To give a brief picture of affairs in Lithuania and Russia is now indispensable for an understanding of Moscow. We must return to the beginning of Vassili’s reign.
The death of Vitold of Lithuania, in 1430, without heirs raised the great question: Who shall succeed? The former Russo-Lithuanian Grand Prince, Yagello, at that time King of Poland, hesitated to put the two crowns on his own head, fearing opposition from the Russo-Lithuanian boyars, who struggled against merging their own state in Poland. Besides Yagello, there were two grandsons of Gedimin, Svidrigello, Yagello’s younger brother, and Sigismund, the youngest brother of Vitold. There were also grandsons of Olgerd, but being of the Orthodox faith they were unacceptable to the Poles, and to Catholics. Yagello gave the preference to his brother, who succeeded Vitold, and was crowned in the Vilna Cathedral. But Yagello was mistaken in thinking that he had found an obedient assistant. Though Svidrigello had gone over to the Latins through the influence of his brother, he was not a zealot, and was well inclined toward his former co-religionists. Having ruled in Russian principalities, he was Russian in language and sympathies; hence the Russians greeted his elevation, and expected aid from him against Latinism and absorption.
Svidrigello had no wish to be a servant. He looked on the Grand Principality as his by right, and wished to preserve the integrity of his inheritance. In one word, his wish was to follow the policy of Vitold. Polish magnates were greatly displeased that the king had permitted this brother to be crowned without pledges, and had yielded Podolia and Volynia, which they claimed for themselves, and which, as they said, they had fought for.
The taking of Galitch by Kazimir the Great was the first exploit [[438]]in distributing the lands of Russia among Polish nobles and the clergy, and also of taking lands from Russian owners, and giving them to Poles. This system had extended to Podolia from Galitch, a part of which had been joined to Poland. But in Vitold’s day Podolia had been given back to Russia almost entirely. In cities and castles were representatives of the Grand Prince supported by Russo-Lithuanian garrisons.
No one supposed that Svidrigello would surrender Podolia and Volynia to Yagello, hence the Poles planned to capture them by stratagem. Kamenyets, the chief Podolian city, was commanded by Dovgerd, a noted Lithuanian. The local Polish nobles appeared at the castle of Kamenyets before the news of Vitold’s death had reached it. They came under protext of friendly consultation, and invited Dovgerd to meet them with his attendants. He did so. The Poles threw off the mask then, seized him with his attendants, and took possession of the castle. At the same time they surprised Smotritch, with a few other places, and thus won a part of Podolia. The voevodas of Volynia had heard of Vitold’s death and were prepared. There the Poles could obtain nothing.
Svidrigello was indignant when he heard of what had happened at Kamenyets. Yagello was still in Lithuania, hunting; he had not returned since the funeral of Vitold. Svidrigello reproached the king bitterly, and declared that he would hold him a captive till Podolia was returned to its Grand Prince. Yagello met his brother’s outburst of anger and accusation with mild and insinuating speeches. But Svidrigello was unyielding. The king’s Polish suite proposed then a desperate measure: to kill Svidrigello, capture the Vilna castle, and defend themselves till aid came. The king would not consent to this murder, but to effect his escape he made an agreement by which he returned the castles in Podolia to his brother, and commanded Butchatski to yield Kamenyets to Prince Michael Baba, Svidrigello’s commander. Svidrigello was delighted. He rewarded Yagello’s messenger well, then he made rich presents to Yagello and his suite, and they departed for Poland. Despite his sixty years, Svidrigello had let himself be badly deceived.
Polish magnates near the king, perhaps with his connivance, thought out a stratagem. They sent a private letter to Butchatski, forbidding him to obey Yagello’s order to yield Kamenyets, and [[439]]commanding him to arrest Prince Baba and the messenger. The letter was placed in a tube which was covered with wax and made to look like a candle. This counterfeit candle was taken to Butchatski by an attendant of the king’s messenger, who said, as he delivered it: “You will find in this candle all the light needed.” Real candles were burned before images, and were sent to chapels and churches, therefore this candle roused no suspicion. Butchatski cut the candle, found the letter, and followed its instructions.
When he heard of the trick Svidrigello was enraged. He tried to recover the castles, but took only a few of them; Smotritch and Kamenyets remained with his opponents. The Poles now declared that Svidrigello must surrender not only Podolia, but Lutsk, and the south of Volynia. They demanded too that he should go to Poland and take an oath of obedience to Yagello. Svidrigello refused to do this. He made a treaty with the Germans, and with the Emperor. Sigismund opposed the growth of Poland, and desired the Order to assist Svidrigello, to whom he promised the same kind of crown that he had sent to Vitold.
From the Polish king now came an envoy with reproaches. He condemned Svidrigello savagely for his alliance with the enemies of Poland. The envoy added also that Svidrigello was not a Grand Prince till so acknowledged by a Polish Diet. Svidrigello, borne away by furious anger, detained the Polish envoy, and had him imprisoned. After this insult there was no way to decide the dispute except by armed action.
In 1431 the king led a large army into Volynia. The Poles were distinguished for their fury in that war; so irrepressible was it that the people were forced to hide in forests and swamps, and in inaccessible places. The king, to spare native regions, tried to curb the troops under him; he even warned people of his coming, and thus incurred the taunt that he was sparing his rebel brother. The Poles sacked Vladimir; Volynia was burned. Svidrigello, with Wallachians and Mongols, was preparing to meet the invasion, but discovering the great strength of the king’s forces, he withdrew and burned Lutsk to save it from the enemy. In the Lutsk castle he put Yursha, a Russian, who defended that stronghold so stubbornly that the Poles could not take it. Angered by this defeat, they accused the king of malevolent slackness, and of intentional blunders. [[440]]