The History of Russia (Volume II: 1440 - 1835)

[Stuckenschmidt]

Table of Content​

Chapter I - Introduction
Chapter II - Decline of the Golden Horde (1446 - 1450)
Chapter III - The partition of Novgorod (1451 - 1454)
Chapter IV - Integration of Jaroslavl (1459)
Chapter V - Warring States in the South (1455 - 1461)
Chapter VI - Annexation of Tver (1462 - 1463)
Chapter VII - Decreasing Danish Influence (1455 - 1463)
Chapter VIII - Reform Policy in the 1460s
Chapter IX - The End of Novgorod (1469 - 1471)
Chapter X - Power shift in the South (1460 - 1475)
Chapter XI - Downfall of Nogai and the Golden Horde (1476 - 1479)
Chapter XII - Second Danish-Livonian War (1481 - 1482)
Chapter XIII - Death of Vasily II (1483)
Chapter XIV - Accession of Perm (1484)
Chapter XV - Polish-Muscovite border in the South (1487 - 1490)
Chapter XVI - Annexation of Ryazan (1491 - 1492)
Chapter XVII - Weapons Technology and Army Reform in the late 15th Century
Chapter XVIII - Expansion into Crimea and Kazan (1501 - 1507)
Chapter XIX - Death of Ivan III (1507)
Chapter XX - Conquest of the Crimean Peninsula (1509 - 1511)
Chapter XXI - Downfall of Kazan (1507 - 1513)
Chapter XXII - Army Reform in the early 16th Century
Chapter XXIII - Advance into Nogai (1531 - 1532)
Chapter XXIV - Excursus I: The Reformation from Dessau to Örebro (1505 - 1534)
Chapter XXV - Death of Ivan IV (1541)
Chapter XXVI - From Muscovy to Russia (1543)
Chapter XXVII - Across the Ural (1546)
Chapter XXVIII - Bohemian Succession War (1545 - 1547)
Chapter XXIX - Decline of the Uzbek Khanate (1543 - 1556)
Chapter XXX - Army Reform in the mid 16th Century
Chapter XXXI - The Manychian War (1559 - 1561)
Chapter XXXII - The Bessarabian War (1558 - 1564)
Chapter XXXIII - Excursus II: Religious Tensions from Örebro to Augsburg (1534 - 1565)
Chapter XXXIV - Death of Vasily III (1571)
Chapter XXXV - Accession of Pskov (1573)
Chapter XXXVI - Excursus III: War of the Evangelical Union (1565 - 1573)
Chapter XXXVII - Rise and Fall of Livonia (1568 - 1574)
Chapter XXXVIII - Baltic War (1578 - 1582)
Chapter XXXIX - War of Swedish Secession (1583 - 1589)
Chapter XL - Power shift in Central Asia and West Siberia (1563 - 1590)
Chapter XLI - Ottoman Expansion to the North (1593)
Chapter XLII - Second Baltic War (1593 - 1596)
Chapter XLIII - Weapon Technology and Army Reform in the late 16th Century
Chapter XLIV - Death of Ivan V (1601)
Chapter XLV - Decline of Poland (1602 - 1606)
Chapter XLVI - Death of Fyodor II (1608)
Chapter XLVII - Ottoman Expansion Plans in Europe (1605 - 1615)
Chapter XLVIII - Regency (1608 - 1621)
Chapter XLIX - Norwegian War (1623 - 1627)
Chapter L - Nordic War (1631 - 1636)
Chapter LI - Persian Wars (1603 - 1637)
Chapter LII - Yedisan War (1637 - 1640)
Chapter LIII - Weapon Technology and Army Reform in the early 17th Century
Chapter LIV - Decline of Denmark (1650 - 1655)
Chapter LV - Karelian War (1662 - 1665)
Chapter LVI - Developments in Central Asia (1637 - 1668)
Chapter LVII - Death of Yekaterina I (1677)
Chapter LVIII - Second Nordic War (1684 - 1692)
Chapter LIX - Weapon Technology and Army Reform in the late 17th Century
Chapter LX - Death of Dmitriy VII (1698)
Chapter LXI - Great Polish War (1698 - 1704)
Chapter LXII - Ukrainian War (1709 - 1712)
Chapter LXIII - Developments in Central Asia (1668 - 1714)
Chapter LXIV - Destruction of Polotsk (1718 - 1719)

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Introduction​

In the first Volume of "The History of Russia" we followed the events in East Europe in general and the entity, which would become Russia, in particular. The foundation of the Kingdom of Rus (823), Christianization (932), adoption of a feudal hierarchy (10th century) and Primogeniture (1046), the conversion to Orthodox Christianity (1127), the establishment of an independent Russian-Orthodox church with the center in the new capitol Moscow (1330) and finally the Smuta (1400 - 1440), which saw the end of the Muromid dynasty and the rise of the Rurikids.

The Smuta significantly changed the political landscape. In the north, the collapsing Kingdom of Rus reduced the entity to the core territories around Moscow. The Rurikids did not continue to use the title King and referred to themselves as Grand Princes. Until the early 1440s the Grand Principality of Muscovy could regain size, but this time it expanded eastward. The remaining territories gained independence as Principalities (Jaroslawl, Tver, Ryazan) or Republics (Novgorod, Pskov).

To the west was the new dominating power of East Europe. Lithuania. For centuries Lithuania had lived in the shadow of the Rus. But with the Second Mongol Invasion and the collapse of the Rus and Carpathia, Lithuania was the entity to benefit the most from the existing power vacuum and expanded quickly to the south and east.

In the south, Muscovy was neighbored by the successor states of the Second Mongol Empire, which split up in the years after the death of Khagan Tolui in 1419 into the Islamic Khanates of the Golden Horde, Kazan and Nogai.

Fig. 1: East Europe around 1440​

At first glance, Muscovy was in a weak position, being surrounded by potential enemies. But the dominating status the Kingdom of Rus once had, had not completely vanished. With the Principalities of Perm and Jaroslawl as well as the Republic of Pskov as dependent entities on its side, it could raise more resources than most of its rivals.

While the medieval was characterized by establishing political, cultural and religious structures, resulting in a Russian and Orthodox society, the early modern era would see technological progress, improved government efficiency and expansionism.

Due to the latter, although the focus will continue to be East Europe in general and Muscovy in particular, this book will "zoom out" and cover events in distant regions due to expanding Empires and increased Diplomacy unimaginable in previous centuries.

 

[Idhrendur]

Oh, yay! The EU4 part!

 

[loup99]

Subscribed!

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

Watching.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Decline of the Golden Horde
(1446 - 1450)​

In the year 1425 Vasily II gained the throne in Moscow, ending the rule of the Muromid Dynasty and starting the reign of the Rurikid. Despite the fact that he could stop the decline of the former Kingdom of Rus, many territories were lost either to Lithuania or independent realms. Some of these new entities were ruled by side branches of the Rurikid. One of them was the Principality of Ryazan.

In 1446 Khan Küchük Genghizid of the Golden Horde decided to attack and annex the small Principality. This war would soon escalate and lead to several years of warfare in all of southern East Europe due to two factors.

The first one was the discord among the Khanates in the south. Shortly after the forces of the Golden Horde had invaded Ryazan, the Khanate of Kazan declared war on the Horde. This was an even more devious act, since Khan Ulug of Kazan belonged to the Genghisid Clan too and hence was a distant relative of Küchük. Additionally Kazan was joined by the Khanat Nogai under Khan Vakkas Edigüid.

Secondly the Grand Principality of Muscovy became involved. Vasily II realized, that it was not in his interest to let the Golden Horde expand northward, hence he signed an Alliance with Ryazan, which had already come under severe pressure. Furthermore he saw an opportunity, that the Khanates in the south might weaken themselves so he could take advantage of this development. So he declared war on the Khanate Kazan and thus fought two separate wars in the south.

The Muscovite Army marched toward Ryazan, where the capitol of the Principality was already about to fall. The force of the Golden Horde was outnumbered and during the battle near the city, in which approximately 45.000 soldiers participated, it suffered severe casualties and had to retreat. As of that point, the Golden Horde was in the defense.

Fig. 2: Southern East Europe in 1450
​

In the aftermath, Vasily II focused on the campaign versus Kazan. Facing almost no resistance, since the army of the Khanate was engaged against the Golden Horde, Muscovy could occupy most of the enemy`s territory, including the capitol. In 1148 Khan Ulug agreed to a peace treaty, ceding Pensa and Simbirsk to Muscovy.

In the meantime the Golden Horde had already lost territory to Nogai. With Kazan and Muscovy being able to completely focus on the southern conflict again, the forces of the Khanate were soon destroyed and its territories occupied. In mid 1450 Küchük had to surrender. Nogai and Kazan gained holdings in the east. Muscovy got the provinces of Tambow and Saratow. Ryazan was granted a considerable tribute as reparations.

The Golden Horde lost a major part of its territory during these four years and although it did survive, it ceased to be an important entity in the south. Nogai could expand westward, while Kazan`s gains could only just compensate its losses to Muscovy. Vasily II was the largest winner, gaining large territories in the south. Nevertheless this expansion added potential problems, since the population in these territories belonged to another culture and religion.

 

[loup99]

Your image does not display in the post, but it does display in case I quote it. Not sure on what is causing this issue.

 

[alscon]

I'll also continue to follow .

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

The partition of Novgorod
(1451 - 1454)​

In the early 1420s, during the collapse of the Kingdom of Rus, the city of Novgorod together with other cities in the vicinity became independent and established the Grand Republic of Novgorod. In the following roughly 15 years, the Republic expanded quickly to the north and east. But it was not so much the now huge, although almost inhabited territory, which secured its power. It was the role of Novgorod itself as well as the estuary of the Neva river as trading hub for the whole region, which made the Republic wealthy and important. And a worthwhile target.

The Scandinavian countries Norway and Sweden were ruled in personal union with the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1451, the Danish King Christopher III Wittelsbach decided to attack the Republic of Novgorod in order to expand his influence in the north and gain control over the local trade.

This development brought Grand Prince Vasily II of Muscovy into a difficult situation. According to sources the situation in the recently acquired southern territories was far from stable and a significant force was necessary to suppress local revolts. On the other hand it was probable, that Novgorod would not be able to defend itself from the combined power of three Nordic countries. With the threat of Novgorod being completely occupied by Denmark, Vasily II decided to secure his interests in the north and declared war on Novgorod in 1452.

During the next two years the armies of Novgorod were destroyed and basically the whole territory of the Republic was occupied by Danish and Muscovite forces. It became obvious, that negotiations between the two countries were necessary in order to end this war. The result was the Treaty of Viborg of 1454.

Fig. 3: Northern East Europe after the Treaty of Viborg​

Muscovy had entered the war one year after Denmark, hence the latter had gained control of more territories and was in a better position during the negotiations, which were consequently conducted in a Swedish city. In the end, Denmark gained all of Karelia and the coastal provinces in the south, effectively blocking Muscovy from sea access. As compensation, Muscovy got the city of Novgorod and the surrounding territories plus further holdings in the east. Finally the small Principality of Odoyev, which had taken part in the conflict on Novgorod`s side, also became part of Muscovy.

So Novgorod was almost destroyed besides some minor territories, while Denmark and Muscovy became the new dominating powers in the north. It is assumed, that Muscovy also had agreed to give all coastal territories to Denmark, since it desperately needed peace. Eight years of war had drained the resources of the Grand Principality. Although it had gained a large fortress as the new defensive cornerstone in the northwest, all military and administrative resources of the realm would be needed to integrate the vast new territories and reorganize the army.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Oh man, there is a mistake in the map. It shouldn`t be "Rostov", but "Ryazan". I was a bit tired.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Integration of Jaroslavl
(1459)​

After the Treaty of Viborg, huge territories formerly belonging to Novgorod had to be integrated into the Grand Principality of Muscovy. Besides the fact, that Novgorod had been an independent political entity for roughly two decades, there were also minor cultural differences (mostly based on the Russian dialects used in the two regions) between Novgorod and Muscovy.

Vasily II addressed this issue in 1455, when he send a letter to the people of Novgorod, in which he greeted them as "sister people", insisting that Moscow and Novgorod were two cities in one nation and that the people of Novgorod would be treated no different than the people of Moscow. Consequently the people in the north had a more privileged position than those in the recently conquered provinces in the south. This did help to improve acceptance of the new government in the north.

Another opportunity to integrate further holdings into the Grand Principality came, when Ivan, Prince of Jaroslavl, died in 1456. Ivan was member of a side branch of the Rurikid Dynasty. His relationship to Vasily II had been good. Good enough, that Ivan appointed Vasily II as one member of the Regency Council for his just nine year old son, also named Vasily.

According to official sources, the young Vasily was imbecile and not fit to rule even a small realm. Hence the Regency Council agreed to declare Jaroslavl`s accession to the Grand Principality in 1459. Historians assume that, regardless of the mental or intellectual status of the heir, Vasily II successfully bribed the local elite into joining Muscovy.

Vasily II is regarded as successful ruler today insofar, as he managed to incorporate new territories and local leaders into his state by granting them equal status to the Muscovite nobility, while simultaneously improving the control over his realm by decreasing local autonomy.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Warring States in the South
(1455 - 1461)​

The late 1450s saw a series of conflicts in southern East Europe.

The Golden Horde had lost a significant amount of its territory in the late 1440s. Ten years later, Khan Küchük Genghisid was still ruling the realm. In 1455 the Polish (and via Personal Union also Lithuanian) King August II Jagiellon declared war on the Horde. Until the end of the conflict in 1457, he had occupied the north and said provinces had to be ceded to Poland and Lithuania.

This war had weakened the Horde and just one year later Khan Haji I Giray of the Crimean Khanate seized the opportunity to expand eastward. After another two years of warfare, the Horde had to give up the majority of its remaining holdings. While the Crimea became a regional power striving to further expand at the expense of Georgia, the Horde was reduced to a tiny state struggling for survival.

Fig. 4: Southern East Europe in 1461​

The more important conflict was the war between the Khanates of Kazan and Nogai from 1456 to 1461. In the late 1440s Kazan could barely compensate its losses to Muscovy with other territories gained from the Golden Horde. Further to the south, Nogai had expanded too and controlled a larger territory, allegedly being the stronger of the two Khanates.

In 1456 Khan Vakkas Edigüid declared war on Kazan. Little is known about the conflict, besides the fact that the forces of Kazan could turn the tide after initial successes by Nogai. In 1460, the army of Kazan appeared deep in the south near Astrakhan, the most important trade center of the region, taking the city one year later. In the following peace, Kazan could gain vast territories and expand southward.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Annexation of Tver
(1462 - 1463)​

Three years after the incorporation of Jaroslavl, Vasily II turned his attention to the Principality of Tver, another successor state of the Kingdom of Rus under the rule of a side branch of the Rurikid. Contrary to Jaroslavl, the relations between Muscovy and Tver had never been good. Tver regarded Muscovy as a threat and the last Prince, Boris Rurikid, tried to maintain his independence as well as form an alliance against his relative.

In 1462 Boris elevated himself to the title of Grand Prince, which was an outright attack on the legitimacy of Vasily II. The latter could not ignore that and declared war on Tver. It turned out, that Boris was left with no friends willing to join his side. Although sources are scarce when it comes to his political connections to Poland / Lithuania, they were not interested to stop Vasily in this case.

The war was considerably short and ended after the successful siege of Tver, which became part of the Grand Principality of Muscovy.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Decreasing Danish Influence
(1455 - 1463)​

In 1454, after the Treaty of Viborg and the annexation of Karelia, Denmark became one of the major powers in northern East Europe. But already during the next two years, the control over some of the recently gained territories in the south fell back to Novgorod.

Historians assume, that Denmark simply lacked the capability and, to a lesser extent, the will to control these wide and remote holdings, whose populations were small, scattered out and hostile toward the new authorities. In the late 1450s the Republic of Novgorod had become a thin buffer state between the Danish holdings in the north and the Grand Principality of Muscovy in the south. Nevertheless King Christopher III of Denmark secured his remaining holdings, especially the mouth of the Neva, and tried to expand his influence in the Baltic. In 1459 he declared war on the Livonian Order.

The Teutonic Order was present in East Europe since the 11th century, when several local rulers granted it fortified places. But the Order State did not exist, until King Aslak II "the Fat" of Norge signed over the territories east of Lake Peipus to the Order in 1124. It remained there until the Smuta. With the collapse of the Rus and the rise of the city states of Novgorod and Pskov, it was forced to move westward. There it subdued the territories which today constitute the countries of Estonia and Latvia, with the exception of the Archbishopric of Riga. Appropriately the Order changed its name to Livonian Order, which until then was just the name of a small branch of it, which had subdued Lettgallia in the 12th century.

Fig. 4: Northern East Europe in 1463​

In 1459, Heinrich III von Calw was the Master of the Order and organized the resistance to the Danish attack. During the next four years, the war raged mainly around the mouth of the Neva, where the fortress of Oreshek changed hands three times. The decisive battle was fought south of the Neva river on 23rd May 1463, when a Livonian army of approximately 23.000 soldiers virtually destroyed a 16.000 men strong Danish force. Christopher III had to sue for peace and cede the province of Ingermanland to the Order.

 

[alscon]

The Danes were back - but they look like they'll end as last time.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

I never worry about Danes on the grounds of them being Danes.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Reform Policy in the 1460s​

In 1465 Vasily II was 50 years old. During the recent 20 years he had significantly enlarged the territory of his realm, making it one of the two major powers in East Europe. For the next years he focused on strengthening the internal structure of his realm.

The lack of a public administration and civil service had a negative effect on the tax revenue, with the tax collection being almost non-existent in the more remote areas of the country. Vasily`s solution was to cooperate with the only institution with a substantial amount of educated people. As of then, the taxing districts were more or less identical with the boundaries of the church communities and the lower clergy being involved in the actual tax collection. Although this system produced some waste and corruption on the lower level, since local priests were usually as poor as the farmers, the revenue of the state increased significantly in those areas, where it was applied first (Moscow, Novgorod, Vladimir).

Less successful was an initiative to increase domestic trade. Although the idea to grant market rights was good, it had to fail due to the structure of the society. Besides the vast distances, scattered population, lack of cities and bad road system, which hampered the exchange of goods, there was also the poor legal status of most of the population, that made a prospering business almost impossible.

Finally Vasily began to improve the logistics of his army. So far it had been difficult to supply even small armies in some parts of the countries, leading to foraging and downright plundering the local population. The new system took advantage of the fact, that many farmers paid their taxes in kind, and so a part of the collected grain was transferred to depots, from where it was redistributed to passing army units.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Always amazing to see what a few years of peace can do to your manpower pool.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

The End of Novgorod
(1469 - 1471)​

For 15 years after the Treaty of Viborg the Republic of Novgorod continued to exist and could even regain some of its lost territories in the mid 1450s. Nevertheless it was an entity modern historians would describe as "failed state".

The territories of the Republic lacked a strong central government as well as its former economic core. During its last years, the main reason that kept the scattered territories together was the common attitude to neither be Danes nor Muscovites. But the entity did not have the means to effectively defend itself from foreign aggression.

In 1469 Vasily II decided to add the remainders of the Republic to his realm. There are no reports about any major battle and the only long-term operation during the campaign was the siege of Kholmogory far in the north, which lasted more than a year due to the severe weather conditions in the region.

Fig. 5: Northern East Europe in 1471
(Stars: Muscovite Fortresses)​

In early 1471 this last holding had to surrender and the Grand Principality of Muscovy expanded further northward. Of high importance was the city of Olonets, which controlled the narrow passage between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. Vasily II immediately ordered to erect a fortification at this place and together with the fortress in Novgorod it became the backbone of the northern defense.

 

[iskallinn]

Nicely done. Will be following this. Just completed my Muscovy - Russia ironman run yesterday and will be very entertaining to see how it turns out for you. Good luck with the early-mid game slug with Poland-Lithuania. Did the Poles chose a Jagiellon or a local noble?