The siege of Gdov was part of the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (), also known as Smuta (), was a period of political crisis in Tsardom of Russia, Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Feodor I of Russia, Feodor I, the last of the Rurikids, House of Rurik, and ended in 1613 wit ...

and an episode of the

Ingrian War The Ingrian War () was a conflict fought between the Swedish Empire and the Tsardom of Russia which lasted between 1610 and 1617. It can be seen as part of Russia's Time of Troubles, and is mainly remembered for the attempt to put a Swedish duk ...

Prelude

In 1613, the Swedes, who captured

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

, approached Gdov (Augdow) twice, but as a result of the sorties of the garrison and with the help of the

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

, the siege was withdrawn. In July 1614, the Swedes managed to defeat the Russian army sent for the liberation of Novgorod in the Battle of Bronnitsy, after which they firmly captured the military initiative in the north-west of Russia.

Siege

In August 1614, the main Swedish forces led by Evert Horn were concentrated at Gdov. On August 25, King

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

also arrived. The defenders of Gdov managed to repel two attacks, in which the Swedes suffered serious losses. However, the situation of the besieged became increasingly critical. Swedish artillery and subversive mines systematically destroyed the fortress wall. When more than a quarter of it was destroyed, the garrison decided to agree to the surrender of the city with free departure to

, where it subsequently took part in repulsing the Siege of Pskov (1615), Swedish siege.

References

{{coord missing, Russia Gdov Gdov Gdov 17th century in Sweden 1610s in Sweden 1613 in Russia 1614 in Russia Russia–Sweden military relations