1399

Knyaz Vitovt Kestutievich of Lithuania sent to Novgorod a declaration of war saying thus: " You have dishonoured me; you were to have stood by me, and I was to have been your Veliki Knyaz, and I was to have protected you; whereas you have not stood by me." And the men of Novgorod sent back the declaration of war from them to Knyaz Vitovt.

• Fire in Novgorod

• The same year the Tartar Tsar Temir Kutlui sent his envoys to Knyaz Vitovt Kestutievich of Lithuania saying thus: " Deliver to me our fugitive Tsar Takhtomysh; and whatsoever he may have about him, that is thine." And Knyaz Vitovt having heard this replied to the Tsar's envoy : " I will not deliver up Tsar Takhtomysh; but I wish to meet the Tsar." And Knyaz Vitovt went with all his Knyazes and with all the forces of Lithuania against the Tsar Temir Kutlui ; and reaching the Vorskla he halted there in the Tartar country. And the Tsar, having heard of the arrival of Knyaz Vitovt, sent envoys to him with a last word: " Inasmuch as thou hast come to fight us, and hast refused to deliver up the fugitive Tsar, and we have not encroached on thy lands, nor taken from thee any of thy towns or villages; therefore, let God and the truth be for all of us." And so both armies came into conffict, and there was such a fierce battle as had never been between Lithuania and the Tartars. And no small disaster befell the children of Lithuania for their sins; and here they killed the Veliki Knyaz Andrei Olgerdovich and his brother Knyaz Mikhail Evnutievich in the encounter, and in all seventyfour noble Knyazes; and of Voyevodas and other Lithuanians who laid their bones there, only God knows the number; and Knyaz Vitovt seeing this turned and fled, and the Tartars followed in pursuit of them for 500 versts, as far as the town of Kiev, and from the town of Kiev they took a ransom of 500 roubles, and set their own lieutenants there; and they took from the Pechersk monastery a ransom of thirty roubles. For thus did God bring the pagan Tartars upon the land of Lithuania because of the pride of their Knyaz; for God had given Vitovt to the land of Lithuania as its Veliki Knyaz, for the sins of the Christians.

• The same autumn there was a darkening of the sun; and there was darkness, and the sun disappeared, and the form of a scythe appeared in the sky, and then the sun appeared emitting blood-red rays with smoke, in the month of October, on the day of the holy Martyr Anastasia.(November 11)

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