Lithuanian War

The Lithuanian War was a war between Sweden and Lithuania lasting from 14 June 1553 to 13 July 1558. It was arguably one of the largest Swedish wars in history, spanning a large amount of land and having the second-largest number of deaths (behind the Tambov War). The war was also the first Swedish defeat, with Riga and Pskov being ceded to Lithuania.
==Background==
Lithuania had broken free from Polish control in the 1500s, and supported the independence of Estonia which caused problems for the Swedish court. Poland remained an ally to Lithuania though, and their formidable force put off any invasion for a long time. However, in 1553, they were at war with Silesia, Austria, and Genoa, meaning their forces were distracted.
==The War==
===Poland Proper===
Charles I declared war on 14 June 1553, calling in Bohemia to aid them. Tuchola was the first fort to be attacked in the war, though the focus shifted to Poznan, which fell on 16 June 1554. After the siege, Swedish troops went to occupy Silesia and later Krakow, which fell on 19 May 1555. While marching back to the Swedish mainland to quell Danish rebels, on 1 February 1556, Charles I unexpectedly died and was succeeded by his brother Johan III.
Polish troops began the siege to retake Poznan immediately after the fortress fell, and they succeeded on 28 June 1555. Krakow was liberated on 3 June 1556.
A second siege of Krakow was done in 1557, but the Swedish forces were attacked by the Polish and were utterly defeated.
===Lithuania, Polish Russia, and Georgia===
Bohemian troops invaded southern Lithuania in 1555 to distract their forces from the more vital fronts. They then besieged Georgia, specifically their capital Kuma. The city fell on 10 February 1556.
Norwegian forces began invading Polish Russia in 1558.
===Bohemia===
Polish troops attacked Trencin at the start of the war, but left to focus on other fronts. They returned in 1556 and began besieging Prague and Trencin, though the latter were scared away once again. Prague fell on 30 March 1557, followed by Plzen
===Estonia===
Lithuanian troops invaded Estonia, occupying Riga and Liefland. They later besieged Reval, which fell on 2 September 1554. Norwegian forces returned in 1556 to liberate Reval, and it was retaken on 5 November 1557.
===Sweden===
====Swedish Russia====
Polish troops attacked Nya Stockholm, which fell fell on 1 May 1554, after which they joined the Lithuanians in Estonia. Norwegian and Novgorodian forces attempted to retake the city, but were attacked by Lithuanian forces. The so-called "Winter Campaign" was planned, in which Lithuania would invade Swedish Russia and eventually Finland, but it was cancelled. The second siege to retake Nya Stockholm began in 1555, and it finally was reclaimed on 7 July 1556.
====Swedish Pomerania====
After Bohemia left the war, Polish troops entered Swedish Pomerania.
===The Sea===
The Swedish navy attacked Lithuanian ships in the Gulf of Riga and later Polish ones in the Northern Baltic Sea, winning both battles by a long shot. Later on in 1555, three more Lithuanian ships were sank by the Swedish ships, again in the Gulf of Riga. In 1557, Polish ships were defeated by the Swedes off the coast of Gotland.
On 15 June 1558, Lithuanian troops unsuccessfully tried to defeat the Swedish ships in the Southern Baltic Sea, but ended up losing their entire fleet.
==End==
Bohemia left the war on 16 February 1558 in the Treaty of Plzen, which made Saxony a sovereign state and ended the Swedo-Bohemian alliance. Money was also paid to Lithuania and Poland.
On 13 July 1558, the Treaty of Viborg was signed, which ceded Riga and Pskov to Lithuania as well as some money. The war marked the first Swedish defeat. While the war led to the severance of the Swedo-Polish alliance, it was restored immediately afterwards.
Category:Wars