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Legend:
Directions of attacks of the Russian troops
Directions of attacks of the Livonian troops
In April 1558, Livonian envoys arrived to Pskov and delivered the tribute demanded by Ivan the Terrible. However, some miraculous transformations of this tribute occurred on the way. The tzar had demanded sixty thousand thaler, yet in transit the amount mysteriously reduced to forty thousand. Once the tribute was delivered to Moscow, it was not needed any more: during the envoy travel from Pskov to Moscow the situation in Livonia changed radically.
The Livonian Narva castle overlooked Ivangorod situated on the opposite bank of the Narova river. The relations between these two rivalling fortresses had always been strained, and the outbreak of war unleashed their antagonism. In March exchange of fire between the fortresses began — first handgun and followed by artillery. The citizens of Narva, whose homes were destroyed by fire and business in jeopardy, sent a mission to Ivan the Terrible with a communication that Narva was ready to seek patronage of the Russian tzar on condition of barrage cessation. Concurrently they sent messengers with a plea for patronage to Philip II, the spouse of the English Queen Mary, who stayed then in Brussels. The negotiations with the Russians were conducted faster, and Ivan the Terrible consented to be gracious to Narva and «bestow his high patronage to it». However, since the decision of the citizens was not unanimous, a detachment of the Order under command of Revel knight commander Sieghoven arrived and took up positions in the castle.
Narva and Ivangorod
On 11 May conflagration broke out in Narva. The first house that caught fire belonged to barber Kordt Ulken (according to a legend that appeared later, he was brewing beer and threw an Orthodox icon in the flame, and in return the icon erupted flame that started the conflagration of the entire Narva). Chaos ruled over the town that was engulfed in smoke and fire, and exactly at that moment the Russian troops crossed the Narova and entered the town. The town was captured straight away without any resistance. The castle was attacked by gunfire, the Teutons attempted to counterfire, yet a cannon exploded in the firing area of the Hermann Tower. Commander Sieghoven inspected the remaining supplies. They consisted of three barrels of beer, some rye flour, plenty of lard and butter and just enough gunpowder for half an hour's firing. The outcome of defence with these supplies was obvious, so the castle surrendered on condition that the Russians would release the defenders. And the situation evolved exactly this way: the Order's troop left Narva without any obstacles, followed by some of the citizens who refused to stay under the new control of the town.
Today Narva Castle (59.376772, 28.200360) can be considered a site of commemoration of those events. Although it was altered under Swedish control (17th century), the Hermann Tower and the main building of the castle survived.
Narva
From the tower you can clearly see Ivangorod Fortress (59.374232, 28.207141) on the other side. In the 16th century votive churches (i.e., built in fulfilment of an Orthodox vow) were erected on the premises of the fortress. The icons of St. Nicolas and Our Lady that originally decorated the churches of Ivangorod and were later moved to the Russian style Narva Resurrection of Christ Cathedral built in 1890–1896 are traditionally associated with the «1558 miracle»: these icons were found intact by the Russian troops on the smouldering ruins of the defeated city after the conflagration.
Ivangorod
The conquest of Narva opened new possibilities for Ivan the Terrible. The concept of the Livonian war was revised: now, instead of some miserable cash (the amounts withdrawn from the homes of some wealthy Narva citizens exceeded the amount of the tribute demanded from the entire Livonia), the debt could be recovered in the form of land and cities. Effective this moment Russia starts waging a war for control over Livonia. Accordingly, this put Livonia in jeopardy: a war for destruction of the Livonian sovereignty was breaking out. The envoys that had delivered the tribute to Moscow were simply sent back, and the raised cash was retained by the Livonian Master on the pretext that it had been raised for the needs of the Order.
In July 1558 the troops led by Prince Peter Shuysky and Prince Andrey Kurbsky departed from Pskov on the route of the January 1558 campaign around Lake Chudskoye. However, this time the Russians besieged and took one castle after another: Kirumpää, Dorpat, Kovilda, Rannu, Konguta, Ringen, Tolsburg, etc. Today we can follow this route and visit the surviving ruins of these castles.
Kirumpää (57° 51′ 48″ N, 26° 59′ 22″ E) — this stronghold is first mentioned in 1322 in association with countering the raid conducted by Gediminas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania. This castle was quite small, 42×45 m. In 1558 it was conquered by the Russians and ruined. Later it was dismantled by the Estonians who used it as a quarry for building the nearby Võru.
Dorpat (58.380225, 26.714105) was the largest city in Eastern Livonia and the seat of the Bishopric of Dorpat. In the 16th century it consisted of the bishop's castle on top of a hill (Domberg), the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul and a large walled market town. Dorpat suffered severely during the 17–18th century wars, and during the Soviet rule Domberg underwent high rise residential development (recently these buildings were demolished). All this led to destruction of Dorpat castle and fortress as a historical monument, as only some fragments of the masonry and Domberg topography corresponding to the 16th century layout of the walls have survived (although the topography to a larger extent consists of the remains of the Swedish bastion fortress dated the 17–18th centuries). To learn more about the history and layouts of the castle, please visit: http://www.dorpat.ru/fort/castle.html
Nevertheless, some traces of the Livonian war can still be found in Tartu (former Dorpat). The ruins of the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul appear to be the most expressive monument of that period. Built in the late 13th century, it was one of the largest cathedrals in Livonia.
It suffered severely during Dorpat assault in 1558 and has never been restored. The conflagration of 1624 and Swedish control aggravated the situation (being protestants, the Swedes did not restore the cathedral). Around 1770 the tall Gothic steeples were dismantled, and in the early 19th century it was partially altered to cater to the needs of Dorpat university. However, while looking at the surviving ruins, one can imagine the scale of the destruction and the picture of the Livonian war.
Another tacit witness of the 16th century events could be Jaani Kirik (dedicated to John the Baptist) built in the 14th century. It was also damaged in 1558 and rebuilt later.
The bishopric castle was situated on the site of the modern observatory. Outcrops of the fragments of fortress walls and ruins of White Tower are still visible in several areas of Domberg site. A large fragment of the city wall has survived near the Botanical Garden, closer to the Emajõgi river in the area of Lai 41 (58.383902, 26.722800). In 1564 the first Russian dissident Prince Andrey Kurbsky announced "traitor of the sovereign" defected to the enemy from Dorpat. He defected secretly and escaped by climbing over the city wall that was similar to this surviving fragment.
The last site in Tartu that could be associated with the Livonian War is the left bank park at the bend of the Emajõgi. It is situated in triangle formed by the river bed and Narva highway. Today it is part of the city, although in the 16th century it was a river island where the Russians built a large wooden stronghold and stationed a permanent post.
Renamed to Yuryev, Dorpat became the capital of Russian Livonia. It was also the seat of the viceregent of Livonia appointed by the sovereign. Under Russian control, Yuryev faced many an attack, yet was never conquered. The permanent post was evacuated in 1581–1582 under the Truce of Yam-Zapolsky that put an end to the war. In fact, this was the first case of military pullout and evacuation from the given ground in Russian history.
Ringen castle was built around 1340 and belonged to the Bishop of Dorpat who bestowed it to his vassals. It was conquered by Russian forces in July–August 1558. Shortly after that, in September–October, the Russian permanent post consisting of 90 soldiers (40 noblemen and 50 streltsy, i.e., shooters) under command of Rusin Ignatyev for five weeks resisted the siege of the castle by the forces under command of the last Master of the Livonian Order Gotthard Kettler. The fortress fell only upon arrival of heavy artillery and once the streltsy ran out of gunpowder. Rusin Ignatyev was captured and died in the dungeon of Wenden castle.
The battles of Ringen are the example of the only attempt of the Livonians to arrange counteraccack and hold off the Russian campaign against Livonia. Kettler intended to recover control over Dorpat, yet the courage and persistence of Rusin Ignatyev's troop defeated his plans. The ruins of this fortress are located in a forest near Lossimäe village (58.151051, 26.217880), Rõngu, Elva county, Tartumaa parish (maakond).
Toolse castle (59° 32′ 19′′ N, 26° 28′ 09′′ E, 4 km away from the modern Kunda village) is another castle of the Teutonic Order on the Baltic Sea shore. Built in 1471–1473, it was originally named Vredeborch («Peaceful castle»). It was taken by the Russian forces in the summer of 1558, apparently without striking a blow: the Vogt of the Teutonic Order Heinrich von Kaltenbach and his troop simply abandoned it. The Russians renamed the castle to Belgorod. Despite the numerous attempts of the Swedes to conquer this stronghold, they were able to control it until 1581. In March 1581 the castle was attacked by the Swedes and surrendered without much resistance.
Oberpahlen (58.652985, 25.976206, modern Põltsamaa) — a castle founded in 1272 and rebuilt in the 14–15th centuries. During the battles that took place in the summer and autumn of 1558, it was set on fire, conquered, rebuilt, renamed to Polchev and remained among Livonian territories controlled by the Russians until 1570 when it was bestowed to the Danish Duke Magnus and declared the capital of the vassal Livonian kingdom of the Russian tzar Ivan the Terrible.
Neuschloss (58° 59′ 58″ N 27° 44′ 19″ E) — this castle was built by the crusaders in 1349 on the bank of the Narova, not far from its estuary. The Teutonic Order was able control the entire course of the Narova with the aid of two castles — Narva castle situated in the lower reach of the river and Neuschloss castle situated in its upper reach. From the 14th to the 16th century these two castles, Narva and Neuschloss, held the entire Russo-Livonian border north of Lake Chudskoye. Neuschloss would frequently become the heart of various battles and change hands. A stone castle was built here in 1427. In the summer of 1558 Neuschloss was conquered and remained under Russian control under the name of Syrensk until its conquest by the Swedes in 1583. Today the ruins of the castle are situated in Vasknarva village on the bank of the Narova.
Adsel (modern Gaujiena, 57.511980, 26.399133) — in 1224 the crusaders conquered the Estonian stronghold Atsele and in 1236–1238 began building their own castle that was named Adsel. It was rebuilt in the 14th century. The castle is known for being the place of confinement of the Archbishop of Riga Wilhelm von Brandenburg during the War of Coadjutors. In September 1558 the troop of G. Kolychev fought in Adsel vicinities, and the castle surrendered virtually without resistance.
Alexander Filyushkin