Battle of Lode was a battle fought during the
Livonian War
The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pr ...
, between Sweden and Russia on 23 January 1573. The battle was won by the Swedes.
Battle
On 23 January a Swedish army of 700 infantry and 600 cavalry under the command of
Clas Åkesson Tott Clas Åkesson Tott (c. 1530–1596) was a military Field Marshal (1572) and member of the Privy Council of Sweden (1575).
In the Russo-Swedish War (1554–1557), he was the rittmeister of the cavalry squadron ''Upplandsfanan''. He became respo ...
clashed with a Russian army under the command of
Simeon Bekbulatovich
Simeon Bekbulatovich (russian: Симеон Бекбулатович; born Sain-Bulat, russian: Саин-Булат; died 5 January 1616) was a Russian statesman of Tatar origin, descendant of Genghis Khan, who briefly served as a figurehead rul ...
, by the village of
Koluvere, just outside Lode. Tott gave orders to his cavalry to engage the Russians. Despite being heavily outnumbered, they managed to tear up the enemy formations and break in, but were later forced to retreat due to the enemies numerical superiority. Tott, however, used this opportunity to strike with his infantry and cavalry once more and after a while the whole Russian force was scattered, and fled. The
Swedish cavalry persecuted and cut down many Russians during their rout.
According to the Swedish source,
Balthasar Russow
Balthasar Russow (1536–1600) was one of the most important Livonian and Estonian chroniclers.
Russow was born in Reval, Livonia (now Tallinn, Estonia). He was educated at an academy in Stettin, Pomerania (now Szczecin, Poland). He was the ...
, Chronica der Provintz Lyfflandt the Russian force numbered 16,000 and lost about 7,000 men during the battle, a number which, most likely, is exaggerated – nonetheless, the losses suffered were probably heavy. The Swedish casualties, however, were light. Tott returned to
Reval
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...
with all his artillery, hundreds of horses, and a large number of sleds abandoned by the Russians during their rout. The Russian
Czar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the t ...
,
Ivan IV, later began peace negotiations and sent a letter to
Johan III
John III ( sv , Johan III, fi, Juhana III; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomous ...
, King of Sweden. But due to previous negotiations, the Swedish King doubted the Russian desire to make peace.
References
Sources
*Sundberg, Ulf: Svenska krig 1521-1814, p. 78, Hjalmarson & Högberg Bokförlag, Stockholm 2002,
Anders Anton von Stiernman, Swea och Götha Höfdinga-Minne, Volym 2Fridolf Ödberg, Tidsbilder ur 1500-talets svenska häfder, C. E. Fritzes kungl. hofbokhandel, 1896Сказанія князя Курбскаго, Андрей Михайлович Курбский
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lode, Battle of
Conflicts in 1573
1573 in Europe
16th century in Estonia
Battles of the Livonian War
Battles in Estonia
Battles involving Sweden
Battles involving Russia
Lääne-Nigula Parish