In 1558 he declared war on the Livonian Order. The reason for the start of the war was that the Livonians detained 123 Western specialists on their territory who were heading to Russia. The failure of the Livonians to pay tribute for their capture of Yuryev (Derpt) in 1224 also played a significant role. The campaign, which began in 1558 and lasted until 1583, was called the Livonian War. The Livonian War can be divided into three periods, each of which went with varying degrees of success for the Russian army.
First period of the war
In 1558 - 1563, Russian troops finally completed the defeat of the Livonian Order (1561), took a number of Livonian cities: Narva, Dorpat, and approached Tallinn and Riga. The last major success of Russian troops at this time was the capture of Polotsk in 1563. Since 1563, it has become clear that the Livonian War is becoming protracted for Russia.
Second period of the Livonian War
The second period of the Livonian War begins in 1563 and ends in 1578. For Russia, the war with Livonia turned into a war against Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Lithuania. The situation was complicated by the fact that the Russian economy was weakened due to devastation. A prominent Russian military leader, a former member betrays and goes over to the side of his opponents. In 1569, Poland and Lithuania united into a single state - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Third period of the war
The third period of the war takes place in 1579 - 1583. During these years, Russian troops fought defensive battles, where the Russians lost several of their cities, such as: Polotsk (1579), Velikiye Luki (1581). The third period of the Livonian War was marked by the heroic defense of Pskov. Voivode Shuisky led the defense of Pskov. The city held out for five months and repelled about 30 assaults. This event allowed Russia to sign a truce.
Results of the Livonian War
The results of the Livonian War were disappointing for the Russian state. As a result of the Livonian War, Russia lost the Baltic lands, which were captured by Poland and Sweden. The Livonian War greatly depleted Russia. But the main task of this war - gaining access to the Baltic Sea - was never completed.
Description of the Livonian War
The Livonian War (1558–1583) was a war of the Russian kingdom against the Livonian Order, the Polish-Lithuanian state, Sweden and Denmark for hegemony in the Baltic states.
Main events (Livonian War - briefly)
Causes: Access to the Baltic Sea. Hostile policy of the Livonian Order.
Occasion: Refusal of the order to pay tribute for Yuriev (Dorpat).
First stage (1558-1561): Capture of Narva, Yuryev, Fellin, capture of Master Furstenberg, Livonian Order How military force practically ceased to exist.
Second stage (1562-1577): Entry into the war of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (since 1569) and Sweden. Capture of Polotsk (1563). Defeat on the river Ule and near Orsha (1564). Capture of Weissenstein (1575) and Wenden (1577).
Third stage (1577-1583): Campaign of Stefan Batory, Fall of Polotsk, Velikiye Luki. Defense of Pskov (August 18, 1581 - February 4, 1582) Capture of Narva, Ivangorod, Koporye by the Swedes.
1582– Yam-Zapolsky truce with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Ivan the Terrible’s refusal from Livonia for the return of lost Russian fortresses).
1583– Plyusskoe truce with Sweden (renunciation of Estland, concession to the Swedes of Narva, Koporye, Ivangorod, Korela).
Causes of defeat: incorrect assessment of the balance of power in the Baltic states, weakening of the state as a result of the internal policies of Ivan IV.
Progress of the Livonian War (1558–1583) (full description)
Causes
In order to start a war, formal reasons were found, but the real reasons were Russia’s geopolitical need to gain access to the Baltic Sea, as it would be more convenient for direct connections with the centers of European civilizations, and the desire to participate in the division of the territory of the Livonian Order, the progressive collapse of which became obvious, but which, not wanting to strengthen Muscovite Russia, prevented its external contacts.
Russia had a small section of the Baltic coast, from the Neva basin to Ivangorod. However, it was strategically vulnerable and had no ports or developed infrastructure. Ivan the Terrible hoped to take advantage of the Livonia transport system. He considered it an ancient Russian fiefdom, which was illegally seized by the crusaders.
The forceful solution to the problem predetermined the defiant behavior of the Livonians themselves, who, even according to their historians, acted unreasonably. Mass pogroms served as a reason for aggravation of relations Orthodox churches in Livonia. Even at that time, the truce between Moscow and Livonia (concluded in 1504 as a result of the Russian-Lithuanian war of 1500-1503) had expired. To extend it, the Russians demanded payment of the Yuriev tribute, which the Livonians were obliged to pay again Ivan III, but in 50 years they have never collected it. Having recognized the need to pay it, they again did not fulfill their obligations.
1558 - the Russian army entered Livonia. Thus began the Livonian War. It lasted 25 years, becoming the longest and one of the most difficult in Russian history.
First stage (1558-1561)
In addition to Livonia, the Russian Tsar wanted to conquer the East Slavic lands, which were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. 1557, November - he concentrated a 40,000-strong army in Novgorod for a campaign in the Livonian lands.
Capture of Narva and Syrensk (1558)
In December, this army under the command of the Tatar prince Shig-Aley, Prince Glinsky and other governors advanced to Pskov. Meanwhile, the auxiliary army of Prince Shestunov began fighting from the Ivangorod area to the mouth of the Narva River (Narova). 1558, January - the tsarist army approached Yuryev (Dorpt), but was unable to capture it. Then part of the Russian army turned to Riga, and the main forces headed to Narva (Rugodiv), where they united with Shestunov’s army. There was a lull in the fighting. Only the garrisons of Ivangorod and Narva fired at each other. On May 11, Russians from Ivangorod attacked the Narva fortress and were able to take it the next day.
Soon after the capture of Narva, Russian troops under the command of governors Adashev, Zabolotsky and Zamytsky and Duma clerk Voronin were ordered to capture the Syrensk fortress. On June 2, the shelves were under its walls. Adashev set up barriers on the Riga and Kolyvan roads to prevent the main forces of the Livonians under the command of the Master of the Order from reaching Syrensk. On June 5, large reinforcements from Novgorod approached Adashev, which the besieged saw. On the same day, artillery shelling of the fortress began. The next day the garrison surrendered.
Capture of Neuhausen and Dorpat (1558)
From Syrensk, Adashev returned to Pskov, where the entire Russian army was concentrated. In mid-June it took the fortresses of Neuhausen and Dorpat. The entire north of Livonia came under Russian control. The Order's army was numerically several times inferior to the Russians and, moreover, was scattered among separate garrisons. It could do nothing against the king's army. Until October 1558, the Russians in Livonia were able to capture 20 castles.
Battle of Thiersen
1559, January - Russian troops marched on Riga. Near Tiersen they defeated the Livonian army, and near Riga they burned the Livonian fleet. Although it was not possible to capture the Riga fortress, 11 more Livonian castles were taken.
Truce (1559)
The Master of the Order was forced to conclude a truce before the end of 1559. By November of this year, the Livonians were able to recruit Landsknechts in Germany and resume the war. But failures never ceased to haunt them.
1560, January - the army of governor Borboshin captured the fortresses of Marienburg and Fellin. The Livonian Order practically ceased to exist as a military force.
1561 - the last master of the Livonian Order, Kettler, recognized himself as a vassal of the King of Poland and divided Livonia between Poland and Sweden (the island of Ezel went to Denmark). The Poles got Livonia and Courland (Kettler became Duke of the latter), the Swedes got Estland.
Second stage (1562-1577)
Poland and Sweden began to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from Livonia. Ivan the Terrible not only did not comply with this demand, but also invaded the territory of Lithuania, allied with Poland, at the end of 1562. His army numbered 33,407 men. The goal of the campaign was well-fortified Polotsk. 1563, February 15 - Polotsk, unable to withstand the fire of 200 Russian guns, capitulated. Ivan's army moved to Vilna. The Lithuanians were forced to conclude a truce until 1564. After the resumption of the war, Russian troops occupied almost the entire territory of Belarus.
But the repressions that began against the leaders of the “elected Rada” - the de facto government until the end of the 50s, had negative impact on the combat effectiveness of the Russian army. Many of the governors and nobles, fearing reprisals, preferred to flee to Lithuania. In the same 1564, one of the most prominent governors, Prince Andrei Kurbsky, moved there, close to the Adashev brothers who were part of the elected council and fearing for his life. The subsequent oprichnina terror further weakened the Russian army.
1) Ivan the Terrible; 2) Stefan Batory
Formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
1569 - as a result of the Union of Lublin, Poland and Lithuania formed a single state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Republic), under the leadership of the King of Poland. Now the Polish army came to the aid of the Lithuanian army.
1570 - fighting intensified in both Lithuania and Livonia. To secure the Baltic lands, Ivan IV decided to create his own fleet. At the beginning of 1570 he issued " letter of commendation"to organize a privateer (private) fleet, which acted on behalf of the Russian Tsar, to the Dane Karsten Rode. Rohde was able to arm several ships, and he caused significant damage to Polish maritime trade. In order to have a reliable naval base, the Russian army in the same 1570 tried to capture Revel, thereby starting a war with Sweden. But the city unhinderedly received supplies from the sea, and Grozny was forced to lift the siege after 7 months. The Russian privateer fleet was never able to become a formidable force.
Third stage (1577-1583)
After a 7-year lull, in 1577, the 32,000-strong army of Ivan the Terrible launched a new campaign to Revel. But this time the siege of the city brought nothing. Then Russian troops went to Riga, capturing Dinaburg, Volmar and several other castles. But these successes were not decisive.
Meanwhile, the situation on the Polish front began to become more complicated. 1575 - an experienced military leader, the Transylvanian prince, was elected king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was able to form a strong army, which also included German and Hungarian mercenaries. Batory entered into an alliance with Sweden, and the united Polish-Swedish army in the fall of 1578 was able to defeat the 18,000-strong Russian army, which lost 6,000 people killed and captured and 17 guns.
By the start of the 1579 campaign, Stefan Batory and Ivan IV had approximately equal main armies of 40,000 men each. After the defeat at Wenden, Grozny was not confident in his abilities and proposed to begin peace negotiations. But Batory rejected this proposal and went on the offensive against Polotsk. In the autumn, Polish troops besieged the city and, after a month-long siege, captured it. The army of governors Shein and Sheremetev, sent to the rescue of Polotsk, only reached the Sokol fortress. They did not dare to engage in battle with superior enemy forces. Soon the Poles captured Sokol, defeating the troops of Sheremetev and Shein. The Russian Tsar clearly did not have enough strength to successfully fight on two fronts at once - in Livonia and Lithuania. After the capture of Polotsk, the Poles took several cities in the Smolensk and Seversk lands, and then returned to Lithuania.
1580 - Batory launched a large campaign against Rus', he captured and ravaged the cities of Ostrov, Velizh and Velikiye Luki. At the same time, the Swedish army under the command of Pontus Delagardie took the city of Korela and the eastern part of the Karelian Isthmus.
1581 - the Swedish army captured Narva, and the following year they occupied Ivangorod, Yam and Koporye. Russian troops were expelled from Livonia. The fighting moved to Russian territory.
Siege of Pskov (August 18, 1581 – February 4, 1582)
1581 - a 50,000-strong Polish army led by the king besieged Pskov. It was a very strong fortress. The city, which stood on the right, high bank of the Velikaya River at the confluence of the Pskov River, was surrounded by a stone wall. It stretched for 10 km and had 37 towers and 48 gates. However, from the side of the Velikaya River, from where it was difficult to expect an enemy attack, the wall was wooden. Under the towers there were underground passages that provided secret communication between different sections of the defense. The city had significant supplies of food, weapons and ammunition.
Russian troops were dispersed over many points from where an enemy invasion was expected. The Tsar himself, with a significant detachment in number, stopped in Staritsa, not risking going towards the Polish army marching towards Pskov.
When the sovereign learned about the invasion of Stefan Batory, the army of Prince Ivan Shuisky, appointed “great governor,” was sent to Pskov. 7 other governors were subordinate to him. All residents of Pskov and the garrison were sworn that they would not surrender the city, but would fight to the end. The total number of Russian troops defending Pskov reached 25,000 people and was approximately half the size of Batory’s army. By order of Shuisky, the outskirts of Pskov were devastated so that the enemy could not find fodder and food there.
Livonian War 1558-1583. Stefan Batory near Pskov
On August 18, Polish troops approached the city within 2–3 cannon shots. For a week, Batory conducted reconnaissance of Russian fortifications and only on August 26 gave the order to his troops to approach the city. But the soldiers soon came under fire from Russian cannons and retreated to the Cherekha River. There Batory set up a fortified camp.
The Poles began to dig trenches and set up tours to get closer to the walls of the fortress. On the night of September 4-5, they drove up to the Pokrovskaya and Svinaya towers on the southern face of the walls and, having placed 20 guns, on the morning of September 6 began to fire at both towers and the 150 m wall between them. By the evening of September 7, the towers were severely damaged, and a 50 m wide gap appeared in the wall. However, the besieged managed to build a new wooden wall against the gap.
On September 8, the Polish army launched an assault. The attackers were able to capture both damaged towers. But with shots from the large Bars cannon, capable of sending cannonballs over a distance of more than 1 km, the Pig Tower occupied by the Poles was destroyed. Then the Russians blew up its ruins by rolling up barrels of gunpowder. The explosion served as a signal for a counterattack, which was led by Shuisky himself. The Poles were unable to hold the Pokrovskaya Tower and retreated.
After the unsuccessful assault, Batory ordered digging to blow up the walls. The Russians were able to destroy two tunnels with the help of mine galleries, but the enemy was never able to complete the rest. On October 24, Polish batteries began shelling Pskov from across the Velikaya River with hot cannonballs to start fires, but the city’s defenders quickly dealt with the fire. After 4 days, a Polish detachment with crowbars and picks approached the wall from the Velikaya side between the corner tower and the Pokrovsky Gate and destroyed the base of the wall. It collapsed, but it turned out that behind this wall there was another wall and a ditch, which the Poles could not overcome. The besieged threw stones and pots of gunpowder on their heads, poured boiling water and tar.
On November 2, the Poles launched their final assault on Pskov. This time Batory's army attacked the western wall. Before this, it had been subjected to heavy shelling for 5 days and was destroyed in several places. However, the Russians met the enemy with heavy fire, and the Poles turned back without reaching the breaches.
By that time, the morale of the besiegers had dropped noticeably. However, the besieged also experienced considerable difficulties. The main forces of the Russian army in Staritsa, Novgorod and Rzhev were inactive. Only two detachments of archers of 600 people each tried to break through to Pskov, but more than half of them died or were captured.
On November 6, Batory removed the guns from the batteries, stopped siege work and began preparing for the winter. At the same time, he sent detachments of Germans and Hungarians to capture the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery 60 km from Pskov, but a garrison of 300 archers, with the support of monks, successfully repelled two attacks, and the enemy was forced to retreat.
Stefan Batory, convinced that he could not take Pskov, in November handed over command to Hetman Zamoyski, and he himself went to Vilna, taking with him almost all the mercenaries. As a result, the number of Polish troops decreased by almost half - to 26,000 people. The besiegers suffered from cold and disease, and the death toll and desertion increased.
Results and consequences
Under these conditions, Batory agreed to a ten-year truce. It was concluded in Yama-Zapolsky on January 15, 1582. Rus' renounced all its conquests in Livonia, and the Poles liberated the Russian cities they had occupied.
1583 - the Truce of Plus was signed with Sweden. Yam, Koporye and Ivangorod passed to the Swedes. Only a small section of the Baltic coast at the mouth of the Neva remained behind Russia. But in 1590, after the expiration of the truce, hostilities between the Russians and Swedes resumed and this time were successful for the Russians. As a result, under the Tyavzin Treaty of “Eternal Peace,” Rus' regained Yam, Koporye, Ivangorod and Korelsky district. But this was only small consolation. In general, Ivan IV's attempt to gain a foothold in the Baltic failed.
At the same time, acute contradictions between Poland and Sweden on the issue of control over Livonia eased the position of the Russian Tsar, excluding a joint Polish-Swedish invasion of Rus'. The resources of Poland alone, as the experience of Batory’s campaign against Pskov showed, were clearly insufficient to capture and retain a significant territory of the Muscovite kingdom. At the same time, the Livonian War showed that Sweden and Poland had a formidable enemy in the east that they had to reckon with.
The Livonian War of 1558-1583 became one of the most important campaigns of the entire 16th century, perhaps.
Livonian War: brief background
After the great Moscow Tsar managed to conquer Kazan and
Astrakhan Khanate, Ivan IV turned his attention to the Baltic lands and access to the Baltic Sea. The capture of these territories for the Muscovite kingdom would mean promising opportunities for trade in the Baltic. At the same time, it was extremely unprofitable for the German merchants and the Livonian Order, who had already settled there, to allow new competitors into the region. The Livonian War was supposed to be the resolution of these contradictions. The formal reason for it should also be briefly mentioned. They were motivated by the non-payment of tribute which the Bishopric of Dorpat was obliged to pay in favor of Moscow according to the treaty of 1554. Formally, such tribute existed since the beginning of the 16th century. However, in practice, no one remembered it for a long time. Only with the aggravation of relations between the parties did he use this fact as a justification for the Russian invasion of the Baltic.
Livonian War: briefly about the vicissitudes of the conflict
Russian troops launched an invasion of Livonia in 1558. The first phase of the conflict, which lasted until 1561, ended
crushing defeat of the Livonian Order. The armies of the Moscow Tsar carried out pogroms across eastern and central Livonia. Dorpat and Riga were taken. In 1559, the parties concluded a truce for six months, which was supposed to develop into a peace treaty on the terms of the Livonian Order from Russia. But the kings of Poland and Sweden hastened to the aid of the German knights. King Sigismund II, through a diplomatic maneuver, managed to take the order under his own protectorate. And in November 1561, under the terms of the Vilna Treaty, the Livonian Order ceased to exist. Its territories are divided between Lithuania and Poland. Now Ivan the Terrible had to confront three powerful rivals at once: the Principality of Lithuania, the Kingdoms of Poland and Sweden. With the latter, however, the Moscow Tsar managed to quickly make peace for some time. In 1562-63, the second large-scale campaign to the Baltic began. The events of the Livonian War at this stage continued to develop well. However, already in the mid-1560s, relations between Ivan the Terrible and the boyars of the Chosen Rada deteriorated to the limit. The situation worsens further due to the flight of one of the closest princely associates, Andrei Kurbsky, to Lithuania and his defection to the enemy’s side (the reason that prompted the boyar was the growing despotism in the Moscow principality and the infringement of the ancient liberties of the boyars). After this event, Ivan the Terrible becomes completely embittered, seeing all the traitors around him. In parallel with this, defeats occurred at the front, which the prince explained by internal enemies. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland united into a single state, which
strengthens their power. In the late 1560s - early 70s, Russian troops suffered a number of defeats and even lost several fortresses. Since 1579, the war has become more defensive in nature. However, in 1579 the enemy captured Polotsk, in 1580 Velikiy Luk, and in 1582 the long siege of Pskov continued. The need for peace and respite for the state after decades of military campaigns becomes obvious.
Livonian War: briefly about the consequences
The war ended with the signing of the Plyussky and Yam-Zapolsky truces, which were extremely unfavorable for Moscow. The exit was never obtained. Instead, the prince received an exhausted and devastated country that found itself in an extremely difficult situation. The consequences of the Livonian War accelerated the internal crisis that led to the Great Troubles of the early 16th century.
In the 16th century, Russia needed access to the Baltic Sea. He opened trade routes and eliminated intermediaries: German merchants and Teutonic knights. But between Russia and Europe stood Livonia. And Russia lost the war with it.
Beginning of the war
Livonia, also known as Livonia, was located on the territory of modern Estonia and Latvia. Initially, this was the name given to the lands inhabited by the Livs. In the 16th century, Livonia was under the control of the Livonian Order - military and political organization German Catholic knights.
In January 1558, Ivan IV began to “cut a window to Europe.” The moment was chosen well. The knighthood and clergy of Livonia were disunited, weakened by the Reformation, and the local population was tired of the Teutons.
The reason for the war was the non-payment to Moscow by the bishopric of the city of Dorpat (aka Yuryev, also known as modern Tartu) of the “Yuryev tribute” from the possessions ceded by the Russian princes.
Russian army
By the middle of the 16th century, Russia was already a powerful power. Reforms, centralization of power, and the creation of special infantry units—the Streltsy Army—played a big role. The army was armed with modern artillery: the use of a carriage made it possible to use guns in the field. There were factories for the production of gunpowder, weapons, cannons and cannonballs. New methods of taking fortresses were developed.
Before starting the war, Ivan the Terrible secured the country from raids from the east and south. Kazan and Astrakhan were taken, and a truce was concluded with Lithuania. In 1557, the war with Sweden ended in victory.
First successes
The first campaign of the Russian army of 40 thousand people took place in the winter of 1558. The main goal was to get the Livonians to voluntarily cede Narva. The Russians easily reached the Baltic. The Livonians were forced to send diplomats to Moscow and agreed to transfer Narva to Russia. But soon the Narva Vogt von Schlennenberg ordered the shelling of the Russian fortress of Ivangorod, provoking a new Russian invasion.
20 fortresses were taken, including Narva, Neishloss, Neuhaus, Kiripe and Dorpat. The Russian army came close to Revel and Riga.
On January 17, 1559, the Germans were defeated in a major battle near Tiersen, after which they again concluded a truce, again for a short time.
By the fall, the Livonian master Gotthard von Ketler had secured the support of Sweden and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and opposed the Russians. Near Dorpat, the Livonians defeated the detachment of the governor Zakhary Ochin-Pleshcheev, then began the siege of Yuryev, but the city survived. They tried to take Lais, but they carried him away major losses and retreated. The Russian counter-offensive took place only in 1560. The troops of Ivan the Terrible occupied the strongest fortress of the knights Fellin and Marienburg.
The war drags on
Russian successes accelerated the collapse of the Teutonic Order. Revel and the cities of Northern Estonia swore allegiance to the Swedish crown. Master Ketler became a vassal of the Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund II Augustus. The Lithuanians occupied more than 10 cities of Livonia.
In response to Lithuanian aggression, Moscow governors invaded the territory of Lithuania and Livonia. Tarvast (Taurus) and Verpel (Polchev) were captured. Then the Lithuanians “walked” through the Smolensk and Pskov regions, after which full-scale hostilities unfolded along the entire border.
Ivan the Terrible himself led an army of 80 thousand. In January 1563, the Russians moved to Polotsk, besieged and captured it.
The decisive battle with the Lithuanians took place on the Ulla River on January 26, 1564, and thanks to the betrayal of Prince Andrei Kurbsky, it turned out to be a defeat for the Russians. The Lithuanian army went on the offensive. At the same time, the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey approached Ryazan.
Formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
In 1569, Lithuania and Poland became a single state - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Ivan the Terrible had to make peace with the Poles and deal with relations with Sweden, where his enemy Johan III ascended the throne.
On the lands of Livonia captured by the Russians, Ivan the Terrible created a vassal kingdom under the leadership of the Danish prince Magnus of Holstein.
In 1572, King Sigismund died. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was on the threshold civil war. In 1577, a Russian army invaded the Baltic states, and Russia soon gained control of the coast of the Gulf of Finland, but the victory was short-lived.
The turning point of the war occurred after the accession of Stefan Batory to the Polish throne. He suppressed the unrest in the country and, in alliance with Sweden, opposed Russia. He was supported by the Duke of Mangus, the Saxon Elector Augustus and the Elector of Brandenburg Johann Georg.
From offense to defense
On September 1, 1578, Polotsk fell, then the Smolensk region and the Seversk land were devastated. Two years later, the Poles again invaded Russia and took Velikiye Luki. Pali Narva, Ozerische, Zavolochye. The army of Prince Khilkov was defeated near Toropets. The Swedes occupied the Padis fortress in Western Estonia.
Batory invaded Russia for the third time in 1581. His goal was Pskov. However, the Russians figured out the Poles' plans. It was not possible to take the city.
In 1581, Russia was in a difficult situation. In addition to the Poles, she was threatened by the Swedes and the Crimean Khan. Ivan the Terrible was forced to ask for peace on the enemy’s terms. The negotiations were mediated by Pope Gregory XIII, who hoped to strengthen the Vatican's position in the East. Negotiations took place in Yam Zapolsky and ended with the conclusion of a ten-year truce.
Results
Ivan the Terrible's attempt to open a window to Europe ended in failure.
According to the agreement, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth returned to the Russians Velikie Luki, Zavolochye, Nevel, Kholm, Rzhev Pustya, the Pskov suburbs of Ostrov, Krasny, Voronech, Velyu, Vrev, Vladimerets, Dubkov, Vyshgorod, Vyborets, Izborsk, Opochka, Gdov, Kobylye fortification and Sebezh.
The Moscow state transferred 41 Livonian cities to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The Swedes decided to finish off the Russians. In the fall of 1581, they captured Narva and Ivangorod and forced them to sign peace on their own terms. The Livonian War is over. Russia lost part of its own territories and three border fortresses. The Russians retained only the small fortress of Oreshek on the Neva and a corridor along the river a little more than 30 kilometers long. The Baltic remained unattainable.
The largest of the wars waged by the Russians in the 16th century, but at the same time it was an important political event for a number of European states, and for European history as a whole. Since the 13th century, Livonia, as a confederation, was part of the German Empire. By the beginning of the 16th century, this huge medieval state was at the stage of collapse. It represented an outdated, loosely cohesive political body, based on and still dominated by a remnant of inter-tribal alliances.
Germany did not have its own national identity at the time of the development of the money economy. The once powerful and bloodthirsty Livonian Order completely lost its belligerence and could not resist the new young state, which considered the unity of the nation a priority in its policy and energetically, regardless of means, pursued national policy.
Geopolitics of Northern European states in the 16th century
Without exception, all the powers surrounding Livonia would not refuse, under favorable circumstances, to annex the south-eastern coast of the Baltic. The Principality of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland were interested in having access to the sea in order to carry out direct trade relations with Western countries, and not pay a huge duty for the use of foreign sea areas. Sweden and Denmark did not need to acquire maritime trade routes in the Baltic Sea; they were quite satisfied with receiving transit duties from merchants, which were very significant.
Trade routes passed not only through the sea, but also overland. Both states played the role of gatekeepers, and there was fierce competition between them in this regard. It is clear that further fate Livonia was not indifferent to the decrepit Germany, disintegrating into small principalities. And the attitude towards the claims of the young Moscow Tsar was far from clear. Far-sighted political men from the overthrown Hanseatic League dreamed of using the growing power of Moscow to restore its former trading power in the east.
Livonia also became a battlefield for states located very far from the Baltic coast. England and Spain continued their dispute in western waters.
Results of the Livonian War
Therefore, after the Russian troops defeated the Livonians, and the diplomatic negotiations of the northern states did not lead to the desired results, they all rallied as a united front against the troops. The war lasted for almost 30 years and its results for the Moscow state were not at all comforting. The main task of accessing the Baltic Sea was not solved. Instead of two neighbors eternally hostile to Russia - Principality of Lithuania and Poland, a new strong state of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took shape.
As a result of a ten-year truce, which was formalized on January 5, 1582 in the village of Yame Zapolski, this new state secured most of the Baltic states. The trophies of war included 41 cities and fortresses occupied by Russian troops. Economy Russian state was drained of blood and its political prestige undermined.
Interesting facts about the results of the Livonian War
- The Livonians were amazed by the generosity of the Russian troops, who removed church property from Orthodox churches, but left weapons in the fortresses - guns, a large number of gunpowder and cannonballs.
- As a result of the defeat, the Russians, who had lived in Livonia for centuries, had to leave the Baltic states and return to Novgorod, Pskov and other cities, although most of the cities abandoned had Russian names.
