Prince Daniil Vasiliyevich Shchenya (; died after 1515) was a Russian military leader during the reigns of Ivan III and

Vasili III Vasili III Ivanovich (; 25 March 14793 December 1533) was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1505 until his death in 1533. He was the son of Ivan III and Sophia Paleologue and was christened with the name Gavriil (). Following on th ...

Career

Shchenya was a Gediminid princeling whose great grandfather was a son of Patrikas, who settled in Moscow and married a sister of the grand duke. Shchenya was among the

boyars A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russian nobility, Russia), Boyars of Moldavia and Wallach ...

who accompanied Ivan III on his visit to

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

in 1475. In 1489, the prince and his army of 64,000 men besieged and captured the city of Kirov (then known as Khlynov) of the

Vyatka Land Vyatka Land () is a historical region in the basin of the Vyatka River, approximately corresponding to modern-day Kirov Oblast in Russia. While the Permians were its original inhabitants, it was gradually settled by Slavic settlers whose arrival ...

, the inhabitants of which had often pillaged northern

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...

. Khlynov notables and merchants were resettled in other Muscovite towns. Shchenya took an active part in the

Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars The Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars (also known as the Russo-Lithuanian Wars or simply Muscovite Wars or Lithuanian Wars)The conflicts are referred to as 'Muscovite wars' () in Polish historiography and as 'Lithuanian wars' in Russian one; English his ...

against the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

and border disputes and skirmishes, which had preceded the war. In 1493, Shchenya and his relative Prince Vasili Ivanovich Patrikeyev (also known as Vassian Kosoy) captured the city of

Vyazma Vyazma () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District, Smolensk Oblast, Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the ...

and transferred its princes to Moscow. During the Russo-Swedish War (1496–1499) his army devastated

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. In 1499, under the leadership of Prince Daniil Kholmsky, Shchenya defeated the Grand Hetman of Lithuania

Konstanty Ostrogski Konstanty Iwanowicz Ostrogski ( – 10 August 1530) was a Ruthenian prince and magnate of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He later had the title of grand hetman of Lithuania from 11 September 1497 until his death in 1530. Career Ostrogski began ...

in the

Battle of Vedrosha The Battle of heVedrosha (; ) was fought near the Vedrosha river, close to Dorogobuzh (then in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, now in Russia) on 14 July 1500, during the Second Muscovite–Lithuanian War (1500–1503). In the battle of Vedros ...

and took him prisoner. In 1501, his army was crushed in the Battle of the Siritsa River by

Wolter von Plettenberg Wolter or Walter von Plettenberg ( – February 28, 1535) was Master (''Teutonic Order#Landmeister, Landmeister'') of the Livonian Order from 1494 to 1535, and one of the greatest leaders of the Teutonic Knights. He was an important early B ...

, master of the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

and ally of the Lithuanian ruler

Alexander Jagiellon Alexander Jagiellon (; ; 5 August 1461 – 19 August 1506) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1492 and King of Poland from 1501 until his death in 1506. He was the fourth son of Casimir IV and a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty. Alexander was el ...

. After the fall of Ivan Yuriyevich Patrikeyev, and his son-in-law Semeon Ivanovich Ryapolovsky, Shchenya took the post of the second voyevoda of Moscow. In 1508, he and Dmitriy Shemyachich unsuccessfully sieged

Orsha Orsha (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662. History ...

. That same year Shchenya became the first voyevoda of Moscow after the fall of Daniil Kholmsky. In 1514 Shchenya crowned his military career by capturing

Smolensk Smolensk 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 cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

from the Lithuanians. Shchenya was last mentioned in 1515, when he took positions against the Lithuanian offensive at Dorogobuzh.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shchenya, Daniil Gediminids 16th-century Russian nobility People from the Grand Principality of Moscow 15th-century births 1510s deaths Russian military leaders 15th-century military history of Russia 16th-century military history of Russia