16th century in Poland

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 37. Chapters: 16th-century Polish people, Livonian War, Treaty of Vilnius, Fausto Sozzini, Antonio Possevino, Bona Sforza, John Zápolya, Battles of Wenden, Siege of Wesenberg, John of Glogów, Augustinus Rotundus, Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski, Urszula Mayerin, Statutes of Lithuania, Mikolaj Rej, Joshua Falk, Jakub Wujek Bible, Philipp Schall von Bell, Chicken War, Mikolaj Abramowicz, Brest Bible, Jan Polack, Samuel Eidels, Truce of Jam Zapolski, Krzysztof Arciszewski, Hedwig of Cieszyn, Stanislaw Odrowaz, Union of Grodno, Kalonymus Haberkasten, Martin Kober, Treaty of Novgorod, Treaty of Drohiczyn, Jan z Lublina, Cyprian Bazylik, Treaty of Dorpat. Excerpt: The Livonian War (1558-1583) was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark-Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the union (later commonwealth) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. During the period 1558-1578, Russia dominated the region with early military successes at Dorpat (Tartu) and Narva. Russian dissolution of the Livonian Confederation brought Poland-Lithuania into the conflict while Sweden and Denmark both intervened between 1559 and 1561. Swedish Estonia was established despite constant invasion from Russia and Frederick II of Denmark bought the old Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, which he placed under the control of his brother Magnus of Holstein. Magnus attempted to expand his Livonian holdings to establish the Russian vassal state Kingdom of Livonia, which nominally existed until Magnus' defection in 1576. In 1576, Stefan Batory became King of Poland as well as Grand Duke of Lithuania and turned the tide of the war with his successes between 1578 and 1581, including the joint Swedish-Polish-Lithuanian offensive at the Battle of Wenden. This was followed by an extended campaign through Russia culminating in the long and difficult siege of Pskov. Under the 1582 Truce of Jam Zapolski, which ended the war between Russia and Poland-Lithuania, Russia lost all its former holdings in Livonia and Polotsk to Poland-Lithuania. The following year, Sweden and Russia signed the Truce of Plussa with Sweden gaining most of Ingria and northern Livonia while retaining the Duchy of Estonia. Old Livonia, before the Livonian War: By the mid-16th century, economically prosperous Old Livonia had become a region organised into the decentralised and religiously divided Livonian Confederation. Its territories consisted of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, the prince-bishoprics of Dorpat, Ösel-Wiek, as well as Courland, the Archbishopric of Riga and the city