Anniversary of Smolensk fall.
Today in our calendar we will look at the first period of the Polish-Russian War from 1654 to 1667.
Car Aleksy I Mikhailovich decided to look forward to a convenient minute until the attack on Rzeczpospolita. This chance appeared in 1648, with the outbreak of the Chmielnicki Uprising. The rebels defeated the Polish army respective times, which gave emergence to chances of success in a possible invasion of Lithuania. The Tsar sought an excuse to break the peace of Polanów, but thanks to the Crimean message to Warsaw, in which Khan promised a joint expedition to Moscow, if it attacked Poland, it withdrew to the waiting positions.
Aleksy turned out to be much more careful than his predecessors, who failed the Smolensk run of 1632-34. The decision to attack was made only after the annihilation of the Polish army at Batoh in 1652. Still, a good excuse was inactive needed. It became the Perejasławska settlement of 1654, in which the weakened Chmielnicki unlawfully surrendered the full of Ukraine to the Tsar.
The Republic, despite the declared Tatar aid, faced a fresh threat almost powerless. erstwhile the Russian invasion began in the spring of 1654, the Republic of Poland was only allowed to defy it symbolically, especially in Lithuania. Cities fell 1 by one, incapable to number on any help. The Russians avenged earlier defeats in the right way for their civilization circle.
For example, after the capture of Mścisław, they murdered about 15,000 of its inhabitants, and the surviving craftsmen moved into Russia. It was the alleged Trubecki massacre.
The main goal of the run was Smolensk. The siege of the city was commanded by Scottish mercenary Alexander Leslie, who earned the rank of general and Tsar, who personally resided in the siege camp. There were 41,000 Moscals while Polish defenders led by the state of Filip Obuchowicz, only 3,500.
The siege continued from July 6, 1654, erstwhile defenders surrendered. The struggles were primarily influenced by the deficiency of supply of fortresses and mediocre morale. For the defenders were aware that no relief would come to their aid. On August 24, the Russians broke down the forces commanded by the captain Janusz Radziwiłła in the conflict of Shepielevich.
The information reached Smoleńska – the Moskals hung the Lithuanian banners gained in the fight at their borders. It caused a very grim mood. Betrayals and desertions began. Finally, the commander decided to surrender. Smolensk was handed over to the Tsar on October 3, 1654.
By the end of the year, the Moskals seized and plundered crucial areas of Belarus, and the further offensive only interrupted the winter and plague that decimated his army. In the spring of 1655, Grodno and Kauna were captured, and Vilnius was demolished and burned. On 13 September, residing in the Lithuanian capital Tsar, declared himself the Grand Duke of Lithuania. His ambitious plans were only thwarted by Swedish intervention. Karol X Gustaw occupied crucial areas of Poland and was declared ruler and defender by traitors.
The creation by the Swedes of the Baltic Sea by their interior sea clearly threatened the interests of the Kremlin, who wanted access to this water. In this situation, it would be a small consolation to destruct Poland. The threat of the imperial imagination of Sweden yet proved to be large adequate that the Tsar decided to strike in Ingria in order to chop himself out of the Baltic. In addition, he decided to deal with the hated Polish enemy.
He made a truce in Niemierz, under which the Polish side undertook to appoint him as king of Poland even during the life of Jan Kazimierz (election vivente rege). Thus the Republic of Poland regained freedom of movement and could focus on the fight against the Swedes. The Tsar gained more than he could even give him military conquest of Belarus and Ukraine – a promise of power over the full country, from Smolensk to Kraków.
Unfortunately for him, ambitious plans fell apart, but this is simply a different story.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
