The Battle of Novgorod-Seversky was the first major battle of False Dmitry I against Boris Godunov.

Prelude

False Dmitry I crossed the border of the

Tsardom of Russia The Tsardom of Russia, also known as the Tsardom of Moscow, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of tsar by Ivan the Terrible, Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter the Great in 1721. ...

in winter of 1604 commanding a mercenary army of Polish-Lithuanian noblemen. Many residents of southern Russian lands flocked to his banner, and the fortified cities of Chernigov and Putyvl accepted him as their "rightful sovereign".

Siege of Novgorod Seversky

Novgorod Seversky was the only city that resisted False Dmitry's troops, defended by

Voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

Peter Basmanov and Nikita Trubetskoi with 1,500 men and several heavy cannon. The siege began on November 21, but two major assaults were successfully repulsed.

Battle

Nevertheless, the army of the impostor continued to grow to about 15.000, as new towns and cities recognized his authority. To help Basmanov, Tsar Boris Godunov sent some 25.000 servicemen (probably 40.000 including armed serfs) under Prince Fyodor Mstislavsky. But False Dmitry I took the initiative and attacked the larger Russian army on December 31, 1604, on the outskirts of the city. Polish Hussars, led personally by the impostor, routed the right wing of the Russian army, put the center in a disarray, and wounded Prince Mstislavsky himself. The Prince was saved by a counter-attack of

Streltsy The streltsy (, ; , ) were the units of Russian firearm infantry from the 16th century to the early 18th century and also a social stratum, from which personnel for streltsy troops were traditionally recruited. They are also collectively kno ...

under Mikhail Shein, and the Russian army retreated to their fortified camp.

Aftermath

The Tsar's army quickly recovered and defeated the usurper in the Battle of Dobrynichi in January 1605.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Novhorod-Siverskyi, Battle of 1604 in Europe Novhorod Conflicts in 1604 History of Chernihiv Oblast 1604 in Russia