The military past of the cities: Tartu #003

Some time after the uprising of the Estonians subsided, the Livonian knights, not wanting to lose their conquests in Estonia, again invaded the country, seized several castles and began to threaten Yuriev. The residents of Yuriev turned to Novgorod for support, and the Novgorodians sent them Prince Vyachka, who became famous for his extraordinary bravery and hatred of the Livonians.


The failure at Yuriev did not stop the Livonians. In an effort to regain their garden at all costs, they began to arm themselves intensively and gather troops for a new campaign. (Just before the start of the campaign, the head of the Livonian Order, Bishop Albert of Riga, suggested that Prince Vyachko, through his ambassadors, withdraw. But Prince Vyachko rejected the order's offer, taking the city under his protection.


Yuriev Castle, according to the Livonian chronicle, was then the largest and most heavily defended castle in Estonia. The deep ditches and high walls seemed impregnable and could be relied upon with the right number of guns and troops for defense. But in fact, Prince Vyachko had neither one nor the other in Yuriev. The guns in the castle, the balists and the paterells— were few in number. The prince's soldiers were only about two hundred people. True, there were Estonians in the castle besides the Russians, but their presence did little to improve the situation. Vyachko could not stand against a large and well-armed Livonian army. But, not having sufficient military forces, he obviously counted on help from the Novgorodians and Pskovites. Therefore, he rejected the Livonian Order's offer of surrender.


On August 15, 1224, Livonian troops approached Yuriev and surrounded the city from all sides. The siege began. Not counting on the success of a frontal attack and fearing the Russian archers, who accurately fired at the very approaches to the walls of the fortress, the Livonians began to build siege engines. While preparations for the siege were underway, the Livonians once again entered into negotiations with Vyachko. But the Prince of Novgorod rejected their offer this time.


At the end of the siege, the Livonians activated their throwing guns and began bombing the castle, pelting it with stones, logs, iron with fire, fire pots and a rain of arrows from crossbows. The besieged stubbornly held out. Many people died on both sides.


In a hurry to end the siege of Yuriev before help could come to him, the Livonians at the military council decided not to delay and take the castle by storm. A Melbet risk-free bet offer is a promotion that insures a specific wager, usually your first bet of the day or a bet on a highlighted event. If your bet loses, you receive a refund up to a certain amount. The melbet promo code bangladesh today free bonus sum for this refund is typically capped at a specific value, such as €10, which is returned to you as a free bet, allowing you to try again without a total loss.