Battle of Lipnic facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Lipnic
Stefan the great facing the Golden Horde of the Tartars of the Volga, 1470 by Stoica Dumitrescu
Date August 20, 1470 Location Lipnic, Moldova Result Moldavian victory
Belligerents
Moldavia	Golden Horde
Commanders and leaders
Stephen III	Ahmed Khan
Strength
unknown	unknown
Casualties and losses
light	heavy, the brother and son of the khan were taken captive.

The Battle of Lipnic was an important fight that happened on August 20, 1470. It was between the Moldavian army, led by their famous ruler Stephen the Great, and the Volga Tatars. The Tatars were part of the Golden Horde, and their leader was Ahmed Khan. This battle took place near a village called Lipnic in what is now Moldova. The Moldavians won this battle, which was a big victory for them.

What Led to the Battle?

Tatars Attack Moldavia

In the summer of 1470, a powerful leader named Ahmed Khan decided to attack several lands. He was the Great Khan of the Great Horde, a large group of Mongol-Tatars. His plan was to attack Moldavia, the Kingdom of Poland, and Lithuania.

Stephen the Great Gets a Warning

Luckily, Stephen the Great and the Polish king, Casimir IV Jagiellon, knew about the attack beforehand. They were warned by Meñli I Giray, the Khan of the Crimean Khanate. Meñli I Giray was sometimes an ally of Stephen and did not like the Golden Horde.

The Tatar Invasion Route

The Tatar armies launched their attack from three different directions. Ahmed Khan's brother and son led these attacks. They first raided and stole from the eastern parts of Poland. King Casimir could not gather enough soldiers to stop them. So, the Tatars then moved south towards Moldavia.

Old stories tell us about several smaller fights. The Moldavians won two of these battles. But the biggest and most intense battle was still to come. It would happen at Lipniți, a village near the Dniester River. This area is in what is now the Republic of Moldova.

The Battle of Lipnic

The Trap at Lipnic

By August 20, the Tatars were starting to retreat. They were carrying away thousands of women and children as slaves. They also had stolen many animals like cattle, horses, and sheep. Stephen the Great managed to trick this Tatar group. He led them into a trap.

The trap was set at the edge of a lime tree forest near Lipnic. Stephen forced the Tatars to stop their retreat. They had to face the Moldavian army in an open battle.

A Fierce Fight

We don't have many details about the battle itself. But everyone agrees it was very bloody and violent. Many soldiers from both sides died. Most of the Tatars were killed during the fight. A large number of them also drowned in the Dniester River. They tried to escape by fleeing across the river but failed.

Many Tatars were captured by the Moldavians. This included Ahmed Khan's own son. Sadly, the Khan's brother died during the battle.

What Happened After?

The Khan's Son

After the battle, Stephen the Great held Ahmed Khan's son captive. Stephen told Ahmed Khan that his son would live only if the Tatars made peace with Moldavia. He said his son would die the day a Tatar touched Moldavian land again. However, the Khan's son was eventually killed after an incident at Stephen's court.

Protecting Moldavia

Ahmed Khan could not organize another big attack against Stephen. By the year 1502, the Great Horde was completely destroyed. This was done by Meñli I Giray of the Crimean Khanate.

Stephen the Great took steps to protect his country's eastern border. He made the fortresses of Orhei and Tighina stronger. He also built the Soroca fortress. These actions completed a strong line of defense along the Nistru River. Even after this, Tatar attacks continued against Moldavia. However, these attacks came from other Tatar states north of the Black Sea.

See also

• Tatar invasions
• Moldavian military forces
• Battle of the Vorskla River
• Borzeşti Church