The Battle of Ubagall (Estonian: Ubakalu lahing) was a battle between soldiers of Carl Henriksson Horn and a Russian force under the command of Tiesenhusen in the village of Ubagall in 1571.
| Battle of Ubagall | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Sweden |
 Russia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Carl Henriksson Horn |
"Tiesenhusen" † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 300 knights | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Entire force killed | ||||||
Background
editIn the autumnn of 1570, the Russian 'lydkonung' Magnus advanced towards Reval (modern day Tallinn.) with an army of 25,000.[1][2] The Swedish defense was led by Gabriel Oxenstierna and Carl Henriksson Horn, who is described as a brave and courageous.[1] Magnus had brought with him a large amount of cannons, which were his foremost weapon. Unfortunately for the Russians, their forces were not suitable for storming fortresses.[1][3]
At the same time, a certain Livonian man by the name of Tiesenhusen marched towards the fortress of Weissenstein.[3] He had previously made himself known for being particularly brutal, with there being rumours that he had drowned his sister for her wanting to marry with a writer.[3][1]
The assaults against Reval by the Russians were not successful, since the Russian troops were not trained in sieges, and Sweden was able to supply the city from the sea.[3][1] Since the Russians lacked a fleet, they had hoped that Denmark would assist them in the siege by blockading it, however, this does not occur, since Denmark signed a peace treaty with Sweden in the year.[3] During January, the Russians plundered over the entirety of Estonia, but the siege of Reval did not improve.[2] In late February a letter was thrown into the city, it tells them of the peace treaty signed with Denmark. In celebration of this outcome the defenders made a successful sortie against the Russians.[3][1]
Battle
editOn 16 March Magnus burned his camp outside of Reval and began to retreat, the entire affair costed Magnus 6,000 men.[4] On the same day, Tiesenhusen lifted his siege of Weissenstein.[3] When it was clear to the Swedes that the siege was lifted, Clas Henriksson Horn made an attack, he killed many roaming Russian troops.[1][3] Tiesenhusen was also caught off guard by 300 Swedish knights at Ubagall, where his entire force was killed and the majority of his supplies were taken by the Swedes.[1][3][2]
Aftermath
editIn late 1571 Russia is attacked by the Tatars, who manage to burn Moscow. This results a period of peace in the Baltic.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Starbäck, Carl Georg (1885). Berättelser ur svenska historien (in Swedish). F. & G. Beijers Förlag.
- ^ a b c Dalin, Olof von (1761). Svea Rikes Historia: Ifrån dess begynnelse til wåra tider, Efter Hans Kongl. Maj:ts nådiga behag På Riksens Höglofliga Ständers åstundan. Tredje Delen, Andra Bandet (in Swedish). Lars Salvius.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sundberg, Ulf (2002). Svenska krig 1521-1814 (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Hjalmarson & Högberg. p. 76. ISBN 9789189080140.
- ^ Wolke, Lars Ericson (2015-02-03). Johan III: En biografi (in Swedish). Svenska Historiska Media Förlag AB. ISBN 978-91-87031-93-9.