The battle on the Sheloni River took place on July 14, 1471 on the left bank of the Sheloni River between Moscow troops and the Novgorod militia.
In the middle of the 15th century, during the reign of Ivan III, Novgorod experienced difficult times. The city was gripped by frequent uprisings of the townspeople against the nobility, who oppressed the lower and middle strata of the urban population. The Novgorod boyars were unable to suppress the uprisings of the townspeople on their own and therefore entered into an alliance with the Polish-Lithuanian king, who sent his governor to Novgorod.
After the authoritative Archbishop Jonah, the head of the Novgorod boyar government, died, Prince Mikhail Olelkovich, sent by the Polish king and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV, came to reign in the city. After the Novgorodians sent their candidate for the post of archbishop to be ordained not to the Moscow metropolitan, but to the Lithuanian Orthodox metropolitan, who was in Kiev.
At the same time, they began to negotiate with Casimir IV for support in case of war with Ivan III. This betrayal caused indignation of the masses ("Zemstye people do not want that," the chronicler noted). There was no unity among the boyars either. The consequence was the weakening of the military power of Novgorod.
Ivan III was an intelligent politician. He tried to influence Novgorod through diplomatic means through representatives of the church. The Metropolitan reproached the Novgorodians for treason and demanded to abandon the "Latin state", but church intervention only intensified the divisions and political struggle in Novgorod.
The actions of the Novgorodians were regarded in Moscow as "treason to Orthodoxy." Despite the fact that Mikhail Olelkovich left Novgorod in March 1471 and went to Kiev, Ivan III decided to organize an all-Russian "crusade" against Novgorod. The religious coloring of such a campaign was supposed to rally all its participants and force all the princes to send their troops to the "holy cause."
1471, spring - Ivan III began to prepare for the campaign against Novgorod. In the plan of the campaign, which was discussed at the "Great Duma", it was envisaged to involve the Vyatchan, Ustyuzhan, Pskovites in the campaign against Novgorod - the militia of the Novgorod heels and suburbs. They decided to cover Novgorod from the west, south and east, cut it off from the heels and suburbs and intercept all the routes that led to Lithuania. This would lead to the dispersal of the forces of the Novgorodians.
They thought out a clear plan of action, according to which two strong detachments were to approach Novgorod from the west and east, and from the south the main blow was inflicted under the leadership of Ivan III himself.
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From Moscow to Ustyug in May 1471, Ivan III sent two boyars and the governor Vasily Obrats, to organize a detachment from Ustyuzhans and Vyatchans. This made it possible to "fight" Zavolochye and thereby divert the forces of the Novgorodians to weaken them materially and morally. This plan succeeded.
The prince occupied and burned the old city and began to wait for the connection with the detachment of the Pskovites, then to attack Novgorod from the south-west. According to the chronicle, Kholmsky and Fyodor the Motley "dismissed their warriors in different directions to burn, and captivate, and full of news, and execute the inhabitants without mercy for their disobedience to their sovereign, the Grand Duke."
In mid-June, a detachment under the command of Prince Obolensky Striga and Tatar Tsarevich Danyar set out from Moscow to Vyshny Volochek and further moved down the river. Meta to Novgorod from the East.
On June 20, the main forces of the Moscow army set out from Moscow and advanced through Tver, where the Tver regiment joined them, and occupied Torzhok to the southern shore of Lake Ilmen.
The Novgorodians were also preparing for battle. Boyars were collected in combat-ready townspeople and forcibly driven into the army. They also had ships' men. However, despite the large numbers, combat effectiveness; Novgorod troops were low, and the war with Moscow was not popular.
Novgorod wanted to divide the Moscow army and destroy it piece by piece. The main forces (cavalry) of the Novgorodians sent along the western shore of Lake Ilmen and further along the left bank of the Sheloni River The battle took place on July 14, 1471 on the left bank of the Sheloni River between Moscow troops and the Novgorod militia on the Pskov road. They wanted to prevent the Pskovites from joining with the detachment of Prince Kholmsky and to defeat them.
The ship's army (infantry), according to the plans, was to land on the southern coast near the village of Korostyna and defeat the detachment of Prince Kholmsky. The third detachment, led by Prince Vasily Shuisky, went to Zavolochye and acted without communication with the main forces of the Novgorodians. Despite the plan, the Novgorodians acted in disunity. The Moscow detachments also did not organize general interaction, the Pskovites hesitated, the main forces were far away, as a result of which the entire burden of the struggle fell on the detachment of Prince Kholmsky. The outcome of the war was decided on the banks of the Sheloni River.
Near the village of Korostyn, the Novgorodians decided to take advantage of the isolated position of the Kholmsky detachment and destroy it. For this, the ship's army landed near the village of Korostyna and divided into two groups: the first group had to strike on the right flank of the Muscovites, the second, having risen on ships along the Polist River to Staraya Russa, - to strike from the rear. The cavalry of the Novgorodians had to wade and swim across the Shelon River, together with infantry detachments, to attack Kholmsky's detachment. But the forces of the Novgorodians were scattered, there was no interaction of detachments and mutual assistance.
Prince Kholmsky, taking advantage of the slowness of the Novgorodians, moved to the village of Korostynu and unexpectedly attacked the enemy infantry located there. The Novgorodians were defeated. After that, Kholmsky's detachment retreated to Staraya Russa, awaiting the approach of the main forces. There was a new Novgorod army, which approached on ships along the Pole River. Kholmsky again swiftly attacked the Novgorodians and won again. Throughout this time, the cavalry of the Novgorodians was inactive.
Further independent actions could cause the anger of Ivan III. Realizing this, Kholmsky moved south to the town of Demon and sent a messenger to Ivan III with a report on the victory and a request for further action.
After that, on July 13, 1471, Ivan III ordered the Kholmsky detachment to move to the Sheloni River and join up with the Pskov detachment. All these successes cost Muscovites dearly. By that time, Kholmsky's detachment had lost half of its troops: "There are only 4 thousand or a little more left of ours."
The Novgorodian cavalry appeared on the banks of the Shelon River after the Novgorodian infantry was defeated. The detachment under the command of Kholmsky moved up the Sheloni River. Only the river separated the opponents.
The Novgorod army, under the command of the most prominent boyars - Dmitry Isaakovich Boretsky, Vasily Kazimir, Kuzma Grigoriev, Yakov Fedorov and others, settled down for the night at the mouth of the Dryan River (a tributary of the Sheloni). On the morning of July 14, a shootout began across the river. Then the detachment under the command of Kholmsky decided to unexpectedly attack the enemy.
A small but friendly, hardened, in battles with the Lithuanians and Tatars, the Moscow army, inspired by the determination of its leader, with a howl and whistle fell on the confused and timid Novgorodians. The governors set an example for the soldiers and were the first to rush across the river to the Novgorodians.
Muscovites wade and swim across Shelon and attacked the enemy with arrows and spears. The fight was stubborn. By order of Prince Kholmsky, a detachment of Tatars struck the enemy from the rear. The Novgorodians were struck by the courage of the actions of the Moscow detachment, they could not withstand the onslaught and "defeated everything." It is noteworthy that in the bustle of the flight, the Novgorodians settled scores with each other: so great was the secret hatred of everyone for everyone, like a plague that struck the inhabitants of the great city. The battle was won by the Moscow army.
The victory was a surprise. The Novgorodians had a numerical superiority, but they underestimated the enemy, were disunited and morally suppressed by daring actions and an unexpected attack by the Moscow army. At the same time, many warriors evaded battle, claiming that they did not have armor. And the detachment of the Novgorod archbishop did not receive an order to engage in battle with the Muscovites. In total, the Novgorodians lost up to 12,000 killed and about 2,000 prisoners.
The battle on the Sheloni River was of strategic importance and decided the outcome of the war. Now the Novgorod veche expressed humility and asked the Moscow Grand Duke for mercy.
The main forces of the Moscow army under the command of Ivan III reached the mouth of the Sheloni River. On July 27, in the town of Korostyn, they met with a delegation of Novgorodians led by Vladyka Theophanes. The conditions of the Muscovites were rather mild: Novgorodians swore allegiance to Ivan III and paid an indemnity in the amount of 16,000 Novgorod silver rubles.
The Moscow prince renewed the treaty that had existed until that time and expanded his rights. The policy of Ivan III at this time was distinguished by moderation: a blow was struck at the "Lithuanian party", but the political system of Novgorod did not change. But its end was not far off.
We can say that the actions of the main forces were only a demonstration of the military might of the Moscow Grand Duchy and the unity of "all Russia".
At this time, the 12 thousandth ship's army of Prince Shuisky moved towards Ustyug. The Moscow boyars, led by the voivode Vasily Obratsts, gathered a 4-thousandth ship's army from the Vyatka and Ustyuzhan people, and set out to meet the Novgorodians.
Opponents on ships met on the Northern Dvina River, went ashore and entered the battle. A detachment under the command of Vasily Obraztsa defeated the Novgorodians. The Novgorodians could not be helped by their triple numerical superiority, since their combat effectiveness was; very low.
The reasons for the success of Muscovites should be sought in careful; preparation of the Novgorod campaign in military and political terms. The all-Russian significance of the struggle against Novgorod, the destruction of the "Lithuanian party" and the punishment of traitors and traitors, aggravated contradictions in Novgorod and introduced disorganization in the ranks of Novgorodians. A thoroughly developed campaign plan was of great importance for victory.
The battle on the Sheloni River did not lead to the immediate annexation of Novgorod to the Moscow state. This will happen only after 7 years. But it was precisely this battle that broke the will of that part of the Novgorodians who did not want to submit to the dictatorship of Ivan III. Several lessons of the "Moscow battle" taught by Kholmsky convinced the most zealous Novgorodians of the futility of armed resistance.
A. Myachin