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The Battle of Orsha took place on September 8, 1514, between the forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland (less than 30,000 troops) under the joint command of hetman Konstanty Ostrogski and the 80 000-strong army of Muscovy under Ivan Chelyadin (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.

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:

• 16,000 horsemen of the Grand Duchy
• 14,000 Polish cavalry (both light and heavy)
• 3,000 mercenary infantry
• 2,500 volunteers, mostly from Bohemia.

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 Chelyadin, 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, 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 Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland seized the Muscovian camp, as well as all 300 cannons.

Aftermath

Upset by the news of such a defeat, Muscovian Grand Prince Vasili III 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 Europe in the 16th century. 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 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 secede the city of Smolensk to Muscovy. It was not retaken until almost a century later, in 1611.

References

• The battle was described by Sigismund von Herberstein in his Rerum Moscoviticarum Commentarii (1549) (Notes on Muscovite Affairs).

• Battles
• Polish battles
• Belarusian history
• Lithuanian history
• Polish history