Battle of Grunwald. J. Matejko. 1878

1410 On July 15, the Battle of Grunwald took place between the knights of the Teutonic Order on one side and the united Polish-Russian-Lithuanian army on the other.

“Battle of Grunwald 1410 [in it. literature - the battle of Tannenberg (Stembark)], the decisive battle " Great War » 1409-11, in which Polish-Lithuanian-Russian troops defeated the troops of the Teutonic Order on July 15. On July 3, the Polish-Lithuanian Russian army under the command of the Polish king Władysław II Jagiełło (Jagiello) set out from the Czerwińska region to Marienburg (Malbork) and met in the Grunwald region with the main forces of the order under the command of Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen. The order's army (27 thousand people) consisted of German, French and other knights and mercenary detachments (Swiss, British, etc.), with a total of 51 banners. The allied army (32 thousand people) included Polish, Lithuanian, Russian (including Ukrainian and Belarusian), Wallachian, Czech-Moravian, Hungarian and Tatar detachments, united in 91 banners. On July 14, the allied army concentrated in the forest near the lake. Luben and, having discovered the enemy, formed for battle. The Allied battle formation consisted of 3 lines on a 2 km front. On the right wing deployed 40 Lithuanian-Russian banners under the command of the Lithuanian prince Vytautas, on the left - 42 Polish, 7 Russian and 2 Czech banners under the command of Crown Marshal Zbigniew. The Tatar cavalry was also located on the right flank. The position of the allied troops was covered from the right flank and rear by a swamp and a river. Marsha (Maranza), and on the left there is a forest. The crusaders formed in 2 lines on a front of 2.5 km, having 20 banners on the right wing under the command of Liechtenstein, on the left wing 15 banners under the command of Wallenrod; 16 banners remained in reserve (2nd line). The Teutons positioned their troops on high ground to force the enemy to attack up the slope. Bombards and crossbowmen took up positions in front of the front of both sides. The battle began with a volley of bombards from the Order, but their fire did not cause much harm to the allies. The Tatar cavalry and the 1st line of Vytautas' troops attacked the left flank of the crusaders, but were overturned by Wallenrod's knights. The 2nd and 3rd lines of Vytautas’ troops entered the battle, but the Teutons again drove them back and then began to pursue them. The situation was saved by 3 Russian-Smolensk banners under the command of Prince Semyon Lingven Olgerdovich. They did not leave the battlefield and, bravely defending themselves, pinned down part of Wallenrod’s forces. At this time, Polish banners boldly attacked the right flank of the crusaders and broke through the front of the Liechtenstein troops. The successful attack of the Polish troops, as well as the courage of the Russian soldiers, their skillful actions in the battle against the knights of Wallenrod allowed the Lithuanian banners to stop the enemy and then go on the offensive. Through the combined efforts of Russian and Lithuanian banners, Wallenrod's troops were defeated. On the left wing, Polish, Russian and Czech troops and the Lithuanian and Russian banners that came to their aid surrounded the Liechtenstein troops and began to destroy them. Grandmaster Jungingen brought his reserve into battle, but Jagiello moved the 3rd line of his troops towards him, which defeated the last banners of the Teutons. All the leaders of the order, led by Grandmaster Jungingen, died in the battle. In the Battle of Grunwald, the allied forces, fighting for the independence of their peoples, won an outstanding victory and stopped the Teutonic aggression to the east. The Battle of Grunwald revealed a number of negative qualities knightly army - its clumsiness, stereotyped actions, low moral qualities. Allied infantry showed the ability to conduct successful fighting against heavy knightly cavalry. Russian troops showed especially high fighting qualities in the Battle of Grunwald. The victory in the Battle of Grunwald became a symbol of the military partnership of the Slavic and Baltic peoples. The Battle of Grunwald contributed to the development of the liberation movement in the Czech Republic - Husism. In 1960, a monument was erected on the site of the Battle of Grunwald.”

Quoted from: Soviet military encyclopedia in 8 volumes. Volume 3. Ed. Grechko A.A. M.: Voenizdat, 1976-1980

History in faces

Suprasl Chronicle:
B summer 6918. Photei came from Constantinople to become metropolitan, to install over the entire Russian land, the birth of buckwheat. He installed Patriarch Matthew under Tsar Manuel, and came to Moscow under Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich on the Great Day. That same year, Prince Volodimer Andrevich was assigned to the month of May on the 14th day. That same year, Prince Danilo Borisovich of Nizhny Novgorod and from the Tatars took the city of Volodymer and the miraculous icon of the Holy Mother of God, turning it into gold, and much evil was created. That same year, Photei appointed Metropolitan Bishop of Rezan, Sergius Ozakov, and then a month later, installed a bishop in Kolomna, abbot of Yaroslavl. That autumn there was a massacre of King Jagiel, named Vladislav, and the great prince Vitovt Kestutevich from the Germans and from the Russians in the Prussian lands, between the cities of Dubrovna and Ostreda. And I killed the mister and the marshal, and destroyed the kundurs, and destroyed all their German strength, and plundered the German cities, but only three cities were not given to King Vitovt. And that autumn she went to three massacres with the Germans, the Poles and the Lyakhs, but the Germans were beaten, and in all these massacres there were many baptisms of the fallen and the Lithuanians and the Poles. And I stood near the Marina city for 8 weeks and took the Marina city for two hunts, but did not take the one on high, and walked through the German lands on another for ten weeks.

In the ideology of modern Belarus and Lithuania " Battle of Orsha" often portrayed as a pan-European event that changed history of Eastern Europe, however, many researchers do not share such optimistic views on " Great Battle» . What actually happened? in the autumn of 1514 on the banks of the Dnieper , where did the Russian regiments meet with the army of Hetman Konstantin Ostrozhsky? Is it true that 40 thousand Russians died in the battle, and what were the consequences of one of them? biggest battles Russian-Lithuanian wars?

The Russian state at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century.

Two principalities.

In less than half a century (from 1487 to 1522) two great principalities: Moscow and Lithuania fought wars with each other four times. The reasons for the victory were different each time, but the reason remained the same: Moscow, gaining strength, increasingly remembered about the lands “taken away” from the Rurikovichs by the Lithuanian princes. Lithuania’s active intervention in Moscow affairs was also not to be liked Ivan III, and after that to his son Vasily. Gradually they came under the wing of Moscow Chernigov lands, Seversky principalities and other lands. One of the important points Smolensk remained in the hands of Lithuania.

It is not for nothing that Smolensk is called the “gate of Moscow”, however, in the 16th century this also worked in reverse side: on the way from Moscow to the capital of Lithuania - Vilna, Smolensk was the most a modern and powerful fortress. It is not surprising that the Moscow princes well understood the significance of this city, and therefore, having formal rights to the Smolensk principality, did not forget to present them in the wars with Lithuania. To the roar of guns, of course.

Smolensk War

The formal reason for the next war with Lithuania was the detention of the sister of Grand Duke Vasily III, Elena Ioannovna. The daughter of Ivan III, Elena, was arrested right in the church, violating the law on inviolability in the temple. Soon Elena Ioannovna died in custody. News received that Lithuanian Prince Sigismund (Zhigimont) in the Russian tradition) incites the Tatars to attack the Moscow borders and ravage the Oka lands, only aggravated the situation. Vasily decided - be war.

Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III. Miniature from the Tsar's Titular Book

Well-debugged and efficient mechanism mobilization and interaction of troops, allowed Russian Prince of Moscow Vasily III approach Smolensk before Sigismund's Lithuanians could gather an army to defend the fortress. The Russian army was richly modern siege artillery, which was especially important given the target - the formidable fortress of Smolensk.

The first (winter 1513) and second (summer-autumn 1513) sieges of Smolensk turned out to be ineffective: neither sieges, nor constant bombings, nor night attacks could break the mighty stronghold of the Smolensk fortress. The Lithuanian garrison and the Smolensk people themselves defended themselves bravely, and when they were already on the brink, the Lithuanian army approached the city and the Russians retreated.

Siege of Smolensk

Vasily III, however, was not one of those who simply gave up his goals. Already at the beginning May 1514 to Smolensk The advanced detachments of the Russians arrived. Another siege began. Grand Duke Vasily III bombed the city again - the decisive argument in the dispute with the defenders was the giant bombard that arrived under the walls of Smolensk at the end of July.

In the summer of 1514, Lithuania finally realized that Vasily III He’s not joking, as evidenced by the latest siege of Smolensk. Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Sigismund began gathering troops, which, however, did not have time to approach Smolensk and the city fell.

The garrison and townspeople, exhausted by constant sieges and shelling, agreed to capitulate on honorable terms. On July 30 (or 31), 1514, Smolensk was taken by Russian troops . Ivan the Great's dream of annexing Smolensk came true.

The capture of Smolensk was a major success for Russian weapons, especially Russian artillery. Vasily III approached the city time after time and managed to persuade the Smolensk people to capitulate, and for Russia he gained the most important fortress on the western borders. In honor of this event, a monastery was even founded in the capital - the famous Novodevichy Convent.

Dnieper border

After the capture of Smolensk, Russian troops had the opportunity to advance further along the river Dnieper and Sozh rivers: to Dubrovna, Orsha, Drutsk and Mstislavl. These were relatively small fortresses - not like Smolensk or Polotsk. Krichev and Dubrovna surrendered immediately, but a garrison of mercenaries was stationed in Orsha : the city had to besieged. One way or another, it ended up in the hands of Moscow "Dnieper Frontier".

The Russians were not going to stop there, and Russian troops went beyond the Dnieper. The mobilized and hired Polish-Lithuanian army of Sigismund came in very handy. At the end August 1514 Sigismund reviewed his army in Borisov, a small town 100 km west of Orshi, after which the Polish-Lithuanian army under the command of Konstantin Ostrozhsky moved to the Dnieper, where were they then? Russian army of governors Chelyadnin and Bulgakov.

Lithuanian and Polish warriors of the early 16th century

Strengths of the parties

The Lithuanian army numbered about 13 thousand people,not 35 thousands, as Sigismund's propaganda claimed. Lithuanian-Polish Army consisted of rather heterogeneous elements: a large building mercenaries, recruited on the territory of Poland, the guard (“court banner”), Polish volunteers (nobles and aristocrats), the Lithuanian local militia (“pospolite ruin”). A small detachment of field artillery was attached to Sigismund's army, which played its role in the battle.

The Polish-Lithuanian army was more professional than the Russian one
The mercenaries were armed mainly with melee weapons: pikes, halberds, protazans, however, among them there were also crossbowmen and arquebusiers. The mercenary horsemen were armed with spears and were units of shock cavalry, equipped in the knightly manner. The number of hussars - light cavalry armed with thin spears - was significant in the Polish-Lithuanian army. The Lithuanian cavalry armed itself in a knightly manner (who could afford such equipment) or in an oriental, Tatar style.

Russian local cavalry of the early 16th century

The Russian army that met Ostrogsky's army was more monolithic in composition: it totaled approximately 10-12 thousand soldiers of local cavalry (according to historian A.N. Lobin), divided into five corps-regiments . The Lithuanian side, however, in its sources brings the number of Russian troops to 80 (!) thousand people.

Russian local cavalry at this time she fought in Scythian (oriental) style: showering the enemy arrows and darts , making energetic attacks on enemy formations. The horsemen fought with sabers and flails, but my favorite craft was archery . The traditions of shock cavalry were preserved only in the northeastern lands and in the “squad” of the Sovereign’s court - a kind of guard.

Hetman Konstantin Ostrogsky

Troops before the battle

27 or 28 August 1514 Polish-Lithuanian avant-garde shot down Russian patrols beyond the Dnieper. Through false demonstrations Konstantin Ostrozhsky managed to transport his army across the Dnieper along the pontoon bridge. Russian troops approached the crossing site on September 7, 1514, when the Polish-Lithuanian cavalry was already on the other side, covering the crossing of the remaining forces. The Moscow governors, not knowing until the last moment the exact size of the enemy army, decided to give battle of September 8, 1514 right at the enemy's crossing point.

United Polish-Lithuanian army was built as follows. The most combat-ready units were lined up in the center - mercenary detachments (primarily infantry) supported by field artillery. Behind the mercenary detachments there was a cavalry reserve. The left flank consisted of Polish cavalry and court banners, the right flank of the Lithuanian militia. Behind the right flank there was a ambush: in a spruce forest, Closer to the river, a detachment of infantry, light cavalry and several guns was hidden.

Lined up against Ostrogsky's army Russian army Voivode Chelyadnin and Bulgakov . As usual it consisted from the vanguard (advanced regiment), center (large regiment), right and left wings - shelves of the right and left hands.

The Russian commanders planned to attack the weakest flanks of the Polish-Lithuanian army, since the enemy center was echeloned and reinforced with artillery. Konstantin Ostrozhsky, on the other hand, sought to act on the defensive and reinforce weak spots reserves, lure the Russians ambushed and at the right moment strike in the rear of the Russian left flank from an ambush.

Battle of Orsha . Painting by an unknown artist from the circle of Cranach the Younger. 1530

Battle of Orsha.

The battle began with artillery shelling of the positions of the Russian right flank by cannons located in the center. Regimental Commander right hand boyar Mikhail Bulgakov-Golitsa, seeing that his corps was under enemy fire, he ordered an attack on the enemy’s left wing without the command of the Russian commander-in-chief Chelyadnin's army : a parochial dispute dragged on between the governors for several years - which of them should rule over the other, and therefore it is not surprising that Bulgakov-Golitsa behaved so independently on the battlefield, arbitrarily launching an attack on the right flank.

Sigismund inflated the Orsha victory to unprecedented proportions
The Novgorod and Pskov nobles, using “spear combat” of shock cavalry, dashingly fell into line with the Poles. The Polish banners were pressed against the Dnieper, and the remaining Polish banners and the horsemen of the “court cohort” rushed to their aid. Only after the third counterattack, the Poles managed to push back the Russian cavalry , and then completely put to flight, so that the right flank for some time was not combat-ready. I wonder what battle of the Russian regiment of the right hand boyar Mikhail Bulgakov-Golitsa passed without any support from the rest of the Russian forces: The center and left flank of the Russian army were inactive during the battle.

The beginning of the battle near Orsha.

After the defeat of the right flank, Governor Chelyadnin gives the order for a general attack. In the center, the forces of the advanced regiment attacked the infantry positions, but were broken up by the formation of the Drab mercenaries, bristling with pikes and halberds. The attacks of the big arm regiment also came to nothing. On the left flank of the Russians, things were going better - the ranks of the Lithuanians were pushed back , and it seemed that they were about to capture the center, but at the decisive moment an ambush hit the rear of the Russian left-hand regiment from a spruce forest . Artillery volleys, screams of enemy horsemen behind, all this spread panic among the Russians. The left wing of the Russian troops became confused and began to run, falling into pincers . It is worth noting the coordinated actions of the variegated units of the Polish-Lithuanian army, contrasting against the backdrop of the “many heads” of the homogeneous Russian army.

Flight and losses in the Battle of Orsha

Seeing the defeat of the vanguard and the left wing, the center of the Russian army also trembled. The right flank of the army fled, Voivode Bulgakov I couldn’t stop it or didn’t want to. Voivode Chelyadnin lost at control of the battle: people were saved, not paying attention to commands and orders.

Konstantin Ostrozhsky sent a reserve that did not participate in the battle in pursuit of the Russians. Polish horsemen pursued the retreating 12 kilometers. It was during the chaotic flight Russian army suffered the most severe losses - “in this flight the Muscovites were massacred”, one of the Polish chroniclers tells us. Many commanders were killed and captured, and the Russian army was completely destroyed.

The end of the battle near Orsha.

It is difficult to say how expensive the defeat at Orsha was for the Russians; we are probably talking about more than significant losses of several thousand people (5-6 thousand), hundreds were captured. The Polish-Lithuanian army also had a hard time - losses on the flanks could have been large, given that the commander of the Polish-Lithuanian army, Konstantin Ostrozhsky, refused to immediately move to Smolensk, demanding reinforcements.

Flight of the Muscovites. Fragment of the painting “Battle of Orsha”.

After the battle of Orsha.

Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky returned to Vilna in triumph. The victory of Prince Ostrog really looked impressive: the Russian army was defeated, many prisoners were taken, rich trophies were captured, 12 Russian banners were captured, and also the small fortresses of the “Dnieper Frontier” were recaptured. However, Smolensk remained in Russian hands.

Ostrogsky celebrated his triumph , although it would be worth thinking about taking Smolensk. Of course, the Russian army was scattered, it suffered serious damage, but the losses could be made up, but Smolensk still remained in the hands of Moscow Prince Vasily III . Having received reinforcements, Konstantin Ostrozhsky nevertheless moved towards the Smolensk fortress, but time was lost. Hetman Ostrozhsky, being an excellent tactician and a good leader, turned out to be a bad strategist.

The Polish-Lithuanian army appeared at the walls of Smolensk only at the end of September 1514 , when work was already in full swing there to prepare the fortress for defense. A conspiracy was even uncovered in the city, the goal of which was to surrender the city to the Polish-Lithuanian army. Without further ado Commandant of the Smolensk Fortress Vasily Shuisky hanged the conspirators. Inspired by the victory, the Polish-Lithuanian troops of Konstantin Ostrozhsky tried to take Smolensk by storm, but that was not the case - the Smolensk residents fought against the troops of the Lithuanian prince no worse than against the Moscow prince, even making daring forays. Diseases began in Ostrozhsky’s army and he was forced to retreat from the city, abandoning part of the convoy.

Orsha myth

Having won one victory near Orsha, and not taking the Smolensk fortress, the Polish king Sigismund exalted feat of arms The Polish-Lithuanian army defeated the Muscovite army to unprecedented proportions. The victory at Orsha is inflated to unprecedented proportions in literary sources, and the Polish king and his commander Ostrozhsky are presented as defenders of Europe from the eastern barbarians. According to the stories of the Polish chancellery Prince Sigismund, out of 80 thousand Russians, 30 thousand fell on the battlefield, later this figure was further increased by 40 thousand killed, and another 1500, and later 5 thousand Russians, were allegedly taken prisoner. It was reported about " corpses stretched over 8 Roman miles of mountains". Information and numbers were constantly changing, having only one goal: to make the maximum impression on all European rulers. The losses of the Polish-Lithuanian army, of course, were underestimated in every possible way.

The losses of the Russian army, although they were far from those that were called in the boastful speeches of the Poles, who rightly ascribed to themselves a decisive role in the victory over the “schismatics,” were nevertheless tangible.

In fact, several hundred people were captured, including command staff: Chelyadnin himself, Bulgakov-Golitsyn and others . Some of the governors fell on the battlefield, for example, the commander of the forward regiment Ivan Temka-Rostovsky. Despite all the attempts of Moscow diplomacy to exchange prisoners after the war, the Russians collected a “rich” amount from the Lithuanian lands during 10 years of campaigns; King Sigismund categorically refused to part with his high-ranking captives.

King of Poland and Grand Duke Lithuanian Sigismund or "Zhigimont" Old

The foreign policy effect of the Battle of Orsha, although significant, was due to the efforts of Sigismund and his office, in every possible way inflated the scale and consequences of the battle, still did not change the course of the war, as they often try to imagine. The main goal of the struggle was that Smolensk remained in the hands of the Russians, which secured peace in Moscow in 1522.

Continuation of the war between the Polish-Lithuanian king Sigismund and the Moscow prince Vasily III.

If Ostrogsky's army had really defeated and destroyed most armies of "Muscovites" then she could take the initiative into her own hands and return the lost lands, or even seize Russian lands. However, Apart from the unsuccessful siege of Smolensk, there were no other initiatives from the Polish-Lithuanian side .

On January 28, 1515, the Pskov-Novgorod army under the command of A.V. Saburova captured and captured in a surprise attack devastated the town of Roslavlsouth of Smolensk.

The Lithuanians took the initiative only in 1517, which did not go unpunished for them. The siege of Orsha is tiny, but strong fortress of Opochka , to the west of Velikiye Luki, turned out to be a shameful flight for the Lithuanian troops .

The result of a long ten-year Russian-Lithuanian War of 1512-1522 became an entry Smolensk and its environs into the Grand Duchy of Moscow. to the king Sigismund had no choice but to recognize these lands as the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III. Well and The Battle of Orsha forever remained an instructive example of the harm of parochial enmity between governors on the battlefield. And for the Polish-Lithuanian army, the Battle of Orsha was a tactical triumph, but useless from a strategic perspective.

600 years ago, on July 15, 1410, the decisive battle of the “Great War” took place - the Battle of Grunwald.

The Battle of Grunwald is the decisive battle of the “Great War” (1409-1411), in which Polish-Lithuanian troops defeated the troops of the Teutonic Order on July 15, 1410.

"Great War" 1409-1411 (war between Teutonic Order on the one hand, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the other) arose as a result of the aggressive policy of the Teutonic Order, which laid claim to the border Polish and Lithuanian lands.

The “Great War” was preceded by the conclusion of the Union of Krevo (union) between Lithuania and Poland (1385, renewed in 1401) in order to organize resistance to the order.

On August 6, 1409, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Ulrich von Jungingen, declared war on the Kingdom of Poland. Detachments of Teutonic knights invaded its borders. The Polish king Vladislav II Jagiello (Jagiello) began to create a “general militia” in the country and agreed with the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas on joint actions. Military operations were carried out indecisively, and in the fall of 1409 a truce was concluded.

In the winter of 1409-1410. both sides were preparing for a decisive struggle. The Order received great help from the “Holy Roman Empire” and other Catholic states; the Hungarian king Sigismund I of Luxembourg became its ally. By the summer of 1410, the order had created a well-armed and organized army (up to 60 thousand people), consisting mainly of heavily armed cavalry and infantry.

The troops of Lithuania and Poland included Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian regiments, as well as Czech mercenaries and Tatar cavalry. The total number of troops is over 60 thousand people. The basis of the allied forces was light infantry. Both warring sides had artillery that fired stone cannonballs. The allied troops, having united in the Cherven region, crossed the border of the order's possessions on July 9, 1410 and moved towards its capital and main fortress - Marienburg (Malbork). Maneuvering in order to take advantageous positions for battle, the troops of both sides by the evening of July 14 settled in the area of the villages of Grunwald and Tannenberg, where the Battle of Grunwald took place on July 15.

The allied army, having discovered the enemy, formed for battle in three lines on a front of 2 km. On the right wing deployed 40 Lithuanian-Russian banners (a banner is a military unit of medieval Poland and Lithuania) under the command of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas, as well as Tatar cavalry, on the left - 42 Polish, 7 Russian and 2 Czech banners under the command of the Krakow governor Zyndram. The position of the allied troops on the right flank and from the rear was covered by a swamp and the Marcha (Maranze) river, and on the left by a forest. The crusaders formed in 2 lines on a front of 2.5 km, having 20 banners on the right wing under the command of Liechtenstein, on the left - 15 banners under the command of Wallenrod; 16 banners remained in reserve (2nd line).

The battle began at noon. The Tatar cavalry and the 1st line of Vytautas' troops attacked the left flank of the Teutons, but were overturned by Wallenrod's knights. The 2nd and 3rd lines of Vytautas’ troops entered the battle, but the Teutons again drove them back and then began to pursue them. The situation was saved by three Russian Smolensk regiments, which, courageously defending themselves, pinned down part of Wallenrod’s forces. At this time, Polish banners boldly attacked the enemy’s right flank and broke through the front of Liechtenstein’s troops. The successful attack of the Polish troops, as well as the courage of the Russian soldiers, their skillful actions in the battle against the knights of Wallenrod allowed the Lithuanian banners to stop the enemy and then go on the offensive.

The combined efforts of Wallenrod's troops were defeated. On the left wing, Polish, Russian and Czech troops surrounded the Liechtenstein troops and began to destroy them. Jungingen brought his reserve into battle, but Jagiello moved the 3rd line of his troops towards him, which, together with the Lithuanian and Russian banners that came to their aid, defeated the last banners of the Teutons. The leaders of the order, including Jungingen, died in the battle.

The Battle of Grunwald marked the beginning of the decline of the Teutonic Order. It contributed to the development of the national liberation struggle of the Slavic and Baltic peoples and became a symbol of their military commonwealth.

In 1960, a monument was erected on the site of the Battle of Grunwald.

Since 1998, a reconstruction of the Battle of Grunwald has been carried out in Poland, in which members of military history clubs from Russia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and other countries participate.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources using materials from the Military Encyclopedia publication. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Voenizdat. Moscow. in 8 volumes -2004 ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8

Poland returned the territories of Prussia to the Teutons, returned Samogitia to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania until the death of Vytautas; payment of a large indemnity by the order

Ulrich von Jungingen † (Grand Master of the Teutonic Order)

Progress of the war, 1409

Meanwhile, a detachment led by Heinrich Plauen was prepared in the city; in the west, in Germany, Teutonic mercenaries were gathering again, and the Livonians were moving from the northeast. The skillful actions of Plauen's detachment weakened the Poles, and their condition worsened day by day. Soon an epidemic began in the Allied camp, discord occurred between the Poles and Lithuanians, so Vitovt gave the order to lift the siege and return. Soon Jagiello was forced to lift the siege. Von Plauen's skillful actions predetermined the outcome of the siege and saved the order and its capital from complete defeat.

Results of the war

In February 1411, in the city of Torun, Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania concluded a peace treaty with the Teutonic Order, according to which the order returned all territories previously occupied from Poland and Lithuania and paid

Two principalities

In less than half a century (from 1487 to 1522), the two great principalities of Moscow and Lithuania waged war four times. The reasons were different each time, but the reason remained the same: Moscow, gaining strength, increasingly remembered the lands “taken away” by the Lithuanian princes from the Rurikovichs. Lithuania’s active intervention in Moscow affairs also could not please Ivan III, and then his son Vasily. Gradually, the Chernigov lands, Seversky principalities and other lands came under the wing of Moscow. One of the important points that remained in the hands of Lithuania was Smolensk.

The Russian state at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century

It is not for nothing that Smolensk is called the “gate of Moscow”, however, in the 16th century it also worked in the opposite direction: on the way from Moscow to the capital of Lithuania - Vilna, Smolensk was the most modern and powerful fortress. It is not surprising that the Moscow princes well understood the significance of this city, and therefore, having formal rights to the Smolensk principality, did not forget to present them in the wars with Lithuania. To the roar of guns, of course.

Smolensk War

The formal reason for the next war with Lithuania was the imprisonment of the sister of Grand Duke Vasily III, Elena Ioannovna. The daughter of Ivan III was arrested right in the church, violating the law on inviolability in the temple. Soon Elena Ioannovna died in custody. The news that the Lithuanian prince Sigismund (Zhigimont in the Russian tradition) was inciting the Tatars to attack the Moscow borders and ravage the Oka lands only worsened the situation. Vasily decided there would be war.

Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III. Miniature from the Tsar's Titular Book

A well-functioning and effective mechanism for the mobilization and interaction of troops allowed the Russian prince to seize the initiative in the fight against Sigismund, approaching Smolensk before the Lithuanians could gather an army to relieve the blockade of the fortress. The Russian army was loaded with modern siege artillery, which was especially important given the target - the formidable fortress of Smolensk.

Smolensk was not only the gates of Moscow, but also the “gates of Vilna”

The first (winter 1513) and second (summer-autumn 1513) sieges of Smolensk were ineffective: neither sieges, nor constant bombardments, nor night attacks could break the mighty stronghold. The Lithuanian garrison and the Smolensk people themselves defended themselves bravely, and when they were already on the brink, the Lithuanian army approached the city and the Russians retreated.

Siege of Smolensk

Vasily III, however, was not one of those who simply gave up his goals. Already at the beginning of May 1514, advanced Russian detachments approached Smolensk. Another siege began. The Grand Duke bombed the city again - the decisive argument in the dispute with the defenders was the giant bombard that arrived under the walls of Smolensk at the end of July. The garrison and townspeople, exhausted by constant sieges and shelling, agreed to capitulate on honorable terms. On July 30 (or 31), 1514, Smolensk was taken by Russian troops. Ivan the Great's dream of annexing Smolensk came true.

Vasily III stubbornly approached Smolensk until he took it in the summer of 1514.

Dnieper border

After the capture of Smolensk, Russian troops had the opportunity to advance further along the Dnieper and the Sozh River: to Dubrovna, Orsha, Drutsk and Mstislavl. These were relatively small fortresses - not like Smolensk or Polotsk. Krichev and Dubrovna surrendered immediately, but a garrison of mercenaries was stationed in Orsha: the city had to besieged. One way or another, the “Dnieper Frontier” ended up in the hands of Moscow and Russian troops went beyond the Dnieper.

"Smolensk War" 1512−1522.

In the summer of 1514, Lithuania finally realized that Vasily III was not joking, as evidenced by another siege of Smolensk. The Grand Duke of Lithuania (and also the King of Poland) Sigismund began gathering troops, which, however, did not arrive in time for Smolensk and the city, as we already know, fell. However, since the Russians were not going to stop there, the mobilized and hired army came in very handy. At the end of August 1514, Sigismund reviewed his army in Borisov (a small town 100 km west of Orsha), after which the Polish-Lithuanian army under the command of Konstantin Ostrozhsky moved to the Dnieper, where the Russian army of governors Chelyadnin and Bulgakov was then located.

Strengths of the parties

The Lithuanian army numbered about 13 thousand people (and not 35 thousand as Sigismund’s propaganda claimed). The army consisted of rather heterogeneous elements: a large corps of mercenaries recruited on the territory of Poland, the guard (“court banner”), Polish volunteers (nobles and aristocrats), the Lithuanian local militia (“pospolite ruin”). The army was also assigned a small detachment of field artillery, which played a role in the battle.

The Polish-Lithuanian army was more professional than the Russian one

The mercenaries were armed mainly with melee weapons: pikes, halberds, protazans, however, among them there were also crossbowmen and arquebusiers. The mercenary horsemen were armed with spears and were units of shock cavalry, equipped in the knightly manner. The number of hussars - light cavalry armed with thin spears - was significant in the Polish-Lithuanian army. The Lithuanian cavalry armed itself in a knightly manner (who could afford such equipment) or in an oriental, Tatar style.

Russian local cavalry and Polish warriors of the early 16th century

The Russian army that met Ostrozhsky’s army was more monolithic in composition: it consisted of approximately 10-12 thousand soldiers of the local cavalry (according to the calculations of the historian A.N. Lobin), divided into five corps-regiments. The Lithuanian side, however, in its reports calmly increased the number of Russians to 80 (!) thousand.

At this time, the Russian local cavalry fought in the Eastern style: showering the enemy with arrows and darts, making energetic attacks on the enemy’s formations. Horsemen fought with sabers and flails, but their favorite craft was archery. The traditions of shock cavalry were preserved only in the northeastern lands and in the “squad” of the Sovereign’s court - a kind of guard.

Troops before the battle

On August 27 or 28, the Polish-Lithuanian vanguard shot down Russian patrols beyond the Dnieper. With the help of false demonstrations, Ostrozhsky managed to transport his army across the Dnieper on a pontoon bridge. Russian troops approached the crossing site on September 7, when the Polish-Lithuanian cavalry was already on the other side, covering the crossing of the remaining forces. The Moscow governors, not knowing until the last moment the exact size of the enemy army, decided to give battle right at the enemy’s crossing point on September 8, 1514.

Hetman Konstantin Ostrogsky

The combined Polish-Lithuanian army was formed as follows. The most combat-ready units were lined up in the center - mercenary detachments (primarily infantry) supported by field artillery. Behind the mercenary detachments there was a cavalry reserve. The left flank consisted of Polish cavalry and court banners, the right flank of the Lithuanian militia. An ambush was set up behind the right flank: in a spruce forest, closer to the river, a detachment of infantry, light cavalry and several guns was hidden. The army of governors Chelyadnin and Bulgakov lined up against Ostrozhsky’s army. As usual, it consisted of the vanguard (advanced regiment), the center (large regiment), the right and left wings (regiments of the right and left hands, respectively).

The Russians suffered the main losses during their chaotic flight.

The Russian commanders planned to attack the weakest flanks of the Polish-Lithuanian army, since the enemy center was echeloned and reinforced with artillery. Konstantin Ostrogsky, acting on the defensive and reinforcing weak points with reserves, sought to lure the Russians and at the right moment strike in the rear of the Russian left flank from an ambush.

Battle of Orsha. Painting by an unknown artist from the circle of Cranach the Younger. 1530s

Battle

The battle began with artillery shelling of the positions of the Russian right flank by cannons located in the center. The commander of the right-hand regiment, boyar Mikhail Bulgakov-Golitsa, seeing that his corps was under enemy fire, ordered an attack on the enemy’s left wing without the sanction of commander Chelyadnin: a parochial dispute dragged on between the governors for several years - which of them should command the other, and therefore it is not surprising that Bulgakov-Golitsa behaved so independently on the battlefield, arbitrarily launching an attack on the right flank, probably not forgetting to remember kind words his “colleague”, who positioned his (Bulgakov’s) wing so poorly.

Sigismund inflated the Orsha victory to unprecedented proportions

The Novgorod and Pskov nobles famously fell into line with the Poles (these were the same nobles who continued to practice “spear combat” of shock cavalry). Polish banners were pressed against the Dnieper and found themselves in a difficult situation. The remaining Polish banners and horsemen of the “court cohort” rushed to the aid of their comrades. Only after the third counterattack did they manage to push back the Russian cavalry, and then completely put them to flight, so that the right flank was incapable of combat for some time. It is interesting that the battle of the right-hand regiment took place without any reaction from the remaining Russian forces: the center and left flank were inactive all this time.

Start of the battle

After the defeat of the right flank, Chelyadnin gives the order for a general attack. In the center, the forces of the advanced regiment attacked the infantry positions, but were broken up by the formation of the Drab mercenaries, bristling with pikes and halberds. The attacks of the big arm regiment also came to nothing. On the Russian left flank, things were going better: the Lithuanians were pushed back without any problems, and it seemed that they were about to capture the center, but at the decisive moment, an ambush hit the rear of the Russian left-hand regiment from a spruce forest. Artillery volleys, screams of enemy horsemen behind, all this spread panic among the Russians. The left wing got confused and began to run, falling into pincers. It is worth noting the coordinated actions of the variegated units of the Polish-Lithuanian army, contrasting against the backdrop of the “many heads” of the homogeneous Russian army.

Flight and losses

Seeing the defeat of the vanguard and the left wing, the Russian center also trembled. The right flank fled “without regaining consciousness” - governor Bulgakov was never able to put it in order (or did not want to). Chelyadnin lost the control of the battle: people fled, not paying attention to commands and orders.

Ostrozhsky sent a reserve that did not participate in the battle in pursuit. Polish horsemen pursued the retreating 12 kilometers. It was during the chaotic flight that the Russian army suffered the most severe losses - “during this flight the Muscovites were massacred,” one of the Polish chroniclers tells us. Many commanders were killed and captured, and the Russian army was completely destroyed.

End of the battle

It is difficult to say how expensive the defeat at Orsha was for the Russians; probably, we are talking about more than significant losses of several thousand people (5-6 thousand?), Hundreds were captured. It was also difficult for the Polish-Lithuanian army (losses on the flanks could have been sensitive), given that Ostrozhsky himself refused to immediately move to Smolensk, demanding reinforcements from headquarters.

After the battle

Ostrogsky celebrated his triumph, however, instead of celebrating, it would be worth thinking about the capture of Smolensk: of course, the Russian army was scattered, it suffered serious damage, but the losses could be made up, but Smolensk still remained in the hands of Vasily III. Having received reinforcements, Ostrozhsky nevertheless moved towards the fortress, but time was lost. Hetman, being an excellent tactician and a good leader, turned out to be a mediocre strategist.

Flight of the Muscovites. Fragment of the painting "Battle of Orsha"

The Polish-Lithuanian army appeared at the walls of Smolensk only at the end of September, when work was already underway there to prepare the fortress for defense. A conspiracy was even uncovered in the city, the purpose of which was to surrender the city to the triumphant Orsha. Without unnecessary ceremony, the commandant of the fortress, Vasily Shuisky, hanged the conspirators. Inspired by the victory, Ostrogsky tried to take the city by storm, but that was not the case - the Smolensk people fought against the troops of the Lithuanian prince no worse than against the Moscow one, even making daring forays. Diseases began in Ostrozhsky’s army and he was forced to retreat from the city, abandoning part of the convoy.

Nevertheless, Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky returned to Vilna in triumph. The prince’s victory really looked impressive: the Russian army was defeated, many prisoners were taken, rich trophies were captured (including 12 banners), and the fortresses of the “Dnieper Frontier” were recaptured. However, Smolensk remained in Russian hands.

Orsha myth

However, all these achievements seemed not enough to Sigismund. His propaganda machine inflated the Orsha victory to unprecedented proportions, presenting the Polish king himself and his commander as the real defenders of Europe from the eastern barbarians. According to the stories of the office of the Grand Duke, out of 80 thousand Russians, 30 thousand fell on the battlefield (later this figure was increased to “only” 40 thousand), another one and a half thousand (and in later reports, all five thousand) were allegedly taken prisoner. There were reports of “corpses stretched across 8 Roman miles of mountains.” Information and numbers were constantly changing, with only one goal: to make the maximum impression on European recipients. The losses of the Polish-Lithuanian army, of course, were underestimated in every possible way.

The losses of the Russian army, although they were far from those that were mentioned in the boastful speeches of the Poles, who rightly ascribed to themselves a decisive role in the victory over the “schismatics,” were nevertheless noticeable. Several hundred people were captured, including the command staff: Chelyadnin himself, Bulgakov-Golitsyn and others. Some of the governors fell on the battlefield (for example, the commander of the forward regiment Ivan Temka-Rostovsky). Despite all the attempts of Moscow diplomacy to exchange prisoners after the war (the Russians collected a “rich” amount from Lithuanian lands during 10 years of campaigns), Sigismund categorically refused to part with his “prizes”.

King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund "Zhigimont"Old

The foreign policy effect of the Battle of Orsha, although significant, thanks to the efforts of Sigismund and his office, who inflated the scale and consequences of the battle in every possible way, still did not change the course of the war, as they often try to imagine: the main objective struggle - Smolensk remained in the hands of the Russians, which secured peace in Moscow in 1522.

Continuation of the war

It would seem that if Ostrozhsky’s army really managed to defeat and destroy most of the “Muscovite” army, then it’s time to take the initiative into your own hands and return the lost lands, or even seize Russian lands. However, apart from the unsuccessful siege of Smolensk, there were no other initiatives from the Polish-Lithuanian side. The Russians, moreover, already at the beginning of 1515 made a daring raid south of Smolensk and took the town of Roslavl.

Fragment of the painting “Battle of Orsha”

The Lithuanians took the initiative only in 1517, which did not go unpunished for them. The siege of the tiny but strong Opochka (a fortress west of Velikiye Luki) resulted in a shameful flight for the Lithuanian troops led by the triumphant Orsha.

The result of a long ten-year war was the entry of Smolensk and the surrounding area into the Grand Duchy of Moscow - Sigismund had no choice but to recognize these lands as Vasily III. The stubborn Grand Duke finally achieved his goal. Well, the Battle of Orsha forever remained an instructive example of the harm of parochialism on the battlefield and an undoubted, albeit useless from a strategic perspective, tactical triumph of the Polish-Lithuanian army.