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Revision as of 14:55, 29 December 2004 view sourceEmax (talk | contribs)9,958 editsmNo edit summary← Previous edit Revision as of 15:15, 29 December 2004 view source Ghirlandajo (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers89,629 edits Polish propaganda removed; many additions; more to comeNext edit →
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The '''Battle of Orsha''' took place on ], ], between the forces of the ] and ] (less than 30,000 troops) under the joint command of ] ] and the 80 000-strong army of ] under ] (Иван Челядин). The much smaller army of the Grand Duchy managed to defeat the Muscovites and seized their camp, taking the enemy commander into captivity. The '''Battle of Orsha''' took place on ], ], between the forces of the ] and ] (more than 35,000 troops) under the joint command of ] ] and the 80 000-strong army of ] under ] and ]. The much smaller army of the Grand Duchy managed to defeat the Muscovites and seized their camp, taking the enemy commander into captivity. The battle was part of the war which was finally won by ].


==Eve of the battle== ==Eve of the battle==
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After marching into ] the king with his 4,000-strong unit secured the town of ], while the main forces moved to face the enemy. At the end of August several skirmishes took place at the river crossings over ], ] and ], but the Muscovite army avoided confrontation. After marching into ] the king with his 4,000-strong unit secured the town of ], while the main forces moved to face the enemy. At the end of August several skirmishes took place at the river crossings over ], ] and ], but the Muscovite army avoided confrontation.


After suffering negligeable losses, the Muscovite army moved to the area between ] and ] on the river ], where it set a camp. ], confident that the Lithuanian-Polish forces would have to cross one of the two bridges on the ], split his forces to guard the river crossings. However, the army of Ostrogski crossed the river further northwards via two ]s. At night of ] the army started preparations for the final battle with the Muscovites. Hetman Ostrogski put most of the 16,000 of Lithuanian (Litvin) horsemen in the center while most of the Poles and the auxiliary troops were placed on both sides. The ]n and ]n infantry were dislocated in the centre of the line, in front of the reserves composed of Lithuanian and Polish cavalry. After suffering negligeable losses, the Muscovite army moved to the area between ] and ] on the river ], where it set a camp. ], confident that the Lithuanian-Polish forces would have to cross one of the two bridges on the ], split his forces to guard the river crossings. However, the army of Ostrogski crossed the river further northwards via two ]s. At night of ] the army started preparations for the final battle with the Muscovites. Hetman Ostrogski put most of the 16,000 of Lithuanian (Litvin) horsemen in the center while most of the Poles and the auxiliary troops were placed on both sides. The ]n and ]n infantry were dislocated in the centre of the line, in front of the reserves composed of Lithuanian and Polish cavalry.


==Battle== ==Battle==
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The Lithuanian light horsemen attacked the overstretched centre of the Moscovian lines in order to break them in two. At the most crucial moment the horsemen of the Grand Duchy seemed to waver, stopped the assault and started a retreat. Muscovites started a pursuit with all cavalry reserves. After retreating back for several minutes, being chased by the Muscovian army, suddenly the horsemen turned to the sides. And there the Muscovian horsemen ended up in front of the artillery hidden in the forest. On both sides the Polish forces appeared and started to surround the Muscovites. Chelyadin sounded the retreat that soon became somewhat panicky. The army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania chased them for five kilometers. The Lithuanian light horsemen attacked the overstretched centre of the Moscovian lines in order to break them in two. At the most crucial moment the horsemen of the Grand Duchy seemed to waver, stopped the assault and started a retreat. Muscovites started a pursuit with all cavalry reserves. After retreating back for several minutes, being chased by the Muscovian army, suddenly the horsemen turned to the sides. And there the Muscovian horsemen ended up in front of the artillery hidden in the forest. On both sides the Polish forces appeared and started to surround the Muscovites. Chelyadin sounded the retreat that soon became somewhat panicky. The army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania chased them for five kilometers.


According to the chronicles, 40,000 Muscovites were killed in the Battle of Orsha. Additional 3,000 were taken captive, including Chelyadin himself and 8 other commanders. In addition, the forces of ] and ] seized the Muscovian camp, as well as all 300 cannons. According to the chronicles, 25,000 Muscovites were killed in the Battle of Orsha. Additional 3,000 were taken captive, including Chelyadin himself and 8 other commanders. In addition, the forces of ] and ] seized the Muscovian camp, as well as all 300 cannons.


==Aftermath== ==Aftermath==
Upset by the news of such a defeat, Muscovian Grand Prince ] said that "prisoners are as good as the dead" and did not negotiate their return. The Battle of Orsha was one of the biggest battles in ] in the ]. The forces of Astrožski continued the pursuit of the routed Muscovite army and managed to retake most of the previously-taken castles. However, the forces of PLC were too depleted to successfuly besiege ] before the winter. Also, Ostrogski did not reach the gates of Smolensk until late September, which gave Vasili III enough time to prepare the defence. Widely seen as the Lithuanian attempt to retaliate for the ignominous defeat suffered in the ] (1500), the Battle of Orsha was one of the biggest engagements of the century. The forces of Ostrogski continued the pursuit of the routed Muscovite army and managed to retake most of the previously-taken castles. However, the forces of PLC were too depleted to successfuly besiege ] before the winter. Also, Ostrogski did not reach the gates of Smolensk until late September, which gave Vasili III enough time to prepare the defence.


In December ] hetman Kanstanty Ostrogski triumphantly entered ]. To commemorate the victory two Orthodox churches were erected: Church of the Holy Trinity and church of the Saint Nicholas, which are preserved to the modern day and are one of the most impressive pieces of Orthodox architecture. In December ] hetman Kanstanty Ostrogski triumphantly entered ]. To commemorate the victory two Orthodox churches were erected: Church of the Holy Trinity and church of the Saint Nicholas, which are preserved to the modern day and are one of the most impressive pieces of Orthodox architecture.


The war between the ] and ] lasted until ]. Two years later a ] was signed, in which the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was forced to secede the city of ] to ]. It was not retaken until almost a century later, in ]. The war between the ] and ] lasted until ]. Two years later a ] was signed, in which the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was forced to surrender about one fourth of its ]n possessions with the city of ] to ].

== Polish propaganda ==

The battle was used by King Sigizmund as a pretext for propping up his ailing reputation in Europe. He instantly sent letters to Pope Pope Leo X and other European courts claiming that his army killed 30000 Muscovites and took prisoner 46 commanders with 1500 nobles. As the Polish government spread this news across Europe, these enormous figures grew larger and larger. Impressed by these figures, Emperor ] presently started peace talks with Poland. His courtier, Sigismund von Herberstein (1549), puts the number of Muscovite casualties to 30000, and the number of Lithuanian troops to 35000. ] in his Lithuanian history (1582) wrote about 40000 killed Muscovites and 2000 nobles taken prisoner. These figures were used by subsequent generations of Polish historians without critical approach.

Meanwhile, we have only one unbiassed document on the number of casualties. It is a Lithuanian list of all the nobles taken prisoner after the battle, name by name. It enumerates 380 persons (not 2000, as claimed by Stryjkowski). Moreover, Muscovy just didn't feel this allegedly heavy defeat. The estimation of Muscovite troops at 80000, as proposed by Stryjkowski, is clearly fabulous. Even ], who commanded a larger territory than his father, could never muster more than 40000 troops, of whom 20% were newly-conquered Tatars and Finns. For half a century earlier, the maximum number of Muscovite troops could not exceed 40000.


== References == == References ==
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Revision as of 15:15, 29 December 2004

Battle of Orsza
Battle of Orsha
Conflict Muscovite-Lithuanian War of 1514
Date September 8, 1514
Place Orsha, Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Result Total Muscovite defeat
Combatants
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Muscovy
Commanders
Konstanty Ostrogski Mikhail Golitsa
Strength
35,000 troops 80,000 troops
Casualties
unknown 25,000 killed, 3,000 prisoners

The Battle of Orsha took place on September 8, 1514, between the forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland (more than 35,000 troops) under the joint command of hetman Konstanty Ostrogski and the 80 000-strong army of Muscovy under Ivan Chelyadnin and Mikhail Golitsa. The much smaller army of the Grand Duchy managed to defeat the Muscovites and seized their camp, taking the enemy commander into captivity. The battle was part of the war which was finally won by Muscovy.

Eve of the battle

At the end of 1512 Muscovy started a new war for the Ruthenian lands of present-day Belarus and Ukraine that were a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The fortress of Smolensk was then the easternmost outpost of the Grand Duchy and one of the most important strongholds guarding it from the east. It successfuly managed to repel several Muscovite attacks, but in July 1514 Muscovy's army of 80,000 men and 300 guns besieged it and finally seized it.

Inspired by the initial success, the Grand Prince of Moscow Vasili III directed his troops further into Belarus, occupying the towns of Krychau, Mscislau, and Dubrouna. Meanwhile, the king Sigismund the Old managed to gather less than 30,000 soldiers for the war with the eastern neighbour. It was inferior in numbers, yet composed mostly of the well-trained cavalrymen. Among the forces of Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland put under the command of Konstanty Ostrogski were:

After marching into Belarus the king with his 4,000-strong unit secured the town of Barysau, while the main forces moved to face the enemy. At the end of August several skirmishes took place at the river crossings over Berezina, Bobr and Druts, but the Muscovite army avoided confrontation.

After suffering negligeable losses, the Muscovite army moved to the area between Orsha and Dubrouna on the river Krapiuna, where it set a camp. Ivan Chelyadnin, confident that the Lithuanian-Polish forces would have to cross one of the two bridges on the Dnepr, split his forces to guard the river crossings. However, the army of Ostrogski crossed the river further northwards via two pontoon bridges. At night of September 7 the army started preparations for the final battle with the Muscovites. Hetman Ostrogski put most of the 16,000 of Lithuanian (Litvin) horsemen in the center while most of the Poles and the auxiliary troops were placed on both sides. The Bohemian and Silesian infantry were dislocated in the centre of the line, in front of the reserves composed of Lithuanian and Polish cavalry.

Battle

On September 8, 1514, shortly after dawn, Chelyadin ordered the attack. The Muscovian forces tried to outflank the PLC forces by attacking both flanks manned by the Polish soldiers. One of the pincers of the attack was led by Chelyadin himself, while the other was commanded by prince Bulgakov-Golitsa. The initial attack failed and the Russians withdrew towards their starting positions, however Chelyadin was still confident that the almost 3:1 odds will give him the victory. However, being involved on one of the wings of his forces, the Russia commander lost control over the other areas and failed to coordinate the defense against the counterattack of the Lithuanian cavalry, until then kept as a reserve.

The Lithuanian light horsemen attacked the overstretched centre of the Moscovian lines in order to break them in two. At the most crucial moment the horsemen of the Grand Duchy seemed to waver, stopped the assault and started a retreat. Muscovites started a pursuit with all cavalry reserves. After retreating back for several minutes, being chased by the Muscovian army, suddenly the horsemen turned to the sides. And there the Muscovian horsemen ended up in front of the artillery hidden in the forest. On both sides the Polish forces appeared and started to surround the Muscovites. Chelyadin sounded the retreat that soon became somewhat panicky. The army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania chased them for five kilometers.

According to the chronicles, 25,000 Muscovites were killed in the Battle of Orsha. Additional 3,000 were taken captive, including Chelyadin himself and 8 other commanders. In addition, the forces of Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland seized the Muscovian camp, as well as all 300 cannons.

Aftermath

Widely seen as the Lithuanian attempt to retaliate for the ignominous defeat suffered in the Battle of Vedrosha (1500), the Battle of Orsha was one of the biggest engagements of the century. The forces of Ostrogski continued the pursuit of the routed Muscovite army and managed to retake most of the previously-taken castles. However, the forces of PLC were too depleted to successfuly besiege Smolensk before the winter. Also, Ostrogski did not reach the gates of Smolensk until late September, which gave Vasili III enough time to prepare the defence.

In December 1514 hetman Kanstanty Ostrogski triumphantly entered Vilnia. To commemorate the victory two Orthodox churches were erected: Church of the Holy Trinity and church of the Saint Nicholas, which are preserved to the modern day and are one of the most impressive pieces of Orthodox architecture.

The war between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Muscovy lasted until 1520. Two years later a cease-fire was signed, in which the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was forced to surrender about one fourth of its Ruthenian possessions with the city of Smolensk to Muscovy.

Polish propaganda

The battle was used by King Sigizmund as a pretext for propping up his ailing reputation in Europe. He instantly sent letters to Pope Pope Leo X and other European courts claiming that his army killed 30000 Muscovites and took prisoner 46 commanders with 1500 nobles. As the Polish government spread this news across Europe, these enormous figures grew larger and larger. Impressed by these figures, Emperor Maximilian I presently started peace talks with Poland. His courtier, Sigismund von Herberstein (1549), puts the number of Muscovite casualties to 30000, and the number of Lithuanian troops to 35000. Maciej Stryjkowski in his Lithuanian history (1582) wrote about 40000 killed Muscovites and 2000 nobles taken prisoner. These figures were used by subsequent generations of Polish historians without critical approach.

Meanwhile, we have only one unbiassed document on the number of casualties. It is a Lithuanian list of all the nobles taken prisoner after the battle, name by name. It enumerates 380 persons (not 2000, as claimed by Stryjkowski). Moreover, Muscovy just didn't feel this allegedly heavy defeat. The estimation of Muscovite troops at 80000, as proposed by Stryjkowski, is clearly fabulous. Even Ivan the Terrible, who commanded a larger territory than his father, could never muster more than 40000 troops, of whom 20% were newly-conquered Tatars and Finns. For half a century earlier, the maximum number of Muscovite troops could not exceed 40000.

References

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