War with Lithuania 1512 1522. Russian-Lithuanian wars

Place Grand Duchy of Lithuania Cause union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the Crimean Khanate; Crimean raids on the Russian borderland
Bottom line Victory of Russian troops Changes Smolensk lands (23 thousand km²) passed to the Russian state Opponents

Russian state

Commanders

Prerequisites

The strengthening of the Moscow principality led to the fact that the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III, continuing the policy of expanding the state and unifying the Russian lands, refused to recognize the power of the Golden Horde (1480), annexed the Novgorod land (1478), the Tver principality (1485) and the Vyatka land (1489) . The territory of the Moscow Principality tripled, which became the beginning of a centralized Russian state. At the turn of the century, a tendency appeared for the Lithuanian-Russian princes of the Verkhovsky principalities, together with their lands, to become the subjects of the Russian sovereign. The desire to annex the Smolensk land to the Russian state was also obvious.

The war of 1512-1522 was a natural continuation of a series of Russian-Lithuanian wars for the territorial heritage of Ancient Rus', the last of which ended in 1508. Despite the peace, relations between both states remained extremely tense. Constant border skirmishes and mutual robberies continued. The exchange of prisoners was never completed. King Sigismund longed to return Mikhail Glinsky, who had fled to Moscow to Vasily III. The reason for the start of a new war was the arrest and death of the sister of Vasily III, Grand Duchess of Lithuania Elena Ivanovna, and the conclusion of an agreement between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crimean Khanate, which resulted in numerous raids of the Crimean Tatars on the lands of the Russian state in May-October 1512.

Campaign of 1513

In November 1512, Prince Vasily III declared war on Sigismund I. The main forces of the Russian army with powerful artillery (up to 150 guns) moved towards Smolensk. Since December, the Russian army near Smolensk was led personally by the Grand Duke. The siege of the city lasted from January to February 1513, but was lifted after an unsuccessful assault on the city. During the first siege of Smolensk, foot units of squeakers were actively used in the Russian army for the first time. Other Moscow detachments under the command I. M. Repni-Obolensky and I.A. Chelyadnin acted in the vicinity of Orsha, Drutsk, Borisov, Braslav, Vitebsk and Minsk, a detachment of Verkhovsky princes under the command of V.I. Shemyachich carried out a raid on Kyiv, and the Novgorod army of Prince V.V. Shuisky - raid to Kholm.

In the summer of 1513, the Russian army made a second campaign near Smolensk. This time part of the troops under the command of Prince A.V. Rostovsky and M.I. Bulgakov-Golitsy, together with the Verkhovsky princes, were deployed on the southern borders for defense against the Crimean Tatars. The movement of the Russian army began in June, the siege of the city began in August 1513, and on September 11, Grand Duke Vasily III arrived at Smolensk. An auxiliary raid on Polotsk was carried out by the Novgorod army of V.V. Shuisky, another Russian detachment blocked Vitebsk. During the second siege, Russian troops did not dare to storm, limiting their actions to massive artillery shelling of the city. In October, advanced detachments of Lithuanian field troops appeared in the area of combat operations, which achieved a number of private successes in the area of Vitebsk and Kyiv. Rumors about the approach of a large Lithuanian army under the command of K. Ostrozhsky forced Vasily III to lift the siege of Smolensk, Russian troops were withdrawn from other cities.

At this time, an agreement was signed on a joint struggle against Poland between the Holy Roman Empire (Maximilian I) and the Russian state.

Campaign of 1514

In the summer of 1515, detachments of Polish mercenaries of J. Sverchovsky raided the Velikiye Luki and Toropets lands. Although they failed to capture the cities, the surrounding area was significantly devastated. In response, in the winter of 1515-16. detachments of V.V. Shuisky from Novgorod and M.V. The Hunchback from Rzhev attacked the eastern regions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, especially devastating the Vitebsk lands.

In 1516, most of the troops of both sides were diverted to fight the Crimean Tatars, whose troops were ravaging the southern regions of both the Russian state and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Only a few raids took place on the Russian-Lithuanian front. In the summer of 1516, the Russian army under the command of A.V. Gorbaty was once again attacked by Vitebsk.

Campaign of 1517

Campaigns 1518-1520

During the campaign of 1518, the Russian government was able to allocate significant forces for the campaign against Polotsk. The Novgorod-Pskov army of V.V. was sent to the city. Shuisky, reinforced with artillery. Auxiliary strikes were carried out far into the Lithuanian lands. So the detachments of the prince. M.V. Gorbaty reached the outskirts of Molodechno, detachments of Prince. S. Kurbsky operated in the areas of Minsk and Novogrudok. Although the Russian cavalry raids caused great economic and moral damage to the enemy, during the campaign it was not possible to capture a single city. Near Polotsk, the Russian army was defeated both by an attack from the garrison and by the actions of the relief detachment of Yu. Radziwill.

And yet, despite the failure at Polotsk, the campaign of 1518 demonstrated that the Lithuanian state could not resist the devastating raids of the Russian cavalry. An attempt by new taxes, approved at the Brest Sejm of 1518-19, to restore the army's combat effectiveness was nullified by the defeat of the Polish-Lithuanian army in the Battle of Sokal on August 2, 1519. The Russian command, in turn, relied on the widespread use of quick, destructive raids. In the summer, the entire Lithuanian border was attacked, and individual detachments reached the outskirts of Vilna for the first time in the history of the Russian-Lithuanian wars. The last major action in this war was the raid of the governor Vasily Godunov in February 1520 near Polotsk and Vitebsk.

The “Eternal Peace”, signed on October 8, 1508 between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Moscow State, was just another temporary respite and lasted only two years. The reason for the new war was 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 an agreement between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crimean Khanate strained 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 Crimean Tatars under the command of the sons of Khan Mengli-Girey, “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 captivity. Russian regiments led by the sovereign's brothers Andrei and Yuri Ivanovich, governor Daniil Shchenya, Alexander Rostovsky and others, could not prevent the Crimean horde. They had strict orders 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 Russian lands: in June, July and October. In June they attacked the Seversk land, but were defeated. In July, on 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 besieged the capital of the Ryazan principality - Pereyaslavl-Ryazan. They could not take the city, but they destroyed all the surrounding areas and took many people into slavery.

Beginning of the war

In the fall of 1512, Moscow received information that the Tatar invasions of that year were the consequences of the Crimean-Lithuanian treaty directed against the Russian state. Moscow declares war on the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in November. 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 supposed to unite with the detachments of princes Vasily Shvikh Odoevsky and Semyon Kurbsky, who set out from Velikie Luki to Bryaslavl (Braslavl).

On December 19, 1512, the main forces of the Russian army set out on a campaign under the command of Emperor Vasily Ivanovich himself. 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, attacks were carried out 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 Kyiv. He was able to burn down the Kyiv suburbs with a surprise attack. Shelves 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, ravaging the outskirts of Orsha, Drutsk, Borisov, Bryaslavl, Vitebsk and Minsk.

The siege of Smolensk did not produce positive results. The garrison stubbornly defended itself. At the very beginning of the siege, in January, the Moscow army tried to take the fortress virtually on the move. The attack involved foot city militias, including Pskov pishchalniki. However, the garrison repelled the assault, with heavy losses for the army of the Grand Duke - up to 2 thousand people died. The artillery shelling of the Smolensk fortress did not help either. The situation was complicated by the winter conditions of the siege and the difficulties associated with supplying the army with food and fodder. As a result, the command decided to retreat after 6 weeks of siege. At the beginning of March, the army was already in the Moscow area. On March 17, a decision was made to prepare a new campaign against Smolensk; it was scheduled for the summer of the same year.

Very significant forces took part in the new offensive against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Grand Duke Vasily himself stopped in Borovsk, sending his governors to the Lithuanian cities. 80 thousand An army under the command of Ivan Repni Obolensky and Andrei Saburov again besieged Smolensk. 24 thousand An army under the command of Prince Mikhail Glinsky besieged Polotsk. 8 thousand A detachment from Glinsky’s forces surrounded Vitebsk. 14 thousand 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 Verkhovsky princes, were deployed on the southern borders for defense against the Crimean Tatars.

As before, the main events took place near Smolensk. The capture of Smolensk was the main objective of this campaign. The siege of the city began in August 1513. At the very beginning, Lithuanian troops under the command of 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 push back Repni Obolensky's regiment, but were soon put to flight by arriving reinforcements. The Lithuanians suffered significant losses and retreated beyond the city walls. The Moscow army began a siege, bombarding the fortress. The artillerymen tried to make a hole in the walls so that they could launch an assault. However, the garrison covered the wooden walls with earth and stones and they withstood artillery fire. Only the advanced fortifications and towers were able to be destroyed. Russian troops went on the attack several times, but the garrison was able to repel all attacks. Still, it was clear that without outside help, the garrison of Smolensk would not last long.

At this time, Sigismund I gathered an army of 40 thousand and moved troops to the rescue of besieged Vitebsk, Polotsk and Smolensk. Advanced Lithuanian detachments appeared in the combat area in October. Grand Duke Vasily, who was with the army, decided not to accept the battle and retreat. Following the main forces, the remaining detachments pulled back to their territory. However, this retreat did not violate the plans of the Grand Duke of Moscow, and 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 (voivode of the Great 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 Kaluga, also went with him. Another brother, Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka, stood in Serpukhov, guarding the flank from a possible attack by the Crimean horde.

Fall of Smolensk. The Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund I the Old, guessing that a new Russian attack on Smolensk was inevitable, placed the experienced governor Yuri Sologub at the head of the garrison. May 16, 1514 80 thousand. 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 preparations took two weeks: a palisade was built around the Smolensk fortress, slingshots were built opposite the gate to prevent attacks by the garrison, and positions for guns were arranged. Sources report a powerful bombardment of the city and mention the name of the best Russian gunner, Stefan, who caused significant damage to the defense of Smolensk. The Resurrection Chronicle says that the Russian warriors “installed large cannons and squeaks near the city,” and the Grand Duke “commanded to beat the city from all sides, and make great attacks without rest, and beat the city with fiery cannons.” The actions of Russian artillery and the long absence of assistance eventually broke the resolve of the garrison.

The garrison of Smolensk proposed to begin negotiations for a truce, but this request was rejected by 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. Smolensk Bishop Barsanuphius served a prayer service, during which the townspeople swore allegiance to the Moscow sovereign. Smolensk governor Yuri Sologub refused to take the oath and was released to Lithuania, where he was executed for surrendering the fortress.

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 commanders continue offensive actions. An army under the command of Mikhail Glinsky was moved to Orsha, and detachments of Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov, Dmitry Bulgakov and Ivan Chelyadnin were moved to Borisov, Minsk and Drutsk.

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, see the article in VO: .), has now betrayed Moscow. Prince Glinsky was dissatisfied with Vasily III’s refusal to transfer the Smolensk principality to him as hereditary possession. Voivode Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov was informed about Mikhail Glinsky's betrayal by one of Glinsky's trusted servants. The prince was captured and Sigismund's letters were found on him. Thanks to his betrayal, the enemy received information about the number, location and routes of movement of the Russian army.

Strengths of the parties. Sigismund left 4 thousand 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 Hetman of Lithuania Konstantin Ivanovich Ostrozhsky and the Court Hetman of the Polish Crown, Janusz Swierczowski.

The number of Russian forces is unknown. It is clear that only part of the Russian army was there. After the capture of Smolensk, Emperor Vasily Ivanovich himself went to Dorogobuzh, several detachments were sent to devastate 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. 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 Sovereign's court, there were people from 14 cities: Veliky Novgorod, Pskov, Velikiye Luki, Kostroma, Murom, Tver, Borovsk, Volok, Roslavl, Vyazma, Pereyaslavl, Kolomna, Yaroslavl and Starodub. In the army there were: 400-500 Tatars, about 200 children of the boyars of the Sovereign's regiment, about 3 thousand Novgorodians and Pskovites, 3.6 thousand representatives of other cities, in total about 7.2 thousand nobles. With military slaves, the number of troops was 13-15 thousand soldiers. Taking into account the losses during the offensive, the departures of nobles from service (the wounded and sick had the right to leave), noted in the sources, Lobin believes, the number of soldiers could be about 12 thousand people. In fact, it was the so-called. “light army”, which was sent on a raid across enemy territory. The personnel of the “light army” were specially recruited from all regiments and included young, “spirited” boyar children with a significant number of good horses and with fighting serfs with spare and pack horses.

The Lithuanian army was a feudal militia, consisting of “povet banners” - territorial military units. The Polish army was built according to a different principle. The noble militia still played a large role in it, but Polish commanders used mercenary infantry much more widely. The 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 information of the 16th century Polish historian Maciej Stryjkowski, the number of combined Polish-Lithuanian forces was about 25-26 thousand soldiers: 15 thousand Lithuanian Commonwealth, 3 thousand Lithuanian Gospodar nobles, 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, in total there were about 35 thousand people under the command of Hetman Ostrozhsky: 15 thousand Lithuanian Commonwealth, 17 thousand hired Polish cavalry and infantry with good artillery, as well as 3 thousand volunteer cavalry fielded by Polish magnates. 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, consisting of light and heavy cavalry, heavy infantry and artillery.

Battle. On August 27, 1514, Ostrogsky's troops, having crossed the Berezina, with a surprise attack, shot down two advanced Russian detachments that were stationed on the Bobr and Drovi rivers. Having learned about the approach of enemy troops, the main forces of the Moscow army retreated 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 stood on opposite sides of the Dnieper. The Moscow governors apparently decided to repeat the battle of Vedrosh, which was victorious for Russian weapons. They did not stop the Lithuanians from establishing crossings and crossing the Dnieper. In addition, according to Polish and Russian sources, Hetman Ostrozhsky began negotiations with Russian governors; at this time, Polish-Lithuanian troops crossed the Dnieper. On the night of September 8, the Lithuanian cavalry crossed the river and covered the crossings for the infantry and field artillery. From the rear, the army of the great Lithuanian hetman Konstantin Ostrozhsky had the Dnieper, and the right flank rested on the swampy river Krapivna. The hetman built his army in two lines. The first line was the cavalry. 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 made up of Lithuanian cavalry. The second line consisted of infantry and field artillery.

The Russian army was built in three lines for a frontal attack. The command placed two large cavalry detachments on the flanks somewhat in the distance; they were supposed to encircle the enemy, break through to his rear, destroy bridges and encircle the Polish-Lithuanian troops. It must be said that the success of the Polish-Lithuanian army was facilitated by the inconsistency of the actions of the Russian forces. Mikhail Bulgakov had a local dispute with Chelyadnin. Under the leadership of Bulgakov was the Right Hand regiment, which he led into battle on his own initiative. The regiment attacked the left flank of the Polish-Lithuanian army. The governor hoped to crush the enemy flank and go to 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 a counterattack by the elite cavalry of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - the Hussars (winged hussars), under the command of the court hetman himself, Janusz Swierczowski, stopped the attack of the Russian forces. Bulgakov's troops retreated to their original positions.

After the failure of Prince M. Bulgakov’s attack, Chelyadnin brought the main forces into the battle. The advanced regiment under the command of Prince Ivan Temka-Rostovsky struck enemy infantry positions. The left-flank detachment under the leadership of Prince Ivan Pronsky launched an attack on the right flank of the Lithuanian Commonwealth of Yuri Radziwill. The Lithuanian cavalry, after stubborn resistance, deliberately fled and led the Russians into an artillery ambush - a bottleneck between the ravines and the spruce forest. A salvo of field artillery became the signal for a 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 hit the main Russian forces. Chelyadnin's regiments fled. Part of the Russian troops was pressed to Krapivna, where the Russians suffered the main losses. The Polish-Lithuanian army won a convincing victory.

Results of the battle. Of the 11 large commanders of the Russian army, 6 were captured, including Ivan Chelyadnin, Mikhail Bulgakov, and two more died. The King and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund I, in his victorious reports and letters to European rulers, said that the Russian army of 80 thousand was defeated, the Russians lost up to 30 thousand people killed and captured. The Master of the Livonian Order also received this message; 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, most likely simply scattered after the attack by the Polish flying hussars, suffering 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 talk about 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 Moscow forces, but the strategic significance 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) broke away from Moscow. A conspiracy arose in Smolensk, 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 Nemoy 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 courageously. In addition, he did not have siege artillery, winter was approaching, and the number of soldiers leaving home increased. Ostrogsky 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 raids were carried out on border territories, but there were no large-scale hostilities. On January 28, 1515, the Pskov governor Andrei Saburov identified himself as a defector and captured and ravaged Roslavl with a surprise attack. Russian detachments 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. Sverchovsky raided the Velikiye Luki and Toropets lands. The enemy failed to capture the cities, but the surrounding area was heavily devastated. Sigismund continued to try to create a broad anti-Russian coalition. In the summer of 1515, a meeting took place in Vienna between the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian, Sigismund I and his brother, the Hungarian king Vladislaus. In exchange for the cessation of cooperation between the Holy Roman Empire and the Muscovite state, Sigismund agreed to renounce claims to Bohemia and Moravia. In 1516, a small detachment of Lithuanians attacked Gomel; this attack was easily repelled. During these years, Sigismund 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-Girey, attacked the Lithuanian border regions. The planned campaign against Smolensk was disrupted.

Moscow needed time to recover after 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 Muhammad-Girey came to power, and he was known for his hostile attitude towards Moscow. Moscow's attention was also diverted by the situation in Kazan, where Khan Mohammed-Amin fell seriously ill.

Campaign of 1517

In 1517, Sigismund planned a major campaign to the north-west of Rus'. An army under the command of Konstantin Ostrozhsky was concentrated in Polotsk. His blow was supposed to be supported by the Crimean Tatars. They were paid a significant sum by the Lithuanian ambassador Olbracht Gaschtold, who arrived in Bakhchisarai. Therefore, the Russian state was forced to divert its main forces to fend off the threat from the southern direction, and had to repel the attack of the Polish-Lithuanian army with local forces. In the summer of 1517, 20 thousand. The Tatar army attacked the Tula region. However, the Russian army was ready and the Tatar “driven” detachments scattered across the Tula land were attacked and completely defeated by the regiments of Vasily Odoevsky and Ivan Vorotynsky. In addition, the retreat routes for the enemy who began to retreat were cut off by “Ukrainian men on foot.” 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. While sending troops on a campaign, Sigismund simultaneously tried to lull Moscow's vigilance by starting peace negotiations. The Polish-Lithuanian army was headed by Hetman Ostrozhsky; it included Lithuanian regiments (commander - J. Radziwill) and Polish mercenaries (commander - J. Swierchowski). Very soon it became clear that the attack on Pskov was wrong. 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, negating 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 repelled a poorly prepared enemy attack, and the Lithuanians suffered heavy losses. Ostrogsky did not dare to launch a new assault and began to wait for reinforcements and siege guns. Several Lithuanian detachments that 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 thousand. a regiment 5 versts from the main camp of Ostrozhsky and the army of governor Cherkas Khreptov, which was marching to join the hetman to Opochka. The convoy, all the guns, the squeaks, and the enemy commander himself were captured. Due to the successful actions of Russian forces, Ostrozhsky was forced to lift the siege on October 18 and retreat. The retreat was so hasty that the enemy abandoned all “military arrangements,” including siege artillery.

The failure of Sigismund's offensive strategy became obvious. In fact, the unsuccessful campaign depleted Lithuania’s financial capabilities and put an end to attempts to change the course of the war in its favor. Attempts at negotiations also failed. Vasily III was firm and refused to return Smolensk.

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 Velikie Luki towards Polotsk. It was the most important stronghold of Lithuania on the northeastern borders of the principality. Auxiliary strikes were carried out far into the interior of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Mikhail Gorbaty's detachment carried out a raid on Molodechno and the outskirts of Vilna. The regiment of Semyon Kurbsky reached Minsk, Slutsk and Mogilev. The detachments of Andrei Kurbsky and Andrei Gorbaty devastated the outskirts of Vitebsk. Russian cavalry raids caused significant economic and moral damage to the enemy.

However, near Polotsk the Russian army did not achieve success. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Lithuanians strengthened the city's fortifications, so they withstood the bombardment. The siege was not successful. 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 Vilna. The Polish king could not prevent the Russian raids. He was forced to abandon troops against 40 thousand. Tatar army of Bogatyr-Saltan. On August 2, 1519, in the Battle of Sokal, the Polish-Lithuanian army under the command of the Grand Hetman Crown Nicholas Firlei and the Grand Hetman of the Lithuanian Prince Konstantin Ostrogsky was defeated. After this, the Crimean Khan Mehmed Giray broke the alliance with the Polish king and Grand Duke Sigismund (before this, the Crimean Khan dissociated himself from the actions of his subjects), justifying his actions by losses from Cossack raids. 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 its will to resist. The Lithuanians did not have large forces in the Russian offensive zone, so they were content with the defense of cities and well-fortified castles. In 1520, raids by Moscow troops continued.

Truce

In 1521, both powers faced significant foreign policy problems. Poland entered into a war with the Livonian Order (war of 1521-1522). Sigismund resumed negotiations with Moscow and agreed to cede the Smolensk land. Moscow also needed peace. In 1521, one of the largest Tatar raids took place. Troops had to be kept on the southern and eastern borders to prevent new attacks by the Crimean and Kazan detachments. Vasily III agreed to a truce, giving up part of his claims - demands to give up Polotsk, Kyiv 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 a 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, outliving almost all of his fellow prisoners.

Russian-Lithuanian War 1512-1522- a war between the Russian state and the combined forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. It ended with the annexation of the Smolensk lands to the Russian state.

Prerequisites

The strengthening of the Moscow principality led to the fact that the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III, continuing the policy of expanding the state and unifying Russian lands, refused to recognize the power of the Golden Horde (1480), annexed the Novgorod land (1478), the Tver principality (1485) and the Vyatka land (1489) . The territory of the Moscow Principality tripled, which became the beginning of a centralized Russian state. At the turn of the century, there was a tendency for the Lithuanian-Russian princes of the Verkhovsky principalities to transfer, together with their lands, to the citizenship of the Russian sovereign. The desire to annex the Smolensk land to the Russian state was also obvious. The war of 1512-1522 became a natural continuation of a series of Russian-Lithuanian wars for the territorial heritage of Ancient Rus', the last of which ended in 1508, and ended with the return of Lyubech to Lithuania and its recognition of the other conquests of Ivan III. Despite the peace, relations between both states remained extremely tense. Constant border skirmishes and mutual robberies continued. The exchange of prisoners was never completed. King Sigismund longed to return Mikhail Glinsky, who had fled to Vasily. The reason for the start of a new war was the arrest and death of Vasily III’s sister, Grand Duchess Elena Ivanovna of Lithuania, and the conclusion of an agreement between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crimean Khanate, which resulted in numerous raids of the Crimean Tatars on the lands of the Russian state in May-October 1512.

Main events and results

Campaign of 1513

In November 1512, Prince Vasily III declared war on Sigismund I. The main forces of the Russian army with powerful artillery (up to 150 guns) moved towards Smolensk. Since December, the Russian army near Smolensk was personally led by Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich. The siege of the city lasted from January to February 1513, but was lifted after an unsuccessful assault on the city. During the first siege of Smolensk, the Russian army actively used foot units of squeakers for the first time. Other Moscow detachments under the command of I.M. Repni-Obolensky and I.A. Chelyadnin operated in the vicinity of Orsha, Drutsk, Borisov, Braslav, Vitebsk and Minsk, a detachment of Verkhovsky princes under the command of V.I. Shemyachich made a raid on Kiev, and the Novgorod army of Prince V.V. Shuisky - raid to Kholm.

In the summer of 1513, the Russian army made a second campaign near Smolensk. This time part of the troops under the command of Prince A.V. Rostovsky and M.I. Bulgakov-Golitsy, together with the Verkhovsky princes, were deployed on the southern borders for defense against the Crimean Tatars. The movement of the Russian army began in June, the siege of the city began in August 1513, and on September 11, Grand Duke Vasily III arrived in Smolensk. An auxiliary raid on Polotsk was carried out by the Novgorod army of V.V. Shuisky, another Russian detachment blocked Vitebsk. During the second siege, Russian troops did not dare to storm, limiting their actions to massive artillery shelling of the city. In October, advanced detachments of Lithuanian field troops appeared in the combat area and achieved a number of private successes in the area of Vitebsk and Kyiv. Rumors about the approach of a large Lithuanian army under the command of K. Ostrozhsky forced Vasily III to lift the siege of Smolensk, Russian troops were withdrawn from other cities.

At this time, an agreement was signed on a joint struggle against Poland between the Holy Roman Empire (Maximilian I) and the Russian state.

Campaign of 1514

In May 1514, Vasily III led a new campaign against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Approaching Smolensk, after a long siege and artillery shelling, the city capitulated on August 1. The capture of Smolensk was the greatest success of the Russian army in the war, after which Mstislavl, Krichev and Dubrovna were taken without resistance. After this, part of the Russian army went to the Crimean borders, the other part, led by I. A. Chelyadnin, moved deep into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to Orsha, where it met with the army of Hetman Konstantin Ostrozhsky. This was facilitated by the fact that M. L. Glinsky, who did not receive Smolensk under his control as he had hoped, betrayed Vasily III and informed the Polish king about the progress and composition of the Russian troops.

On September 8, a battle took place near the Krapivna River near Orsha, in which the Russian army suffered a severe defeat and retreated to Smolensk. Both commanders were captured. Under the influence of the victory at Orsha, Ostrozhsky managed to return Mstislavl, Krichev and Dubrovna almost without resistance. However, the attempt to return Smolensk failed. The city was well fortified and equipped with a strong garrison, and the city elite, ready to change, was promptly identified and destroyed. Ostrogsky, who did not have siege artillery, chose to retreat.

Campaign 1515-1516

After the eventful campaign of 1514, the intensity of hostilities decreased significantly. In 1515-1516, a number of mutual raids were carried out on the border areas. On January 28, 1515, the Pskov-Novgorod army under the command of A.V. Saburova captured and ravaged Roslavl with a surprise attack.

In the summer of 1515, detachments of Polish mercenaries of J. Sverchovsky raided the Velikiye Luki and Toropets lands. Although they failed to capture the cities, the surrounding area was significantly devastated. In response, in the winter of 1515-16. detachments of V.V. Shuisky from Novgorod and M.V. The hunchback from Rzhev attacked the eastern regions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, especially devastating the Vitebsk lands.

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania continued its activities to create a broad anti-Russian coalition. In the summer of 1515, a meeting between Emperor Maximilian, Sigismund I and his brother, the Hungarian king Vladislav, took place in Vienna. In exchange for the cessation of cooperation between the Holy Roman Empire and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Sigismund agreed to renounce claims to Bohemia and Moravia.

Campaign 1517-1520

In 1517, the Lithuanian side planned a major campaign to the north-west of Russia. On February 10, 1517, at the Petrokovsky Sejm, it was decided to allocate additional funds for the successful completion of the war: “by force to induce peace on honorable and favorable terms for us.” In turn, the Russian state was forced to divert the main forces to fend off the Crimean threat, and therefore to reflect The attack of the Polish-Lithuanian army was carried out by local forces.

The campaign of the Polish-Lithuanian army from Polotsk (over 10,000 people) began in September 1517. The army was led by Konstantin Ostrozhsky, it included Lithuanian troops (commander - J. Radziwill) and Polish mercenaries (commander - J. Swierchowski). On September 20, the siege of Opochka began, and already on October 6, Polish-Lithuanian troops launched an assault, which was repulsed by the Russian garrison. After this, Russian detachments made a series of successful forays, and the arriving detachments of Fyodor Telepnev-Obolensky and Ivan Lyatsky defeated Ostrozhsky and the reinforcements coming to him, after which the Polish-Lithuanian army, abandoning battering guns, lifted the siege and retreated to Polotsk.

The unsuccessful campaign depleted the financial capabilities of the Lithuanian state and effectively put an end to attempts to change the course of the war. On the other hand, the Russian state was still capable of making large-scale incursions into Lithuanian territory. Therefore, at the negotiations that began through the mediation of the German ambassador Sigismund Herberstein, the Russian side took a firm position: Vasily III refused to return Smolensk. During the campaign of 1518, the Russian government was able to allocate significant forces for the campaign against Polotsk. The Novgorod-Pskov army of V.V. was sent to the city. Shuisky, reinforced with artillery. Auxiliary strikes were carried out far into the Lithuanian lands. So the detachments of the prince. M.V. Gorbaty reached the outskirts of Molodechno, the detachments of Prince. S. Kurbsky operated in the areas of Minsk and Novogrudok. Although the Russian cavalry raids caused great economic and moral damage to the enemy, during the campaign it was not possible to capture a single city. Near Polotsk, the Russian army was defeated both by an attack from the garrison and by the actions of the relief detachment of Yu. Radziwill.

And yet, despite the failure at Polotsk, the campaign of 1518 demonstrated that the Lithuanian state could not resist the devastating raids of the Russian cavalry. An attempt with new taxes approved at the Brest Sejm of 1518-19. The restoration of the army's combat effectiveness was negated by the defeat of the Polish-Lithuanian army in the Battle of Sokal on August 2, 1519. The Russian command, in turn, relied on the widespread use of quick, destructive raids. In the summer, the entire Lithuanian border was attacked, and individual detachments reached the outskirts of Vilna for the first time in the history of the Russian-Lithuanian wars. The last major action in this war was the raid of the governor Vasily Godunov in February 1520 near Polotsk and Vitebsk.

Truce

In 1521, each of the warring parties had other foreign policy problems: the Grand Duchy of Lithuania entered into a war with the Livonian Order, and the Russian state was subjected to the most devastating raid of the Crimean Tatars at that time. Under these conditions, the parties entered into negotiations and signed a five-year truce in Moscow on September 14, 1522, according to which the Smolensk lands remained with Russia, but she renounced her claims in the Principality of Lithuania to Kiev, Polotsk and Vitebsk and her demand for the return of prisoners.

Gallery

After completion by the end of the 15th century. In the process of uniting the northeastern Russian lands around Moscow, its collision with the “collector” of the Western Russian lands, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, became inevitable. The question of which of them is the legal heir of the ancient Russian state came up on the agenda.

Russian-Lithuanian War (Border War) 1487–1494.

The reason for the war was Moscow's claims to the Verkhovsky principalities - a group of small principalities located in the upper reaches of the Oka (Vorotynskoye, Odoevskoye, Belevskoye, Mosalskoye, Serpeiskoye, Mezetskoye, Lyubutskoye, Mtsensk). Verkhovsky princes, who were from the second half of the 14th century. in vassal dependence on Lithuania, they began to transfer (“depart”) to Moscow service. These transitions began in the 1470s, but they did not become widespread until 1487. But after the victory of Ivan III (1462–1505) over the Kazan Khanate and the capture of Kazan, the Moscow state was able to concentrate forces for expansion to the west and provide effective support to the pro-Moscow-minded Verkhovsky princes. Already in August 1487, Prince I.M. Vorotynsky plundered Mezetsk and “left” for Moscow. At the beginning of October 1487, Ivan III refused to satisfy the protest of Lithuania, which led to the actual outbreak of hostilities, although war was not declared.

In the first period (1487–1492), the confrontation was limited to minor border skirmishes. Nevertheless, Moscow gradually expanded its zone of influence in the Verkhovsky principalities. The siege of Vorotynsk by the Russians (V.I. Kosoy Patrikeev) in the spring of 1489 had a particular impact on the local rulers. At the end of 1489, three Belevsky princes and two Vorotynsky princes went over to the side of Ivan III.

The death of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV on June 7, 1492 opened the way for a large-scale war between the two states. Already in August 1492, the Russian army of F.V. Telepnya Obolensky entered the Verkhovsky principalities, which captured Mtsensk and Lyubutsk; the allied detachments of I.M. Vorotynsky and the Odoevsky princes captured Mosalsk and Serpeisk. In August-September, the Russians (V. Lapin) invaded the possessions of the Vyazma princes vassal to Lithuania and took Khlepen and Rogachev. By the end of 1492, Odoev, Kozelsk, Przemysl and Serensk were under the rule of Ivan III.

The new Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander (1492–1506) tried to turn the situation in his favor. In January 1493, the Lithuanian army (Yu. Glebovich) entered the Verkhovsky lands and returned Serpeisk and the devastated Mtsensk. But the approach of a large Russian army (M.I. Kolyshka Patrikeev) forced the Lithuanians to retreat to Smolensk; Mezetsk capitulated, and Serpeisk, Opakov and Gorodechno were captured and burned. At the same time, another Russian army (D.V. Shchenya) forced Vyazma to surrender. Princes S.F. Vorotynsky, M.R. Mezetsky, A.Yu. Vyazemsky, V. and A. Belevsky accepted Moscow citizenship.

Having failed to obtain help from his brother, the Polish king Jan Olbracht, Alexander was forced to enter into negotiations with Ivan III. On February 5, 1494, the parties concluded the Eternal Peace, according to which Lithuania recognized the entry into the Moscow state of the “fatherland” of the princes Odoevsky, Vorotynsky, Belevsky and part of the possessions of the princes Vyazemsky and Mezetsky, and Moscow returned Lyubutsk, Serpeisk, Mosalsk, Opakov to it and renounced claims to Smolensk and Bryansk. The world was sealed by Alexander's marriage to Ivan III's daughter Elena.

As a result of the war, the Russian-Lithuanian border moved west and southwest to the upper reaches of the Ugra and Zhizdra.

Russo-Lithuanian War 1500–1503.

At the end of the 1490s, relations between Moscow and Vilna deteriorated again. The attempt of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander to convert his wife Elena Ivanovna to Catholicism caused extreme discontent of Ivan III, who, violating the conditions of the Eternal Peace, again began to accept border rulers into the service. The threat of a new clash with the Moscow state prompted Alexander to actively search for allies. On July 24, 1499, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland concluded the Union of Gorodel. Lithuanian diplomacy intensively negotiated with the Livonian Order and the Khan of the Great Horde, Sheikh Akhmet. In turn, Ivan III entered into an alliance with the Crimean Khanate.

In April 1500, princes S.I. Belsky, V.I. Shemyachich and S.I. Mozhaisky, who owned vast lands in the eastern part of the Grand Duchy (Belaya, Novgorod-Seversky, Rylsk, Radogoshch, Starodub, Gomel, Chernigov) transferred to Moscow citizenship , Karachev, Khotiml). Without waiting for the opening of hostilities on the part of Lithuania and its allies, Ivan III decided to launch a preemptive strike. In May 1500, Russian troops launched an offensive in three directions - southwestern (Novgorod-Seversky), western (Dorogobuzh, Smolensk) and northwestern (Toropets, Belaya). In the southwest, the Russian army (Ya.Z. Koshkin) captured Mtsensk, Serpeisk and Bryansk; Princes Trubetskoy and Mosalsky recognized vassal dependence on Ivan III. In the west, Moscow regiments (Yu.Z. Koshkin) captured Dorogobuzh. On July 14, D.V. Shchenya completely defeated 40 thousand. Lithuanian army on the river Bucket; Lithuanians lost approx. 8 thousand people, their commander K.I. Ostrozhsky was captured. On August 6, the army of Ya.Z. Koshkin took Putivl, on August 9, the northwestern group (A.F. Chelyadnin) captured Toropets.

The successes of the Russians caused concern among the Livonian Order, which concluded the Wenden Treaty with Lithuania on June 21, 1501 on joint military actions against the Moscow State. On August 26, 1501, the army of the Order under the command of Grand Master W. von Plettenberg crossed the border, and on August 27, it defeated the Russian troops on the Seritsa River (near Izborsk). The knights failed to capture Izborsk, but on September 8 they took Ostrov by storm. However, an epidemic that broke out in their ranks forced V. von Plettenberg to leave for Livonia. The Lithuanian attack on Opochka also ended in failure.

In response, Russian troops launched a double offensive in the fall of 1501 - against Lithuania and against the Order. At the end of October, D.V. Shchenya invaded Livonia and subjected North-Eastern Livonia to terrible devastation. On November 24, the Russians defeated the knights at the Gelmed castle. In the winter of 1501–1502, D.V. Shchenya carried out a raid on Revel (modern Tallinn), ravaging a significant part of Estonia.

The invasion of Lithuania was less successful. In October 1501, the Moscow army, reinforced by detachments of the allied Severn princes, moved towards Mstislavl. But, although the Russians managed to defeat the Lithuanian army on the outskirts of the city on November 4, they failed to take the city itself. The Great Horde's raid on the Seversk land (Sheikh-Akhmet captured Rylsk and Starodub and reached Bryansk) forced Ivan III to stop the offensive and transfer part of his troops to the south. Sheikh Akhmet had to retreat. An attack on the Great Horde by Moscow's ally Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey prevented Sheikh-Akhmet from uniting with the Lithuanians. In the first half of 1502, the Crimeans inflicted several defeats on the Great Horde; the Tatar threat to the southern borders of the Moscow state was temporarily eliminated.

In March 1502, the Livonian knights launched an attack on Ivangorod and the small fortress of Red Town in the Pskov region, but were repulsed. In the summer, the Russians struck in the western direction. At the end of July 1502, Moscow regiments under the command of Ivan III’s son Dmitry Zhilka besieged Smolensk, but were unable to take it. The Russians, however, managed to capture Orsha, but the approaching Lithuanian army (S. Yanovsky) recaptured Orsha and forced them to retreat from Smolensk. At the beginning of autumn, the Order's army again invaded the Pskov region. Having suffered a setback at Izborsk on September 2, it besieged Pskov on September 6. However, the approach of the Russian army (D.V. Shchenya) forced V. von Plettenberg to lift the siege. On September 13, D.V. Shchenya overtook the knights at the lake. Smolin, but his attempt to defeat them was unsuccessful.

The failure at Smolensk prompted the Russian command to change tactics: from the siege of fortresses, the Russians switched to raids with the aim of devastating enemy territory. This further undermined Lithuania's resources and forced Alexander to begin seeking peace with Moscow. Through the mediation of Hungary, he managed to persuade Ivan III to negotiate (March 1503), which ended with the signing of the Truce of Annunciation on March 25, 1503 (signed on the feast of the Annunciation) for six years. According to its terms, a vast territory in the west and southwest with 19 cities (Chernigov, Starodub, Putivl, Novgorod-Seversky, Gomel, Bryansk, Lyubech, Dorogobuzh, Toropets, Belaya, Mosalsk, Lyubutsk, Serpeisk, Mosalsk, etc.) went to the Moscow state ). Lithuania lost almost 1/3 of its territory. Moscow received a convenient springboard for further expansion in the direction of Smolensk and Kyiv.

Russian-Lithuanian War 1507–1508.

The parties were not satisfied with the results of the war of 1500–1503: Lithuania could not come to terms with the loss of the Seversk land, Moscow sought to continue its expansion to the west. The death of Ivan III on October 27, 1505 strengthened revanchist sentiments among the Lithuanian nobility. However, Alexander's attempt to start a war encountered resistance from his ally, the Livonian Order.

In 1506, the foreign policy situation of the Moscow state became sharply complicated. In the summer of 1506, Russian troops suffered a heavy defeat near Kazan. Relations with Crimea have deteriorated. The Crimean and Kazan khanates offered Lithuania to create an anti-Russian coalition, but on August 20, 1506, Alexander died. A military alliance with the Tatars was concluded by his successor Sigismund (Zygmunt) I the Old (crowned on January 20, 1507). On February 2, the Lithuanian Seimas decided to enter the war, without waiting for the expiration of the Annunciation Truce. The new Moscow Grand Duke Vasily III (1505–1533) rejected the ultimatum of Lithuania demanding the return of 1503 lands lost under the Eternal Peace. Having reached a peace agreement with the Kazan Khan Muhammad-Emin, he was able to transfer the freed troops to the west.

At the end of July - beginning of August 1507, the Lithuanians invaded Russian lands. They burned Chernigov and ravaged the Bryansk region. At the same time, the Crimean Tatars raided the Verkhovsky principalities. However, on August 9, the Moscow army (I.I. Kholmsky) defeated the Tatars on the Oka. Russian detachments (V.D. Kholmsky, Ya.Z. Kholmsky) entered Lithuanian borders. But their attempt to take control of Mstislavl in September 1507 failed.

In the second half of 1507, the foreign and domestic political situation of Lithuania changed for the worse. In fact, she was left without allies. Kazan made peace with Moscow, Crimea, involved in a conflict with the Nogai Horde, entered into negotiations with it, and the Livonian Order refused to help Sigismund I. A rebellion broke out in Lithuania itself among the Glinsky princes, who recognized themselves as vassals of Vasily III.

In March 1508, the Russians launched an offensive deep into Lithuanian territory. One Moscow army (Ya.Z. Koshkin, D.V. Shchenya) besieged Orsha, the other (V.I. Shemyachich) together with the detachments of M.L. Glinsky - Minsk and Slutsk. However, the only success of the allies was the capture of Drutsk. At the beginning of July 1508, Sigismund I moved to the aid of Orsha, and the Russians were forced to retreat beyond the Dnieper on July 22. The Lithuanians (K.I. Ostrozhsky) captured Belaya, Toropets and Dorogobuzh. But already at the beginning of September D.V. Schene managed to return the lost cities.

Under these conditions, Sigismund I began peace negotiations with Moscow on September 19, 1508, which ended with the conclusion of a compromise Eternal Peace on October 8: Lithuania recognized all the previous conquests of Ivan III, and the Glinskys had to renounce their possessions in Lithuania and leave for Moscow.

Russian-Lithuanian (Ten Years) War 1512–1522.

The reason for the new clash was the arrest of Grand Duchess Elena, who was trying to flee to her homeland, and the conclusion of the Lithuanian-Crimean treaty, which resulted in a series of devastating Tatar raids on the Trans-Oka lands in May, June, July and October 1512. In response, Vasily III declared war on Sigismund I .

In November, the Moscow regiments of I.M. Repni Obolensky and I.A. Chelyadnin destroyed the outskirts of Orsha, Drutsk, Borisov, Breslavl, Vitebsk and Minsk. In January 1513, an army under the command of Vasily III himself besieged Smolensk, but at the end of February it was forced to retreat. At the same time, V.I. Shemyachich’s detachment carried out a raid on Kyiv.

A new Russian offensive began in the summer of 1513. I.M. Repnya Obolensky besieged Smolensk, M.L. Glinsky - Polotsk and Vitebsk. Orsha was also besieged. But the approach of the large army of Sigismund I forced the Russians to withdraw to their territory.

In May 1514, Vasily III led a new campaign against Lithuania. After an almost three-month siege, he managed to force Smolensk to surrender on July 29–August 1. After this greatest strategic success of the Russians, Mstislavl, Krichev and Dubrovna capitulated without resistance. M.L. Glinsky moved to Orsha, M.I. Golitsa Bulgakov - to Borisov, Minsk and Drutsk. However, M.L. Glinsky informed Sigismund I about the plans of the Russian command, which greatly facilitated the Lithuanian counter-offensive. On September 8, 1514, the Polish-Lithuanian army (K.I. Ostrozhsky) completely defeated the main Russian forces near Orsha. Mstislavl, Krichev and Dubrovna again found themselves in the hands of Sigismund I. However, K. I. Ostrozhsky’s attempt to return Smolensk ended in failure. In January 1515, the Russians ravaged Roslavl.

In 1515–1516 the activity of military operations decreased significantly. The parties limited themselves to individual raids, usually unsuccessful (unsuccessful Russian attacks on Mstislavl and Vitebsk in 1515 and on Vitebsk in 1516, an ineffective Lithuanian attack on Gomel in 1516). In 1517, Lithuania and Crimea agreed on joint actions against the Moscow state, but Tatar raids in the summer and autumn of 1517 were repelled. In September 1517, K. I. Ostrogsky moved to Pskov, but in October he was detained near Opochka and retreated. Mutual exhaustion of forces led in October 1517 to the start of peace negotiations through the mediation of the German ambassador S. Herberstein, but they fell through due to Vasily III’s refusal to return Smolensk. In June 1518, Moscow regiments (V.V. Shuisky) besieged Polotsk, but were unable to take it. Other Russian troops devastated the outskirts of Vilna, Vitebsk, Minsk, Slutsk and Mogilev. In the summer of 1519, when the main Lithuanian forces were distracted by the Tatar invasion, the Russians carried out a successful raid in the Vilna direction, devastating the entire eastern part of the Principality of Lithuania. Russian raids continued in 1520.

In 1521 Poland and Lithuania went to war with the Livonian Order. At the same time, the Crimean Tatars made one of their most devastating raids on Russian lands. In this situation, the parties agreed to conclude the Moscow Truce for five years on September 14, 1522: Sigismund I ceded the Smolensk region to the Moscow state; in turn, Vasily III renounced his claims to Kyiv, Polotsk and Vitebsk and his demand for the return of Russian prisoners. As a result, Lithuania lost a territory of 23 thousand square meters. km with a population of approx. 100 thousand people

Russian-Lithuanian (Starodub) War 1534–1537.

In November 1526, after negotiations in Mozhaisk, the Moscow truce was extended for six years. True, in 1529 and 1531 there were small border conflicts, but constant Tatar raids kept Vasily III from a large-scale war. In March 1532, after the failure of a new round of negotiations on the Perpetual Peace, the truce was extended for another year.

After the death of Vasily III on December 4, 1533, the government of regent Elena Glinskaya proposed to Sigismund I to make peace. However, the military party triumphed in Lithuania, hoping to take advantage of the struggle for power that had begun in the Moscow upper crust. In February 1534, the Lithuanian Seimas decided to start the war. Sigismund I put forward an ultimatum to Moscow, demanding a return to the borders established by the Eternal Peace of 1508, but it was not accepted. Military operations began in August 1534, when the Lithuanians (A. Nemirovich) launched an offensive against Severshchina. In September, after an unsuccessful attack on Starodub, they defeated the Russians near Radogoshch and captured the city, but were unable to take Pochep and Chernigov. Another Lithuanian army (I. Vishnevetsky) besieged Smolensk in mid-September, but the approach of Russian troops forced it to retreat to Mogilev.

Taking advantage of the dissolution of the Lithuanian army on October 1, 1534, the Russians (D.S. Vorontsov, D.F. Chereda Paletsky) made a devastating raid on enemy territory, reaching Dolginov and Vitebsk. Even greater damage to the Lithuanian lands was caused by the offensive of the Moscow armies near Smolensk (M.V. Gorbaty Kisly), Opochka (B.I. Gorbaty) and Starodub (F.V. Ovchina Telepnev) in early February 1535. Difficulties with recruiting an army forced the Lithuanians to turn for help to the Poles, who sent an army to Lithuania under the command of J. Tarnovsky. In an effort to prevent the Polish-Lithuanian offensive in the western direction, the Russians besieged Mstislavl, but were unable to take it. At the northwestern theater in the lake area. Sebezh they built the Ivangorod fortress (future Sebezh). However, Sigismund I in July 1535 struck in a southwestern direction. On July 16, Polish-Lithuanian troops took Gomel, and on July 30 they besieged Starodub. Due to the raid of the Crimean Tatars on the Ryazan region (August 1535), the Russian command was not able to provide assistance to the fortress; Starodub was taken by storm (mines were used here for the first time in the Russian-Lithuanian wars) and completely destroyed. The Russians abandoned Pochep and retreated to Bryansk. But lack of resources forced the Polish-Lithuanian army to stop the offensive.

Having lost hope of achieving a decisive turning point in the war, Sigismund I began negotiations with Moscow in September 1535. There was a pause in hostilities. True, on September 27, 1536, the Lithuanians (A. Nemirovich) tried to capture Sebezh, but were repulsed with great damage. The threat of attack by the Crimean and Kazan Tatars, however, prevented the Russians from switching to an offensive strategy; they limited themselves to strengthening the border (construction of Zavolochye and Velizh, restoration of Starodub) and raids on Lithuanian territory (on Lyubech and Vitebsk).

On February 18, 1537, the warring parties concluded the Moscow Truce for five years; under its terms, the Gomel volost was returned to Lithuania, but Sebezh and Zavolochye remained with the Moscow state.

The Russian-Lithuanian War of 1563–1582 and the loss of the Velizh district.

As a result of the Russian-Lithuanian wars, the Moscow state was able to significantly expand its territory in the west and southwest at the expense of part of the Western Russian regions subject to Lithuania, establish itself as the leading center for the unification of Russian lands and strengthen its foreign policy position in Eastern Europe. However, these wars turned out to be only the first stage of the struggle for control over the Western Russian regions: after the final unification of Lithuania and Poland into a single state (Union of Lublin 1569), this struggle developed into a confrontation between the Moscow state and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ( cm. LIVONIAN WAR RUSSIAN-POLISH WARS).

Ivan Krivushin

Russian-Lithuanian War (Border War) 1487–1494.

As a result of the war, the Russian-Lithuanian border moved west and southwest to the upper reaches of the Ugra and Zhizdra.