The Battle of Vilnius, Wilno, or Vilna was an attack by

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

n and Cossack forces on

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...

, the capital of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...

within the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

, that occurred on 8 August 1655 during the Russo-Polish War (1654–67). The Polish–Lithuanian forces under the leadership of Great Hetman Janusz Radziwiłł were defeated by the Russian army of Alexis of Russia. It was the first time that a foreign power managed to capture the Vilnius Castle Complex. The six-year Muscovite occupation that followed resulted in a major depopulation and a decline of the city for many years to come. The defeat was one of the reasons Janusz Radziwiłł and several other Lithuanian magnates surrendered the Grand Duchy to Sweden at the Union of Kėdainiai.

Battle

The

was invaded by large Russian (starting the Russo-Polish War (1654–67) in July 1654) and Swedish armies (starting the Swedish Deluge in July 1655). When a large Russian army approached Vilnius, hetman Janusz Radziwiłł could muster just 5,000 to 7,000 men. The morale was further damaged by the order of king John II Casimir Vasa to royal troops (about 5,000 men) to retreat to Marienburg. Lithuanian commanders hetman Janusz Radziwiłł and treasurer

Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski Wincenty Aleksander Korwin Gosiewski '' de armis'' Ślepowron (c. 1620 – 29 November 1662) – was a Polish nobleman, general, Field-Commander of Lithuania from 1654, Grand Treasurer of Lithuania and Lithuanian Great-Quartermaster since 1652 ...

could not agree on defense. City residents began hasty evacuations. Most valued treasures, including the coffin of

Saint Casimir Casimir Jagiellon ( la, Casimirus; lt, Kazimieras; pl, Kazimierz; 3 October 1458 – 4 March 1484) was a prince of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Second son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon, he was tutored by Johann ...

, main books of

Lithuanian Metrica The Lithuanian Metrica or the Metrica of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ( la, Acta Magni Ducatus Lithuaniae, lt, Lietuvos Metrika, pl, Metryka Litewska, or ''Metryka Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego''; be, Літоўская Метрыка, uk, ...

, and valuables from Vilnius Cathedral, were transported outside the city. Radziwiłł took up defensive position on the northern shore of the

Neris The river Neris () or Viliya ( be, Ві́лія, pl, Wilia ) rises in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital) and in the south-centre of that country it flows into the Nemunas (Neman), at Kaunas, a ...

river near the present-day Green Bridge to cover the evacuations. The battle started around 6 a.m. and lasted the whole day. The Lithuanians managed to capture three Russian flags. At night, the Lithuanian army split into two groups that retreated to

Vilkaviškis Vilkaviškis () is a city in southwestern Lithuania, the administrative center of the Vilkaviškis District Municipality. It is located northwest from Marijampolė, at the confluence of of and rivers. The city got its name from the Vilkau ...

and to Kėdainiai. The

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mili ...

of the Vilnius Castle Complex surrendered two days later.

Aftermath and plunder

The invading forces plundered the city and murdered its inhabitants for several days. A fire consumed part of the city. In particular, the Jewish quarter was burned by the

Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

and many Jews were killed. According to an eyewitness, the fire lasted 17 days and the death toll exceeded 20,000 people. However, those are exaggerated numbers. All palaces were looted and only four churches were spared. The invaders not only took valuables such as furniture or silverware, but also smashed altars, desecrated graves (including silver sarcophagus of the Sapieha family), tore down decorative elements (such as marble columns of the Radziwiłł Palace). The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania fell into ruins and was rebuilt only in 2000s. Some scholars have suggested that certain relics, as well as the body of Vytautas the Great, were lost during the plunder of Vilnius Cathedral. Tsar Alexis of Russia arrived at the city on 14 August. He could not find suitable accommodations in the city and instead built a large tent in . He proclaimed himself the

Grand Duke of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power— Ho ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite web , first=Romas , last=Batūra , date=2014-09-18 , url=http://lzinios.lt/lzinios/komentarai/pamirsta-kovos-su-priesais-vieta/187547 , title=Pamiršta kovos su priešais vieta , publisher=Lietuvos žinios , accessdate=5 June 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729000523/http://lzinios.lt/lzinios/komentarai/pamirsta-kovos-su-priesais-vieta/187547 , archive-date=29 July 2017 , url-status=dead {{cite book , first=Jeremy , last=Black , title=European warfare, 1494-1660 , publisher=Routledge , year=2002 , isbn=0-415-27531-8 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olw1qaxmgmQC&pg=PA160 , page=160 {{cite book, first=Abraham P. , last=Bloch , title=One a day: an anthology of Jewish historical anniversaries for every day of the year , publisher=KTAV Publishing House , year=1987 , isbn=0-88125-108-9 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjxJAFawRasC&pg=PA213 , page=213 {{cite book, title=Vilniaus istorija: legendos ir tikrovė , last=Čaplinskas , first=Antanas Rimvydas , publisher=Charibdė , year=2010 , isbn=978-9955-739-21-0 , page=102 , language=lt {{cite book , first=Robert I. , last=Frost , title=After the Deluge: Poland-Lithuania and the Second Northern War, 1655-1660 , publisher=Cambridge University Press , year=2004 , isbn=0-521-54402-5 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IfIbP8sfC0wC&pg=PA48 , page=48 {{cite web , first=Elmantas , last=Meilus , url=http://m.ldkistorija.lt/index.php/istoriniai-faktai/kaip-praradome-ir-atgavome-vilniu-tvano-metu/1286 , title=Kaip praradome ir atgavome Vilnių "Tvano" metu , accessdate=5 June 2017 , language=lt , work=Orbis Lituaniae , publisher=Vilnius University , year=2014 {{cite web , first=Elmantas , last=Meilus , url=http://m.ldkistorija.lt/index.php/istoriniai-faktai/karas-su-maskva-16541667-metais/585 , title=Karas su Maskva 1654–1667 metais , accessdate=5 June 2017 , language=lt , work=Orbis Lituaniae , publisher=Vilnius University , year=2014 {{cite web, first=Elmantas , last=Meilus, date=5 June 2013 , title=LDK istorija. Didieji Vilniaus gaisrai, po kurių senasis miestas visiškai dingo , url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/istorija/ldk-istorija-didieji-vilniaus-gaisrai-582-342325 , language=lt , publisher=15 min , accessdate=5 June 2017 {{cite book, title=Historia Litwy , first=Jerzy , last=Ochmański , language=Polish , page=153 , isbn=83-04-03107-8 , location=Wrocław , year=1990 , publisher=Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich {{cite book , editor-last=Šapoka , editor-first= Adolfas , title=Lietuvos istorija , url=http://www.partizanai.org/failai/pdf/sapokos-istorija.pdf , year=1936 , location=Kaunas , page=326 , language=lt , publisher=Švietimo ministerijos Knygų leidimo komisijos leidinys {{cite book, author1-link=David R. Stone, first=David R. , last=Stone , title=A military history of Russia: From Ivan the Terrible to the War in Chechnya , year=2006 , publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group , page=37 , isbn=0-275-98502-4 {{cite journal , url=http://www.aidai.eu/?view=article&catid=76%3A7309&id=976%3Ais&option=com_content&Itemid=133 , title=Vilnius istorijos vingiuose , first=Simas , last=Sužiedėlis , language=lt , year=1973 , volume=9 , journal=Aidai , issn=0002-208X {{cite journal , first=Vladas , last=Terleckas , url=http://www.voruta.lt/pamirstu-pirmuju-masisku-lietuvos-zmoniu-tremimu-ir-zudyniu-355-osios-metines-2 , title=Pamirštų pirmųjų masiškų Lietuvos žmonių trėmimų ir žudynių 355-osios metinės , language=lt , journal=Voruta, date=3 July 2010 , volume=13 , issue=703 , issn=2029-3534 Vilnius 1655 1655 in Europe

Vilnius Voivodeship History of Vilnius