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Lithuanian-Muscovite War

Type Event Region Eastern Europe Time 1512–1522

In 1512 Muscovite Grand Duke Vasily III invaded the Grand Duchy of Lithuania after a marriage alliance broke down;…

Timeline

  1. 1512Moscow · RussiaVasily III and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania fell out over marriage and territorial arrangements, and Moscow mustered its army on the pretext that the alliance had been violated. Earlier, Ivan III's marriage alliance with Lithuania had failed to resolve the two sides' contest over border cities such as Smolensk.
  2. 1512–1514Smolensk · RussiaMuscovite forces advanced on Smolensk and the western frontier, repeatedly fighting back and forth with the Lithuanian-Polish allied army over border fortresses and towns. Neither side achieved a decisive breakthrough, and the war turned into a prolonged war of attrition.
  3. 1514–1522Lithuanian-Muscovite frontier · BelarusThe war continued after Vasily III's death, with both sides repeatedly attacking and defending along the frontier but neither able to win outright. After the 1522 truce the border largely remained as before the war, and Moscow failed to achieve its strategic goal of annexing Smolensk.

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