One of the turning points in Russian history can definitely be called the liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1612. It was then that it was decided whether or not to be the Russian state. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this date for future generations. Let's take another look at this important event after many centuries, and also find out what the military leader did when liberating Moscow from the Poles in order to achieve success.
Backstory
But first, let's find out what events preceded the liberation of Moscow from the Poles.
The confrontation between the Commonwe alth, which is actually a federation of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, with the Russian state began in the days of Ivan the Terrible. Then, in 1558, the famous Livonian War broke out, pursuing its goal of gaining control over the B altic lands. In 1583, the war ended with the signing of the peace, which turned out to be rather unfavorable for Russia. But in general, this world of contradictions between the Russian kingdom and the Commonwe alth did not resolve.
After the death of Ivan the Terrible in 1584, the Russian throne took himson - Fedor. He was a rather weak and sickly man, under whom the royal power was significantly weakened. He died in 1598 without heirs. The brother of Fedor's wife, the boyar Boris Godunov, came to power. This event had rather deplorable consequences for Russia, as the Rurik dynasty, which ruled the state for more than seven hundred years, ended.
Dissatisfaction with the policies of Boris Godunov grew within the Russian Tsardom, whom many considered an impostor who illegally seized power and, according to rumors, ordered the murder of Ivan the Terrible's legitimate heir.
This tense domestic situation has been a great opportunity for foreign intervention.
Imposters
The ruling elite of the Commonwe alth was well aware that its main external rival is the Russian kingdom. Therefore, the fall of the Rurik dynasty served as a kind of signal to start preparing for the invasion.
However, the Commonwe alth itself was not ready for an open war, therefore, for its intrigues, it used the impostor Grigory Otrepiev, who pretended to be Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible who died in childhood (according to another version, he was killed on the orders of Boris Godunov), for which he received the nickname - False Dmitry.
The army of False Dmitry was recruited with the support of Polish and Lithuanian magnates, but was not officially supported by the Commonwe alth. She invaded the territory of Russia in 1604. Soon, Tsar Boris Godunov died, and his sixteen-year-old son Fyodor was unable to organize the defense. The Polish army of Grigory Otrepiev captured Moscow in 1605, andhe himself proclaimed himself Tsar Dmitry I. However, the very next year he was killed in a coup. At the same time, a significant part of the Poles who arrived with him were killed.
The new Russian Tsar was Vasily Shuisky, who was a representative of the lateral branch of the Rurikovich. But a significant part of the population of Russia did not recognize him as a real ruler.
In 1607, a new impostor appeared on the territory of the Commonwe alth, whose real name is unknown. He went down in history as False Dmitry II. He was supported by the magnates, who had previously started an uprising against the Polish king Sigismund III, but lost. The town of Tushin became the headquarters of the impostor, which is why False Dmitry II received the nickname Tushinsky Thief. His army defeated Shuisky's army and besieged Moscow.
Vasily Shuisky tried to negotiate with Sigismund III to recall his subjects. But he had no real leverage, and did not want to do this. Then the Russian Tsar made an alliance with the Swedes. This alliance assumed Swedish assistance against False Dmitry II on the terms of the transfer of a number of Russian cities to Sweden, as well as the conclusion of an alliance against Poland.
Prerequisites for open Polish intervention
The main pretext for the beginning of the Polish intervention was the Russian-Swedish alliance. This gave the Commonwe alth a formal pretext to declare war on Russia, because one of the goals of the alliance was to confront Poland.
In the Commonwe alth itself at that time there was an increase in royal power. This was due to the fact thatKing Sigismund III by 1609 suppressed the uprising of the discontented gentry, which lasted three years. Now there is an opportunity for external expansion.
Besides, the Russian-Polish contradictions have not gone away since the Livonian War, and the covert Polish intervention in the form of unofficial support for the impostors did not give the expected result.
These factors served as an impetus for the decision to openly invade the Commonwe alth troops on the territory of the Russian state in order to put it under their full control. It was they who launched the chain of events, the links of which were the capture of the capital of Russia by the Polish-Lithuanian army, and then the liberation of Moscow from the Poles.
Capture of Moscow by the Poles
In the autumn of 1609, the Polish army, led by Hetman Stanislav Zolkiewski, invaded the territory of Russia and laid siege to Smolensk. In the summer of 1610, they defeated the Russian-Swedish troops in the decisive battle near Klushino and approached Moscow. On the other hand, Moscow was surrounded by the army of False Dmitry II.
Meanwhile, the boyars overthrew Vasily Shuisky and imprisoned him in a monastery. They established a regime known as the Seven Boyars. But the boyars who usurped power were unpopular with the people. They really could only control Moscow. Fearing that the more popular False Dmitry II might seize power, the boyars colluded with the Poles.
By agreement, the son of King of Poland Sigismund III Vladislav became the Russian Tsar, but at the same time converted to Orthodoxy. Autumn 1610Polish army entered Moscow.
First militia
Thus, the Poles captured the capital of Russia. From the first days of their stay, they began atrocities, which, of course, caused displeasure of the local population. Hetman Zholkiewski left Moscow, and Alexander Gonsevsky left to lead the Polish garrison in the city.
In early 1611, under the leadership of Prince D. Trubetskoy, I. Zarutsky and P. Lyapunov, the so-called First Home Guard was formed. His goal was to begin the liberation of Moscow from the Poles. Ryazan nobles and Tushino Cossacks were the main force of this army.
The army approached Moscow. At the same time, an uprising against the invaders took place in the city, in which Dmitry Pozharsky, the future military leader during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, played a prominent role.
At this time, the militia managed to take Kitai-Gorod, but disagreements within it led to the murder of one of the leaders - Prokopy Lyapunov. As a result, the militia actually disintegrated. The goal of the campaign was not achieved, and the liberation of Moscow from the Poles did not take place.
Formation of the Second Militia
The year 1612 has arrived. The liberation of Moscow from the Poles was the goal of the Second Militia that was being formed. The initiative for its creation came from the trade and craft class of Nizhny Novgorod, which suffered great oppression and losses during the Polish occupation. Nizhny Novgorod did not recognize the authority of either False Dmitry II or Vladislav Zhigmontovich, the Prince of Poland.
One ofleading roles in the creation of the Second People's Militia was played by Kuzma Minin, who held the post of zemstvo headman. He called on the people to unite in the fight against the invaders. In the future, he became famous as a military leader during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles and as a national hero. And then Kuzma Minin was a simple craftsman who managed to unite the masses of people who flocked to his call to Nizhny Novgorod from other parts of Russia.
Among the arrivals was Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, another man who gained fame as a military leader during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1612. He was called upon by the people's militia at a general meeting, asking Prince Pozharsky to lead the people in the fight against the invaders. The prince could not refuse this request and joined the army, which began to form under the leadership of Minin, also his people.
The backbone of the militia consisted of the Nizhny Novgorod garrison of 750 people, but servicemen from Arzamas, Vyazma, Dorogobuzh and other cities came up to the call. It is impossible not to note the high abilities of Minin and Pozharsky in leading the formation of the army and in coordinating with other cities of Russia. In fact, they formed a body that acts as a government.
Later, the Second People's Militia, when Moscow was liberated from the Poles, when it had already approached the capital, was replenished with some groups from the disintegrated First Militia.
Thus, under the leadership of Minin and Pozharsky, a significant force was formed that could successfully resist the invaders. Thus began the liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1612.
PersonalityDmitry Pozharsky
Now let's dwell in more detail on the personality of a man who became famous as a military leader during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles. It was Dmitry Pozharsky who, at the behest of the people, became the main leader of the militia, and he deservedly owns a significant part of the contribution to this glorious victory. Who was he?
Dmitry Pozharsky belonged to an ancient princely family, which was a side branch of the Rurikids along the Starodub line. He was born in 1578, that is, at the time of the formation of the militia in the fall of 1611, he was about 33 years old. The father was Prince Mikhail Fedorovich Pozharsky, and the mother was Maria Feodorovna Berseneva-Beklemisheva, in whose estate, given as a dowry, Dmitry was born.
Dmitry Pozharsky entered the civil service during the reign of Boris Godunov. The future military leader, who commanded during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, under Tsar Vasily Shuisky led one of the detachments that opposed the army of False Dmitry II. Then he received the post of Zaraisk governor.
Later, as mentioned above, Pozharsky was organizing an uprising against the Poles in Moscow during the existence of the First People's Militia.
It is natural that a person who fought so hard against foreign intervention could not but respond to the call of Kuzma Minin. Not the last role in the fact that it was Dmitry Pozharsky who led the militia was played by the fact that he had an estate near Nizhny Novgorod, that is, the Nizhny Novgorod people who make up the backbonetroops, considered him theirs.
Here was the man who led the militia during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles.
Trip to Moscow
We figured out who commanded during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, now let's dwell on the ups and downs of the campaign itself.
The militia moved at the end of February 1612 from Nizhny Novgorod up the Volga towards Moscow. As he progressed, new people joined him. Most settlements greeted the militias with joy, and where local authorities tried to counteract, as was the case in Kostroma, they were displaced and replaced by people loyal to the Russian army.
In April 1612, the militia entered Yaroslavl, where they stayed almost until August 1612. Thus, Yaroslavl became a temporary capital. This period of development of the liberation movement took the name "Standing in Yaroslavl".
Having learned that the army of Hetman Khodkevich was approaching Moscow to ensure its defense, Pozharsky at the end of July promptly sent several detachments from Yaroslavl, who approached directly the capital, and in mid-August all militia forces were concentrated near Moscow.
Side Forces
It became clear to everyone that a decisive battle was coming. What was the number of troops on the opposing sides and their deployment?
The total number of troops that were subordinate to Dmitry Pozharsky, according to sources, did not exceed eight thousand people. The backbone of this army was the Cossack detachments numbering 4,000 people and one thousand archers. ExceptPozharsky and Minin, the commanders of the militia were Dmitry Pozharsky-Shovel (a relative of the chief governor) and Ivan Khovansky-Big. Only the last of them at one time commanded significant military formations. The rest either, like Dmitry Pozharsky, had to command relatively small detachments, or there was no leadership experience at all, like Pozharsky-Shovel.
Dmitry Trubetskoy, one of the leaders of the First Militia, brought with him another 2,500 Cossacks. Although he agreed to help the common cause, at the same time he retained the right not to follow Pozharsky's orders. Thus, the total number of the Russian army was 9,500-10,000 people.
The number of Polish troops of Hetman Khodkevich, approaching Moscow from the western side, totaled 12,000 people. The main force in it was the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, numbering 8,000 soldiers under the command of Alexander Zborovsky. The most combat-ready part of the army was the hetman's personal detachment of 2000 people.
The commanders of the Polish army - Chodkiewicz and Zborowski - had significant military experience. In particular, Chodkiewicz distinguished himself in suppressing the recent uprising of the gentry, as well as in the war with Sweden. Among other commanders, Nevyarovsky, Graevsky and Koretsky should be noted.
In addition to the 12,000 soldiers that Khodkevich brought with him, there was also a 3,000-strong Polish garrison in the Moscow Kremlin. It was led by Nikolay Strus and Iosif Budilo. They were also experienced warriors, but without special military talents.
Thus, the total number of the Polish army reached 15,000man.
The Russian militia was stationed near the walls of the White City, being between the Polish garrison settled in the Kremlin and Khodkevich's troops, as between a rock and a hard place. Their numbers were smaller than those of the Poles, and the commanders did not have such great military experience. It seemed that the fate of the militia was sealed.
Battle for Moscow
So, in August 1612, the battle began, the result of which was the liberation of Moscow from the Poles. The year of this battle entered the history of Russia forever.
The troops of Hetman Khodkevich were the first to attack, having crossed the Moscow River, they went to the gates of the Novodevichy Convent, where the militia detachments were concentrated. A horse fight ensued. The Polish garrison made attempts to sortie out of its fortification, while Prince Trubetskoy waited and was in no hurry to help Pozharsky. It must be said that the military leader commanded quite wisely during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, which did not allow the enemy to crush the positions of the militia at the initial stage. Khodkevich had to retreat.
After that, Pozharsky changed the deployment of troops, moving to Zamoskvorechye. The decisive battle took place on 24 August. Hetman Khodkevich again threw his troops into the attack, hoping to crush the smaller militia. But it didn't work out the way he had hoped. Russian troops stood firm, besides, Trubetskoy's detachments finally entered the battle.
Exhausted opponents decided to take a breather. By evening, the militia launched a counteroffensive. They crushed the positions of the enemy and forced himretreat to the city of Mozhaisk. Seeing this, the Polish garrison was forced to surrender to the militia. Thus ended the liberation of Moscow from foreign invaders.
Consequences
The liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1612 was the turning point of the entire Russian-Polish war. True, hostilities continued for quite a long time.
In the spring of 1613, a representative of the new Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, was installed in the kingdom. This served as a significant strengthening of Russian statehood.
At the end of 1618, the Deulino truce between Russians and Poles was finally concluded. As a result of this truce, Russia was forced to give up significant territories to the Commonwe alth, but retained the main thing - its statehood. In the future, this helped her to win back the lost lands and even participate in the division of the Commonwe alth itself.
The meaning of the liberation of Moscow
It is difficult to overestimate the significance of the liberation of the Russian capital for national history. This event made it possible to preserve Russian statehood in the difficult struggle against the interventionists. Therefore, the Battle of Moscow is inscribed in all textbooks on Russian history and is one of the most significant dates.
We also remember the leaders of the Second Militia - Prince Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who have long had the status of folk heroes. Holidays are dedicated to them, monuments are erected, and memory is honored.
