How a 16th-century power struggle locked Russia out of the Baltic Sea
In short: Watch how a fragmented crusader state became the centerpiece of a geopolitical tug-of-war. This video explores how Poland-Lithuania and Sweden dismantled Muscovite ambitions to divide the Baltic coast between them.
The Livonian War began as Ivan the Terrible launched a campaign against the crumbling crusader state of Livonia. While Moscow initially seized key territories like Narva and Dorpat, the tide turned when an allied force at the Battle of Wenden captured the tsar's siege artillery despite being outnumbered three to one.
Following this victory, Stephen Báthory pushed the war onto Russian soil toward Pskov. The resulting truces of Yam-Zapolsky and Plussa were decisive; they stripped Moscow of its fortresses on the Gulf of Finland and ensured that Poland-Lithuania and Sweden split the Baltic coast, effectively barring Russia from sea access for the period.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Livonian War: How Poland-Lithuania and Sweden Split the Baltic?
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