Russo-Swedish War (1590–1595) Explained

Conflict:Russo-Swedish War (1590–1595)
Width:315
Partof:the Russo-Swedish wars
Date:1590–1595
Place:Ingria, Estonia, Finland
Territory:
Result:Disputed, see result
Combatant1: Sweden
Commander1: John III
Arvid Stålarm
Pekka Vesainen
Commander2: Feodor I
Boris Godunov
Bogdan Belsky
Fyodor Mstislavsky
Prince Trubetskoy
Vladimir Dolgorukov
Strength1:Unknown
Strength2:25,000
Casualties1:Unknown
Casualties2:Unknown

The Russo-Swedish War of 1590–1595 was instigated by Boris Godunov in the hope of gaining the territory of the Duchy of Estonia along the Gulf of Finland belonging to Sweden since the previous Livonian War.As soon as the Truce of Plussa expired early in 1590, a large Russian army led by Godunov and his sickly brother-in-law, Feodor I of Russia, marched from Moscow towards Novgorod. On 18 January they crossed the river Narva, defeated a Swedish detachment in a counter battle and laid siege to the Swedish castle of Narva, commanded by Arvid Stålarm. Another important fortress, Jama (Jamburg), fell to Russian forces within two weeks. Simultaneously, the Russians ravaged Estonia as far as Reval (Tallinn) and Finland as far as Helsinki.

On 25 February, the local Swedish governor,, was compelled to sign an armistice, which obliged Sweden to surrender the territories won by the Treaty of Plussa — namely Jama, Koporye, and Ivangorod. This peace settlement displeased John III of Sweden, who sent a fleet to take hold of Ivangorod, but this attempt to besiege the fortress was checked by a Russian castellan. Matters then remained quiet until summer 1591, when the Swedes struck against Gdov, capturing a local governor, Prince Vladimir Dolgorukov.

The other war theatre was East Karelia, where the Swedes sacked Kola and other Russian settlements bordering the White Sea. A raiding party allegedly led by Finnish peasant chief Pekka Vesainen, destroyed the Pechenga Monastery on 25 December 1589, killing 50 monks and 65 lay brothers. He then turned his troops to Kola Fjord but could not manage to destroy the Kola Fortress due to lack of men. Instead he captured and burned Kandalaksha (Kantalahti) and a small Russian settlement in Kem. Again, due to lack of men, he could not capture the Solovetsky Monastery on the Solovetsky Islands.

Godunov's government gradually overcame those setbacks, as Prince Volkonsky was sent to pacify Karelia, and the noblest Russian generals Bogdan Belsky, Fedor Mstislavsky, and Prince Trubetskoy devastated Finland. Then, the war settled into indecisive skirmishing from which it would not subsequently emerge. Three years elapsed before Sweden, in May 1595, agreed to sign the Treaty of Teusina (Tyavzino, Tyavzin, Täyssinä). It restored to Russia all territory ceded in the Treaty of Plussa of 1583 to Sweden except for Narva. Russia had to renounce all claims on Estonia, including Narva, and Sweden's sovereignty over Estonia from 1561 was confirmed.[1]

Result

There are numerous scholarly sources that says the war ended with a Swedish victory.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Russian sources differ in their assessment, claiming Russian victory and the conclusion of a favorable peace on the terms of Moscow. The Cambridge History of Russia also notes Russia's victory in the war, but draws attention to the fact that not all the goals of the Russians were fulfilled. Some sources claim a military victory for Russia and a political draw. Another part of the sources does not name the winner in the war, but claims that the agreement was to some extent beneficial to both sides. However, most Russian-language sources do not indicate at all that the outcome of the war satisfied one of the parties.[11] Other sources have also called the war a commercial victory for Sweden.[12]

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Black, Jeremy . The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492–1792 . 28 March 1996 . Cambridge University Press . 978-0-521-47033-9 . en . 2 December 2023 . 7 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207192138/https://books.google.com/books?id=neUKEvaYPZYC&dq=Narva+1581&pg=PA59 . live .
  2. Book: Sundberg, Ulf . Svenska krig 1521–1814 . Hjalmarson & Högberg . 2002 . 9789189080140 . 2nd . Stockholm . 75 . Swedish . "Lugnet lägrar sig och kvarstår fram till den 18 maj 1595, då Freden i Teusina sluts. Freden kan betecknas som bra för Sverige.".
    Online version available at Web site: 25-årskriget mot Ryssland 1570-1595 . Svenskt Militärhistoriskt Bibliotek. 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/20071029024931/http://www.smb.nu/svenskakrig/1570.asp . 29 October 2007 .
  3. KISER, EDGAR, et al. “THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REVOLT AND WAR IN EARLY MODERN WESTERN EUROPE.” Journal of Political & Military Sociology, vol. 22, no. 2, 1994, pp. 305–24. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45371312 . Accessed 6 December 2023.
  4. Book: Roberts, Michael . Gustavas Adolphus . 10 July 2014 . Routledge . 978-1-317-89576-3 . en . 26 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240107052103/https://books.google.com/books?id=nIsABAAAQBAJ&dq=russo+swedish+war+1595+swedish+victory&pg=PA7 . 7 January 2024 . live.
  5. Web site: Vasatidens Sverige 1521-1611 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206034621/https://www.so-rummet.se/kategorier/historia/nya-tiden/vasatidens-sverige . 6 December 2022 . 6 January 2024 . 25-årskriget mot Ryssland (1570-1595) var ett krig som fördes mellan Ryssland och Sverige, samt Sveriges (från 1578 till 1582) allierade Polen. Kriget startades av Ryssland som försökte erövra Sveriges besittningar i Estland. Kriget avslutades med en svensk seger i och med freden i Teusina 1595..
  6. Book: Knut . Helge . Sverge och Ryssland, 1595–1611: Tvisten om Estland, förbundet mot Polen, de ryska gränslandens ... . Almquist . Hjalmar . 1907 . . . 13 . sv . Sweden and Russia, 1595–1611: The dispute over Estonia, the alliance against Poland, the conquest of the Russian borderlands and the great dynastic plan . "Men i midten af febr. 1595 hade svenskarna fört sin ståndpunkt härutinnan till seger, och fastän frågan om gränsregleringens förhållande till Kexholms öfverlämnande ännu hölls öppen, tycktes uppgörelsen nära sin fullbordan".
  7. Book: Sundberg, Ulf . Sveriges krig 1448-1630 . Svenskt militärhistoriskt bibliotek . 2010 . 9789185789627 . 269 . sv . Sweden's wars 1448-1630.
  8. Book: История СССР . 1980 . Изд-во Академии наук СССР . 213 . ru . Автор верно оценил Тявзинский мир 1595 г. как победу Швеции в деле установления контроля над русской балтийской торговлей, однако победу неполную, России все еще были доступны польско - лифляндский и архангельский торговые пути..
  9. Book: Sundberg, Ulf . Svenska freder och stillestånd 1249-1814 . 1997 . Hargshamn : Arete . Internet Archive . 978-91-89080-01-0 . 220.
  10. Book: Nordstrom, Byron J. . Scandinavia since 1500: Second Edition . 27 June 2023 . . 2023 . 978-1-4529-6893-3 . en . Sweden was the victor in the conflicts of the second half of the sixteenth century..
  11. https://search.app/jBRWKDfeXaKaKByLA Русско-Шведская война 1590-1595 гг.
  12. Book: Tarkiainen, Kari . Moskovalainen: Ruotsi, Suomi ja Venäjä 1478–1721 . 29 September 2022 . Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura . 978-951-858-576-6 . 85 . 20.500.12657/58562 . fi . Rauha oli kauppapoliittisesti voitto Ruotsille, koska sovittiin, että Viipuri ja Narva olisivat kansainvälisen transitokaupan tapuleita..

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