Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1368–72)

Lithuanian–Muscovite War
Part of the Muscovite–Tverite War
Algirdas retreats from Moscow in 1370 (from the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible)
Date 1368–72 Location Moscow, Lyubutsk Result Lithuanian retreat (Treaty of Lyubutsk)
Belligerents
Grand Duchy of Lithuania Principality of Tver	Grand Duchy of Moscow
Commanders and leaders
Algirdas Mikhail II of Tver Kęstutis	Dmitry Donskoy Vladimir the Bold

The Lithuanian–Muscovite War encompasses three raids by Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1368, 1370, and 1372. Algirdas organized the raids against Dmitry Donskoy in support of the Principality of Tver, chief rival of Moscow. In 1368 and 1370, Lithuanians besieged Moscow and burned the posad, but did not succeed in taking the city's Kremlin. In 1372, the Lithuanian army was stopped near Lyubutsk where, after a standoff, the Treaty of Lyubutsk was concluded. Lithuanians agreed to cease their aid to Tver, which was defeated in 1375. Mikhail II of Tver had to acknowledge Dmitry as "elder brother".

Influence and power of the Grand Duchy of Moscow grew steadily and its interests clashed with those of Lithuania. After the Battle of Blue Waters in 1362 Lithuania took over the Principality of Kiev and became a direct neighbor of Moscow. In 1368, Mikhail II of Tver became Prince of Tver. Dmitry Donskoy and Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow, invited Mikhail to Moscow and imprisoned him. Mikhail was released when envoys of the Golden Horde arrived and Dmitry did not want to involve the Tatars in the Moscow–Tver dispute. Mikhail fled to Lithuania to ask assistance of Algirdas, who was married to his sister Uliana of Tver. Algirdas decided to assist the Principality of Tver, chief rival of Moscow, and sought to put Mikhail on the throne of Vladimir, a long-time possession of Moscow.

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