Battle of Pabaiskas

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict = Battle of Pabaiskas
partof = the Lithuanian Civil War (1431–1435)


caption = Monument in the field of the Battle of Pabaiskas
date = September 1 1435
place = Pabaiskas near Šventoji River
territory =
result = Decisive victory for Sigismund Kęstutaitis
combatant1 = )

Golden Horde
combatant2 = )

commander1 = Švitrigaila
Sigismund Korybut †
Franco Kerskorff †
commander2 = Sigismund Kęstutaitis
Michael Žygimantaitis
Jakub Kobylański
strength1 = ca. 15,000
strength2 = ca. 15,000
casualties1 =
casualties2 =
notes =

The Battle of Pabaiskas or Battle of Vilkomir took place on September 1 1435 near Ukmergė (former Vilkmergė) in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With the help of military units from Kingdom of Poland, the forces of Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis soundly defeated Švitrigaila and his Livonian Order allies. The battle ended the Lithuanian Civil War (1431–1435) and inflicted major damage to the Livonian Order.

Background

In 1430 Vytautas the Great died without an heir. Lithuanian nobles elected Švitrigaila, cousin of Vytautas and brother of Jogaila, King of Poland, as the new Grand Duke without consent from Poland. This violated the Union of Horodło of 1413 and outraged Polish nobles. Švitrigaila prepared for a war and enlisted the Teutonic Knights, Moldavia, Golden Horde as his allies.cite book | last=Kiaupa | first=Zigmantas | coauthors=Jūratė Kiaupienė, Albinas Kunevičius | title=The History of Lithuania Before 1795 | origyear=1995 | edition=English | year=2000 | publisher=Lithuanian Institute of History | location=Vilnius | isbn=9986-810-13-2 | pages=205–207] Sigismund Kęstutaitis assumed power in Lithuania when he deposed Švitrigaila in a coup on August 31 1432. Švitrigaila escaped, established himself in Polotsk, and rallied his supporters from Slavic lands of the Grand Duchy against Sigismund.

Teutonic Knights secretly supported Švitrigaila mostly through its branch in Livonia. Švitrigaila and Sigismund engaged in destructive civil war. In December 1432 their armies met near Ašmena; Švitrigaila was defeated, but the victory was not decisive. In 1433 together with Livonian knights Švitrigaila raided Lida, Kreva, Eišiškės and devastated suburbs of Vilnius, Trakai, and Kaunas. After Jogaila's death in 1434, Teutonic Knights resumed its war against Poland.

The battle

Each side mobilized around 15,000 troops (in some cases estimates run up to 30,000 on each side).cite book| title=Tannenberg and After |first=William |last=Urban |publisher=Lithuanian Research and Studies Center |location=Chicago |year=2003 | isbn=0-929700-25-2 |pages=311–313] Švitrigaila commanded forces of Lithuanians, Orthodox Ruthenians, Livonian Knights, at least 500 Tatars from the Golden Horde, and a few Teutonic Knights. There might have been some Hussites on his side as he enlisted his nephew Sigismund Korybut, a distinguished military leader during the Hussite Wars.lt icon cite journal| title=Žygimantas Kaributaitis – tragiško likimo asmenybė |first=Arnoldas |last=Piročkinas | journal=Mokslas ir gyvenimas |year=1999 |volume=10 |issue=502 |url=http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/mg/nr/99/10/10kar.html |issn=0134-3084] Sigismund Kęstutaitis commanded Lithuanian and Polish army. His son Michael commanded Samogitian troops and Jakub Kobylański was in charge of Polish forces. The opponents met about convert|9|km|mi|1 south of Vilkmergė near the Šventoji River. Later a town, named Pabaiskas, was built in the field to commemorate the battle. At first the armies were separated by the Lake Žirnajai and a marshy creek. The armies could not engage each other. After two days Švitrigaila and Livonian Grand Master Franco Kerskorff decided to change position and move towards Vilkmergė.cite encyclopedia | editor=Simas Sužiedėlis | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Lituanica | title=Pabaiskas, Battle of | year=1970–1978 | publisher=Juozas Kapočius | volume=IV | location=Boston, Massachusetts | id=LCC|74-114275 | pages=140–141] As the army marched, it was attacked by Sigismund Kęstutaitis, split in half and soundly defeated. Švitrigaila escaped to Polotsk with about 30 followers. Kerskorff was killed in the battle. Korybut was severely wounded and captured. He died few days later; historians speculate whether he died of the wounds, was drowned, or poisoned.

Aftermath

The battle reduced the power of the Livonian Order as its army was defeated, Grand Master killed, and many senior officers taken prisoners. The damage to the Livonian Order caused by the battle is often compared to the consequences that the Battle of Grunwald (1410) had on the Teutonic Knights. The peace treaty was signed on December 31 1435 in Brześć Kujawski. The Teutonic and Livonian Orders promised not to interfere with internal matters of Lithuania or Poland. Even Pope or Holy Roman Emperor could not force the Orders to violate the treaty.cite book | last=Kiaupa | first=Zigmantas | coauthors=Jūratė Kiaupienė, Albinas Kunevičius | title=The History of Lithuania Before 1795 | origyear=1995 | edition=English | year=2000 | publisher=Lithuanian Institute of History | location=Vilnius | isbn=9986-810-13-2 | pages=210] The peace did not alter borders established in the Treaty of Melno (1422).lt icon cite book | last=Kiaupienė | first= Jūratė | title=Gimtoji istorija. Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės | url=http://mkp.emokykla.lt/gimtoji/ | accessdate=2008-03-09 | year=2002 | publisher=Elektroninės leidybos namai | location=Vilnius | isbn=9986-9216-9-4 | chapter=Gediminaičiai ir Jogailaičiai prie Vytauto palikimo | chapterurl=http://mkp.emokykla.lt/gimtoji/?id=848]

Švitrigaila escaped and continued to resist, but he was losing his power in the eastern provinces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1437 he proposed a compromise: he would continue to rule Kiev and Volhynia, territories that still remained loyal to him, in exchange for peace and promise to transfer these lands after his death to the King of Poland.cite encyclopedia | editor=Simas Sužiedėlis | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Lituanica | title=Švitrigaila | year=1970–1978 | publisher=Juozas Kapočius | volume=V | location=Boston, Massachusetts | id=LCC|74-114275 | pages=348–350] Because of strong protests from Sigismund Kęstutatis the Polish Senate did not ratify the agreement. The following year Švitrigaila retreated to Moldavia. Sigismund became the undisputed Grand Duke of Lithuania. However, his reign was short as he was assassinated in 1440. A church was built in the battlefield by Sigismund Kęstutaitis to commemorate his victory. The town of Pabaiskas ( _pl. Pobojowisko means "battlefield") later grew around the church. [lt icon cite web | url=http://www.ukmerge.lt/index.php/lt/40354/ |title=Lankytinos vietos | publisher=Utena district municipality| accessdate=2008-07-03]

References