Battle of Shelon 1471
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
About the battle
The Battle of Shelon (Russian: Шелонская битва, romanized: Shelonskaya bitva) was a decisive battle between the forces of the Grand Principality of Moscow under Ivan III (r. 1462–1505) and the Novgorod Republic, which took place on the Shelon River on 14 July 1471.
Although Novgorod traditionally recognized the authority of the Russian grand princes, relations between Moscow and Novgorod deteriorated in the 15th century over issues relating to autonomy. The pro-Lithuanian faction in Novgorod also grew stronger during this period. Following Novgorod's invitation of the Lithuanian prince Mikhailo Olelkovich, Ivan III accused Novgorod of betraying the Orthodox faith and violating the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy, signed in 1456.
Novgorod suffered a major defeat and the city became subordinate to Moscow, although its autonomy and republican institutions remained intact. Novgorod was then formally annexed by Moscow in 1478. The incorporation of Novgorod marked an important step in Moscow's process of establishing dominance over the Russian lands.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Shelon (revision 1374111333), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Capture of Novgorod (1611) 1611 · 46 km
- Siege of Novgorod (1170) 1169 · 49 km
- Demyansk Pocket 1942 · 118 km
- Kholm Pocket 1942 · 119 km
- Siege of Pskov (1615) 1615 · 150 km
- Siege of Pskov 1581 · 150 km
Browse more: battles in Russia · Europe · Medieval battles