410 years ago, on September 26, 1609, the heroic defense of Smolensk began. The brave people of Smolensk fought until the defensive capabilities were completely depleted and the garrison and the population of the city were almost completely killed.
Defense of Smolensk. Artist V. Kireev
The 20-month defense of Smolensk was of great political and strategic importance. From the second half of 1610, the Smolensk garrison turned out to be the main force that fought the invaders in an organized and open manner, which was of great moral importance for Russia. In addition, the city diverted the main forces of the Polish invaders for two years, setting an example of the struggle for the rest of the country.
Polish intervention
The Polish-Lithuanian feudal lords, with the active participation of the Jesuits and with the support of the Polish king Sigismund III, took advantage of the situation of the Troubles in the Russian kingdom and began an intervention. Initially, during the time of the impostors False Dmitry I and False Dmitry II, Polish robbers - the gentry and the gentry - “walked” across the Russian land. Various Lisovsky, Ruzhinsky, Makhovetsky, Sapieha, Vishnevetsky, etc. Their main interest was profit. That did not prevent to cover up the passion for gold with loud patriotic and religious slogans. For them, a weak ruler in Moscow was beneficial, who would not interfere with robbing, and even give gifts, lands for help.
Polish nobles and magnates, like the king, strove to colonize Russia, at least its western part, and to catholicize the people, to subordinate the Russians to the throne of the Pope. In this situation, the king and the Polish elite received a huge jackpot - all Russian riches, lands, Russians - slaves-serfs of Polish feudal lords. But at the same time, the interests of the magnates and the king diverged. The pans strove to make sure that all the benefits from the occupation would go only to them, and the royal power not only did not strengthen at the expense of the Russian lands, but, on the contrary, weakened even more. Accordingly, Sigismund saw in the Russian kingdom his personal fiefdom, in which it would be possible to rule without the intervention of the Polish Diet, where the gentry ruled, ruled by the magnates. That is, both the king and the magnates were all for religious union (absorption) with Russia, but the magnates for state union, and the king for personal union. In 1606 - 1607 part of the gentry began a war against the king, which delayed the invasion of the royal army into Russia, which was in the Time of Troubles, by almost three years.
Before the invasion of Russia by the royal army, the Polish-Lithuanian gentry constituted the professional, well-armed core of the second impostor's army. False Dmitry II was supposed to carry out church union, subordinate the Russian state to the Roman throne and Poland, and move the Russian capital closer to the western border. Also provide the highest and most important government posts to Catholics, Uniates and supporters of the Union from the Russian nobility.
In June 1608, the troops of False Dmitry II camped at Tushino. From here, the troops of the impostor controlled the Smolensk and Tverskaya roads, the approaches to Moscow from the northwest. The government of Vasily Shuisky had a large army in Moscow. Therefore, the Tushins could not storm the city. In turn, Shuisky was afraid to go on the offensive due to the unreliability of part of the governors and boyars, the lack of combat-ready troops and their moral instability. Many boyars and nobles moved from camp to camp several times. Tushino had its own "tsar", government, treasury, governing bodies (orders), army. Some cities and lands were subordinated to Moscow, they handed over people, supplies and money there, others - to the “Tushino thief”.
At the end of July 1608, the embassy of the Shuisky government managed to conclude an armistice with Sigismund III for 3 years and 11 months. The Polish government pledged to withdraw all Polish troops from the Russian kingdom, and the Shuisky government liberated the Polish nobles, both prisoners and those detained after the murder of False Dmitry I. However, most of the released, including the Mniszek family along with Marina (wife of False Dmitry I), "Intercepted" on the way to Poland and ended up in the Tushino camp. Reinforcements from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth continued to arrive at False Dmitry II. So at the end of August, a large detachment of Yan Sapega arrived in Tushino. By the fall of 1608, the Poles numbered about 16 thousand horsemen in the Tushino camp, and up to 40 thousand throughout Russia, and even more Allied Cossacks.
Thus, the Polish-Lithuanian feudal lords had a whole army in the Russian state. The Polish command tried to solve two main tasks: 1) to extend the power of the Tushino "king" to the richest regions of the Russian land, which would have a formal reason for their plunder; 2) create a full-fledged blockade of Moscow in order to cut it off from other cities, interrupt the arrival of reinforcements and the supply of food, which led to the fall of the Russian capital. Therefore, the detachments of the Polish-Lithuanian gentry, "thieves' Cossacks" were sent from Tushino to the south, east and north of Moscow, forcing the population of the cities to "kiss the cross to the thief", that is, to swear allegiance to False Dmitry II. They met almost no resistance at this time. Many cities “kissed the cross with tears”. But some cities like Rostov and Kolomna resisted. As a result, by the end of the year, a significant part of the Russian land fell under the rule of the "thief". But it was a short-term success. The plundering actions of the Polish robbers and other "thieves" very quickly provoked a response from the Russian people, who everywhere began to resist and organize themselves, nominate experienced and decisive leaders. Local zemstvo self-government, created under Ivan the Terrible, played a huge role in the creation of militias and the elimination of the Troubles in the country.
The Tushinites also failed to solve the second strategic task - to completely blockade Moscow. The Khmelevsky detachment, which was supposed to take Kolomna and cut off Moscow from the Ryazan region, was defeated by the Kolomentians and the Pozharsky detachment. Sapieha's detachment laid siege to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (at that time it was a powerful fortress), through which Moscow's communications with the north went. Lisovsky's detachment also came up here. Here the Poles got stuck in a siege of the monastery until January 1610 and were never able to take it (The ruin of the Russian land. Heroic defense of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery).
Expanding the scale of the people's war. Skopin-Shuisky's successes
In the meantime, resistance to the Poles and their "thieves" increased, who levied taxes on cities and villages, and more often than not simply robbed the people. The impostor's social base has shrunk. The rise of the national liberation struggle began. The successful defense of Rostov and Kolomna, the heroic defense of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery became an example for others. Posad-peasant population, servicemen of the North and the Upper Volga region were the first to repulse the onslaught of "thieves". At the same time, the Volga region rose up against the Tushins and Poles. Nizhny Novgorod did not let the Tushin people in, the Galician militia recaptured Kostroma, a hard struggle went on for Yaroslavl, where the Poles created a base for themselves. The people's war led to the dispersion of the forces of the Polish-Lithuanian feudal lords, who, while solving a lot of tactical tasks, could not concentrate on strategic ones.
In the meantime, the Shuisky government decided to rely on Sweden, which was an enemy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and has repeatedly offered assistance in the fight against the Poles, in the fight against the Tushins. It is clear that the help was not free - the Swedes wanted to chop off the north-western regions from Russia with Pskov, Novgorod, Karelia, etc. Apart from monetary payment. At the beginning of 1609, a Russian-Swedish military alliance was concluded in Vyborg against the Commonwealth. Sweden provided Moscow with several thousand mercenaries for a fixed fee (there were few Swedes themselves, mostly fighters from Western Europe). In response, the Shuisky government renounced its claims to Livonia and ceded to the Swedes the town of Korel and the district. The Russian-Swedish army under the command of Skopin-Shuisky and De la Gardie set out from Novgorod in May 1609 to liberate Moscow. In the current strategic situation, when Skopin's troops were advancing from the north and the scale of the people's war weakened the Tushino camp, the Tushins tried to take Moscow before the Skopin-Shuisky army approached. In the battles on the Khodynskoye field on July 5 and 25, 1609, the Tushins were defeated. The defeat at Khodynka, the approach of Skopin's troops and the invasion of the Polish army led by the king (many Polish troops were recalled to the royal army), predetermined the collapse of the Tushino camp.
The invasion of the Polish king
The agreement of the Shuisky government with Sweden, the enemy of Poland, gave King Sigismund a formal reason for war with Russia. Sigismund decided to start the war himself, without referring to the Diet. Polish laws allowed the king to wage war on his own, if no additional taxes were introduced. For the invasion, the Polish high command outlined the Smolensk direction, although Hetman Zolkiewski suggested that the king move through the Seversk land. The first strategic target was Smolensk, which blocked the way to Moscow. The Polish command hoped to quickly seize the Smolensk fortress and, in the course of a further offensive, strengthen its army with Polish-gentry detachments of the disintegrating Tushino camp, and take Moscow.
However, all these bright plans were destroyed by the fierce resistance of the Smolyans. In addition, the Polish king was unable to assemble a large army. They planned to collect up to 30 thousand soldiers, but only about 12 thousand people were recruited. At the same time, the Poles had little infantry and artillery (only 30 guns) to storm or besiege such a strong fortress as Smolensk. They were hoping for a surrender. At the council of war, it was decided not to wait for the arrival of all forces and to begin the offensive until winter came. On September 9 (19), violating the armistice, without declaring war, Polish troops crossed the border, and on September 13 (23) occupied the town of Krasny, from where Sigismund sent a letter to Moscow. The Polish king wrote that he entered the Russian kingdom as a deliverer from turmoil and bloodshed, allegedly at the call of the Russian people, and most of all was concerned about preserving the Orthodox faith. It is clear that they did not believe him. Sigismund also sent the governor of Smolensk, Mikhail Shein, a demand for surrender. The Russian voivode did not reply to the Poles' proposal, but the Pole who arrived at his place was told that if he came up with such an offer for the second time, he would be given Dnieper water to drink”(that is, he would be drowned).
On September 16 (26), Lithuanian troops came to Smolensk under the command of Lev Sapega, on September 19 (29), the main forces of Sigismund III approached. At the end of September, about 10 thousand Cossacks, an indefinite number of Lithuanian Tatars, joined the army of Sigismund. That is, Sigismund had a lot of cavalry to quickly go to Moscow, but there was not enough infantry and artillery (they did not take heavy siege artillery at all) to go to the assault or conduct a correct siege.
Siege of Smolensk in 1609-1611
The beginning of the defense of the Smolensk fortress
The Polish command greatly underestimated the enemy. Although the garrison of Smolensk did not exceed 5 thousand people (while the most combat-ready forces - the archers and the nobles, left Smolensk to help Skopin), it had a high fighting spirit and relied on powerful fortifications. The Smolensk fortress was built in 1586 1602. under the guidance of the famous builder of Russian fortresses, city master Fyodor Kon). The total length of the fortress wall reached 6.5 km, height - 13-19 m, width - 5-6 m. A powerful foundation was laid with a width of up to 6.5 m and a depth of more than 4 m, which made it difficult for the enemy to mine a mine attack. The wall had 38 towers, including 9 overhead towers. The height of the towers reached 21 m, and the Frolovskaya tower near the Dnieper - 33 m. Outside the fortress wall, "rumors" were prepared for the timely detection of the enemy's mine work. The fortress was armed with about 170 cannons, they were installed in the embrasures of the "plantar battle", "medium battle", "other medium battle" and in the "upper battle" (between the battlements of the wall). The fortress had a good supply of spare guns, hand-held firearms and ammunition. There was also food in the warehouses, but it was not enough for a long siege.
Smolensk voivode Mikhail Borisovich Shein was a brave, decisive and experienced commander. Shein already in July began to receive information that the enemy was preparing an offensive and took a number of measures to strengthen the defense of the fortress. Work was carried out to prepare the fortress for defense, dacha people (peasants) gathered from noblemen and boyar children to strengthen the garrison. Shein divided the entire garrison into a siege (about 2 thousand people) and an outcry (about 3, 5 thousand people) groups. The siege group was divided into 38 detachments (according to the number of towers) of about 50 warriors in each unit, who defended their tower and the section of the wall next to it. The outcry group formed a general reserve, which was of great importance for the defense of such a large fortress. During the defense of Smolensk, the garrison was constantly replenished from the population of the city, the number of which historians estimate at 40-80 thousand people, including the inhabitants of the settlement, which was burned when the enemy approached.
Unsurprisingly, the siege went unsuccessfully from the start. Six Smolensk brave men in a boat in broad daylight crossed the Dnieper and made their way to the royal camp, grabbed the royal banner and returned safely to the city. The Polish military council, after studying the defense of the city, came to the conclusion that the available forces and means could not take the fortress. Hetman Zolkevsky proposed a completely reasonable solution - to leave the detachment for the appearance of a siege and go to Moscow with the main forces. However, Sigismund did not dare to leave behind a strong Russian fortress. It was decided to make an attempt at a sudden assault: to quickly break into the fortress, destroying the Kopytetsky and Avraamievsky gates with firecrackers (explosive shells). However, Shein foresaw such a scenario, at the gate outside were placed wooden log cabins filled with earth and stones. Between the gate and the log cabins there was a small passage through which only one rider could pass. These log cabins protected the gates from mines and enemy artillery shelling. Therefore, the evening assault on September 24, 1609 failed.
The Polish artillery and musketeers tried to distract the Russians with their firing. The best horse banners and infantry companies were preparing for a breakthrough. Miners with trumpeters (they had to give a signal that the way was clear), moved to the gate. Shlyakhtich Novodvorsky was able to get to the Avraamievsky gate by a narrow passage, attached firecrackers to the gate, and the explosion broke them. However, there were no trumpeters with the gentry, and the signal for the assault was not given. The commanders of the infantry and cavalry allocated for the assault believed that the mines did not destroy the gate, since the explosion was not followed by the established trumpet signal. Russian soldiers lit torches on the tower and on the wall. The illuminated enemy turned out to be a good target for the gunners who opened fire. The Polish infantry and cavalry, suffering losses, retreated from the gate. After this assault, the Russians strengthened their defenses: they set up palisades near the log cabins and placed strong guards at them to prevent an enemy attack.
Siege and fall of Smolensk
Polish troops began a correct siege, began shelling the fortress and mine work. However, light artillery could not harm the powerful walls and towers. They sent for siege artillery in Riga. Taking into account the bad roads, the season (muddy roads, then winter), and the heavy weight of the guns, heavy artillery was delivered only in the summer of 1610. As a result, fire advantage was on the side of the defenders. The Smolensk garrison successfully fired at the enemy. Mine work to blow up a wall or towers also did not reach the goal. They learned about the work of the enemy with the help of "rumors", peasants and merchants who made their way into the city also told about the places of the digging. The defenders launched successful countermine operations. As a result, the Smolensk miners won the underground war. In addition, the garrison made successful sorties, in particular, this way they got firewood and water from the Dnieper. An active partisan war unfolded behind enemy lines. The siege dragged on for a long time.
The city held on. However, hopes for help did not materialize. The talented commander Skopin-Shuisky, who was supposed to lead the army for the campaign to Smolensk, was poisoned in Moscow. His death was a disaster for Tsar Vasily. The army of Russians and Swedes was led by the incompetent Dmitry Shuisky. As a result, Hetman Zolkiewski in June 1610, with smaller forces and without artillery, defeated our army near Klushino (Klushino catastrophe of the Russian army). Shuisky was ruined by greed and stupidity. Foreign mercenaries demanded a salary before the battle, they were refused, although there was money. The greedy prince decided to wait in order to pay less after the battle (not pay for the dead). Zholkiewski did not skimp and outbid the mercenaries, they went over to the side of the Poles. A smaller part of the mercenaries - the Swedes, went to the north. The Russian commander himself fled.
The Klushinsky disaster led to the fall of the Shuisky government. One city after another began to kiss the cross to the prince Vladislav. The thief returned to Moscow Tushinskaya. The boyars realized that the situation had changed radically, and overthrew Vasily Shuisky. He was forcibly comprehended as a monk, and, together with brothers Dmitry and Ivan, was handed over to the Poles as hostages. The Boyar Duma created its own government ("seven-boyars") and called the Poles to Moscow. Zholkevsky drove away the Tushinsky thief, who soon died. The boyar government proposed to Sigismund that the king's son Vladislav, who was to convert to Orthodoxy, be imprisoned in Moscow as tsar. The negotiations that were going on near Smolensk reached an impasse. The king did not agree to the transfer of his son to Orthodoxy and did not want to let him go to Moscow with a small retinue. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction with the "seven-boyars" was ripening in Moscow. Therefore, the boyars went for outright betrayal and in September 1610 they let the Polish troops into Moscow. Vladislav formally became the Russian tsar.
In the summer of 1610, siege artillery arrived at Smolensk. On July 18, siege guns made a breach in the tower at the Kopyten Gate. On July 19 and 24, the Poles tried to take the fortress by storm, but were repulsed. The most stubborn assault was on August 11, the attackers suffered heavy losses, but were also repulsed.
As a result, the Smolensk people bravely defended themselves for more than 20 months, pinning down the main forces of the Polish army. Famine and epidemics wiped out most of the city. Several thousand people remained in Smolensk, and 200 soldiers were in the garrison. In fact, the garrison could only watch the wall, there were no reserves. Nevertheless, the residents of Smolensk did not think about surrender. And the Poles did not know that things were so bad in Smolensk that they could win with one strong assault from several directions. They managed to take the city only by treason. One of the boyar's sons ran over to the Poles and pointed out a weak spot in the defense. The Poles have installed several batteries in this area. After several days of shelling, the wall collapsed. On the night of June 3, 1611, the Poles launched an assault from four directions. The Smolyans fought desperately, but there were too few of them to stop the enemy. The city was on fire. The last defenders locked themselves in the cathedral church of the Virgin. When enemies burst into the cathedral and began to chop the men and grab the women, the townsman Andrei Belyanitsyn took a candle and climbed into the basement, where a supply of gunpowder was kept. The explosion was powerful and many people died.
The wounded commander Shein was taken prisoner and severely tortured. After interrogation, he was sent to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where he was kept in prison. The capture of Smolensk turned Sigismund's head. He disbanded the army and left for Warsaw, where he made a triumph for himself following the example of the ancient Roman emperors. However, he was clearly in a hurry. Russia has not yet surrendered, but just started the war.
Thus, the long-term heroic defense of Smolensk, the death of most of its garrison and inhabitants, was not in vain. The fortress distracted the main forces of the enemy. The Polish king did not dare to send an army to Moscow, while the unsubdued Smolensk was in the rear. The Smolensk garrison, defending itself to the last man, expressed the will of the entire Russian people.
Defense of Smolensk from the Poles. Artist B. A. Chorikov
