4.29 Europe: a.d. 1501 to 1600  (Page 27/29)

Eastern europe

For centuries there had been a correlation between traffic on the Baltic Sea and prosperity of Eastern Europe. After 1581, when Russia lost Narva in Estonia, as noted elsewhere, Moscovy diverted its trade to overland routes and the Baltic trade diminished, only to be refurbished when the Thirty Years War cut the land traffic through Central Europe. Perhaps in connection with the above, huge areas from the Baltic to the Black Sea reverted to a "second serfdom"

Southern baltic area

As in the past, Sweden, Denmark, Russia and Poland all competed in this century for domination of the Baltic area. Of the original Balt tribes, the Letts had now become Latvians and the Curonians were Lettonized in this century. The Prussians were extinct as a people, but the Lithuanians remained strong and numerous. Until the middle of the century the Teutonic Knights held Livonia, Estonia and Courland and their stories thereafter will be taken up in a later paragraph. After somewhat of a poor start in the century, with the loss of the left bank of the Dnieper in 1503 and the city of Smolensk in 1514, both in wars with Russia, Poland-then enjoyed a Golden Age under Sigismund I and II, up to 1572. Both rulers were men of culture and spirit and gave religious thought and worship a complete freedom. Although there were interval wars with other powers for control of the Baltic, Poland prospered and remained a major European state. The power of the lesser nobility continued to grow, however, and all efforts of the kings to strengthen royal power, reform the government and establish a more modern army and administration met with failure and Poland gradually became transformed into a republic. Lithuania and Poland continued to be closely associated and the kings of Poland were usually also the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. As was true all across northern Europe, beer was consumed in large amounts - the peasants drinking three liters a day. (Ref. 260 )

The Livonian War began in 1557 and was an armed dispute involving all the powers bordering the Baltic. As the Russians moved in from the east, Sweden took Estonia and the Danes acquired part of Courland. In 1561 Poland took part of Livonia and insisted on the Polish language and laws and the Catholic religion, but within two years Ivan the Terrible of Russia had re-conquered this area. Russia and Sweden continued the battles until 1582 with Narva falling to the latter in 1581, but the Pole's fighting had pretty well ceased by 1571, probably due to their preoccupation with their relationship with

Lithuania. In spite of opposition by the Lithuanian common people, Lithuania officially merged with Poland in 1569. Subsequently the two nations had a common sovereign and a common Diet, although Lithuania retained some separate administration and army. Russian threats to Lithuania were probably the deciding factors in forcing this union, because Russia had already taken the Ukraine territory, including Kiev. By the Polish union, Lithuania apparently was able to save White Russia from Ivan. (Ref. 135 , 61 )