The Battle of Dobrynichi took place on 21 January 1605 between the armies of

False Dmitry I False Dmitry I ( rus, Лжедмитрий I, Lzhedmitriy I) (or Pseudo-Demetrius I) reigned as the Tsar of Russia from 10 June 1605 until his death on 17 May 1606 under the name of Dmitriy Ivanovich ( rus, Дмитрий Иванович). A ...

and ''Fyodor Mstislavsky'' near the village of Dobrynichi (today's

Bryansk Oblast Bryansk Oblast (russian: Бря́нская о́бласть, ''Bryanskaya oblast''), also known as Bryanshchina (russian: Брянщина, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. As of th ...

in Russia).

Prelude

Fyodor Mstislavsky commanded an army of some 20,000 soldiers, while False Dmitriy I had some 23,000 men at his disposal. The impostor found out that Boris Godunov's army had been deployed near the small village of Dobrynichi and made a decision to attack it at once, first sending his men to set the village on fire. The Russian patrol, however, was able to capture the incendiaries and warn the rest of the army of the oncoming enemy forces, thus giving the Russian army some time to prepare for the battle.

The battle

False Dmitriy I attacked the Russian

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

on watch with his main forces (consisting of Polish chorągiews and Russian cavalry) and threw it back to Dobrynichi. His plan was to force the right

flank Flank may refer to: * Flank (anatomy), part of the abdomen ** Flank steak, a cut of beef ** Part of the external anatomy of a horse * Flank speed, a nautical term * Flank opening, a chess opening * A term in Australian rules football * Th ...

of the Russian army to retreat beyond the ''Sev River''. Fyodor Mstislavsky ordered his right flank (consisting of German and Dutch mercenaries and Russian cavalry) to assume the offensive in order to stop and overrun the enemy. The impostor’s cavalry was able to press the mercenaries and throw back the Russian cavalry. Then, he attacked the center of Mstislavsky’s army, namely the Streltsy, who had been dislocated in Dobrynichi. The latter met Dmitriy’s cavalry with gunfire from

harquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...

es and

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s and put them to flight. At the sight of the fleeing cavalry, unmounted

Zaporozhian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks, Zaporozhian Cossack Army, Zaporozhian Host, (, or uk, Військо Запорізьке, translit=Viisko Zaporizke, translit-std=ungegn, label=none) or simply Zaporozhians ( uk, Запорожці, translit=Zaporoz ...

on the right flank of Dmitriy’s army decided that the battle had been lost and followed suit. The Russian cavalry decided to counter-attack the fleeing enemy horsemen and foot soldiers and crushed them completely. Dmitriy’s reserve, consisting of an unmounted unit of the Don Cossacks and

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

, was surrounded and almost utterly destroyed. The Russian army chased the remains of the impostor’s forces for 8 km, but he managed to retreat to Rylsk.

Aftermath

After the main battle the Siege of Kromy, where a group of Cossacks were hiding, followed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Dobrynichi 1605 in Europe Dobrynichi Conflicts in 1605 History of Bryansk Oblast 1605 in Russia