Siege of Smolensk (1502) 1502
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1502 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Russia | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Muscovite-Lithuanian War of 1500-1503, Muscovite-Lithuanian Wars | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Grand Principality of Moscow | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 54.7833, 32.0500 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The siege of Smolensk was an unsuccessful attempt to capture Smolensk by the forces of the Grand Duchy of Moscow in summer 1502. It was the last major military engagement during the Muscovite–Lithuanian War (1500–1503).
Smolensk, a strong and strategically important fortress, was a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1404. Ivan III of Russia launched the second Muscovite–Lithuanian War in 1500 and Lithuanians suffered a great defeat in the Battle of Vedrosha. Stanisław Kiszka became regent of Smolensk in 1499 and ordered improvements to Smolensk Kremlin. By the time the Russian army, commanded by Ivan's son Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka, reached Smolensk in June 1502, Smolensk was well-prepared for the siege.
The Russian army plundered Orsha and Vitebsk and attacked Smolensk with artillery. Their assault on 16 September was not only repelled but the defense grew into a counterattack. The indecisive but bloody Battle of Lake Smolino in September as well as Lithuanian reinforcements brought by Great Hetman (commander of the army) Stanislovas Kęsgaila, forced the Russians to retreat.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Smolensk (1502) (revision 1370745355), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Muscovite-Lithuanian Wars
- Battle of Mstislavl 1501
- Battle of the Siritsa River 1501
- Battle of Kletsk 1506
- Siege of Smolensk (1514) 1514
- Siege of Polotsk 1518
All 6 battles of the Muscovite-Lithuanian Wars →
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