Battle of Ula
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The Battle of Ula or Battle of Chashniki was fought during the Livonian War on 26 January 1564 between the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
and the
Tsardom of Russia The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I i ...
on the (tributary of the Daugava River) north of
Chashniki Chashniki ( be, Чашнікі, Čašniki, russian: Чáшники, pl, Czaśniki, lt, Čašnikai) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus, famous for the Battle of Ula during Livonian War and Battle of Czasniki that took place during the Frenc ...
in the Vitebsk Region. The Russian troops, unarmed and moving in a loose formation, were taken by complete surprise and defeated, losing their large wagon train.


Background

During the Livonian War, Livonia was invaded by the Russian army of Tsar
Ivan IV Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...
. After the defeat in the
Battle of Ergeme The Battle of Ērģeme (also Battle of Ermes) ( et, Härgmäe lahing; german: Schlacht bei Ermes; russian: italic=yes, сражение при Эрмесе; lv, Ērģemes kauja) was fought on 2 August 1560 in present-day Latvia (near Valga) a ...
in 1560, the weakened
Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the ...
was dissolved and the Duchy of Livonia and
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...
were ceded to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania according to the
Treaty of Vilnius (1561) A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...
. Russia then launched a campaign against Lithuania, capturing Polotsk in February 1563 and threatening further invasion against
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, the capital city. The Lithuanians attempted to negotiate a truce, but the talks failed in November 1563.


Battle

Two large Russian armies from Polotsk and Smolensk, commanded by and , were to meet near
Orsha Orsha ( be, О́рша, Во́рша, Orša, Vorša; russian: О́рша ; lt, Orša, pl, Orsza) is a city in Belarus in the Vitebsk Region, on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers. History Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha ...
and jointly march against Vilnius. The army was well-prepared for a long campaign;
Velikiye Luki Velikiye Luki ( rus, Вели́кие Лу́ки, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪjə ˈlukʲɪ; lit. ''great meanders''. Г. П.  Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-П ...
received supplies sufficient to provide the army for half a year. Shuysky moved on January 23, 1564. Not expecting to meet any large enemy forces on his path, he made a critical mistake by allowing his troops to march without order and with their armor and weapons being carried in the wagon train. Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł,
Grand Lithuanian Hetman Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commun ...
, who at the time was in
Lukoml Lukoml ( be, Лукомль, pl, Łukoml) is a village in Lukoml ''selsoviet'', Chashniki District, Vitsebsk Voblast, Belarus, by the Lukoml Lake. History Early references to Lukoml in Russian chronicles are dated by 1078, when it was burned by ...
, quickly organized cavalrymen without waiting for infantry or artillery. His men included Field Hetman
Hrehory Chodkiewicz Hrehory Chodkiewicz ( lt, Grigorijus Chodkevičius, uk, Григорій Олександрович Ходкевич, translit=Hryhorii Oleksandrovych Khodkevych; – 9 November 1572) was a Ruthenian noble and military officer of the Grand ...
and many future military leaders: his 16-year-old son and future grand hetman
Krzysztof Mikołaj "the Thunderbolt" Radziwiłł Krzysztof () is a Polish given name, equivalent to English ''Christopher''. The name became popular in the 15th century. Its diminutive forms include Krzyś, Krzysiek, and Krzysio; augmentative – Krzychu Individuals named Krzysztof may choose to ...
, future field hetman Roman Sanguszko, future Livonian hetman Jan Hieronimowicz Chodkiewicz, and others. The details of the battle vary based on source. There are at least 15 contemporary sources, including three official reports written within days after the battle and four artistic works glorifying the winners, but they all provide different and often conflicting details and statistics. Radziwiłł attacked Shuysky's army while it marched from Polotsk to Drutsk. Two main versions of the battle can be identified. The first version claims that the Russians were either carelessly marching in a loose order or making preparations for the night rest and were unarmed at the time of the attack. A small Lithuanian detachment engaged the vanguard units, while the main forces attacked the unprepared Russian troops. The second, Lithuanian version claims that Shuysky positioned his army for an attack in an open field and was ready to attack the Lithuanians as soon as they emerged from the woods. However, perhaps overconfident in his numbers, he delayed the initial attack and allowed the Lithuanians enough time to position their troops. All sources agree that the Lithuanians achieved a complete victory and that Russian commander Prince Pyotr Shuysky was killed in action. There are several versions of Shuysky's death. The most popular version claims that he was injured and retreated from the battlefield and was later axed to death by a local peasant. Another version has it that he was found in a well with a bullet hole in his head. Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł claimed that it was his client Kasparas Šveikovskis who killed Shuysky. His body was transported to Vilnius and buried with full honors in an Orthodox church. It was claimed that many other
boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Russian nobility, Russia, Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia, Wallachia and ...
s were killed or taken prisoners. The exact number of Russian casualties sustained in this battle varies from 150 to 700 men in Russian chronicles; the first estimate is regarded as incomplete. The Lithuanians claimed to have defeated 9,000 or even 20,000, a figure that is considered as heavily exaggerated. The large Russian
wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...
was lost and, according to a witness, so much loot was taken that soldiers gave away bread for free and armor was sold for one Hungarian gold coin.


Aftermath

Upon learning of the defeat of Shuysky and the loss of the much-needed wagon train, the army of Prince Serebryany-Obolensky safely retreated to Russian territory, bringing significant damage to the enemy by devastating and sacking a large swathe of Lithuanian territory in passing, defeating Lithuanian squads, and taking numerous prisoners. It was attacked by
Filon Kmita Filon Kmita (1530 Kyiv Voivodeship – 1587), also known as Kmita the Chernobylan, was a noble in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Filon Kmita was notable for conducting counter-intelligence in the Muscovite war ...
and Jurgis
Astikas Astikai ( la, Astikus, pl, Ościk, ''Ościkowicze'' or ''Ostik'') was a Lithuanian noble family, that prospered in late 14th and early 17th centuries. Kristinas Astikas, a noble from Kernavė, was the founder of the family. There is some vague e ...
near Orsha and, believing that they were attacked by the main Lithuanian forces, hastily retreated further. These two victories averted the Russian invasion and restored the power balance in the Livonian War. The Lithuanians devastated a wide area around
Sebezh Sebezh (russian: Се́беж) is a town and the administrative center of Sebezhsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in a picturesque setting between Lakes Sebezhskoye and Orono south of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast ...
, but, expecting the Tatars to assist them in waging war on the Russian realm, did not have enough momentum to recapture Polotsk during a three-week siege. Although the battle slowed down one of the Russian offensives in January, it did not change the course of the ongoing border war which was not much in favour of the Lithuanians. The battle was followed by skirmishes and Lithuania could not recover the significant lost territories. In the very same month, as well as in February, other Russian armies launched numerous and successful attacks against their foe. In January, voivodes from Nevel and Polotsk conducted an offensive against Lithuania, while in January and February Russian forces attacked Dubrowna,
Orsha Orsha ( be, О́рша, Во́рша, Orša, Vorša; russian: О́рша ; lt, Orša, pl, Orsza) is a city in Belarus in the Vitebsk Region, on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers. History Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha ...
, Druchevsk, Borisov, Kopos,
Shklow Shklow ( be, Шклоў, ; Škłoŭ; russian: link=no, Шклов, ''Shklov''; yi, שקלאָוו, ''Shklov'', lt, Šklovas, pl, Szkłów) is a town in Mogilev Region, Belarus, located north of Mogilev on the Dnieper river. It has a railway ...
, Teterin,
Mogilev Mogilev (russian: Могилёв, Mogilyov, ; yi, מאָלעוו, Molev, ) or Mahilyow ( be, Магілёў, Mahilioŭ, ) is a city in eastern Belarus, on the Dnieper River, about from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from the bor ...
, Radoml,
Mstislavl Mstislaw or Mstislavl ( be, Мсціслаў, [], russian: Мстиславль [msʲtʲɪˈslavlʲ], pl, Mścisław, lt, Mstislavlis) is a town in the Mogilev Region, Eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Mstsislaw District ...
, and
Chachersk Chachersk ( be, Чачэрск, , russian: Чечерск, pl, Czeczersk) is a city in the Gomel Region of Belarus, an administrative center of the Chachersk District. It is located in an area which was highly contaminated due to the fallout of th ...
, reaching as far as the border of Vilnius and the
Berezina River The Berezina or Biarezina ( be, Бярэ́зіна; ) is a river in Belarus and a right tributary of the Dnieper. The river starts in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The length of the Berezina is 613 km. The width of the river is 15-20 m, the ...
. In August 1564, a Russian squad of Boyars' Sons from Pskov, led by V. Veshnyakov, defeated a Lithuanian force at Krasny Gorodok. At the end of the same month, Russian Tatars from Kazan and Astrakhan, commanded by V. Buturlin, arrived and waged war on Lithuania. In October, the Russians captured the town of Ozerische. In 1565, both sides continued their struggle against each other, though with a lower intensity. This time the Lithuanians tried in vain to take the city of Krasny in October and sacked some Russian volosts, whereas Russian Cossacks responded with sacking numerous villages on Lithuanian territory. The Lithuanians used their victory at Ula to derail negotiations for the
Union of Lublin The Union of Lublin ( pl, Unia lubelska; lt, Liublino unija) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the pe ...
, which were initiated in hopes to obtain Polish military support in the war with Russia. Some authors believe that defeats in the Livonian War might have contributed to the deterioration of Tsar Ivan's mental state, leading to the establishment of ''
Oprichnina The oprichnina (russian: опри́чнина, ) was a state policy implemented by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Russia between 1565 and 1572. The policy included mass repression of the boyars (Russian aristocrats), including public executions and ...
'' in 1565.


References


External links


Letter by Mikołaj Radziwiłł reporting the victory
{{Campaigns and treaties of the Livonian War Ula Ula Ula Ula 1564 in Europe Military history of Belarus