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Chapter 33: Breakthrough
Part 33: Breakthrough (1622-1625)
News arrived about the situation in the far west - that is, in the British Isles. After a year or so of fighting, the English army successfully overrun it's only land opponent, Scotland. While heavy resistance continued in the highlands for a long time after the surrender of the King of Scotland, the Kingdom of the Scots was no more. Scotland was officially incorporated, annexed into the English nation and divided into counties, and Puritan work to root out Reformism from the northern parts of the island began. In the beginning of 1622, 300 English Reformists, who hid in Edinburgh and formed a circle of intellectuals in emigration, were arrested and executed in London. King William III of England now reigned supreme over the British Isles, but his kingdom was unable to push any forward. An effective French and Dutch naval blockade destroyed most of the English navy and prevented the islanders from landing any troops in the continent, thus the English practically pulled out of the conflict, having grown bigger and stronger since their entrance, but not satisfied their revanchism.
In Lithuania, meanwhile, new troops were raised - the nobility was called to war, and the Russian voivodeships mobilized their units, too. These large reinforcements could drastically change the outcome of the war, so where will they be sent? Albertas Jogaila I ordered something... weird - the troops are to be sent to the Polish front, while he and the primary Lithuanian army march north to deal with Sweden. This decision was heavily influenced by recent news that arrived to his camp - scouts informed him that the Swedes, having dealt with the Danish, were sending a relief force through Finland to break the "siege" of Estland and retake all of Livonia. This force was led by the King of Sweden himself. Defeating Sweden became the prime priority of the Bear King, and thus he abandoned the good positions he had in Poland to deal with the northern front first. Stephen Bathory's Visegrad armies quickly used this opportunity to begin an offensive campaign into southern Poland.
On the way to Livonia, Albertas Jogaila I arrived to East Prussia, and his 30 000 men large army engaged the three times smaller army of the Duchy of Pomerania, which was slowly advancing through the region. The Battle of Allenstein saw a quick, but powerful victory for the Lithuanians - the Pomeranian forces weren't even aware that the Lithuanians were in the region until it was too late, and a sudden Lithuanian light cavalry charge broke the mercenary troops quite easily, with great losses on their sides. The Prussian front was secure. Sweden was next.
In the spring of 1623, King Albertas arrived to Dorpat, and almost exactly as he came, the news of Krakow falling back to the hands of Visegrad, and a large Swedish army appearing in Karelia, arrived as well. The situation was getting problematic. There was no time to wait. Bolstered with General Ostrogski's forces, the Royal Army poured into the Estland perimeter, beginning the Reval Campaign. The Lithuanians had 40-45 thousand soldiers on their side, while the Swedish and Livonian defenders could barely muster 17 000. The sea was still frozen and had been frozen since last autumn, so help could not arrive. In addition, the Swedes found themselves fighting a problem they did not expect to have - food shortages. Estonia was not a very fertile land as it was, and now, wrecked and burned by war and conflict, it could barely grow anything at all. Streaks of famine across the land were being reported one after another, and the army stockpile was running on fumes. This was the primary reason for Sweden sending a relief force, but it was too late, it seems... In April, the Lithuanian forces began their move north, capturing Paide and Viljandi with little opposition, and defeating small Livonian detachments on the way. The showdown between the starved defenders and the Lithuanians came near the town of Kegel (Keila), pretty much on the outskirts of Reval.
The Battle of Keila was, interestingly enough, a much closer fight than Albertas Jogaila I anticipated. The Swedish infantry formed the front line, managing to resist numerous Lithuanian volleys and cavalry charges despite their weak condition, hunger and small numbers. The Lithuanian Chronicle details that the Swedes used an interesting tactic to counter the pistol and sword armed Lithuanian light cavalry - forming hollow infantry squares in anticipation for a charge, which was surprisingly effective. However, the young King was quick to crack this tactic, and after 6 hours of intense combat that left many dead on both sides, the Royal Lithuanian Army came out victorious. The week after, Lithuanian troops were already marching into Reval, which surrendered without a fight. While the Swedes successfully seized the islands of Osel and Dago, mainland Livonia had been lost, and never to return.
Interesting thing to note - the Livonian War was also the time when Albertas's first son, Jonas, was born. There were, and still are, rumors that Prince Jonas was not born to the King's wife, Margarita Radvilaitė from Utena, but rather to a captured Estonian farmer's girl, named Katrin, during the annexation of Livonia. They are usually dismissed as mere hoaxes, though.
Albertas Jogaila I in the Battle of Keila (1854 painting)
At the same time, though, the main Swedish army, led by King Erik XV himself, began to cross the Karelian Isthmus. The defeat in Estland and Keila was disheartening, but the King of Sweden was not willing to give up yet. While the Lithuanians were banging their teeth on Livonia, the disciplined, professional Swedish forces dealt heavy damage to the Danish forces, and the "Lion of the North" overran Skane and Norway. Lithuania was going to be a much tougher opponent than Denmark, though, and Erik XV knew that. Albertas I, meanwhile, soon sent his armies to meet the Swedes in the Isthmus, and his orders were followed through.
The Battle of Antrea happened in September of 1623, and was the last major battle fought in the Swedish-Lithuanian "front" of the Catholic-Reformist War. The location for the battle was one of the worst that you could imagine - a swamp-ridden, lightly forested strip of land near a group of lakes. The difficult terrain made movement slow and cavalry ineffective, and Albertas Jogaila I adjusted to the different circumstances beforehand. The large Lithuanian army was spread out and divided into small sub-units, capable of moving fairly uninhibited by swamps and forests that riddled the land, and spread them out on a wide and narrow "front", facing the enemy. This division into tiny units, each commander by only a few officers, gave the Lithuanians much greater mobility and speed in the battle, which turned out to be the deciding factor of the clash.
Erik XV's Swedish forces arrived a few days later, during which Lithuanian scouts thoroughly inspected the area, marking down and informing the leadership of any paths, shortcuts or dangerous areas. Much like the Bear's ancestors, the medieval Lithuanian pagan warriors desperately resisting the Teutonic crusades, he relied on the terrain, and on fooling the enemy. This was not Lithuanian swamp with secret paths and preplanned defenses, but it's better than nothing. The Swedish forces, despite reports telling them of a large Lithuanian army facing them, only seemed to find a few scattered units here and there, but a sudden volley from a dense nearby forest cleared this confusion out - the Lithuanians were tricking them! After a few volleys, the skirmishers disappeared back into the forest, only for a large frontal attack to slam into Swedish ranks. Despite both forces taking just as heavy casualties, the Lithuanians suddenly retreated, distracting and confusing the surprised soldiers. Even more side attacks followed, none of them breaking the enemy, or even trying to...
What happened was a classic Lithuanian harassment tactic - attacking with an element of surprise, dealing as much damage as possible, then pulling back to safety and repeating, and so on. Medieval Lithuanian light cavalry was famous for their feigned retreats and their harassment of enemy ranks, and here, in this narrow isthmus in the far north, Albertas Jogaila I, their progeny, rediscovered them. The Lithuanian harass continued until Erik XV ordered his troops to retreat, moving back to Vyborg. Here, negotiations for an armistice between the two nations begun. To Sweden, it was clear that Lithuania was not going to be beaten anytime soon, and the Scandinavian nation was running short on additional recruits to match the Easterner war machine. Already, the occupation of Norway was eating up a lot of their resources, and staying stubborn and fighting on could mean even greater losses for Sweden. In the Treaty of Vyborg, Sweden officially recognized Lithuania's annexation of Livonia, though held onto Osel and Dago, the two large islands on the western Estonian coast that Lithuania was unable to access. No reparations were to be paid by either nation, though Sweden also agreed to lift the naval blockade on Lithuania that had been held for some time now, and was severely hampering the Lithuanian economy.
With the northern front secure, King Albertas moved his massive horde back south, where Visegrad and it's Stephen Bathory awaited. The reinforcements that were sent in 1622 didn't hold the line well, and throughout the two years of relative calm Visegrad managed to regain most of Lesser Poland and even begun incursions into Podolia. The Western front was collapsing, though - Maximilian IV was suffering one defeat after another, and only a Venetian and Visegradian intervention saved Vienna from being captured, and France was making steady pushes into Northern Italy and Spain. Only the North was a Catholic victory - Denmark was severely weakened, Scotland got annexed, and the North German cities and duchies pushed back one Reformist campaign after another thanks to their capable mercenary armies. Capable, but at the same time abhorrent. In many documented cases, mercenaries in all sides, if not paid well enough, would take the fight to the civilians, loot and steal as much as their heart desires in conquered lands, and commit some of the greatest atrocities in recent times. Both Catholic and Reformist chroniclers say one thing - the peasants die in droves from hunger and looting, diseases are rampant, entire, formerly fledgling cities become ghost towns, and anger over military losses is constantly released on innocent locals.
"The Great Miseries of War", a 1624 etching
On April of 1624, the Lithuanian army under Albertas Jogaila I reached the outskirts of Mazovia, and they arrived to news of true terror. The Ottomans, well aware of the long war between Lithuania and Visegrad, have taken the initiative and began a full scale invasion of the Triple Crown! The Turkish empire, the brand new entrant into the war, cared even less than the King of Lithuania for squabbles between Catholics and Reformists. What they saw was an opportunity to take revenge for the Battle of the Sava River, and this sudden declaration of war threw all Visegradian plans into chaos. Stephen Bathory, who marched out of Budapest saying that he will "serve Albertas's head to Charles IV on a plate", now hurried to said Lithuanian king and pleaded for peace. Charles IV himself agreed to concessions - Lithuania can be defeated later, right now it's the fate of the whole Union that's at hand.
Following Sweden, Visegrad signed an armistice with Lithuania, the Treaty of Lublin, on June of 1624. Podolia and Galicia all the way to Przemysl and the Carpathians was ceded, and the two countries agreed to "an eternal peace between the two nations, for our time and for the time of our progeny". Both signatories thought of this as only a temporary redrawing of lines, though - as soon as conditions line up, both would be more than glad to break the treaty for whatever they seek. But that is a story for another time.
While Visegrad enacted emergency conscription and rallied all available troops to fight the Turkish threat encroaching on Budapest, peace finally returned to Lithuania. At a great loss of life - more than 30 000 Lithuanian soldiers laid their heads for these victories, and who knows how many civilians were lost in terror in Livonia, Galicia and East Prussia... The prestige of the Bear King rose to new heights, dozens of poems and panegyrics were written about him, and this young warrior monarch found himself beloved by even the most cynical of nobles.
But even though war exhaustion was already gripping Lithuania's heart, Albertas Jogaila I was not done yet. Ooh no. Which country stole Lithuania's Black Sea coast? Which nation has been propping up Crimean raiders to loot it's Ruthenian provinces? The King has not disbanded his forces yet, the final enemy remains.
---
Sorry for brief inactivity
Part 33: Breakthrough (1622-1625)
In Lithuania, meanwhile, new troops were raised - the nobility was called to war, and the Russian voivodeships mobilized their units, too. These large reinforcements could drastically change the outcome of the war, so where will they be sent? Albertas Jogaila I ordered something... weird - the troops are to be sent to the Polish front, while he and the primary Lithuanian army march north to deal with Sweden. This decision was heavily influenced by recent news that arrived to his camp - scouts informed him that the Swedes, having dealt with the Danish, were sending a relief force through Finland to break the "siege" of Estland and retake all of Livonia. This force was led by the King of Sweden himself. Defeating Sweden became the prime priority of the Bear King, and thus he abandoned the good positions he had in Poland to deal with the northern front first. Stephen Bathory's Visegrad armies quickly used this opportunity to begin an offensive campaign into southern Poland.
On the way to Livonia, Albertas Jogaila I arrived to East Prussia, and his 30 000 men large army engaged the three times smaller army of the Duchy of Pomerania, which was slowly advancing through the region. The Battle of Allenstein saw a quick, but powerful victory for the Lithuanians - the Pomeranian forces weren't even aware that the Lithuanians were in the region until it was too late, and a sudden Lithuanian light cavalry charge broke the mercenary troops quite easily, with great losses on their sides. The Prussian front was secure. Sweden was next.
In the spring of 1623, King Albertas arrived to Dorpat, and almost exactly as he came, the news of Krakow falling back to the hands of Visegrad, and a large Swedish army appearing in Karelia, arrived as well. The situation was getting problematic. There was no time to wait. Bolstered with General Ostrogski's forces, the Royal Army poured into the Estland perimeter, beginning the Reval Campaign. The Lithuanians had 40-45 thousand soldiers on their side, while the Swedish and Livonian defenders could barely muster 17 000. The sea was still frozen and had been frozen since last autumn, so help could not arrive. In addition, the Swedes found themselves fighting a problem they did not expect to have - food shortages. Estonia was not a very fertile land as it was, and now, wrecked and burned by war and conflict, it could barely grow anything at all. Streaks of famine across the land were being reported one after another, and the army stockpile was running on fumes. This was the primary reason for Sweden sending a relief force, but it was too late, it seems... In April, the Lithuanian forces began their move north, capturing Paide and Viljandi with little opposition, and defeating small Livonian detachments on the way. The showdown between the starved defenders and the Lithuanians came near the town of Kegel (Keila), pretty much on the outskirts of Reval.
The Battle of Keila was, interestingly enough, a much closer fight than Albertas Jogaila I anticipated. The Swedish infantry formed the front line, managing to resist numerous Lithuanian volleys and cavalry charges despite their weak condition, hunger and small numbers. The Lithuanian Chronicle details that the Swedes used an interesting tactic to counter the pistol and sword armed Lithuanian light cavalry - forming hollow infantry squares in anticipation for a charge, which was surprisingly effective. However, the young King was quick to crack this tactic, and after 6 hours of intense combat that left many dead on both sides, the Royal Lithuanian Army came out victorious. The week after, Lithuanian troops were already marching into Reval, which surrendered without a fight. While the Swedes successfully seized the islands of Osel and Dago, mainland Livonia had been lost, and never to return.
Interesting thing to note - the Livonian War was also the time when Albertas's first son, Jonas, was born. There were, and still are, rumors that Prince Jonas was not born to the King's wife, Margarita Radvilaitė from Utena, but rather to a captured Estonian farmer's girl, named Katrin, during the annexation of Livonia. They are usually dismissed as mere hoaxes, though.
Albertas Jogaila I in the Battle of Keila (1854 painting)
The Battle of Antrea happened in September of 1623, and was the last major battle fought in the Swedish-Lithuanian "front" of the Catholic-Reformist War. The location for the battle was one of the worst that you could imagine - a swamp-ridden, lightly forested strip of land near a group of lakes. The difficult terrain made movement slow and cavalry ineffective, and Albertas Jogaila I adjusted to the different circumstances beforehand. The large Lithuanian army was spread out and divided into small sub-units, capable of moving fairly uninhibited by swamps and forests that riddled the land, and spread them out on a wide and narrow "front", facing the enemy. This division into tiny units, each commander by only a few officers, gave the Lithuanians much greater mobility and speed in the battle, which turned out to be the deciding factor of the clash.
Erik XV's Swedish forces arrived a few days later, during which Lithuanian scouts thoroughly inspected the area, marking down and informing the leadership of any paths, shortcuts or dangerous areas. Much like the Bear's ancestors, the medieval Lithuanian pagan warriors desperately resisting the Teutonic crusades, he relied on the terrain, and on fooling the enemy. This was not Lithuanian swamp with secret paths and preplanned defenses, but it's better than nothing. The Swedish forces, despite reports telling them of a large Lithuanian army facing them, only seemed to find a few scattered units here and there, but a sudden volley from a dense nearby forest cleared this confusion out - the Lithuanians were tricking them! After a few volleys, the skirmishers disappeared back into the forest, only for a large frontal attack to slam into Swedish ranks. Despite both forces taking just as heavy casualties, the Lithuanians suddenly retreated, distracting and confusing the surprised soldiers. Even more side attacks followed, none of them breaking the enemy, or even trying to...
What happened was a classic Lithuanian harassment tactic - attacking with an element of surprise, dealing as much damage as possible, then pulling back to safety and repeating, and so on. Medieval Lithuanian light cavalry was famous for their feigned retreats and their harassment of enemy ranks, and here, in this narrow isthmus in the far north, Albertas Jogaila I, their progeny, rediscovered them. The Lithuanian harass continued until Erik XV ordered his troops to retreat, moving back to Vyborg. Here, negotiations for an armistice between the two nations begun. To Sweden, it was clear that Lithuania was not going to be beaten anytime soon, and the Scandinavian nation was running short on additional recruits to match the Easterner war machine. Already, the occupation of Norway was eating up a lot of their resources, and staying stubborn and fighting on could mean even greater losses for Sweden. In the Treaty of Vyborg, Sweden officially recognized Lithuania's annexation of Livonia, though held onto Osel and Dago, the two large islands on the western Estonian coast that Lithuania was unable to access. No reparations were to be paid by either nation, though Sweden also agreed to lift the naval blockade on Lithuania that had been held for some time now, and was severely hampering the Lithuanian economy.
With the northern front secure, King Albertas moved his massive horde back south, where Visegrad and it's Stephen Bathory awaited. The reinforcements that were sent in 1622 didn't hold the line well, and throughout the two years of relative calm Visegrad managed to regain most of Lesser Poland and even begun incursions into Podolia. The Western front was collapsing, though - Maximilian IV was suffering one defeat after another, and only a Venetian and Visegradian intervention saved Vienna from being captured, and France was making steady pushes into Northern Italy and Spain. Only the North was a Catholic victory - Denmark was severely weakened, Scotland got annexed, and the North German cities and duchies pushed back one Reformist campaign after another thanks to their capable mercenary armies. Capable, but at the same time abhorrent. In many documented cases, mercenaries in all sides, if not paid well enough, would take the fight to the civilians, loot and steal as much as their heart desires in conquered lands, and commit some of the greatest atrocities in recent times. Both Catholic and Reformist chroniclers say one thing - the peasants die in droves from hunger and looting, diseases are rampant, entire, formerly fledgling cities become ghost towns, and anger over military losses is constantly released on innocent locals.
"The Great Miseries of War", a 1624 etching
Following Sweden, Visegrad signed an armistice with Lithuania, the Treaty of Lublin, on June of 1624. Podolia and Galicia all the way to Przemysl and the Carpathians was ceded, and the two countries agreed to "an eternal peace between the two nations, for our time and for the time of our progeny". Both signatories thought of this as only a temporary redrawing of lines, though - as soon as conditions line up, both would be more than glad to break the treaty for whatever they seek. But that is a story for another time.
While Visegrad enacted emergency conscription and rallied all available troops to fight the Turkish threat encroaching on Budapest, peace finally returned to Lithuania. At a great loss of life - more than 30 000 Lithuanian soldiers laid their heads for these victories, and who knows how many civilians were lost in terror in Livonia, Galicia and East Prussia... The prestige of the Bear King rose to new heights, dozens of poems and panegyrics were written about him, and this young warrior monarch found himself beloved by even the most cynical of nobles.
But even though war exhaustion was already gripping Lithuania's heart, Albertas Jogaila I was not done yet. Ooh no. Which country stole Lithuania's Black Sea coast? Which nation has been propping up Crimean raiders to loot it's Ruthenian provinces? The King has not disbanded his forces yet, the final enemy remains.
---
Sorry for brief inactivity
- Augenis
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