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Home , Alexander Jagiellon, Battle of Orsha, Orsha

Lithuanian Collectors Coins

Muscovite army was much larger and this in part was the reason for the subsequent glory ing news of the victory to all corners of the country. Some of the captives were sent even of this victory. after this was lauded as a great military leader, further, to the European capitals, not only to proclaim the victory, but to forcibly demon- 50 LITAS COIN DEDICATED because it was his decisions (as well those of Jerzy Radziwiłł) that led to success in the bat- strate to Catholic Europe the new danger of . TO THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY tle eld. Historians agree that the victory was achieved in large part due to the tactics of the Lithuanians — with one deceptive manoeuvre they were able to break up the enemy for- This is the rst propaganda campaign of this scale from and Poland; it helped OF THE BATTLE OF mation. Another reason for this success was ingenious use of the (the artillerymen establish Lithuania and Poland’s position in Catholic Europe as the “Christian shield (wall)”. The hope was that these measures, referring to the symbolic victory, would assemble an Silver Ag 925 were mostly German) — this was practically the  rst time in the history of the GDL that the Quality proof artillery played such a key role in a battle. But even more important was the fact that international coalition in the war with the Muscovites, as was done in  ghting the Turks. Diameter 38.61 mm. the ruler was able to bring together the Polish and Lithuanian forces. Together with These e orts bore fruit very quickly. The treaty between Moscow and the Holy Ro- Weight 28.28 g the Lithuanians and Ruthenians, Polish and volunteer troops man Empire collapsed, and in 1515 the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I met took part in the battle and contributed signi cantly to the victory. Also, many with the Jagiellons in Vienna. Therefore, the most important result of the battle The edge of the coin — symbols of the Polish rotmistrz squires (e.g. Janusz Świerczowski) were known at the of Orsha was undoubtedly its diplomatic victory. Designed by Rolandas Rimkūnas and Giedrius Paulauskis ruler’s court and in the army from the end of the 15th c. and had close ties with In speaking about Lithuania, it should be said that this victory gave it a Mintage 3,000 pcs. representatives of Lithuania’s political elite. Issued 2014 much-needed respite from the di cult war with Moscow. Although According to the customs of the time, the victor was always the ruler, even wasn’t retaken, a certain balance of power was achieved and there were no Information is available at the Bank of Lithuania if he did not personally take part in the battle. On 27 September, Sigismund’s more major losses. Magnate Ostrogski, having returned to , ful lled the Tel. (85) 268 0316 triumphal procession took place in Vilnius, the capital city (Ostrogski only came vows he made before the battle: despite the ban on the construction of new Or- E-mail [email protected] back as victor when all military actions were over, at the end of December). Vilnius thodox places of worship, under his care and the consent of the ruler, the Orthodox www.lb.lt Cathedral, as was customary, displayed the captured Muscovite  ags. Already from the churches of St. Nicholas and of the Holy Trinity were built in Vilnius. A few years later, for military camp the ruler sent out the  rst letter to his brother Ladislaus Jagiellon, king of his merits in the wars with Moscow, the ruler made him Voivod of , one of the highest TH Hungary and Bohemia, to the Roman Pope, the Doge of Venice and other addressees at positions in the country and previously unavailable to Orthodox believers. The coin was minted at the 50 LITAS COIN DEDICATED TO THE 500 ANNIVERSARY OF THE home and abroad. This was a European tradition, declaring the victory on the battle eld. UAB Lithuanian Mint These letters were the  rst in an international information campaign, later known as the The Battle of Orsha was a military and diplomatic victory of the Jagiellon dynasty. It is www.lithuanian-mint.lt “Orsha propaganda”. The letter to Pope Leo X was published in and Krakow that mentioned in European news publications of the time, as well as in more detailed descrip- tions. In the GDL’s public memory, Orsha remained as a symbol of victory; it was remem- Lithuanian Collectors Coins same year. © Bank of Lithuania, 2014 th bered in all of the recurring wars with Russia. In the mid-17 c., Wojciech Wijuk Kojałowicz The coins were photographed by Arūnas Baltėnas The Grand Duke of Moscow, Vasili III, refused to pay ransom for the captives, which in- wrote that even now on the battle eld there still remain “many great mounds where the Designed by Liudas Parulskis cluded all of Moscow’s military commanders (including their leader — Ivan Chelyadnin). fallen soldiers of Moscow are buried”. The publication uses photographs from the archives of the National Museum in Warsaw, He announced that they are all considered as dead. The captives took part in the triumphal Bila Tserkva Ethnographic Museum and Wikimedia.org Prof. Dr. Rimvydas Petrauskas procession in Vilnius and later were sent out to fortresses throughout the GDL, thus bring- Published by the Bank of Lithuania, Gedimino pr. 6, LT-01103 Vilnius Printed by UAB Lodvila, www.lodvila.lt

Illustrations:

1) Contemporary painting of the Battle of Orsha (from the National Museum in Warsaw)

2) Portrait of Grand Konstanty Ostrogski (from the 17th c., but thought to be based Portrait of Duke Konstanty Ostrogski; oil, canvas; 18th c., unknown painter; Bila Tserkva Battle of Orsha Ethnographic Museum () On 8 September 1514, the armies of two great duchies — Lithuania and Moscow — faced each other at the battle of Orsha. This was undoubtedly the not far from the GDL castle of Orsha, near the Krapivna River. The battle most signi cant event in the wars between Lithuania and Moscow at the end took place on 8 September — the date of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin of the 15th c.–early 16th c. These wars began in 1492, when the army of Mos- Mary. In those times, were not only a test of the soldiers, but were cow, after a long period of peace, took advantage of the ambiguous interreg- also seen as God’s judgement; therefore, ending the battle on this date of num situation after the death of the Polish-Lithuanian ruler Casimir IV Jagiel- an important church holiday was supposed to be a sign — the righteous lon, invaded the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). The ruler of would win. At this decisive stage, the army of the GDL was under the com- Moscow, Ivan III, for some time had fostered plans to occupy the Orthodox mand of Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski, because the ruler and his escort lands of the GDL in accordance to the ideological doctrine that considered stayed behind at the military camp near Borisov. Sources testify that the Moscow as the “Third Rome” — defender of allegedly persecuted Orthodox Ruthenian-born Orthodox Magnate Ostrogski prayed before the battle. He believers. was already familiar with the bitter taste of defeat — 14 years ago, in 1500, near Vedrosha, not only the Lithuanian army that he commanded lost the The wars that began in 1492 were unsuccessful for Lithuania. One after an- battle, but he himself, along with a group of high-born Lithuanians, was other the lands of Gomel, and Chernigov were lost, until the truce captured by the Muscovites. Now the duke hoped for the intercession of in 1503 saw almost a quarter of the territory of the GDL lost. Although these God and the Blessed Virgin Mary and in return for a victory promised to were distant and poorly populated areas, the war zone was approaching the build new Orthodox churches. nucleus of the Lithuanian State. Attempts were made to stop the attacks from Moscow by employing marital diplomacy, common in those times. In 1495, As it often is, the exact number of those who took part in the battle is the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Alexander Jagiellon, married Helena, daughter unknown. In a letter written not long after the battle, Sigismund mentions of Ivan III. But these hopes for peace were not destined to come to pass. 80 thousand enemy soldiers, and this is the number that lived in on in lit- erature. Still, this  gure should be viewed with caution. It was characteristic At that time, the nature of war was very di erent from modern wars — there of the period to exaggerate the number of the enemy and their losses; in was no long-term war front, but rather periodic invasions of armies into en- general, liberties were taken with all numbers. There is no doubt that the emy territory, followed by temporary truces. In 1514, Moscow’s army once again attacked the lands of the GDL. After a long siege they were able to cap- Battle of Orsha; circa 1524–1530; oil, tempera; wood panel; ture Smolensk, and this was the most severe loss over this whole war period. 165 x 260; Unknown painter, follower of Cranach, Lucas the The army of the GDL, led by Sigismund the Old, king of Poland and Grand Elder (1472–1553); Photo: Ligier Piotr; National Museum in Duke of Lithuania, set out to prevent any further onslaught. Both armies met Warsaw MP 2475