Draft:Siege of Viborg (1495)

The Siege of Viborg was a failed Russian attempt to besiege and capture Viborg from Swedish control during the Russo-Swedish War (1495–1497). The Swedish defenders were saved by the infamous Viborg Bang, which would force the Russian attackers to retreat.

Background
After the expiration of the Russo–Swedish truce in 1492, precautions had been taken by the Swedes to guard their border with Russia to defend against possible attacks, and such precautions were most likely present during the winter of 1494–1495.

Russian advance
In the late summer of 1495, news came to Viborg alerting the Swedes of a large Russian army on the march into Finland. These reports were revealed to not be exaggerated, and this army was the largest Russian army ever sent into Finland at that point. It consisted of troops from Moscow, Novgorod, and Pskov, under the command of Danilo Vasiljevitj Sjtjena, Jakob Saharjevitj, and Vasilij Feodoro Sjujskij respectively.

Viborg's defences
The Swedish defence was unusually well prepared, with the Russian mobilization not being able to be kept a secret, Sten Sture had already sent 500 German mercenaries led by Hartwig Winholt to Viborg, which was considered a respectable force for the time. At the same time, the common people were asked to stand up with a soldier of a total of five domestics. The only mobilization that is known about without doubt is that Nyland sent 800 armed peasants to Viborg.

The Bishop of Åbo also sent 40 "svenner" under the command of Magnus Frille. All of this gave the commander of Viborg, Knut Posse, a combined gorce of around 1,800 men. Viborg was also in good condition, as the fortress was strong and during the 1470's, a ring wall had been constructed as a defence for the city.

Start of the Russian campaign
The Russian campaign began with violent raids into the nearby land on the border, the parishes of Åryräppa, Kivinebb, Nykyrka, Mohla, and Jääskis were completely destroyed. The terrified villagers in the surrounding areas quickly took refuge in Viborg. Bishop Magnus in Åbo swiftly began sending several distress messages to Sten Sture in Stockholm. He would exaggerate the danger, writing that the Russian would soon set sail towards Stockholm with 2,000 ships.

Siege
On 21 September, the first Russian troops arrived outside of Viborg, and the city was quickly completely surrounded. The Russian force was very large, consisting of around 60,000 men.