Page "Ashmyany" Paragraph 4

In 1413 the town became one of the most notable centres of trade and commerce within the Vilnius Voivodship.

Because of that, in 1432 it became a battlefield of an important battle between the royal forces of Jogaila under Žygimantas Kęstutaitis and the forces of Švitrigaila allied with the Teutonic Order.

After the town was taken by the royalists, it became a private property of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and started to develop rapidly.

However, less than a century later the town was yet again destroyed and burnt to the ground, this time by the forces of Muscovy in 1519.

The recovery did not occur as quickly as the previous time and in 1537 the town was granted with several royal privileges to facilitate the reconstruction.

In 1566 the town finally received a city charter based on the Magdeburg Law, which was later confirmed ( along with the privileges for the local merchants and burghers ) by king Jan III Sobieski in 1683.

In 16th century the town also became one of the most notable centres of Calvinism in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, after Mikołaj " the Red " Radziwiłł founded a collegiate and a church there.