Russian-Lithuanian war of 1507-1508), now he has betrayed Moscow as well. Prince Glinsky was dissatisfied with the refusal of Vasily III to transfer the Smolensk principality to him in hereditary possession. Voevoda Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov was informed about the betrayal of Mikhail Glinsky by one of Glinsky's trusted servants. The prince was seized, they found Sigismund's letters from him. Thanks to his betrayal, the enemy received information about the number, deployment and routes of movement of the Russian army.
Forces of the parties. Sigismund kept 4 thousand people with him in Borisov. the detachment and the rest of the army moved towards the forces of Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov. The Polish-Lithuanian army was commanded by the experienced commander, the great Lithuanian hetman Konstantin Ivanovich Ostrozhsky, and the court hetman of the Crown of Poland, Janusz Sverchovsky.
The number of Russian forces is unknown. It is clear that only part of the Russian army was there. After the capture of Smolensk, the sovereign Vasily Ivanovich himself retreated to Dorogobuzh, several detachments were sent to destroy the Lithuanian lands. Part of the forces moved south to repel a possible attack by the Crimean Tatars. Therefore, the maximum number of troops of Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov and Ivan Chelyadnin was 35-40 thousand. The historian A. N. gives other figures. He bases his calculation of the size of the Russian army near Orsha on the mobilization capacity of those cities whose people were in the regiments of Bulgakov and Chelyadnin. Lobin points out that in the regiments, in addition to the children of the boyars of the Tsar's court, there were people from 14 cities: Veliky Novgorod, Pskov, Velikiye Luki, Kostroma, Murom, Tver, Borovsk, Voloka, Roslavl, Vyazma, Pereyaslavl, Kolomna, Yaroslavl and Starodub. In the army there were: 400-500 Tatars, about 200 children of the boyar Sovereign's regiment, about 3 thousand Novgorodians and Pskovites, 3, 6 thousand representatives of other cities, in total about 7, 2 thousand nobles. With fighting slaves, the number of troops was 13-15 thousand soldiers. Taking into account the losses during the offensive, the departure of the nobles from the service (the wounded and sick had the right to leave), noted in the sources, Lobin believes, the number of soldiers could have been about 12 thousand people. In fact, it was the so-called. "Light army", which was sent to a raid on enemy territory. The personnel of the "light army" was specially recruited from all regiments and included young, "frisky" boyar children with a significant number of good horses and fighting slaves with spare and pack horses.
The Lithuanian army was a feudal militia, consisted of "povet gonfalons" - territorial military units. The Polish army was built on a different principle. In it, as before, the noble militia played an important role, but the Polish generals used mercenary infantry much more widely. Poles recruited mercenaries in Livonia, Germany and Hungary. A distinctive feature of the mercenaries was the widespread use of firearms. The Polish command relied on the interaction of all types of troops on the battlefield: heavy and light cavalry, infantry, and field artillery. The size of the Polish army is also unknown. According to the 16th century Polish historian Maciej Stryjkowski, the number of the combined Polish-Lithuanian forces was about 25-26 thousand soldiers: 15 thousand Lithuanian post-political destruction, 3 thousand Lithuanian noblemen, 5 thousand heavy Polish cavalry, 3 thousand heavy Polish infantry (4 thousand of them were left with the king in Borisov). According to the Polish historian Z. Zhigulsky, there were about 35 thousand people under the command of Hetman Ostrozhsky: 15 thousand Lithuanian post-political crushing, 17 thousand hired Polish cavalry and infantry with good artillery, as well as 3 thousand volunteer cavalry exhibited by Polish magnates. The Russian historian A. N. Lobin believes that the Polish-Lithuanian forces were approximately equal to the Russians - 12-16 thousand people. However, the Polish-Lithuanian army was more powerful, having in its composition light and heavy cavalry, heavy infantry and artillery.
Battle. Ostrozhsky's troops on August 27, 1514, crossing the Berezina, with a surprise attack shot down two advanced Russian detachments, which were stationed on the Bobre and Drovi rivers. Having learned about the approach of enemy troops, the main forces of the Moscow army withdrew from the Drutsk fields, crossed to the left bank of the Dnieper and settled between Orsha and Dubrovno, on the Krapivna river. On the eve of the decisive battle, the troops were on opposite sides of the Dnieper. The Moscow governors apparently decided to repeat the Vedrosh battle, victorious for Russian weapons. They did not interfere with the Lithuanians from building ferries and crossing the Dnieper. In addition, according to Polish and Russian sources, Hetman Ostrozhsky began negotiations with Russian governors; at this time, the Polish-Lithuanian troops crossed the Dnieper. On the night of September 8, the Lithuanian cavalry crossed the river and covered the aiming of the infantry and field artillery crossings. From the rear, the army of the great Lithuanian hetman Konstantin Ostrozhsky was the Dnieper, and the right flank rested against the swampy river Krapivna. The hetman built his army in two lines. The cavalry was in the first line. The Polish heavy cavalry made up only a quarter of the first line and stood in the center, representing its right half. The second half of the center and the left and right flanks were Lithuanian cavalry. In the second line were infantry and field artillery.
The Russian army was formed in three lines for a frontal attack. The command placed two large cavalry detachments on the flanks at a distance, they were supposed to cover the enemy, break through to his rear, destroy bridges and surround the Polish-Lithuanian troops. I must say that the success of the Polish-Lithuanian army was facilitated by the inconsistency of the actions of the Russian forces. Mikhail Bulgakov had a parochial dispute with Chelyadnin. Under the leadership of Bulgakov, there was a regiment of the Right Hand, which he led into battle on his own initiative. The regiment attacked the left flank of the Polish-Lithuanian army. The voivode hoped to crush the enemy flank and enter the enemy's rear. Initially, the Russian attack developed successfully, and if the rest of the Russian forces had entered the battle, a radical turning point could have occurred in the battle. Only the counterattack of the elite cavalry of the Commonwealth - the hussars (winged hussars), under the command of the court hetman Janusz Sverchovsky himself, stopped the attack of the Russian forces. Bulgakov's troops withdrew to their original positions.
After the failure of the attack of Prince M. Bulgakov Chelyadnin brought the main forces into the battle. The forward regiment under the command of Prince Ivan Temko-Rostovsky struck at the enemy's infantry positions. The left-flank detachment under the leadership of Prince Ivan Pronsky went on the offensive on the right flank of the Lithuanian post-political destruction of Yuri Radziwill. The Lithuanian cavalry, after stubborn resistance, deliberately fled and led the Russians into an artillery ambush - a narrow place between the ravines and the spruce forest. A volley of field artillery was the signal for the general offensive of the Polish-Lithuanian forces. Now Prince Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov did not support Ivan Chelyadnin. The outcome of the battle was decided by a new blow from the Polish men at arms - they had already struck at the main Russian forces. Chelyadnin's regiments fled. Part of the Russian troops was pressed against Krapivna, where the Russians suffered the main losses. The Polish-Lithuanian army won a convincing victory.
Results of the battle. Of the 11 large governors of the Russian army, 6 were captured, including Ivan Chelyadnin, Mikhail Bulgakov, two more were killed. The King and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund I, in his victorious reports and letters to European rulers, reported that 80 thousand Russian army had been defeated, the Russians lost up to 30 thousand people killed and captured. This message was also received by the master of the Livonian Order, the Lithuanians wanted to win him over to their side, so that Livonia would oppose Moscow. In principle, the death of the left-flank cavalry detachment of the Russian army is beyond doubt. However, it is clear that most of the Russian army, mainly cavalry, after the strike of the Polish flying hussars, most likely, simply dispersed, having suffered certain losses. There is no need to talk about the destruction of most of the Russian 12 thousand or 35 thousand troops. And even more so, one cannot speak of the defeat of 80 thousand Russian army (most of the Russian armed forces of that time). Otherwise, Lithuania would have won the war.
The battle ended with a tactical victory for the Polish-Lithuanian army and the retreat of the Moscow forces, but the strategic importance of the battle was insignificant. The Lithuanians were able to recapture several small border fortresses, but Smolensk remained with the Moscow state.
Battle of Orsha. 16th century engraving.
Further hostilities. Campaign 1515-1516
As a result of the defeat at Orsha, all three cities that came under the rule of Vasily III, after the fall of Smolensk (Mstislavl, Krichev and Dubrovna), were separated from Moscow. In Smolensk, a conspiracy arose, headed by Bishop Barsanuphius. The conspirators sent a letter to the Polish king promising to surrender Smolensk. However, the plans of the bishop and his supporters were destroyed by the decisive actions of the new Smolensk governor Vasily Vasilyevich Dumb Shuisky. With the help of the townspeople, he uncovered the conspiracy: the traitors were executed, only the bishop was spared (he was sent into exile). When hetman Ostrozhsky approached the city with a 6,000-strong detachment, the traitors were hanged on the walls in full view of the enemy army. Ostrozhsky made several attacks, but the walls were strong, the garrison and the townspeople, led by Shuisky, fought bravely. In addition, he did not have siege artillery, winter was approaching, the number of soldiers leaving home increased. Ostrozhsky was forced to lift the siege and retreat. The garrison even pursued him and captured part of the convoy.
In 1515-1516. a number of mutual forays into the border territories were carried out, there were no large-scale hostilities. On January 28, 1515, the Pskov governor Andrei Saburov called himself a defector and with a surprise attack captured and ruined Roslavl. Russian troops went to Mstislavl and Vitebsk. In 1516, Russian troops ravaged the outskirts of Vitebsk.
In the summer of 1515, detachments of Polish mercenaries under the command of J. Sverchowski raided the Velikiye Luki and Toropets lands. The enemy failed to capture the cities, but the surroundings were severely devastated. Sigismund was still trying to create a broad anti-Russian coalition. In the summer of 1515, in Vienna, there was a meeting between the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian, Sigismund I and his brother, the Hungarian king Vladislav. In exchange for the termination of the cooperation of the Holy Roman Empire with the Muscovite state, Sigismund agreed to abandon claims to Bohemia and Moravia. In 1516, a small detachment of Lithuanians attacked Gomel, this attack was easily repulsed. Sigismund during these years had no time for a big war with Moscow - the army of one of the Crimean "princes" of Ali-Arslan, despite the allied relations established between the Polish king and Khan Muhammad-Giray, attacked the Lithuanian border regions. The planned campaign to Smolensk was thwarted.
Moscow needed time to recover from the defeat at Orsha. In addition, the Russian government needed to solve the Crimean problem. In the Crimean Khanate, after the death of Khan Mengli-Girey, his son Mohammed-Girey came to power, and he was known for his hostile attitude towards Moscow. Moscow's attention was also distracted by the situation in Kazan, where Khan Muhammad-Amin fell seriously ill.
Campaign of 1517
In 1517, Sigismund planned a major campaign to the north-west of Russia. An army was concentrated in Polotsk under the command of Konstantin Ostrozhsky. His blow should have been supported by the Crimean Tatars. They were paid a considerable sum by the Lithuanian ambassador Olbracht Gashtold, who arrived in Bakhchisarai. Therefore, the Russian state was forced to divert the main forces to parry the threat from the southern direction, and local forces had to repel the blow of the Polish-Lithuanian army. In the summer of 1517, 20 thous. the Tatar army attacked the Tula region. However, the Russian army was ready and the Tatar "corral" detachments that had dispersed across the Tula land were attacked and utterly defeated by the regiments of Vasily Odoevsky and Ivan Vorotynsky. In addition, the retreat paths of the enemy, who began to withdraw, were cut off by “Ukrainian foot people”. The Tatars suffered significant losses. In November, the Crimean detachments that invaded the Seversk land were defeated.
In September 1517, the Polish king moved an army from Polotsk to Pskov. Sending troops on a campaign, Sigismund simultaneously tried to lull Moscow's vigilance by starting peace negotiations. At the head of the Polish-Lithuanian army was hetman Ostrozhsky, it consisted of Lithuanian regiments (commander - J. Radziwill) and Polish mercenaries (commander - J. Sverchovsky). Very soon the fallacy of the attack on Pskov became clear. On September 20, the enemy reached the small Russian fortress of Opochka. The army was forced to stop for a long time, not daring to leave this Pskov suburb in the rear. The fortress was defended by a small garrison under the command of Vasily Saltykov-Morozov. The siege of the fortress dragged on, nullifying the main advantage of the Lithuanian invasion - surprise. On October 6, Polish-Lithuanian troops, after bombing the fortress, moved to storm it. However, the garrison repulsed an ill-prepared enemy attack, the Lithuanians suffered heavy losses. Ostrozhsky did not dare to launch a new assault and waited for reinforcements and siege guns. Several Lithuanian detachments, which were sent to other Pskov suburbs, were defeated. Prince Alexander of Rostov defeated 4 thousand. enemy detachment, Ivan Cherny Kolychev destroyed 2 thousand. enemy regiment. Ivan Lyatsky defeated two enemy detachments: 6 thous. a regiment 5 versts from the main camp of Ostrog and the army of the voivode Cherkas Khreptov, which went to join the hetman to Opochka. The wagon train was captured, all the guns, and the enemy voivode himself squeaked. Due to the successful actions of the Russian forces, Ostrozhsky was forced on October 18 to lift the siege and retreat. The retreat was so hasty that the enemy abandoned all "military organization", including siege artillery.
The failure of Sigismund's offensive strategy became apparent. In fact, an unsuccessful campaign depleted Lithuania's financial capabilities and put an end to attempts to change the course of the war in its favor. Attempts to negotiate also failed. Vasily III was firm and refused to return Smolensk.
The last years of the war
In 1518, Moscow was able to allocate significant forces for the war with Lithuania. In June 1518, the Novgorod-Pskov army, led by Vasily Shuisky and his brother Ivan Shuisky, set out from Velikiye Luki towards Polotsk. It was the most important stronghold of Lithuania on the north-eastern borders of the principality. Auxiliary strikes were delivered far into the interior of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The detachment of Mikhail Gorbaty made a raid on Molodechno and the outskirts of Vilna. Semyon Kurbsky's regiment reached Minsk, Slutsk and Mogilev. The detachments of Andrei Kurbsky and Andrei Gorbaty devastated the outskirts of Vitebsk. Russian cavalry raids inflicted significant economic and moral damage on the enemy.
However, near Polotsk, the Russian army did not achieve success. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Lithuanians strengthened the fortifications of the city, so they withstood the bombing. The siege was unsuccessful. The supplies were running out, one of the detachments sent for food and fodder was destroyed by the enemy. Vasily Shuisky retreated to the Russian border.
In 1519, Russian troops launched a new offensive deep into Lithuania. Detachments of Moscow governors moved to Orsha, Molodechno, Mogilev, Minsk, and reached Vilno. The Polish king could not prevent the Russian raids. He was forced to throw troops against 40 thousand. Tatar army Bogatyr-Saltan. On August 2, 1519, in the battle of Sokal, the Polish-Lithuanian army under the command of the Crown Hetman Nicholas Firley and the Grand Hetman of the Lithuanian Prince Konstantin Ostrog was defeated. After that, the Crimean Khan Mehmed Girey broke the alliance with the Polish king and the Grand Duke Sigismund (before that, the Crimean Khan had dissociated himself from the actions of his subjects), justifying his actions with losses from the raids of the Cossacks. To restore peace, the Crimean Khan demanded a new tribute.
Moscow in 1519 limited itself to cavalry raids, which led to significant economic damage and suppressed his will to resist. The Lithuanians did not have large forces in the zone of the Russian offensive, so they were content with the defense of cities and well-fortified castles. In 1520, the raids of the Moscow troops continued.
Truce
In 1521, both powers received significant foreign policy problems. Poland entered the war with the Livonian Order (war 1521-1522). Sigismund resumed negotiations with Moscow and agreed to cede Smolensk land. Moscow also needed peace. In 1521, one of the largest Tatar raids took place. The troops had to be kept on the southern and eastern borders in order to prevent new attacks by the Crimean and Kazan detachments. Vasily III agreed to agree to an armistice, abandoning some of his claims - demands to give up Polotsk, Kiev and Vitebsk.
On September 14, 1522, a five-year truce was signed. Lithuania was forced to come to terms with the loss of Smolensk and the territory of 23 thousand km2 with a population of 100 thousand people. However, the Lithuanians refused to return the prisoners. Most of the prisoners died in a foreign land. Only Prince Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov was released in 1551. He spent about 37 years in captivity, having outlived almost all his comrades in captivity.
