Battle of Ašmena

The Battle of Ašmena was a medieval battle fought on 8 December 1432 at Ašmena between the armies of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis, two pretenders to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the Lithuanian Civil War (1431–1435).

Battle

Švitrigaila with several thousand troops (estimated to total about 40,000) marched out of Polotsk, where he was staying, and took Minsk, Kreva, Ašmena, and was preparing to attack Vilnius. Sigismund Kęstutaitis Lithuanian and Samogitian army supported by Masurians from Drahichyn (estimated to total about 20,000 people) attacked Švitrigaila's Lithuanian and Russian troops supported by Tatars, led by Khan Sayid Ahmad I. Švitrigaila's ally Livonian Order did not arrive it in time for the battle.

The battle lasted from morning until evening. At first Sigismund's army managed to push Švitrigaila's forces about 3 miles (4.8 km) towards Vilnius, but Sigismund Kęstutaitis to the evening beaten and struck Švitrigailos forces. Both sides suffered large losses. According to the Polish chronicler Jan Długosz, about 10,000 of Švitrigaila's men were killed and 4,000 were captured. Švitrigaila escaped to Polotsk. Former voivode of Vilnius Jonas Manvydas, Jurgis Lengvenaitis ruler of Mstsislaw, duke Jurgis Gedgaudas and other commanders of his army were taken into captivity.

Aftermath

Although Sigismund Kęstutaitis won the battle, his army was also weakened and he could not pursue Švitrigaila and end the civil war. The Lithuanian civil war ended with the 1435 Battle of Wilkomierz when Švitrigaila's army was dealt a final defeated.^[1]

References