Battle of Pabaiskas

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The Battle of Pabaiskas, also known as the Battle of Vilkomir, took place on September 1, 1435 near Ukmergė in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With the help of Polish military units, the forces of Grand Duke Sigismund Kestutaitis defeated Švitrigaila and his Livonian Order allies.

The battle ended a civil war, which started after Sigismund Kestutaitis deposed Švitrigaila in 1432. Švitrigaila escaped, established himself in Polatsk, and rallied his supporters from Slavic lands of the Grand Duchy against Sigismund. Two years after the battle Švitrigaila formally acknowledged his defeat and promised loyalty to Poland.

The battle was significant because it reduced the power of the Livonian Order as its army was defeated, its Grand Master was killed, and many of its senior officers were taken prisoners. The battle had consequences similar to those that Battle of Grunwald had on the Teutonic Knights. The Livonian Order promised not to interfere with internal matters of Lithuania or Poland, and did not attempt any military actions against Lithuania afterward.

The church was built the following year and the town of Pabaiskas was later established by Sigismund Kestutaitis near the site of the battle.

[edit] References

• (Lithuanian) Kiaupienė, Jūratė (2002). "Gediminaičiai ir Jogailaičiai prie Vytauto palikimo", Gimtoji istorija. Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės. Vilnius: Elektroninės leidybos namai. ISBN 9986-9216-9-4. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.