Battle of Wilkomierz

Overview

The Battle of Wiłkomierz took place on September 1, 1435, near Ukmergė in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With the help of military units from the Kingdom of Poland, the forces of Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis soundly defeated Švitrigaila and his Livonian allies. The battle was a decisive engagement of the Lithuanian Civil War (1432–1438). Švitrigaila lost most of his supporters and withdrew to southern Grand Duchy; he was slowly pushed out and eventually made peace. The damage inflicted upon the Livonian Order has been compared to the damage of Battle of Grunwald upon the Teutonic Order. It was fundamentally weakened and ceased to play a major role in Lithuanian affairs. The battle can be seen as the final engagement of the Lithuanian Crusade.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Wiłkomierz, fought on 1 September 1435 near Ukmergė, was the decisive engagement of the Lithuanian Civil War of 1432–1438. The forces of Grand Duke Sigismund Kęstutaitis, supported by units from the Kingdom of Poland, soundly defeated Švitrigaila and his Livonian allies. The defeat stripped Švitrigaila of most of his supporters and forced his withdrawal to the southern Grand Duchy, from which he was progressively pushed out before eventually making peace, effectively ending his challenge to Sigismund Kęstutaitis's authority. The battle carried consequences beyond the internal dynastic struggle. The damage inflicted on the Livonian Order in the engagement has been compared to that suffered by the Teutonic Order at Grunwald: the Order was fundamentally weakened and ceased to play a significant role in Lithuanian affairs thereafter. The battle is also regarded as the final engagement of the Lithuanian Crusade, marking the close of that broader military and political contest in the region.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (6)