More than half a century of reign of Ivan IV (Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible) still causes fierce debate among domestic and foreign historians. Opinions differ radically: some consider him a man with obvious mental disabilities, a tyrant and a despot, others are of the opinion that Ivan the Terrible’s atrocities are greatly exaggerated, and the only way to rule Russia is with a firm hand, without doubt, looking several moves ahead. Livonian War, which essentially lasted throughout almost the entire reign of Ivan Vasilyevich, bled the country dry, but did not bring any significant results.
The Livonian Confederation occupied the territory that currently consists of the Baltic countries - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. There were times when the Livonian rulers significantly limited the trade relations of Russian merchants, since the transit of goods was carried out through the Livonian ports of Riga and Narva. The former Russian Tsar, Ivan III, having pacified Livonia, obliged it to pay the so-called. "Yurievskaya tribute". And if at first the tribute was paid regularly, they soon forgot about it and began to consider it, with the tacit consent of both parties, as an empty formality. However, Ivan the Terrible, upon expiration of the truce, demands payment of tribute in full, to which Livonia responds with a decisive refusal. This refusal became the last straw, the catalyst for the upcoming war.
Russia declared war on Livonia in January 1558. The Russian forces were many times superior to the forces of the Livonian garrisons. On the side of the latter there were only well-fortified fortresses and their thick walls, capable of withstanding any siege, including the use of heavy weapons. However, in the very first months of the war, the Russians took key Livonian fortresses: Narva, Neuhausen and Dorpat. Satisfied with the military successes, Ivan IV decided to take a break from hostilities. Sweden, Poland and Denmark, who had their own interests in the Livonian lands, were quick to take advantage of this respite. The closest neighbors had to be taken into account. Meanwhile, Livonia also grew stronger and gathered her strength. Battles resumed in 1560. Their result can be considered complete collapse Livonian Confederation, as well as the fact that the formerly Livonian lands were placed at the disposal of Sweden and Lithuania. Ivan the Terrible, who refused to withdraw his troops, was forced to fight with these two states from that time on. The forces of the parties turned out to be approximately equal. After the capture of Polotsk by Russian troops during the war, a turning point came not in their favor. The noble Russian boyars, who had suffered losses, refused to fight against Lithuania. The oprichnina introduced by the tsar was a kind of response to their ambiguous position. In 1566, convened Zemsky Sobor approved the royal will to continue the war with the aim of capturing Riga. After another ten years, Russia captured almost the entire Baltic coast. Only Riga and Revel held out. Another turning point in the unfavorably developing course of the war was attempted by the Polish ruler Stefan Batory, who invaded Rus' and captured the Smolensk region, the Ryazan region, partly the Novgorod region and reached the Volga. After much hesitation, Sweden also entered the war against Russia. The central episodes of the final stage of the war were the siege of Pskov by the troops of Stefan Batory and the siege of the Oreshek fortress by Swedish units. In both cases the interventionists failed. In January 1582, peace was concluded near Pskov with Poland (also known as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), and a year later with Sweden.