Battle of Mozhaysk
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The Battle of Mozhaysk was a series of battles at the final stage of the Polish-Muscovite War (1605-1618) on the western approaches to
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. The battle is part of the Moscow campaign of Wladyslaw IV. During months of fighting, the Russian armies managed to maintain their combat capability and prevent the rapid seizure of Moscow. However, the threat of encirclement forced the Russian troops to retreat, opening the way for the enemy to the capital.


Prelude

After the victory over the Polish-Lithuanian troops in the
Battle of Moscow (1612) The Battle of Moscow was a series of two battles, which took place in Moscow, on September 1 and 3, 1612, during the Polish–Muscovite War (1605–18), and Time of Troubles. Forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were commanded by F ...
and the election of Tsar Michael Romanov, Russian troops passed into a counteroffensive. In the years 1613-14 they managed to free most of the captured cities from the Polish-Lithuanian troops and even undertake several raids on the territory of Lithuania. However, the main goal of the campaign - recapture of Smolensk - failed. In turn, the Polish king
Sigismund III Sigismund III Vasa ( pl, Zygmunt III Waza, lt, Žygimantas Vaza; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland from 1592 to ...
did not give up attempts to subjugate the Russian state, in the name of his son Wladyslaw. The new campaign in 1617 was presented as an action by the "legitimate" Tsar Wladyslaw Vasa against the "usurper" Michael Romanov. The Crown forces led by Prince Wladyslaw (6,000 men) and Lithuanian under the command of the Great Hetman Ian Karol Khodkevich (6,500 men) took part in the campaign. Prince Wladyslaw started from Warsaw on April 5, 1617, but only in September arrived in
Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...
. In October 1617
Dorogobuzh Dorogobuzh (russian: Дорогобуж) is a historic town and the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, straddling the Dnieper River and located east of Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. ...
and
Vyazma Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Throu ...
surrendered to "Tsar" Wladyslaw without battle. In fact, on the enemy's path to the capital, there was only poorly fortified
Mozhaysk MozhayskAlternative transliterations include ''Mozhaisk'', ''Mozhajsk'', ''Mozhaĭsk'', and ''Možajsk''. ( rus, Можа́йск, p=mɐˈʐajsk) is a town and the administrative center of Mozhaysky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to th ...
and a weak army with low morale.


Battle

The Russian government pulled all available forces into the western direction, and in the Mozhaysk area, the Poles were given serious resistance. Russian regiments of
Voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...
''Boris Lykov'' (5.300 cavalry and 460 Streltsy), ''Dmitry Cherkassky'' (4.500 cavalry and 780 Streltsy), and
Dmitry Pozharsky Dmitry Mikhaylovich Pozharsky ( rus, Дми́трий Миха́йлович Пожа́рский, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ pɐˈʐarskʲɪj; 17 October 1577 – 30 April 1642) was a Russian prince known for his military leadershi ...
(3.900 cavalry and 1.500 Streltsy) heavily fortified Mozhaysk and several surrounding towns and monasteries. Fierce fighting near Mozhaysk lasted for entire the spring and summer of 1618, with the Polish-Lithuanian army unable to break Russian defenses. On July 30, 1618, a detachment of
Lisowczycy Lisowczyks or Lisowczycy (; also known as ''Straceńcy'' ('lost men' or 'forlorn hope') or (company of ); or in singular form: Lisowczyk or ) was the name of an early 17th-century irregular unit of the Polish–Lithuanian light cavalry. The Lis ...
under the command of ''Chaplinsky'' blocked the supply route from Moscow. Soon a Cossack defector informed the Russians that Wladyslaw was going to firmly besiege the Russian fortified camps and force them to surrender with hunger. Supplies in the camps were not enough, especially after a part of their train was lost in battle. Realizing this, the government already on August 2, 1618, sent an order to the
Voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...
s to withdraw from Mozhaysk to Moscow, leaving there a garrison with sufficient supplies.


Aftermath

The fighting near Mozhaysk was not considered a failure by the Russian command. In the course of almost half a year of confrontation (the first half of 1618), Prince Wladyslaw's offensive was delayed, enabling the preparations for the defense of Moscow. The stubborn resistance of the Russian troops dispelled the illusions of the Polish prince about the possibility of resuming the
Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...
. On the side of " the lawful Tsar Wladyslaw", only the garrison of ''
Dorogobuzh Dorogobuzh (russian: Дорогобуж) is a historic town and the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, straddling the Dnieper River and located east of Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. ...
'' and several Cossack villages defected. Rebellion against the
Romanovs The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to t ...
, which Polish invaders expected, did not happen.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mozhaysk, Battle of Mozhaysk (1618) Mozhaysk (1618) Mozhaysk (1618) History of Moscow Oblast Conflicts in 1618 1618 in Russia