The Battle of Berestets took place 370 years ago. One of the biggest battles of the 17th century, in which, according to various estimates, from 160 to 360 thousand people took part. The Polish-Lithuanian army under the command of King Casimir defeated the Cossacks and Crimeans of Bohdan Khmelnitsky and Islam-Giray.
In many ways, the defeat was due to the betrayal of the Crimean Khan, who arrested the hetman and took his troops from the battlefield. The Cossacks, left without a commander-in-chief and without allies, went on the defensive and were defeated. As a result, Khmelnitsky had to accept the new Belotserkovsky peace, which was not beneficial to the Western Russian population.
General situation
The Treaty of Zborowski in 1649, which the Polish side signed after a severe defeat, did not become final. The Polish elite did not intend to preserve the autonomy and broad rights of the Cossacks. In turn, Khmelnitsky understood that the continuation of the people's liberation war was inevitable, and tried to find allies. Moscow again conveyed to the sovereign a request for intercession from the Polish priesthood, which is going to unleash a war. The Russians in the Hetmanate did not want to return to the rule of the Catholic Church and the Polish lords. In 1650, both sides prepared to continue the war. On December 24, 1650 (January 3, 1651), the Polish Sejm tore apart the peace and resumed hostilities.
Representatives of the Polish war party, among which Pototsky, Vishnevetsky and Konetspolsky stood out, who had huge holdings in Ukraine, took over. At their suggestion, a tax was approved for the recruitment of a huge 54 thousand troops. The king was given the right to convene a "post-polite destruction" - the gentry (noble) militia. The crown chancellor instead of the deceased Ossolinsky, who followed a cautious policy and tried to strengthen the royal power (for which the pans hated him), was approved by Andrey Leshchinsky, a protege of the magnates.
Khmelnitsky in Poland was called "the sworn enemy of the Commonwealth, who swore to her death, contacts Turkey and Sweden and raises the peasants against the gentry." The Polish authorities used brutal measures to impose an emergency tax on the war. We recruited mercenaries. The king announced a rush to crush. Polish-Lithuanian troops are gathering on the border of the Hetmanate.
Continuation of the war
In January 1651, Khmelnitsky held a Rada with colonels and Cossacks in Chigirin. Rada sentenced to rebuff the Polish masters and call for help from the Crimeans. In February, Polish troops led by the full hetman (deputy commander-in-chief of the army) Martin Kalinovsky and the Bratslav voivode Stanislav Lyantskoronsky invaded the Bratslav region and attacked the town of Krasne. The Cossacks of the Bratslav regiment, led by Colonel Nechai, repulsed the first attack. However, the superior forces of the enemy burst into Krasna. In this battle, a friend and loyal ally of Khmelnitsky, Danilo Nechay, laid down his head. Contemporaries noted his "extraordinary courage and intelligence", and the Cossacks gave him first place after Khmelnitsky.
Kalinovsky captured Shargorod, Yampol, at the end of February 1651, Polish troops besieged Vinnitsa, where Ivan Bohun stood with 3 thousand Cossacks. Russian Cossacks, burghers and peasants gave support to the gentry. Khmelnitsky sent the Uman regiment of Osip Glukh and the Poltava regiment of Martin Pushkar to help Bohun. The gentry was afraid to accept the battle and retreated. Not far from Vinnitsa, near the village of Yanushintsy, Bohun's Cossacks defeated the enemy. The remnants of the Polish troops fled to Bar and to Kamenets-Podolsk.
Khmelnitsky publishes a station wagon in which he announces a new war to the people and calls on people to rise up against the Poles. Mobilizes regiments and prepares military supplies. People with generalists were sent to Poland, in which the peasants were called upon to raise an uprising against the gentry. In the Carpathian region, the uprising was led by Kostka Napersky. On June 16, the rebels captured the Chorsztyn castle near Novy Targ. The Polish detachment of Lubomirsky took the Chorshtyn castle, the leaders were executed, the uprising was drowned in blood. However, unrest among the peasants continued. The people of White Russia also rose to fight the Polish invaders.
Khmelnitsky again asks the Crimean Khan for help, but he hesitates. Finally, he sends a part of the troops with a vizier, instructs not to rush to get involved in battle and, if the Poles take up, hastily leave for the Crimea. Khmelnitsky march with troops from Chigirin to Bila Tserkva, and from there further towards the enemy. Khan again sent a letter of plea and promised money. Moscow reported that Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich had convened the Zemsky Sobor and announced that the Zaporozhye hetman and the Cossacks "beat their foreheads under the sovereign's high hand into citizenship …". But the council has not yet taken any decisions. Khmelnitsky, who was tormented by doubts (suspected of betraying his wife Elena Chaplinskaya), hesitated what to do: go further against the enemy or make peace? A new council was convened in May. Cossacks, peasants and townspeople were united: war, even if the Crimeans retreat, "or we will all perish, or we will exterminate all Poles."
Forces of the parties
Due to the slowness of the Crimeans, Khmelnytsky refused to attack for more than a month. The foremen who led the army, Colonel Philon Dzhedzhaliy of Kropivyan, Colonel Bohun of Bratslav, Colonel Matvey Gladky of Mirgorod, Colonel Iosif Glukh of Uman and others insisted on immediately attacking the enemy, not allowing the gentry to get ready for battle. Khmelnitsky himself wanted this, but he showed indecision, hoping for the arrival of the Crimean horde with the khan, who promised to come just about. Islam-Giray was dissatisfied, instead of an easy walk and plunder, a battle with a strong and well-prepared enemy awaited him. Tatar spies reported on the huge Polish army. This news alerted and angered the khan. In vain the hetman convinced him that it was not the first time for the Cossacks to smash the Poles.
In June 1651, Khan Islam-Girey united with the Cossacks. In the Tatar army, according to various sources, there were 25-50 thousand horsemen (the Poles believed that the Crimeans had 100 thousand army). The peasant-Cossack army numbered about 100 thousand people - about 45 thousand Cossacks (16 regiments, each had about 3 thousand Cossacks), 50-60 thousand militias (peasants, townspeople), several thousand Don Cossacks, etc.
The Polish army numbered, according to various estimates, from 60 to 150 thousand people - the crown army, the political crush and mercenaries (12 thousand Germans, soldiers from Moldavia and Wallachia). Plus a large number of armed servants and servants of the gentry and gentry. The Polish king Jan Kazimierz divided the army into 10 regiments. The first regiment remained under the command of the king, which included Polish and foreign infantry, court hussars and artillery. A total of about 13 thousand people. Other regiments were headed by crown hetman Nikolai Pototsky, full hetman Martin Kalinovsky, governors Shimon Schavinsky, Jeremiah Vishnevetsky, Stanislav Pototsky, Alexander Konetspolsky, Pavel Sapega, Jerzy Lubomirsky and others.
Battle
Two large armies met near the town of Berestechko on June 17-18 (June 27-28), 1651. The place where the battle was to unfold was a flat quadrangle formed near Berestechko by the course of the Styr River with the Sitenka and Plyashevka tributaries. Rivers, swamps, forest islands and ravines impeded the movement of troops. Royal troops were stationed over the Styr river near Berestechko, the Russian-Tatar troops - on the western bank of the Plyashevka river, above the village of Soloneva. The Crimean Khan's horde formed a separate camp.
On June 17-18, clashes between Tatars and Cossacks with the detachments of Konetspolsky and Lubomirsky take place. Islam-Giray offers to retreat, the hetman stands for the battle. On June 19 (29), the Cossacks, under cover of the fog, crossed the river and approached the royal camp. The attack of the Cossacks was supported by a small detachment of Crimeans. The Polish cavalry, with the support of the infantry, counterattacked, trying to bypass the Cossacks on the flanks. Khmelnitsky personally entered the battle, cut off and smashed the enemy's left wing. The Cossacks obtained 28 banners (banners of individual detachments), including Potocki's banner. The Crimean Khan, having sent small detachments to help the hetman, with the rest of the troops awaited the outcome of the battle. By evening, the battle had subsided, there was no winner. The Poles suffered significant losses. Whole banners (detachments) with their commanders were killed. But the Cossacks also suffered losses. An old ally of Khmelnitsky, the Perekop Murza Tugai-bey, died, which was perceived by the Crimeans and the Khan as a bad sign.
On June 20 (30), 1651, the sides formed for a decisive battle. Among the Poles, the right wing was headed by Potocki, the left - by Kalinovsky, in the center stood the king with the infantry. The battle did not start in the morning, both sides waited until lunchtime. Khmelnitsky and the foreman decided that let the gentry attack first, destroy its battle line, the Cossacks would repulse the enemy's onslaught in a moving fortress from carts tied with chains, then counterattack. With the permission of the king, the Vishnevetsky regiment began the attack (under his command there were 6 banners of the registered Cossacks), followed by the regiments of crushing destruction. The Polish cavalry broke into the Russian camp. Khmelnitsky personally roused the Cossacks to counterattack. The ranks of the Polish cavalry mixed, the Poles retreated. The Cossacks themselves went on the attack, but they were also thrown back.
At this time, the Crimean Tatars continued to be inactive, only pretending that they wanted to attack the enemy. When the royal regiments rose against them, the Crimeans immediately retreated. In the evening, the Polish quartz army (regular units), supported by artillery, demonstrated towards the Crimeans. The Tatars suddenly took to their heels, having thrown their camp. Thus, the Crimeans opened the left flank of the Cossacks. It was so unexpected that it confused everyone. Khmelnitsky, having transferred command to Dzhedzhaliy, rushed after the Crimean Khan. I caught up with him after a few miles.
Khmelnitsky tried to convince Islam-Girey to continue the struggle, not to leave him. But the khan was determined. The Hetman was tied up, and the horde hastily went along the Black Way to the Crimea, plundering and destroying everything in its path. Khmelnitsky was taken as a prisoner. It was rumored that the Poles bribed the khan to take the army away, and also offered to rob part of Ukraine on the way.
Khmelnitsky was held captive for about a month, then they took a large ransom and released.
Siege and defeat
The Cossack-peasant army, finding itself without the hetman and allies, went on the defensive. The Cossacks moved the camp to the swamps, fenced off with carts, and poured a rampart. The Russian camp was blocked on three sides by the Polish army. On the fourth side, there were swamps, they protected from the enemy, but did not allow them to retreat either. Several gates were erected across the swamp, which made it possible to get food and fodder. However, a large army began to starve, there was no bread.
The hostilities were limited to skirmishes, forays of the Cossacks, the Poles brought up artillery, began shelling the camp. Cossack artillery responded with their fire. Dzhedzhali, Gladky, Bohun and others were in charge of the defense. On June 27 (July 7), the Polish king invited the Cossack to ask for forgiveness, hand over the colonels, the hetman's mace, cannons and lay down their arms. On June 28 (July 8), Philon Dzhedzhali was elected to the order hetmans, against his will. The Cossacks refuse to surrender, demanding the observance of the Zborov Treaty. Lyakhi intensify the shelling.
On June 29 (July 9), the Cossacks learn that Lantskoronsky's detachment bypasses them, this threatened to be completely surrounded. The elders send a new delegation to the king, but Hetman Pototsky breaks the letter with their conditions in front of the king. The participant in the negotiations, Colonel Rat, who went over to the side of the king, proposes to arrange a dam on the river. Dance and drown the camp of the Cossacks. On June 30 (July 10), Colonel Bohun was elected the new hetman. He decides to lead the attack against Lanckoronski and pave the way for the rest of the troops. At night, his regiment began the crossing. To expand the gatey, they use everything that is possible - carts, their parts, saddles, barrels, and so on.
Through these crossings, the peasant-Cossack troops began to leave. At the same time, the Poles launched an offensive. The Cossacks resisted desperately. A small detachment of 300 fighters covered the withdrawal of the main forces and died entirely. Nobody asked for mercy. In response to Pototsky's promise to give them life if they lay down their arms, the Cossacks, as a sign of disregard for life and wealth, in front of the enemy, began to throw money and jewelry into the water and continued the battle. According to Polish sources, disorder broke out during the crossing, bridges collapsed, and many drowned. However, part of the troops led by Bogun broke through and escaped. The Poles believed that about 30 thousand Cossacks were killed.
Obviously, the Poles greatly exaggerated their victory. Soon Khmelnitsky led the new Russian army and continued to fight for will and faith.
The Polish command could not use the victory at the village of Berestechko to end the war in their favor. The gentry militia collapsed, many gentlemen went home. Only part of the Polish army continued the offensive, betraying everything in its path to fire and sword. The Lithuanian detachment of Radziwill crushed a small regiment of the Chernigov Colonel Nebaba and captured Kiev. The city was plundered. Soon Nebaba died a heroic death in the battle of Loyev.
Khmelnitsky was able to stop the enemy offensive near the White Church in September. The new Belotserkovsky peace was signed.
The register of Cossacks was reduced by half, to 20 thousand Cossacks. Registered Cossacks could live only on the territory of the Kiev Voivodeship. The gentry returned to their Ukrainian estates. Polish troops were stationed in Little Russia. The Zaporozhye hetman was subordinate to the Polish crown hetman, had no right to negotiate with other states and terminated the alliance with Crimea.
A new stage of the war was inevitable.
