360 years ago, on April 6, 1654, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich signed a letter of grant to Hetman Bohdan Khmelnitsky. The diploma meant the actual annexation of part of the West Russian lands (Little Russia) to Russia, limiting the independence of the hetman's power. In the document, for the first time, the words "All Great and Little Russia autocrat" were used as the title of the Russian sovereign. This letter and the Pereyaslavskaya Rada itself became the prerequisites for a long Russian-Polish war (1654-1667).
It all began with the uprising of the West Russian population under the leadership of Bohdan Khmelnitsky. A huge part of the Russian land was captured by Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which united to create the state of the Commonwealth. The Russian and Orthodox population was under the most severe ideological (religious), national and economic oppression. This constantly led to violent uprisings and riots, when the population, driven to an extreme, responded to the oppression of the Poles and Jews (they carried out most of the economic exploitation of the local population) with universal massacres. Polish troops responded by “clearing out” entire areas, destroying Russian villages and terrorizing the survivors.
As a result, the Polish "elite" was never able to integrate the Western Russian regions into the common Slavic empire, to create an imperial project that would satisfy all groups of the population. This ultimately ruined the Rzeczpospolita (Decomposition of the Polish statehood. The Kosciuszko uprising). Throughout the first half of the 17th century, uprisings raged in Little Russia. The most active (passionate) group were the Cossacks, who became the instigators and the fighting nucleus of the rebellious masses.
The reason for the new uprising was the conflict between the Chigirin centurion Bohdan Khmelnitsky and the Chigirinsky podstarosta Danil (Daniel) Chaplinsky. The nobleman seized the property of the centurion and kidnapped Khmelnitsky's mistress. In addition, Chaplinsky ordered to whip his 10-year-old son Bogdan, after which he fell ill and died. Bogdan tried to get justice in the local court. However, the Polish judges found that Khmelnitsky did not have the necessary documents for Subotov's property. Moreover, he was not married properly, the abducted woman was not his wife. Khmelnitsky tried to find out the relationship with Chaplinsky personally. But as an "instigator" he was thrown into the Starostin prison, from which his comrades released him. Bogdan, not finding justice in the local government, at the beginning of 1646 went to Warsaw to complain to King Vladislav. Bohdan knew the Polish king from the old days, but the conversion was unsuccessful. No documents about the content of their conversation have survived. But according to a rather plausible legend, the aged king explained to Bogdan that he could not do anything (the central government in the Commonwealth was extremely weak) and in the end said: “You don’t have a saber?” According to another version, the king even gave Bogdan a saber. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, most of the disputes between the gentry ended in a duel.
Bogdan went to Sich - and away we go. Quite quickly, a detachment of hunters (the so-called volunteers) gathered around the offended centurion to settle scores with the Poles. All of Little Russia then resembled a bundle of dry firewood, and even soaked in a combustible substance. A spark was enough to break out a powerful fire. Bogdan became this spark. In addition, he showed good management skills. People followed the lucky leader. And the Rzeczpospolita found itself in a state of "rootlessness". This predetermined the outcome of the scale of the uprising, which instantly grew into a war of liberation and a peasant war.
However, the Cossacks, although they entered into alliances with the Crimean Tatars, who, taking advantage of the moment, drove entire villages and regions into full, clearly did not have the strength to cope with the Commonwealth and achieve the desired state). Pansky arrogance did not give Warsaw the opportunity to find a compromise with the Cossack foreman. Realizing that Warsaw would not make concessions, Bogdan Khmelnytsky was forced to look for an alternative. Cossacks could become vassals of the Ottoman Empire, receiving a status like the Crimean Khanate, or submit to Moscow.
Since the 1620s, the Little Russian foreman and the clergy have repeatedly asked Moscow to accept them as their citizenship. However, the first Romanovs rejected such proposals more than once. Tsars Michael and then Alexei politely refused. At best, they hinted that the time had not come yet. Moscow was well aware that such a step would trigger a war with Poland, which at that time, despite all its troubles, was a powerful power. Russia, however, was still moving away from the consequences of the long and bloody Troubles. The desire to avoid war with Poland was the main reason for Moscow's refusal to interfere in the events on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1632-1634. Russia tried to recapture Smolensk, but the war ended in failure.
But in the fall of 1653, Moscow decided to go to war. Khmelnytsky's uprising took on the character of a national liberation war. Poland suffered a series of heavy defeats. In addition, significant military transformations were carried out in Russia (regular army regiments were created) and preparations. The domestic industry was ready to supply the army with everything it needed. In addition, large purchases of weapons were carried out abroad, in Holland and Sweden. They also discharged military specialists from abroad, strengthening the cadres. In order to eliminate parochial disputes (on the topic of "who is more important") in the army, and they more than once led the Russian troops to defeat, on October 23, 1653, the tsar announced in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral: no places …”On the whole, the moment was a good one in order to free the West Russian lands from the Poles. In January 1654, the Pereyaslavl Rada took place.
For Bogdan's troops, the situation was difficult. In March-April 1654, the Polish army occupied Lyubar, Chudnov, Kostelnya and went "exile" to Uman. Poles burned down 20 cities, many people were killed and captured. Then the Poles retreated to Kamenets.
Banner of the Great Sovereign Regiment in 1654
War
Campaign of 1654. The siege artillery ("outfit") under the command of boyar Dolmatov-Karpov was the first to go on a campaign. On February 27, 1654, guns and mortars moved along the "winter path". On April 26, the main forces of the Russian army set out from Moscow under the command of Prince Alexei Trubetskoy. On May 18, the tsar himself came out with a rearguard. Alexey Mikhailovich was still young and wanted to acquire military glory.
On May 26, the tsar arrived in Mozhaisk, from where he set out in the direction of Smolensk two days later. The beginning of the war was successful for the Russian troops. The Poles did not have significant forces on the eastern border. Many troops were diverted to fight the Cossacks and rebellious peasants. In addition, the Russian population did not want to fight with their brothers, often the townspeople simply surrendered the city.
On June 4, the news of the surrender of Dorogobuzh to the Russian troops reached Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The Polish garrison fled to Smolensk, and the townspeople opened the gates. On June 11, Nevel was also surrendered. On June 14, the news of Belaya's surrender came. On June 26, the first skirmish of the Forward Regiment with the Poles took place near Smolensk. On June 28, the tsar himself was near Smolensk. The next day, news came about the surrender of Polotsk, and on July 2, about the surrender of Roslavl. On July 20, news was received of the capture of Mstislavl, and on July 24, of the capture of the small fortresses of Disna and Druya by the troops of Matvey Sheremetev.
On August 2, Russian troops occupied Orsha. The army of the Lithuanian hetman Janusz Radziwill left the city without a fight. On August 12, in the battle of Shklov, Russian troops under the command of Prince Yuri Baryatinsky forced the army of Hetman Radziwill to retreat. On August 24, Russian troops led by Trubetskoy defeated the army of hetman Radziwill in the battle on the Donkey River (battle of Borisov). The Russian army stopped the attack of the Lithuanian troops, and the attack of the "winged" hussars did not help either. The Russian infantry, built in three lines, began to press against the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. At the same time, the cavalry of the left flank under the command of Prince Semyon Pozharsky made a roundabout maneuver, entering from the flank. Panic broke out in the Lithuanian troops and they fled. Radziwill himself, wounded, barely left with several people. Poles, Lithuanians and Western mercenaries (Hungarians, Germans) were smashed to smithereens. About 1,000 people were killed. About 300 more people were taken prisoner, including 12 colonels. They captured the hetman's banner, other banners and signs, as well as artillery.
Gomel was captured almost simultaneously. A few days later, Mogilev surrendered. On August 29, Ivan Zolotarenko's Cossack detachment took Chechersk, Novy Bykhov and Propoisk. Shklov surrendered on August 31. On September 1, the tsar received news of the surrender of Usvyat by the enemy. Of all the Dnieper fortresses, only Old Bykhov remained under the control of the Polish-Lithuanian troops. The Cossacks besieged him from the end of August to November 1654, and could not take it.
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, planning to annex to the Russian kingdom not only Smolensk, lost during the Time of Troubles, but also other Western Russian lands captured in the XIV-XV centuries. Lithuania and Poland, took measures to gain a foothold in the lands recaptured from the Poles for a long time. The sovereign demanded that the governors and the Cossacks not offend the new subjects, "the Orthodox Christian faith, who do not learn to fight," it was forbidden to take and destroy in full. The Orthodox gentry from Polotsk and other cities and lands were offered a choice: to enter the Russian service and go to the tsar for a salary, or to leave for Poland without hindrance. Quite significant contingents of volunteers joined the Russian troops.
In a number of cities, such as Mogilev, residents retained their previous rights and benefits. Thus, the townspeople could live under Magdeburg law, wear their old clothes, and not go to war. They were forbidden to evict them to other cities, city courtyards were freed from military posts, lyakham (Poles) and Jews (Jews) were forbidden to live in the city, etc. In addition, Cossacks could not live in the city, they could only visit the city by service.
I must say that many local townspeople and peasants had a wary attitude towards the Cossacks. They were willful, often plundered cities and towns. They treated the local population as enemies. So, the Zolotarenko Cossacks not only robbed the peasants, but also began to take rent in their favor.
Russian archers of the 17th century
The besieged Smolensk soon fell. On August 16, the Russian governors, wishing to distinguish themselves in the presence of the tsar, staged a premature, ill-prepared assault. The Poles repulsed the attack. However, the successes of the Polish garrison ended there. The Polish command was unable to organize the townspeople to defend the city. The gentry refused to obey, did not want to go to the walls. The Cossacks almost killed the royal engineer, who tried to drive them out to work, deserted in droves. The townspeople did not want to participate in the defense of the city, etc. As a result, the leaders of the defense of Smolensk, Voivode Obukhovich and Colonel Korf, began negotiations on the surrender of the city on September 10. However, the population did not want to wait and opened the gates themselves. The townspeople flocked to the king in a crowd. On September 23, Smolensk became Russian again. The Polish command was allowed to return to Poland. The gentry and the bourgeoisie got the right to choose: to stay in Smolensk and swear allegiance to the Russian Tsar, or to leave.
On the occasion of the surrender of Smolensk, the tsar made a feast with the governors and hundreds of heads, and the Smolensk gentry was also allowed to the tsar's table. After that, the king left the army. Meanwhile, the Russian army continued its offensive. On November 22 (December 2), the army under the command of Vasily Sheremetev took Vitebsk after a three-month siege.
Campaign of 1655
The campaign began with a series of minor setbacks for the Russian troops, which were unable to change the strategic situation in Poland's favor. At the end of 1654, a counterattack of 30,000 men began. army of the Lithuanian hetman Radziwill. He laid siege to Mogilev. The inhabitants of Orsha went over to the side of the Polish king. The inhabitants of the town of Ozerishche revolted, part of the Russian garrison was killed, the other was captured.
Radziwill was able to occupy the suburbs of Mogilev, but the Russian garrison and the townspeople (about 6 thousand people) were kept in the inner fortress. On February 2 (12), Russian troops made a successful sortie. The attack was so sudden for the Lithuanian army that Radziwill's troops retreated from the city for several miles. This made it possible for the soldier regiment of Hermann Vhanstaden (about 1500 soldiers) to break into the city, who came from Shklov and seized several dozen carts with supplies.
On February 6 (16), Radziwill, without waiting for the approach of all forces, began an assault on the city. He hoped for a quick victory, since Colonel Konstantin Poklonsky (the Mogilev nobleman, who swore allegiance to the Russian Tsar with his regiment at the beginning of the war), promised to surrender the city. However, most of Poklonsky's regiment remained faithful to the oath and did not follow the traitor. As a result, instead of a rapid seizure, a bloody battle took place. Heavy street fighting continued throughout the day. The Poles were able to capture part of the city, but the fortress survived.
On February 18, the Poles again launched an assault, but they repulsed it. Then the great hetman began a siege, ordered to dig trenches and lay mines. On March 8, April 9 and 13, three more assaults followed, but Russian troops and townspeople repulsed them. The assault, which was staged on the night of April 9, was particularly unsuccessful. The defenders of the fortress blew up three tunnels, the fourth collapsed on its own and crushed many Poles. At the same time, the Russians made a sortie and beat many Poles, who were confused by this beginning of the assault.
At this time, a detachment of Cossacks, together with the forces of the voivode Mikhail Dmitriev, advanced to the aid of Mogilev. Radziwill did not wait for the approach of the Russian troops and on May 1, with “shame, he went away” for the Berezina. When the hetman left, he took many of the townspeople with him. However, the Cossacks were able to defeat part of Radziwill's army and recaptured 2 thousand people. As a result of the siege, the city was badly damaged; up to 14 thousand citizens and residents of the surrounding villages died from lack of water and food. However, the heroic defense of Mogilev was of great strategic importance. For a considerable time, the Polish-Lithuanian forces were bound by the siege and abandoned serious actions in other directions. The hetman's army suffered heavy losses and was demoralized, which in general had the most negative effect on the conduct of the 1655 campaign by the Polish army.
