Lithuania Army - Early History
For a thousand years Lithuanians, with the weapons in their arms, have been defending their families, tribes and the state by sacrificing themselves. As its guard on call, the country has the army that has been marching from Grunwald Plains to the highlands of Afghanistan and crushing superior enemies in the battle-fields from Salaspils to Giedraiciai.
In the late 12th century and the 13th century Lithuanian lands were defended by men who knew how to handle their weapons. The army was formed in preparation to resist the enemy or start a military campaign. During each campaign, army commanders were elected, usually among the land dukes. Those have been forming regular military soldieries of the dukes. Most often, Lithuanians were arming with spears, axes, knives, helmets, chain armor and shields and using siege machines. The land was protected by the defense castle system.
The Old State of Lithuania was manfully fighting with its Eastern neighbors for influence in the region; the invading campaigns were also a case. Since the first half of the 13th century, the Lithuanians had to fight against Order of the Brothers of the Sword and the Livonian Order; from the second half of the century – against the Teutonic Order.
In the 14th century, the duke's military soldieries were enriched in the number of professional soldiers, whose hardware was markedly improved. A regular army was in the process of formation, while important campaigns were delegated to selected soldiers. Swords, crossbows, different types of armor spread; brick castles were built at strategic points of the country, while in the late century heavy artillery came into use.
The Lithuanian Army, fighting in the enormous territory - with the Order in the West and North, and with Moscow and Tatars in the East and South – has been crushing the armies and capturing fortresses, overrunning the enemy lands. While defending the statehood in battles with the Order, the Lithuanians tried to lure the enemy in their own territory and trap them in hardly accessible places where hard-armed Order knights were losing the advantage of their weaponry because they could not fight as one formation anymore.
In the late 14th century and the early 15th century the irregular army was formed from nobility. Weaponry of the irregular nobility army was in line with warfare means of the European knights: sword, heavy spear, plate armor, helmet and shield. The Order was brought to its knees in collaborative efforts of Lithuania and Poland; Lithuania was expanding to the East by annexing Russian lands exhausted by the Tartars, while exploding the power of the Golden Horde in the Southeast.
On 01 September 1435 the Battle of Ukmerge (Wilkomierz, Pabaiskas) was the biggest battle in the territory of the present-day Lithuania. This battle was compared with the Battle of Tannenerg by the contemporaries. The victory in the Battle of Pabaiskas completed the war between Lithuania and the Livonian Order that lasted almost 200 years. In this battle, the army of Žygimantas Kestutaitis defeated the entire command of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order. The hundred years of wars demonstrated the will and power of the Lithuanians. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania had been skilful coordinating military and political diplomatic measures.
Since the late 15th century, foreigners were employed to the army. In the 16th century, the irregular nobility predominating in the army has been territorially forming into battle units, known as flags. One third of the total force consisted of the best armed and equipped army put together by the nobility. Military service was regulated by 1529 I Statute of Lithuania as well as the hetmen’s articles. The army was formed by the Great Duke, while the forces were commanded by the great and the field hetman. Since the 16th century, firearms spread, i.e. harquebuses, muskets, field and fortress artillery.
The main striking force in the field battles was a concentrated cavalry formation. Since the 17th century, however, the recruited army gained more importance. During the 16th – 18th centuries, military units of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were formed, i.e. the cavalry (hussars, petihors, Cossacks and Tatars - the specific type of armed forces of Poland and Lithuania, as well as riders and dragoons – units of the Western Europe of that time), artillery (light wheeled gun battery, etc.), infantry („German“ and „national“ type).
The long wars with Muscovy, Sweden, the Great Northern War and internal strife exhausted the state. Attempts to reform the army and the state in the second half of the 18th century failed and after the Third Partition of the Commonwealth in 1795, Lithuania came under Russian rule for the next 120 years. However, the Lithuanians would not reconcile themselves to this, and, in 1812, together with Poles, organised military units to help Napoleon during his campaign against Russia. In 1831 and 1863 there were two popular uprisings in Lithuania and Poland, but they were suppressed. Nevertheless, almost every new generation of the enslaved Lithuania with guns in its hands participated in the struggles for Lithuania’s freedom.
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