The Polotsk War: Essays on the History of the Russo-Lithuanian Confrontation during the Time of Ivan the Terrible, 1562–1570
14.99 €
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The Polotsk War: Essays on the History of the Russo-Lithuanian Confrontation during the Time of Ivan the Terrible, 1562–1570
14.99 €
In the history of the Russo-Polish-Lithuanian conflict, which lasted intermittently for two hundred years, from 1486 to 1686, the war of 1562–1570 occupies a crucial place. During this conflict, which can rightly be called the War of Polotsk, Polotsk became Ivan the Terrible's primary target, and the main events unfolded around it. This conflict tested two political systems: Muscovite Rus' and Lithuanian Rus'. While Muscovite Rus' passed this most difficult test, Lithuanian Rus' failed the test and, following the war, ceased to exist as a political entity, de facto absorbed into Poland as a result of the Union of Lublin in 1569. The unsuccessful course of the Polotsk War for Vilnius, which, despite Lithuanian troops repeatedly defeating Russian regiments, was ultimately won by Moscow on points, predetermined the end of the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and changed the history of Eastern Europe for several centuries to come.
Of all the components of the history of the Polotsk War, its military history has been clearly insufficiently studied in Russian, and especially foreign, historiography and is accompanied by a trail of lingering myths and misconceptions. This is largely due to the fact that the attention of researchers has generally been drawn to the turbulent events of Russian political history in the 1560s. Only the war's main event—the siege and capture of Polotsk by Russian troops—came out in a better light. However, this momentous event by no means exhausts the history of this war. This study aims to at least partially correct this injustice. Without claiming to offer an absolutely complete and exhaustive account of the conflict, the author believes that this work will be of interest to teachers, students, and anyone interested in the military history of 16th-century Russia, the history of Russian military affairs, and Russian society of that era.
Of all the components of the history of the Polotsk War, its military history has been clearly insufficiently studied in Russian, and especially foreign, historiography and is accompanied by a trail of lingering myths and misconceptions. This is largely due to the fact that the attention of researchers has generally been drawn to the turbulent events of Russian political history in the 1560s. Only the war's main event—the siege and capture of Polotsk by Russian troops—came out in a better light. However, this momentous event by no means exhausts the history of this war. This study aims to at least partially correct this injustice. Without claiming to offer an absolutely complete and exhaustive account of the conflict, the author believes that this work will be of interest to teachers, students, and anyone interested in the military history of 16th-century Russia, the history of Russian military affairs, and Russian society of that era.
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