The best thing history gives us is the enthusiasm it arouses.
Goethe
The Livonian War lasted from 1558 to 1583. During the war, Ivan the Terrible sought to gain access and capture port cities Baltic Sea, which should have significantly improved economic situation Rus', due to improved trade. In this article we will talk briefly about the Levon War, as well as all its aspects.
Beginning of the Livonian War
The sixteenth century was a period of continuous wars. The Russian state sought to protect itself from its neighbors and return lands that had previously been part of Ancient Rus'.
Wars were fought on several fronts:
- East direction was marked by the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan Khanates, as well as the beginning of the development of Siberia.
- South direction foreign policy represented the eternal struggle with the Crimean Khanate.
- Western direction- the events of the long, difficult and very bloody Livonian War (1558–1583), which will be discussed.
Livonia is a region in the eastern Baltic. On the territory of modern Estonia and Latvia. In those days, there was a state created as a result of the crusader conquests. How public education, it was weak due to national contradictions (the Baltic people were placed in feudal dependence), religious split (the Reformation penetrated there), and the struggle for power among the elite.
Reasons for the start of the Livonian War
Ivan IV the Terrible began the Livonian War against the backdrop of the success of his foreign policy in other areas. The Russian prince-tsar sought to push the borders of the state back in order to gain access to shipping areas and ports of the Baltic Sea. And the Livonian Order gave the Russian Tsar ideal reasons for starting the Livonian War:
- Refusal to pay tribute. In 1503, the Livn Order and Rus' signed a document according to which the former agreed to pay an annual tribute to the city of Yuryev. In 1557, the Order unilaterally withdrew from this obligation.
- The weakening of the foreign political influence of the Order against the backdrop of national disagreements.
Speaking about the reason, we should focus on the fact that Livonia separated Rus' from the sea and blocked trade. Large merchants and nobles who wanted to appropriate new lands were interested in capturing Livonia. But main reason One can highlight the ambitions of Ivan IV the Terrible. Victory was supposed to strengthen his influence, so he waged the war, regardless of the circumstances and the meager capabilities of the country for the sake of his own greatness.
Progress of the war and main events
The Livonian War was fought with long interruptions and is historically divided into four stages.
First stage of the war
In the first stage (1558–1561) fighting were relatively successful for Russia. In the first months, the Russian army captured Dorpat, Narva and was close to capturing Riga and Revel. The Livonian Order was on the verge of death and asked for a truce. Ivan the Terrible agreed to stop the war for 6 months, but this was a huge mistake. During this time, the Order came under the protectorate of Lithuania and Poland, as a result of which Russia received not one weak, but two strong opponents.
The most dangerous enemy for Russia was Lithuania, which at that time could in some aspects surpass the Russian kingdom in its potential. Moreover, the Baltic peasants were dissatisfied with the newly arrived Russian landowners, the cruelties of war, extortions and other disasters.
Second stage of the war
The second stage of the war (1562–1570) began with the fact that the new owners of the Livonian lands demanded that Ivan the Terrible withdraw his troops and abandon Livonia. In fact, it was proposed that the Livonian War should end, and Russia would be left with nothing as a result. After the tsar’s refusal to do this, the war for Russia finally turned into an adventure. The war with Lithuania lasted 2 years and was unsuccessful for the Russian Kingdom. The conflict could only be continued in conditions of the oprichnina, especially since the boyars were against the continuation of hostilities. Earlier, for dissatisfaction with the Livonian War, in 1560 the tsar dispersed the “Elected Rada”.
It was at this stage of the war that Poland and Lithuania united in single state- Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was strong power, which everyone had to reckon with, without exception.
Third stage of the war
The third stage (1570–1577) is the battles local significance Russia and Sweden for the territory of modern Estonia. They ended without any significant results for both sides. All battles were local in nature and did not have any significant impact on the course of the war.
The fourth stage of the war
At the fourth stage of the Livonian War (1577–1583), Ivan IV again captured the entire Baltic region, but soon the tsar’s luck ran out and the Russian troops were defeated. New King united Poland and Lithuania (Rzeczpospolita), Stefan Batory expelled Ivan the Terrible from the Baltic region, and even managed to capture a number of cities already on the territory of the Russian kingdom (Polotsk, Velikiye Luki, etc.). The fighting was accompanied by terrible bloodshed. Since 1579, assistance to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth has been provided by Sweden, which acted very successfully, capturing Ivangorod, Yam, and Koporye.
Russia was saved from complete defeat by the defense of Pskov (from August 1581). During the 5 months of the siege, the garrison and residents of the city repulsed 31 assault attempts, weakening Batory’s army.
The end of the war and its results
The Yam-Zapolsky truce between the Russian kingdom and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1582 put an end to the long and unnecessary war. Russia abandoned Livonia. The coast was lost Gulf of Finland. It was captured by Sweden, with which the Treaty of Plus was signed in 1583.
Thus, the following causes of damage can be identified: Russian state, which sums up the results of the Liovno War:
- adventurism and ambitions of the tsar - Russia could not wage a war simultaneously with three strong states;
- the harmful influence of the oprichnina, economic ruin, Tatar attacks.
- A deep economic crisis within the country, which erupted during the 3rd and 4th stages of hostilities.
Despite the negative outcome, it was the Livonian War that determined the direction of Russian foreign policy in long years forward - to get access to the Baltic Sea.
Livonian War(1558–1583), the war of the Muscovite state with the Livonian Order, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) and Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea.
The cause of the war was the desire of the Moscow state to take possession convenient harbors on the Baltic Sea and establish direct trade links with Western Europe. In July 1557, by order of Ivan IV (1533–1584), a harbor was built on the right bank of the border Narova; the tsar also prohibited Russian merchants from trading in the Livonian ports of Revel (modern Tallinn) and Narva. The reason for the outbreak of hostilities was the Order’s failure to pay the “Yuriev tribute” (the tax that the Dorpat (Yuriev) bishopric undertook to pay to Moscow under the Russian-Livonian treaty of 1554).
First period of the war (1558–1561). In January 1558, Moscow regiments crossed the border of Livonia. In the spring and summer of 1558, the northern group of Russian troops, which invaded Estonia (modern Northern Estonia), captured Narva and defeated Livonian knights near Wesenberg (modern Rakvere), captured the fortress and reached Revel, and the southern one, which entered Livonia (modern Southern Estonia and Northern Latvia), took Neuhausen and Dorpat (modern Tartu). At the beginning of 1559, the Russians moved to the south of Livonia, captured Marienhausen and Tiersen, defeated the troops of the Archbishop of Riga and penetrated into Courland and Zemgale. However, in May 1559, Moscow, on the initiative of A.F. Adashev, the leader of the anti-Crimean party at court, concluded a truce with the Order in order to direct forces against the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey (1551–1577). Taking advantage of the respite, the Grand Master of the Order G. Ketler (1559–1561) signed an agreement with the great Lithuanian prince And Polish king Sigismund II Augustus (1529–1572) on the recognition of his protectorate over Livonia. In October 1559, hostilities resumed: the knights defeated the Russians near Dorpat, but were unable to take the fortress.
The disgrace of A.F. Adashev led to a change foreign policy. Ivan IV made peace with Crimea and concentrated his forces against Livonia. In February 1560, Russian troops launched an offensive in Livonia: they captured Marienburg (modern Aluksne), defeated the Order's army near Ermes and captured Fellin Castle (modern Viljandi), the residence of the Grand Master. But after the unsuccessful siege of Weissenstein (modern Paide), the Russian advance slowed down. Nevertheless, everything was in their hands. East End Estland and Livonia.
In the face of military defeats of the Order, Denmark and Sweden intervened in the fight for Livonia. In 1559, Duke Magnus, brother of the Danish king Fredrick II (1559–1561), acquired rights (as bishop) to the island of Ezel (modern Saaremaa) and in April 1560 took possession of it. In June 1561 the Swedes captured Revel and occupied Northern Estland. On October 25 (November 5), 1561, Grand Master G. Ketler signed the Vilna Treaty with Sigismund II Augustus, according to which the Order’s possessions north of the Western Dvina (Zadvina Duchy) became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the territories to the south (Courland and Zemgale) formed a vassal duchy from Sigismund, the throne of which was taken by G. Ketler. In February 1562 Riga was declared a free city. The Livonian Order ceased to exist.
Second period of the war (1562–1578). To prevent the emergence of a broad anti-Russian coalition, Ivan IV concluded alliance treaty with Denmark and a twenty-year truce with Sweden. This allowed him to gather forces to strike Lithuania. At the beginning of February 1563, the tsar, at the head of an army of thirty thousand, besieged Polotsk, which opened the way to the Lithuanian capital Vilna, and on February 15 (24) he forced its garrison to capitulate. Russian-Lithuanian negotiations began in Moscow, which, however, did not produce results due to the Lithuanians’ refusal to comply with Ivan IV’s demand to clear the areas of Livonia they occupied. In January 1564 hostilities resumed. Russian troops tried to launch an offensive deep into Lithuanian territory (towards Minsk), but were defeated twice - on the Ulla River in the Polotsk region (January 1564) and near Orsha (July 1564). At the same time, the Lithuanian campaign against Polotsk in the fall of 1564 ended unsuccessfully.
After the Crimean Khan violated the peace treaty with Ivan IV in the fall of 1564, the Moscow state had to fight on two fronts; military operations in Lithuania and Livonia became protracted. In the summer of 1566 the king convened Zemsky Sobor to resolve the issue of continuing the Livonian War; its participants spoke in favor of its continuation and rejected the idea of peace with Lithuania by ceding Smolensk and Polotsk to it. Moscow began rapprochement with Sweden; in 1567 Ivan IV signed an agreement with King Eric XIV (1560–1568) to lift the Swedish blockade of Narva. However, the overthrow of Eric XIV in 1568 and the accession of the pro-Polish-minded Johan III (1568–1592) led to the dissolution of the Russian-Swedish alliance. The foreign policy situation of the Moscow state worsened even more as a result of the creation in June 1569 (Union of Lublin) of a single Polish-Lithuanian state - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - and the beginning of a large-scale offensive by the Tatars and Turks in southern Russia (the campaign against Astrakhan in the summer of 1569).
Having protected himself from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by concluding a three-year truce with it in 1570, Ivan IV decided to strike at the Swedes, relying on the help of Denmark; for this purpose, he formed the vassal Livonian kingdom from the Baltic lands he captured, led by Magnus of Denmark, who married the royal niece. But the Russian-Danish troops were unable to take Revel, an outpost of Swedish possessions in the Baltic states, and Fredrick II signed a peace treaty with Johan III (1570). Then the king tried to get Revel through diplomatic means. However, after the burning of Moscow by the Tatars in May 1571, the Swedish government refused to negotiate; at the end of 1572, Russian troops invaded Swedish Livonia and captured Weissenstein.
In 1572, Sigismund II died, and a period of long “kinglessness” began in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1572–1576). Part of the gentry even nominated Ivan IV as a candidate for the vacant throne, but the tsar preferred to support the Austrian contender Maximilian of Habsburg; An agreement was concluded with the Habsburgs on the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, according to which Moscow was to receive Lithuania, and Austria - Poland. However, these plans did not come true: in the struggle for the throne, Maximilian was defeated by the Transylvanian prince Stefan Batory.
The defeat of the Tatars near the village of Molody (near Serpukhov) in the summer of 1572 and the temporary cessation of their raids on the southern Russian regions made it possible to direct forces against the Swedes in the Baltic states. As a result of the campaigns of 1575–1576, the Russians captured the ports of Pernov (modern Pärnu) and Gapsal (modern Haapsalu) and established control over west coast between Revel and Riga. But the next siege of Revel (December 1576 - March 1577) again ended in failure.
After the election of the anti-Russian Stefan Batory (1576–1586) as the Polish king, Ivan IV unsuccessfully proposed to the German Emperor Rudolf II Habsburg (1572–1612) to conclude a military-political pact against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Moscow embassy to Regensburg 1576); Negotiations with Elizabeth I (1558–1603) about an Anglo-Russian alliance (1574–1576) also proved fruitless. Summer 1577 Moscow last time tried to resolve the Livonian issue by military means, launching an offensive in Latgale (modern south-east Latvia) and Southern Livonia: Rezhitsa (modern Rezekne), Dinaburg (modern Daugavpils), Kokenhausen (modern Koknese), Wenden (modern Koknese) were taken. Cesis), Volmar (modern Valmiera) and many small castles; by the fall of 1577, all of Livonia up to the Western Dvina, except for Revel and Riga, was in the hands of the Russians. However, these successes turned out to be temporary. Already in next year Polish-Lithuanian detachments recaptured Dinaburg and Wenden; Russian troops twice tried to retake Wenden, but were ultimately defeated by the combined forces of Batory and the Swedes.
Third period of the war (1579–1583). Stefan Batory managed to overcome the international isolation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; in 1578 he concluded an anti-Russian alliance with Crimea and the Ottoman Empire; Magnus of Denmark came over to his side; he was supported by Brandenburg and Saxony. Planning an invasion of Russian lands, the king spent military reform and gathered a significant army. At the beginning of August 1579, Batory besieged Polotsk and took it by storm on August 31 (September 9). In September, the Swedes blockaded Narva, but were unable to capture it.
In the spring of 1580, the Tatars resumed raids on Rus', which forced the tsar to transfer part of his military forces to southern border. In the summer - autumn of 1580, Batory undertook his second campaign against the Russians: he captured Velizh, Usvyat and Velikiye Luki and defeated the army of governor V.D. Khilkov at Toropets; however, the Lithuanian attack on Smolensk was repulsed. The Swedes invaded Karelia and in November captured the Korela fortress on Lake Ladoga. Military failures prompted Ivan IV to turn to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with a proposal for peace, promising to cede to it all of Livonia, with the exception of Narva; but Batory demanded the transfer of Narva and the payment of a huge indemnity. In the summer of 1581, Batory began his third campaign: having occupied Opochka and Ostrov, at the end of August he besieged Pskov; the five-month siege of the city, during which its defenders repulsed thirty-one assaults, ended in complete failure. However, the concentration of all Russian troops to repel the Polish-Lithuanian invasion allowed the Swedish commander-in-chief P. Delagardi to launch a successful offensive on the southeastern coast of the Gulf of Finland: on September 9 (18), 1581 he took Narva; then Ivangorod, Yam and Koporye fell.
Realizing the impossibility of fighting on two fronts, Ivan IV again tried to reach an agreement with Batory in order to direct all his forces against the Swedes; at the same time, the defeat at Pskov and the aggravation of contradictions with Sweden after its capture of Narva softened anti-Russian sentiments at the Polish court. On January 15 (24), 1582, in the village of Kiverova Gora near Zampolsky Yam, through the mediation of the papal representative A. Possevino, a ten-year Russian-Polish truce was signed, according to which the tsar ceded all his possessions to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Livonia and the Velizh district; for its part, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth returned the Russian cities of Velikiye Luki, Nevel, Sebezh, Opochka, Kholm, Izborsk (Yam-Zampolsk Truce) that it had captured.
By the end of the 15th century, the foreign policy actions of Grand Duke Ivan III were aimed at fighting the Tatar Khan, who were besieging the southern and eastern lands, the Principality of Lithuania for the occupied territories and with Livonia for access to the Baltic Sea. At the same time, the results achieved in the confrontation with the Tatars led to the fact that mid-16th century century Russian kingdom restored military and political influence in the occupied territories, forced the Nogai and Siberian khans to bow down.
The issue of the seizure of Crimea remained relevant. At the same time, the opinions of the boyars were divided. And, although many spoke out for the conquest of the south, despite the vast southern expanses in which the steppes felt organically, and there were no Moscow strongholds, some of the boyars, led by the tsar, paid attention to access to the Baltic Sea. Since joint military operations against Ottoman Empire together with Poland and Lithuania were associated with the loss of Ukrainian and Belarusian lands, Ivan the Terrible chose the fight against Livonia as the main direction of his foreign policy.
Causes of the conflict
By the middle of the 15th century, Livonia was a weakened confederation of the Livonian Order and bishoprics. The latter remained only a formal power, since the lands of the order accounted for 67% of the entire land of Livonia. Big cities had a certain autonomy and own power. Thus, government agency Livonia was extremely divided. Due to military, political and economic weakening, the confederation had to conclude a truce with the Russian kingdom. The peace treaty, concluded for six years and extended in the 09th, 14th, 21st, 31st and 34th years of the sixteenth century, provided for the payment of the “Yuriev tribute”, the timing and amount of which is not mentioned in the sources. However, there is an opinion that the tribute was never paid. Yuriev, later renamed Darpt, was founded by Yaroslav the Wise. Tribute was supposed to be paid for it and the territory adjacent to the city. In addition, the alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, formalized in 1954, included points directed against the power of the Russian Tsar. However, historians consider the debt for the “Yuriev tribute” to be more likely a reason, but not the final cause of the war.
Experts believe that the real reason for the military campaign against Livonia is the impossibility of development trade relations with Western Europe due to the fact that the main ports of the Baltic Sea were under the control of Livonia.
The trade routes along which goods were delivered at that time were the White Sea (port of Arkhangelsk) and the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. However, these sea routes, where merchant ships actively moved during the warm season, froze for a long time with the onset of cold weather. At the same time, it was impossible to conduct foreign trade activities.
Russian merchants, when conducting business on the ice-free Baltic Sea, had to resort to the services of intermediaries in the person of Germans from Narva and Dorpat, and this led to serious losses, since the import of the most valuable goods - gunpowder, iron, various metals - was led by “Livonians”, who could suspend deliveries. Without much-needed materials, the development of handicrafts in Rus' was impossible.
In addition to the economic justification, the beginning of the Livonian War is associated with an attempt to restore political ties with the West. Because as a result of a long struggle with Tatar-Mongol yoke and the redivision of territory, the country acquired an eastern orientation, it was important to defend the title Western state, concluding profitable marriage alliances, etc.
Another reason is called social aspect. The redistribution of the Baltic lands would lead to a strengthening of the power of the nobility and merchant class. The boyars were more inclined to seize the southern lands, due to their distance from the state and political center. There, at least at first, it was possible to use absolute power before arriving organized.
The beginning of hostilities 58-61
The end of 1957 turned out to be the most favorable for the start of military operations against Livonia. Difficult situation in the arrangement European forces was in the hands of the Russian Tsar. Serious Swedish losses in Russian-Swedish war led to the weakening of the most powerful enemy. The aggravation of relations with Sweden distracted the Danish government. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was not ready for serious international conflicts due to internal disagreements and social problems.
Historians conditionally divide the course of the Twenty-Five Years' War into three main stages:
The first one was promoted from '58 to '61 and was originally planned as punitive operation Ivan the Terrible for the purpose of demonstrating military strength;
The second ended in ’77, was protracted and nullified all diplomatic agreements reached before ’57;
At the third stage of military operations Russian troops were predominantly defensive in nature and led to the conclusion of a peace agreement on conditions absolutely unfavorable for Moscow.
Ivan the Terrible did not begin active military clashes until 1958. During this time, attempts were made to reach peace agreements regarding the surrender of Narva under Moscow influence. To which the Order expressed an unequivocal refusal. After which, in January 1558, a forty-thousand-strong army entered Livonian soil, destroying and ravaging cities and territories, and reached the Baltic coast. During the campaign, Russian leaders several times sent proposals for peace to the Livonian authorities, which were accepted. However, in March 1958, supporters of the military forces of Livonia attempted to terminate the peace agreements by starting shelling of Ivangorod. Thus, a new military offensive of Russian troops in Livonia was provoked. During the offensive, more than twenty were destroyed settlements and fortresses. By the end of the summer of 1958, the forces of the Moscow Tsar ravaged the environs of Riga and Revel.
By March 1959, the Russians had occupied stable positions, which led to the conclusion of peace, which ended in November 1959. Over the past six months, the Livonian forces received support and reinforcements from Sweden and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, attempts to storm Yuryev and Lais ended in failure for the Livonians. By August 1960, Russian troops occupied the strongest fortresses of Fellin and Marienburg.
Second stage of the war
Successes during military operations put Ivan the Terrible in a difficult position. The reason for this was the formation of a coalition represented by the Roman Empire, Sweden and Denmark against Russia and the statement of claims by Poland and Lithuania regarding the cession of Baltic lands. Variable victories and defeats of the Russian army during the year 62 led to the fact that the war began to take on a protracted character.
Failures in attempts to conclude diplomatic agreements, illiterate actions of military leaders and changes in policy within the state led to an aggravation of the social and economic situation.
Third stage
In 75, Stefan Batory became king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and began active military operations against Russia. In addition, the uneasy situation in northern lands caused by the Swedish attack. Batory's troops were advanced not towards plundered Livonia, but to the Northern and Smolensk lands. After the capture of Polotsk, its siege lasted only three weeks, and the devastation of the Northern lands, Batory put forward demands to leave Livonia and cede the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to Courland. At the end of August 1980, the Velikiye Luki Garden began, ending complete defeat It's already September 5th. After which the fortresses of Narva, Ozerishche and Zavolochye were taken.
The attempt to capture Pskov at the end of June 1981 for Batory’s troops was unsuccessful, since the Russian military promptly responded to the strengthening and preparation of the enemy. As a result of a long siege and many attempts to storm the fortress, the Polish-Lithuanian troops were forced to retreat.
The result of the twenty-five-year war was a severe defeat for Russia. Attempts to seize the Baltic states and conduct free trade in the Baltic Sea were unsuccessful, in addition, power over previously assigned territories was lost.
Owned it since then for the most part modern Baltic states - Estland, Livonia and Courland. In the 16th century, Livonia lost some of its former power. From within, it was engulfed in strife, which was intensified by the church Reformation that was penetrating here. The Archbishop of Riga quarreled with the Master of the Order, and the cities were at enmity with both of them. Internal turmoil weakened Livonia, and all its neighbors were not averse to taking advantage of this. Before the start of the conquests of the Livonian knights, the Baltic lands depended on the Russian princes. With this in mind, the Moscow sovereigns believed that they had completely legal rights to Livonia. Due to its coastal position, Livonia was of great commercial importance. Afterwards, Moscow inherited the commerce of Novgorod, which it had conquered, with the Baltic lands. However, the Livonian rulers in every possible way limited the relations that Muscovite Rus' conducted with Western Europe through their region. Fearing Moscow and trying to interfere with its rapid strengthening, the Livonian government did not allow European craftsmen and many goods into Rus'. The obvious hostility of Livonia gave rise to hostility towards it among the Russians. Seeing the weakening Livonian Order, the Russian rulers feared that his territory would be taken over by some other, more strong enemy, which will treat Moscow even worse.
Already Ivan III, after the conquest of Novgorod, built the Russian fortress Ivangorod on the Livonian border, opposite the city of Narva. After the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan, the Chosen Rada advised Ivan the Terrible to turn to the predatory Crimea, whose hordes constantly raided the southern Russian regions, driving thousands of captives into slavery every year. But Ivan IV chose to attack Livonia. Confidence in easy success in the west, the king was given the successful outcome of the war with the Swedes of 1554–1557.
Beginning of the Livonian War (briefly)
Grozny remembered the old treaties that obligated Livonia to pay tribute to the Russians. It had not been paid for a long time, but now the tsar demanded not only to renew the payment, but also to compensate for what the Livonians had not given to Russia in previous years. The Livonian government began to drag out negotiations. Having lost patience, Ivan the Terrible broke off all relations and in the first months of 1558 began the Livonian War, which was destined to drag on for 25 years.
In the first two years of the war, Moscow troops acted very successfully. They destroyed almost all of Livonia, except for the most powerful cities and castles. Livonia could not resist powerful Moscow alone. The order's state disintegrated, surrendering piecemeal to the supreme power of its stronger neighbors. Estland came under the suzerainty of Sweden, Livonia submitted to Lithuania. The island of Ezel became the possession of the Danish Duke Magnus, and Courland was subjected to secularization, that is, it turned from a church property into a secular one. The former master of the spiritual order, Ketler, became the secular Duke of Courland and recognized himself as a vassal of the Polish king.
Entry of Poland and Sweden into the war (briefly)
The Livonian Order thus ceased to exist (1560-1561). His lands were divided by neighboring powerful states, which demanded that Ivan the Terrible renounce all the seizures made at the beginning of the Livonian War. Grozny rejected this demand and opened a fight with Lithuania and Sweden. Thus, new participants were involved in the Livonian War. The struggle between the Russians and the Swedes proceeded intermittently and sluggishly. Ivan IV moved his main forces to Lithuania, acting against it not only in Livonia, but also in the regions south of the latter. In 1563, Grozny took the ancient Russian city of Polotsk from the Lithuanians. Royal armies devastated Lithuania all the way to Vilna (Vilnius). The war-weary Lithuanians offered Grozny peace with the concession of Polotsk. In 1566, Ivan IV convened a Zemsky Council in Moscow on the question of whether to end the Livonian War or continue it. The council spoke in favor of continuing the war, and it went on for another ten years with the Russians outnumbered, until the talented commander Stefan Batory (1576) was elected to the Polish-Lithuanian throne.
The turning point of the Livonian War (briefly)
By that time, the Livonian War had significantly weakened Russia. The oprichnina, which ruined the country, undermined its strength even more. Many prominent Russian military leaders fell victims to the oprichnina terror of Ivan the Terrible. From the south they began to attack Russia with even greater energy Crimean Tatars, whom Ivan the Terrible frivolously allowed to conquer or at least completely weaken after the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan. Crimeans and Turkish Sultan They demanded that Russia, now bound by the Livonian War, renounce possession of the Volga region and restore the independence of the Astrakhan and Kazan khanates, which had previously brought it so much grief with brutal attacks and robberies. In 1571 Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey, taking advantage of the diversion of Russian forces to Livonia, staged a surprise invasion, marched with a large army all the way to Moscow and burned the entire city outside the Kremlin. In 1572 Devlet-Girey tried to repeat this success. He again reached the Moscow outskirts with his horde, but the Russian army of Mikhail Vorotynsky at the last moment distracted the Tatars with an attack from the rear and inflicted a strong defeat on them in the Battle of Molodi.
Ivan groznyj. Painting by V. Vasnetsov, 1897
The energetic Stefan Batory began decisive action against Grozny just when the oprichnina brought the central regions of the Moscow state to desolation. The people fled en masse from the tyranny of Grozny to southern outskirts and to the newly conquered Volga region. State Center Russia is depleted of people and resources. Grozny could no longer easily send large armies to the front of the Livonian War. Batory's decisive onslaught did not meet with adequate resistance. In 1577, the Russians achieved their last successes in the Baltic states, but already in 1578 they were defeated there near Wenden. The Poles achieved a turning point in the Livonian War. In 1579 Batory recaptured Polotsk, and in 1580 he took the strong Moscow fortresses of Velizh and Velikiye Luki. Having previously shown arrogance towards the Poles, Grozny now sought mediation Catholic Europe V peace talks with Batory and sent an embassy (Shevrigin) to the pope and to the Austrian Emperor. In 1581
The article briefly talks about the Livonian War (1558-1583), which was waged by Ivan the Terrible for the right to access the Baltic Sea. At first the war for Russia was successful character, but after the entry of Sweden, Denmark and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth into it, it became protracted and ended in territorial losses.
- Causes of the Livonian War
- Progress of the Livonian War
- Results of the Livonian War
Causes of the Livonian War
- Livonia was a state founded by German knightly order in the 13th century and included part of the territory of the modern Baltic states. By the 16th century it was a very weak state formation, the power in which was shared between knights and bishops. Livonia was easy prey for an aggressive state. Ivan the Terrible set himself the task of capturing Livonia in order to secure access to the Baltic Sea and in order to prevent its conquest by someone else. In addition, Livonia, being between Europe and Russia, in every possible way prevented the establishment of contacts between them, in particular, the entry of European masters into Russia was practically prohibited. This caused discontent in Moscow.
- The territory of Livonia before the capture by the German knights belonged to the Russian princes. This pushed Ivan the Terrible to war for the return of ancestral lands.
- According to the existing treaty, Livonia was obliged to pay Russia an annual tribute for possession ancient Russian city Yuryev (renamed Dorpat) and neighboring territories. However, this condition was not met, which was the main reason for the war.
Progress of the Livonian War
- In response to the refusal to pay tribute, Ivan the Terrible in 1558 began a war with Livonia. A weak state, torn by contradictions, cannot resist the huge army of Ivan the Terrible. The Russian army victoriously passes through the entire territory of Livonia, leaving only large fortresses and cities in the hands of the enemy. As a result, by 1560 Livonia, as a state, ceased to exist. However, its lands were divided between Sweden, Denmark and Poland, which declared that Russia must abandon all territorial acquisitions.
- The emergence of new opponents did not immediately affect the nature of the war. Sweden was at war with Denmark. Ivan the Terrible concentrated all his efforts against Poland. Successful military operations led to the capture of Polotsk in 1563. Poland begins to ask for a truce, and Ivan the Terrible convenes the Zemsky Sobor and addresses him with such a proposal. However, the cathedral responds with a sharp refusal, declaring that the capture of Livonia is necessary in economically. The war continues, it becomes clear that it will be protracted.
- The situation changes for the worse after Ivan the Terrible introduced the oprichnina. The state, already weakened by a tense war, receives " royal gift". The tsar's punitive and repressive measures lead to the decline of the economy, the execution of many outstanding military leaders significantly weaken the army. At the same time, he intensifies his actions Crimean Khanate, starting to threaten Russia. In 1571, Moscow was burned by Khan Devlet-Girey.
- In 1569, Poland and Lithuania united into a new strong state - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1575, Stefan Batory became its king, who later showed qualities talented commander. It has become turning point in the Livonian War. The Russian army holds the territory of Livonia for some time, besieges Riga and Revel, but soon the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden begin active military operations against the Russian army. Batory inflicts a series of defeats on Ivan the Terrible and wins back Polotsk. In 1581 he besieged Pskov, whose courageous defense lasted five months. Batory's lifting of the siege becomes the last victory of the Russian army. Sweden at this time seizes the coast of the Gulf of Finland, which belongs to Russia.
- In 1582, Ivan the Terrible concluded a truce with Stefan Batory, according to which he renounced all his territorial acquisitions. In 1583, a treaty was signed with Sweden, as a result of which the captured lands on the coast of the Gulf of Finland were assigned to it.
Results of the Livonian War
- The war started by Ivan the Terrible promised to be successful. At first, Russia made significant progress. However, due to a number of internal and external reasons a turning point is coming in the war. Russia loses the captured territories and, ultimately, access to the Baltic Sea, remaining cut off from European markets.