The siege of Smolensk of 1514 took place during the fourth Muscovite–Lithuanian War (1512–1520). The growing and strengthening Grand Duchy of Moscow clashed with 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 partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

over the territories of the former

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...

. The tension resulted in a series of wars starting in 1492. When war broke out again in November 1512, Moscow's main objective was to capture

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...

, an important fortress and trade center that had been part of Lithuania since 1404. The Russians, commanded personally by Tsar

Vasili III of Russia Vasili III Ivanovich (russian: Василий III Иванович, 25 March 14793 December 1533) was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533. He was the son of Ivan III Vasiliyevich and Sophia Paleologue and was christened with the nam ...

, laid a six-week siege in January–February 1513, but Grand Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski repelled the attack. Another four-week siege followed in August–September 1513. In May 1514, Vasili III again led his army against Smolensk. This time the Russian army included a number of artillerymen, brought from the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

by Michael Glinski. After a lengthy preparation, shelling of the city from nearby hills began in July. After a few days Jurij Sołłohub, Voivode of Smolensk, agreed to surrender on 30 July 1514. Vasili III entered the city the next day. The Lithuanians won a great victory in the

Battle of Orsha The Battle of Orsha ( be, Бітва пад Оршай, translit=Bitva pad Oršaj, lt, Oršos mūšis, pl, bitwa pod Orszą, uk, Битва під Оршею), was a battle fought on 8 September 1514, between the allied forces of the Grand Du ...

in September 1514, but were unable to recapture Smolensk. To commemorate his victory Vasili III built the

Novodevichy Convent Novodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery (russian: Новоде́вичий монасты́рь, Богоро́дице-Смоле́нский монасты́рь), is probably the best-known clois ...

within the Moscow Kremlin. Smolensk remained part of Russia until the

Siege of Smolensk (1609–1611) The siege of Smolensk, in Polish (oblężenie Smoleńska) and known as the Smolensk Defense in Russia (''Смоленская оборона'' in Russian), lasted 20 months between 29 September 1609 to 13 June 1611, when the Polish army besiege ...

during the

Polish–Muscovite War (1605–1618) Polish–Muscovite War can refer to: * Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars * Polish–Muscovite War (1605–18) * Smolensk War (1631–34) * Russo-Polish War (1654–67) {{Disambiguation ...

. In 1654 it returned to Russian Empire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smolensk 1514 Conflicts in 1514 Sieges involving the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Sieges involving Russia Smolensk 1514 in Lithuania

See also

References