Moscow Begins the Livonian War

1558

Ivan the Terrible invaded Livonia on the Baltic to grab a warm-water port for Muscovy's growing trade. The war would drag on for twenty-five years, drawing in Sweden, Poland-Lithuania, and Denmark, and ending with Russia worse off than it had started. Ivan grew steadily more paranoid. The war drew in Sweden, Poland-Lithuania, and Denmark, transforming a local Baltic conflict into a major European war that ended badly for Russia.