Gdz Livonian war contour map. Livonian War - a brief description
Since then, he has owned most of the modern Baltic states - Estonia, Livonia and Courland. In the 16th century, Livonia lost some of its former power. From within, it was engulfed in strife, which was intensified by the Church Reformation that penetrated here. The Archbishop of Riga quarreled with the Master of the Order, and the cities were at enmity with both of them. Internal turmoil weakened Livonia, and all of its neighbors were not averse to taking advantage of this. Before the start of the seizures of the Livonian knights, the Baltic lands depended on the Russian princes. With this in mind, the sovereigns of Moscow believed that they had quite legitimate rights to Livonia. Due to its coastal position, Livonia was of great commercial importance. After Moscow inherited the commerce of Novgorod conquered by it with the Baltic lands. However, the Livonian rulers in every possible way limited the relations that Muscovite Russia had with Western Europe through their region. Fearing Moscow and trying to prevent its rapid strengthening, the Livonian government did not allow European craftsmen and many goods to enter Russia. The obvious hostility of Livonia gave rise to hostility among the Russians towards her. Seeing the weakening of the Livonian Order, the Russian rulers feared that some other, stronger enemy would take over its territory, which would treat Moscow even worse.
Already Ivan III, after the conquest of Novgorod, built the Livonian border, against the city of Narva, the Russian fortress Ivangorod. After the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan, the Chosen Rada advised Ivan the Terrible to turn to the predatory Crimea, whose hordes constantly raided the southern Russian regions, driving thousands of captives into slavery every year. But Ivan IV chose to attack Livonia. Confidence in easy success in the west gave the king a successful outcome of the war with the Swedes 1554-1557.
Beginning of the Livonian War (briefly)
Grozny remembered the old treaties that obliged Livonia to pay tribute to the Russians. It had not been paid for a long time, but now the tsar demanded not only to resume payment, but also to compensate for what the Livonians had not given to Russia in previous years. The Livonian government began to drag out negotiations. Having lost patience, Ivan the Terrible broke off all relations and in the first months of 1558 began the Livonian War, which was destined to drag on for 25 years.
In the first two years of the war, the Moscow troops acted very successfully. They ruined almost all of Livonia, except for the most powerful cities and castles. Livonia could not resist powerful Moscow alone. The order state collapsed, surrendering in parts under the supreme power of stronger neighbors. Estonia came under the suzerainty of Sweden, Livonia submitted to Lithuania. Ezel Island became the possession of the Danish Duke Magnus, and Courland was subjected to secularization, that is, it turned from a church property into a secular one. The former master of the spiritual order, Ketler, became the secular duke of Courland and recognized himself as a vassal of the Polish king.
Entry into the war of Poland and Sweden (briefly)
Livonian Order thus ceased to exist (1560-1561). His lands were divided by neighboring strong states, which demanded that Ivan the Terrible renounce all the seizures made at the beginning of the Livonian War. Grozny rejected this demand and opened a fight with Lithuania and Sweden. Thus, new participants were involved in the Livonian War. The struggle of the Russians with the Swedes was intermittent and sluggish. The main forces of Ivan IV moved to Lithuania, acting against it not only in Livonia, but also in the regions south of the latter. In 1563 Grozny took the ancient Russian city of Polotsk from the Lithuanians. The royal rati ravaged Lithuania to the very Vilna (Vilnius). The Lithuanians, exhausted by the war, offered Grozny peace with the concession of Polotsk. In 1566, Ivan IV gathered a Zemsky Sobor in Moscow on the question of whether to stop the Livonian War or continue it. The council spoke in favor of continuing the war, and it went on for another ten years with a preponderance of Russians, until the talented commander Stefan Batory (1576) was elected to the Polish-Lithuanian throne.
The turning point of the Livonian War (briefly)
The Livonian War by that time had noticeably weakened Russia. The oprichnina, which devastated the country, undermined her strength even more. Many prominent Russian military leaders fell victim to the oprichnina terror of Ivan the Terrible. From the south, they began to attack Russia with even greater energy Crimean Tatars, which Grozny thoughtlessly missed to subdue or at least completely weaken after the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan. The Crimeans and the Turkish sultan demanded that Russia, now bound by the Livonian War, renounce possession of the Volga region and restore the independence of the Astrakhan and Kazan khanates, which had previously brought her so much grief with cruel attacks and robberies. In 1571, the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray, taking advantage of the diversion of Russian forces to Livonia, staged an unexpected invasion, marched with a large army to Moscow itself and burned the entire city outside the Kremlin. In 1572 Devlet Giray tried to repeat this success. He again reached the Moscow environs with his horde, but the Russian army of Mikhail Vorotynsky at the last moment distracted the Tatars with an attack from the rear and inflicted a severe defeat on them in the battle of Molodi.
Ivan the Terrible. Painting by V. Vasnetsov, 1897
Energetic Stefan Batory began decisive action against Grozny just when the oprichnina had brought the central regions of the Muscovite state to desolation. Masses of the people fled from the arbitrariness of Grozny to the southern outskirts and to the newly conquered Volga region. The state center of Russia has run out of people and resources. Terrible now could not, with the same ease, put up large armies to the front of the Livonian War. The decisive onslaught of Batory did not meet with a proper rebuff. In 1577, the Russians achieved their last successes in the Baltic, but already in 1578 they were defeated there near Wenden. The Poles achieved a turning point in the Livonian War. In 1579 Batory recaptured Polotsk, and in 1580 he took the strong Moscow fortresses of Velizh and Velikiye Luki. Grozny, who had previously shown arrogance towards the Poles, now sought the mediation of Catholic Europe in peace negotiations with Batory and sent an embassy (Shevrigin) to the pope and the Austrian emperor. In 1581
The best that history gives us is the enthusiasm it arouses.
The Livonian War lasted from 1558 to 1583. During the war, Ivan the Terrible sought to gain access and capture the port cities of the Baltic Sea, which was supposed to significantly improve the economic situation of Russia, by improving trade. In this article, we will talk briefly about the Levon War, as well as all its aspects.
Beginning of the Livonian War
The sixteenth century was a period of uninterrupted wars. The Russian state sought to protect itself from its neighbors and return the lands that were previously part of Ancient Russia.
Wars were fought on several fronts:
- The eastern direction was marked by the conquest of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, as well as the beginning of the development of Siberia.
- South direction foreign policy represented the eternal struggle with the Crimean Khanate.
- The western direction is the events of the long, difficult and very bloody Livonian War (1558–1583), which will be discussed.
Livonia is a region in the eastern Baltic. On the territory of modern Estonia and Latvia. In those days, there was a state created as a result of crusading conquests. How public education, it was weak due to national contradictions (the Baltics were placed in feudal dependence), religious schism (the Reformation penetrated there), and the struggle for power among the top.
Map of the Livonian War
Reasons for the start of the Livonian War
Ivan 4 the Terrible began the Livonian War against the backdrop of the success of his foreign policy in other areas. The Russian prince-tsar sought to push back the borders of the state in order to gain access to shipping areas and ports of the Baltic Sea. And the Livonian Order gave the Russian Tsar ideal reasons for starting the Livonian War:
- Refusal to pay tribute. In 1503, the Livnsky Order and Russia signed a document according to which the former were obliged to pay an annual tribute to the city of Yuryev. In 1557, the Order single-handedly withdrew from this obligation.
- The weakening of the external political influence of the Order against the backdrop of national differences.
Speaking about the reason, it should be emphasized that Livonia separated Russia from the sea, blocked trade. Large merchants and nobles, who wished to appropriate new lands, were interested in the capture of Livonia. But the main reason is the ambitions of Ivan IV the Terrible. The victory was supposed to strengthen his influence, so he waged war, regardless of the circumstances and the meager capabilities of the country for the sake of his own greatness.
Course of the war and major events
The Livonian War was fought with long breaks and is historically divided into four stages.
First stage of the war
At the first stage (1558–1561), the fighting was relatively successful for Russia. The Russian army in the first months captured Derpt, Narva and was close to capturing Riga and Revel. The Livonian Order was on the verge of death and asked for a truce. Ivan the Terrible agreed to stop the war for 6 months, but this was a huge mistake. During this time, the Order came under the protectorate of Lithuania and Poland, as a result of which Russia received not 1 weak, but 2 strong opponents.
The most dangerous enemy for Russia was Lithuania, which at that time could in some aspects surpass the Russian kingdom in its potential. Moreover, the peasants of the Baltic were dissatisfied with the newly arrived Russian landowners, the cruelties of the war, exactions and other disasters.
Second phase of the war
The second stage of the war (1562–1570) began with the fact that the new owners of the Livonian lands demanded that Ivan the Terrible withdraw his troops and abandon Livonia. In fact, it was proposed that the Livonian War should end, and Russia would be left with nothing as a result. After the tsar refused to do this, the war for Russia finally turned into an adventure. The war with Lithuania lasted 2 years and was unsuccessful for the Russian Tsardom. The conflict could only be continued under the conditions of the oprichnina, especially since the boyars were against the continuation of hostilities. Earlier, for dissatisfaction with the Livonian War, in 1560 the tsar dispersed the Chosen Rada.
It was at this stage of the war that Poland and Lithuania united in single state- Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was a strong power that everyone, without exception, had to reckon with.
Third stage of the war
The third stage (1570–1577) is the battles of local significance between Russia and Sweden for the territory of modern Estonia. They ended without any meaningful results for both sides. All battles were local in nature and did not have any significant impact on the course of the war.
Fourth stage of the war
At the fourth stage of the Livonian War (1577–1583), Ivan IV again captures the entire Baltic, but soon the luck turned away from the king and the Russian troops were defeated. The new king of united Poland and Lithuania (the Commonwealth), Stefan Batory, drove Ivan the Terrible out of the Baltic region, and even managed to capture a number of cities already on the territory of the Russian kingdom (Polotsk, Velikiye Luki, etc.). fighting accompanied by terrible bloodshed. Since 1579, Sweden has provided assistance to the Commonwealth, which has acted very successfully, capturing Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye.
The defense of Pskov saved Russia from complete defeat (since August 1581). For 5 months of the siege, the garrison and the inhabitants of the city repelled 31 assault attempts, weakening the army of Batory.
The end of the war and its results
The Yam-Zapolsky truce between the Russian Empire and the Commonwealth in 1582 put an end to a long and unnecessary war. Russia abandoned Livonia. The coast of the Gulf of Finland was lost. It was captured by Sweden, with which the Peace of Plus was signed in 1583.
Thus, the following causes of damage can be distinguished Russian state, which sum up the results of the Liovna war:
- adventurism and ambitions of the tsar - Russia could not wage war simultaneously with three strong states;
- the pernicious influence of the oprichnina, economic ruin, Tatar attacks.
- A deep economic crisis within the country, which broke out at the 3rd and 4th stages of hostilities.
Despite the negative outcome, it was the Livonian War that determined the direction of Russia's foreign policy for many years to come - to gain access to the Baltic Sea.
History of Russia / Ivan IV the Terrible / Livonian War (briefly)
Livonian War (briefly)
Livonian War - a brief description
After the conquest of the recalcitrant Kazan, Russia sent forces to take Livonia.
Researchers identify two main reasons for the Livonian War: the need for trade of the Russian state in the Baltic, as well as the expansion of possessions. The struggle for dominance over the Baltic waters was between Russia and Denmark, Sweden, as well as Poland and Lithuania.
The reason for the outbreak of hostilities (Livonian War)
The main reason for the outbreak of hostilities was the fact that the Livonian Order did not pay the tribute that it had to pay under the peace treaty of the fifty-fourth year.
The Russian army invaded Livonia in 1558. At first (1558-1561) several castles and cities were taken (Yuryev, Narva, Derpt).
However, instead of continuing the successful offensive, the Moscow government provides the order with a truce, at the same time equipping military expedition against Crimea. The Livonian knights, taking advantage of the support, gathered forces and defeated the Moscow troops a month before the end of the truce.
Against Crimea, Russia did not achieve a positive result from military operations.
The favorable moment for victory in Livonia was also missed. Master Ketler in 1561 signs an agreement according to which the order passes under the protectorate of Poland and Lithuania.
After making peace with the Crimean Khanate, Moscow concentrated its forces on Livonia, but now, instead of a weak order, it had to face several powerful contenders at once. And if at first it was possible to avoid war with Denmark and Sweden, then the war with the Polish-Lithuanian king was inevitable.
The greatest achievement of the Russian troops in the second stage of the Livonian War was the capture of Polotsk in 1563, after which there were many fruitless negotiations and unsuccessful battles, as a result of which even the Crimean Khan decided to abandon the alliance with the Moscow authorities.
The final stage of the Livonian War
The final stage of the Livonian War (1679-1683)- the military invasion of the Polish king Bathory in Russia, which at the same time was at war with Sweden.
In August, Stefan Batory took Polotsk, and a year later Velikiye Luki and small towns were taken. On September 9, 1581, Narva, Koporye, Yam, Ivangorod were taken by Sweden, after which the struggle for Livonia ceased to be relevant for Grozny.
Since it was impossible to wage war with two enemies, the king concludes a truce with Batory.
The result of this war was the conclusion completely two treaties unfavorable for Russia, as well as the loss of many cities.
Main events and chronology of the Livonian War
Schematic map of the Livonian War
Interesting materials:
Livonian war in the history of Russia.
The Livonian War is a major armed conflict of the 16th century between the Livonian Confederation, the Russian Tsardom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The kingdoms of Sweden and Denmark were also drawn into the conflict.
Military operations, for the most part, were carried out on the territory where the Baltic countries, Belarus, as well as the North-Western region of the Russian Federation are currently located.
Causes of the Livonian War.
The Livonian Order owned a huge part of the Baltic lands, but by the 16th century it began to lose power due to internal strife and the Reformation.
Due to its coastal position, the lands of Livonia were considered convenient for trade routes.
Fearing the growth of Russia, Livonia did not allow Moscow to trade there in full force. The result of such a policy was the hostility of Russians to their neighbors.
In order not to give Livonia into the hands of one of the European powers, which could conquer the lands of a weakening state, Moscow decided to win back the territories itself.
Livonian war of 1558-1583.
Beginning of the Livonian War.
Military operations began with the fact of the attack of the Russian kingdom on the territory of Livonia in the winter of 1558.
The war lasted in several stages:
- First step. Russian troops conquered Narva, Derpt and other cities.
- The second stage: the liquidation of the Livonian Confederation took place in 1561 (Vilna Treaty).
The war took on the character of a confrontation between the Russian kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
- Third stage. In 1563 Russian army conquered Polotsk, but a year later was defeated at Chashniki.
- Fourth stage. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569, joining forces with the Kingdom of Poland, turns into the Commonwealth. In 1577, Russian troops besiege Revel, lose Polotsk, Narva.
End of the war.
Livonian War ended in 1583 after the signing of two peace treaties: Yam-Zapolsky (1582) and Plussky (1583)
According to the agreements, Moscow lost all the reclaimed lands and border territories with the Rech: Koporye, Yam, Ivangorod.
The lands of the Livonian Confederation were divided between the Commonwealth, the Swedish and Danish kingdoms.
Results of the Livonian War.
Russian historians have long characterized the Livonian War as an attempt by Russia to reach the Baltic Sea. But today the causes and reasons for the war have already been revised. Interesting to follow what were the results of the Livonian war.
The war was the end of the existence of the Livonian Order.
Military actions of Livonia provoked a change domestic policy countries of Eastern Europe, thanks to which a new state appeared - the Commonwealth, which for another hundred years kept all of Europe in fear on an equal footing with the Roman Empire.
As for the Russian kingdom, the Livonian War became a catalyst for the economic and political crisis in the country and led to the decline of the state.
The liberation from the yoke of the Horde, the defeat of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, the advance into Siberia decisively changed the position of Russia in Europe, causing an increased interest in it from Germany, Hungary and other powers. Fearing amplification Ottoman Empire, which subjugated Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Moldavia, Wallachia and kept Crimea in vassal dependence, they tried to use Russia against it.
In addition, the rich Russian market, its strengthened ties with the countries of the Caucasus and Asia pushed the merchants of England, Italy and other countries to develop trade with Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Novgorod ...
However, there were still many obstacles in the way of Russia's relations with the major European countries. Among them, the main thing is the German Livonian Order. He blocked the Baltic route.
The government of Ivan the Terrible decided to restore its former positions in the Baltic States, which had long gravitated towards Russia economically and promised the Russian nobility and merchants new possessions and foreign trade income.
In 1558, Russian troops entered Estonia - the Livonian War began, which lasted 25 years. With the active sympathy of Estonians and Latvians, Russian troops occupied Narva, Dorpat (Tartu), Marienburg (Aluksne), Fellin (Viljandi). The Livonians were completely defeated, and their master V. Furstenberg was captured (1560). The Livonian Order ceased to exist. But Sweden intervened in the war for his former possessions, which captured Revel (Tallinn), and Denmark, which occupied the island of Ezel (Saare Maa). Lithuania, only recently forced to return Smolensk to Russia (1514), and in 1563 lost Polotsk, from where the way to Vilnius opened before Grozny, united with Poland through the Union of Lublin (1569) into one state - the Commonwealth (Rzecz-pospolita - republic ).
Polish and Lithuanian feudal lords not only took over most of Livonia, but also resolutely opposed Russia, fearing to finally lose all captured in the XIV century. Belarusian and Ukrainian lands. The war took on a protracted character.
The opposition of a strong coalition, the devastating invasions of the Crimean hordes that reached Moscow, the betrayal of the boyar governors, combined with the disasters of the oprichnina, undermined the economy of Russia and led to the loss of what was conquered. It was not possible to break through to the Baltic Sea.
After the conquest of Kazan, Russia turned its eyes to the Baltic and put forward plans for the capture of Livonia. There were two main reasons for the Livonian War: the right to freely trade in the Baltic, and for opponents, the issue of preventing Russia from joining the European states was decided. The Order and the German merchants hindered the growth of Russian trade. Therefore, for Russia, the main goal of the Livonian War was the conquest of access to the Baltic Sea. The struggle for supremacy at sea was between Lithuania and Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia.
The reason for the start of the war was the non-payment of tribute by the Livonian Order, which the Yuryev (or Derpt) bishopric undertook to pay under the peace treaty of 1554.
In 1558, Russian troops invaded Livonia.
At the first stage of the war (1558-1561), several cities and castles were taken, including such significant ones as Narva, Derpt, Yuryev.
Instead of continuing the successfully launched offensive, the Moscow government granted the Order a truce and at the same time equipped an expedition against the Crimea. Taking advantage of the respite, the Livonian knights gathered military forces and, a month before the end of the truce, defeated the Russian troops.
Russia did not achieve results in the war against the Crimean Khanate and missed favorable opportunities for victory in Livonia. In 1561, Master Ketler signed an agreement under which the Order came under the protectorate of Lithuania and Poland.
Moscow made peace with the Crimea and concentrated all its forces in Livonia. But now, instead of one weak order, he had to deal with several strong claimants to his inheritance. If at first it was possible to reject the war with Sweden and Denmark, then the struggle with the main heir to the Livonian Order, i.e. with the Polish-Lithuanian king, was inevitable.
The second stage of the war (1562-1578) for Russia passed with varying success.
Russia's highest achievement in the Livonian War was the capture of Polotsk in February 1563, followed by military setbacks and fruitless negotiations. The Crimean Khan refused an alliance with Moscow.
In 1566, Lithuanian ambassadors arrived in Moscow with a proposal for a truce and so that Polotsk and part of Livonia remained behind Moscow. Ivan the Terrible demanded all of Livonia. Such demands were rejected, and the Lithuanian king Sigismund August resumed the war with Russia.
In 1568, Sweden terminated the previously concluded alliance with Russia. England refused to sign the alliance treaty developed by Russian diplomats. In 1569, Poland and Lithuania united into a single state - the Commonwealth. Russia had to continue the Livonian War without allies in the most unfavorable conditions.
However, both the Commonwealth and Russia equally needed peace, so both countries concluded a three-year truce in 1570.
At this time, Russia was conducting hostilities with the Swedes, resorting to the help of Denmark. Ivan the Terrible decided to create a vassal Livonian kingdom from the conquered lands, on the throne of which it was promised to put the Danish prince Magnus, who was married to the royal niece. He tried to expel the Swedes from Reval (Estonia) at the beginning of 1577, but the siege was unsuccessful. Sweden then made peace with Denmark.
After the death of Sigismund August in 1572, a period of kinglessness began in the Commonwealth. In the struggle of pretenders for the throne, the Transylvanian prince Stefan Batory won in 1576. He created an anti-Russian alliance and raised a significant army.
The third stage of the Livonian War (1679-1583) began with the invasion of Russia by the Polish king Stefan Batory. At the same time, Russia had to fight with Sweden. For the first time in the Livonian War, Russia's opponents actually joined their military efforts.
In August 1579, Batory's army conquered Polotsk, and a year later Velikiye Luki and other cities. In an attempt to take Pskov, Batory suffered the biggest setback in the war with Russia. Meanwhile, hostilities continued in Livonia and Estonia, where the Swedes took the cities of Padis, Wezenberg, and Kexholm in Karelia from the Russians, and on September 9, 1581, Sweden captured Narva, then Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye fell.
With the loss of Narva, the continuation of the struggle for Livonia lost its meaning for Grozny.
Realizing the impossibility of waging war with two opponents at once, the tsar began negotiations with Bathory on a truce in order to concentrate all forces on the recapture of Narva. But the plans for an attack on Narva remained unfulfilled.
The result of the Livonian War was the conclusion of two treaties that were unfavorable for Russia.
On January 15, 1582, Yam Zapolsky signed an agreement on a 10-year truce. Russia ceded all its possessions in Livonia to Poland, and Batory returned to Russia the fortresses and cities he had conquered, but retained Polotsk.
In August 1583, Russia and Sweden signed the Plyussky truce for three years. The Swedes retained all the captured Russian cities. Russia retained a section of the coast of the Gulf of Finland with the mouth of the Neva.
The end of the Livonian War did not give Russia access to the Baltic Sea. This was very important for Russia, but still the main strategic task of the Livonian War for Ivan IV was something else. The annexation of Livonia was necessary to stop the centuries-old "onslaught to the east" from the Vatican to enslave Russia.
The reasons for the defeat in the difficult 25-year Livonian War were the economic weakness of Russia, its internal difficulties, the backwardness of Russians in military art compared to Western Europeans. Political short-sightedness, Ivan the Terrible's ignorance of his rivals, his desire for quick results at any cost could not but lead to a major international conflict.
The consequence of the Livonian War was an exceptionally difficult situation for Russia, the country was ruined.
The war of Russia against the Livonian Order, Sweden, Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (from 1569 - the Commonwealth) for access to the Baltic Sea.
The formal reason for the war was the non-fulfillment of the agreements of 1554 in relation to Russia by the Livonian Order (payment of the Yuryev tribute for all overdue years, the obligation not to conclude allied agreements with Sigismund II, etc.). The real reasons were the geopolitical need for Russia to gain access to the Baltic Sea, to actively participate in the division of the territory of the Livonian Order, the progressive decay of which was becoming obvious.
The conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan temporarily removed tensions in the east and south of Russia, a truce was concluded with Lithuania until 1562, therefore Ivan IV the Terrible in January 1558 he started the war, which became the fate of Ivan: it lasted with short breaks for 25 years and ended 7 months before his death.
1st stage (until 1561) ended with the defeat of the Livonian Order. In January-February, Eastern Livonia and the central regions were subjected to pogroms. Narva was taken in May, Yuryev (Derpt) in July. In the winter of 1558-59. Russian troops reached the outskirts of the city of Riga. In March 1559, a truce was signed for six months and an agreement was being prepared on the vassal dependence of the Order on Russia. However, neighboring states joined the war. The Polish king Sigismund II took the Order under his protectorate. In June 1561, the knighthood of Northern Estonia and the city of Revel swear allegiance to the King of Sweden, Lithuanian troops are stationed near Riga.
According to the Treaty of Vilna (November 1561), the Livonian Order ceased to exist, its territory was transferred to the joint possession of Lithuania and Poland, the last master of the order received the Duchy of Courland. Instead of a weak opponent, the tsar now faced three strong states, however, with conflicting interests.
On the 2nd stage (until 1578) Russian troops fought with varying success. In 1562, Ivan the Terrible concluded a truce with Sweden, set a course for an agreement with the Crimean Khanate, which made it possible to prepare a grand army campaign led by the tsar to Lithuania in the winter of 1562-1563. In February 1563, the city of Polotsk, an important fortress in the upper reaches of the Western Dvina, was captured.
Further, the domestic political situation escalated, most of the leaders were executed or fell into disgrace" The chosen one is glad", in April 1564, a close friend of the young years of Ivan the Terrible, Andrey Mikhailovich Kurbsky, fled from Yuryev to Lithuania. All this happened against the backdrop of military failures, which the tsar explained as treason. In September 1564, large Lithuanian forces besieged Polotsk, but they could not take "In early 1565, Ivan the Terrible introduced the oprichnina, the planned royal campaign in Livonia was canceled. For several years, military operations proceeded sluggishly. In 1568-69, the Lithuanians managed to take several small fortresses. In March 1569, Poland and Lithuania concluded the Union of Lublin, a new state was formed - the Commonwealth.
A major campaign against Revel and its long siege in late 1570 - early 1571 did not bring success. In 1577, Ivan the Terrible tried to strike a decisive blow. The troops take many small and medium-sized fortresses, capture almost the entire territory north of the Western Dvina (with the exception of Revel and Riga with districts), but the victories turned out to be fragile.
On the 3rd stage (since 1579) Russian troops fought defensive battles [defense and surrender of Polotsk (1579), Velikie Luki (1580), six-month defense of Pskov 1581-82, etc.] against the army of Stefan Batory and the Swedish troops, who captured Narva and a number of Livonian fortresses. It ended with the signing of the Yam-Zapolsky and Plyussky truces, which were unfavorable for Russia.
Yam-Zapolsky world between Russia and the Commonwealth for 10 years. Concluded on January 15, 1582 near Zapolsky Pit, south of Pskov. One of the diplomatic documents that ended the Livonian War of 1558-83. The cities occupied by the Polish troops were returned to Russia, in return she abandoned Polotsk and Livonia.
Plus Armistice between Russia and Sweden, which ended the Livonian War of 1558-83. Concluded on the Pluss River in August 1583. The Russian cities of Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Korela with counties went to Sweden. Russia kept the mouth of the Neva.
