Battle of Ērģeme
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Battle of Ergeme
) | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2014) |
| Battle of Ērģeme | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Livonia (now Latvia) 57°48′20″N 25°48′57″E / 57.805506°N 25.815828°E | |
| Result | Russian victory |
Livonian Confederation
Tsardom of RussiaThe Battle of Ērģeme (also Battle of Ermes) (
Livonian Confederation
. It was the last battle fought by the German knights in Livonia and an important Russian victory. The knights were defeated so thoroughly that the order had to be dissolved.
Battle
Troops of the
August 2nd 30 knights set off to collect fodder within a distance of about 27 km from their camp. On the other side of the river they suddenly came across a Russian guard of 500 men. Both sides opened fire; as a result of the skirmish, one Russian was killed and the rest retreated across the meadow to the main army, alerting them. Eighteen Livonian knights turned back for reinforcements, and twelve stayed behind to pursue the retreating enemy. As soon as they saw Russia's main force, they also turned back and rode back to the camp to alert the commanders, losing several people in process. When the first group arrived at the camp, Philip von Bell ordered his 300 horsemen to attack the Russians, expecting to find approximately 500 of them. Initially, the knights successfully trampled a Russian outpost
and drove the retreating enemy to the latter's main units, only to find themselves unexpectedly surrounded on all sides.
In the battle with the main forces, many German soldiers and mercenaries were killed or taken prisoner. Those who still remained in the Trikāta camp fled. The German chronicle estimates the total losses of the German knights at 261 people. Among the prisoners was Land Marshal Philip von Bell himself, who was considered "the last hope of Livonia", and 10 more commanders. There is no information about the number of Russians killed, but it was said that it took them 14 carts to take their dead to the place where the corpses were burned. In Moscow captivity, Philip von Belle was questioned by
serfs
); there is no credible source on their numbers.
The sole survivor among the high-ranking prisoners of the war, the
Catholic faith
.
References
- Plakans, Andrejs (1995). The Latvians: A Short History. Hoover Press. p. 36.
- Turnbull, Stephen; Peter Dennis (2004). The Stone Castles of Latvia and Estonia 1185-1560. Osprey Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-84176-712-3.
- De Madariaga, Isabel (2005). Ivan the Terrible: First Tsar of Russia. Yale University Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-300-09757-3.
- Urban, William (2003). Teutonic Knights: A Military History. Greenhill Books. ISBN 1853675350.