Assault on Ivangorod

Assault on Ivangorod
Part of the Russo-Swedish War (1495–1497)
Ivangorod today
Date August 19–27, 1496 Location Ivangorod, Russia Result Swedish victory
Belligerents
Sweden	Grand Principality of Moscow
Commanders and leaders
Knut Posse Svante Nilsson	Knyaz Yuryi Babich
Strength
2,000 70 vessels	Unknown
Casualties and losses
minor	3,000 soldiers and civilians killed 300 captured

The assault on Ivangorod was a battle fought between the Grand Principality of Moscow and the Kingdom of Sweden at the Russian fortress of Ivangorod in 1496, resulting in the mass plundering of the city and thousands of civilians being killed by the Swedes. It was later burned down because the Swedes lacked resources to defend it.

Prelude

The Russian fortress of Ivangorod was built along with a series of other fortifications on the border with Livonia. In 1494, the grand prince of Moscow, Ivan III, arrested the German traders in Novgorod and closed their offices over the alleged mistreatment of Russian traders in Livonian towns, leading to the closure of the Peterhof.

In September 1495, a Russian force amounting to about 10,000 advanced towards the Swedish fortress of Viborg (Vyborg) and besieged it, the Swedish defenders managed to beat back many of the assaults by the Russian force but on the 30th of November the Russians attacked with all of their forces and managed to get inside, this was stopped however by a large explosion in one of the towers, which forced the Russians back, after this, Knut Posse and Svante Nilsson began organizing a expedition into Russia to raze Ivangorod.

The attack

In the summer, 70 vessels carrying Knut Posse, Svante Nilsson, and 2,000 men enter the river Narva and managed to penetrate 20 kilometers upstream towards Ivangorod. The prosperous town presented the Swedes with an excellent strategic objective for a Swedish counterstrike in retaliation for the earlier siege of Viborg.

The Swedish vessels carried guns designed for deck-to-shore fire and were built to destroy opposing land batteries. The troops carried gunpowder firearms. The only defenses Ivangorod had at this point was unfinished wooden bastions, its fortress lacked guns, and the garrison itself consisted of a militia who generally lacked access to firearms. After besieging the city for 8 days the Swedes finally attacked, with Posse's forces swiftly overwhelming Ivangorod's defenders. In just a few hours, the attacking Swedes bombarded the riverbanks and the fortress, landed, moved the guns to batteries quickly built ashore, and breached Ivangorod. In an eight-hour assault, Ivangorod's garrison was overrun. The nearby Muscovite light cavalry which undertook observation, screening the shore and the border nearby did not dare to intervene.

The attackers thorougly sacked Ivangorod, massacring 3,000 inhabitants, civilians along with the garrison. In a few days, the Swedes loaded the loot, including expensive furs and 300 prisoners, and departed towards Finland. The reason for the departure and destruction of the fortress was that neither Knut or Svante had the recources to stay and defend it.

Aftermath

Ivan III was determined to keep his foothold in the Baltics, and the Russians rebuilt the fortress into a larger, quadrilateral structure which was extended toward the border with Livonia.

At the beginning of 1497, a message from Kexholm arrived in Viborg with information that the Russians were asking for peace. In order to draw up instructions for the Swedish envoys, Knut Posse and other commanders at Viborg held a meeting in Borgå with Bishop Magnus. Shortly thereafter, a six-year truce was concluded on Sten Sture's behalf.

Sources

• O'Connor, Kevin C. (15 November 2019). The House of Hemp and Butter: A History of Old Riga. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-1-5017-4770-0.