In 1609-1611, the defense of Smolensk became one of the most important events of the Time of Troubles in Russia, when the country was torn apart by internal contradictions and foreign intervention.
Siege background
The attack of the Polish army on Smolensk was the first episode of the Russian-Polish war in the Time of Troubles. The siege of the city was led by King Sigismund III himself. The monarch attacked Russia after a series of adventures of Polish magnates.
Back in 1604, an impostor appeared on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, posing as the long-dead Tsarevich Dmitry (son of Ivan the Terrible). This man was Grigory Otrepiev, a runaway monk who decided to become king, posing as the deceased legitimate heir to the throne. At that time, Boris Godunov ruled in Moscow. He did not belong to the Rurik dynasty. In addition, during his reign, a mass famine began due to crop failure. Superstitious poor people and bastards accused the tsar of their misfortunes and only waited for the appearance of False Dmitry.
Otrepyev enlisted the support of Polish nobles, including the Mniszek family. Aristocrats gave him money, and most of the impostor's troops were Cossacks from the border of the Polish-Russian regions. In 1605, False Dmitry, thanks to a successful combination of circumstances, managed to seize power in Moscow.
He made the Poles his closest and gave them key posts in the state. The former Moscow elite did not like this. A conspiracy arose during which False Dmitry was killed, and the Poles were captured and put in prison. The new king was the former boyar Vasily Shuisky.
The beginning of the Russian-Polish war
All this time, King Sigismund remained neutral. However, the arrest of many Polish nobles led him into a rage. At the same time, a new impostor appeared in Russia, which in historiography is known as False Dmitry II. He was joined by Polish aristocrats, who had recently survived an unsuccessful rebellion against Sigismund.
An army of robbers and adventurers arose near Moscow and cut off the capital’s communication with other cities within the country, and, therefore, the entry of products and other resources into it. Famine began in the city. Shuisky agreed to release all the Poles from prison. At the same time, the king made an alliance with the Swedish king, promising the northern neighbor several provinces for help in the fight against the impostor.
Sigismund was the sworn enemy of the Swedish crown. He took the conclusion of an alliance between neighbors as an official cause for war. The Polish monarch hoped that he would quickly succeed in taking Moscow, because by this time Russia had been in a state of chaos for several years. In 1609, Sigismund officially declared war on Shuisky and with his own army advanced to the border.
Siege preparation
Thus began the siege of Smolensk. This city was on its way from Poland to Moscow and was the main "shield" for the capital. A 20,000-strong Polish army approached the fortress. At that time in Smolensk there was only a small 5,000-strong garrison led by governor Mikhail Shein.
On the eve of the campaign, in January 1609, Sigismund held a diet in Warsaw, at which he proposed to the gentry a plan according to which he wanted to put his son Vladislav on the Russian throne. In the spring, systematic raids by Polish troops on the border towns of the Russian Empire began. Mikhail Shein, realizing that a real army could approach Smolensk soon, he had organized the construction of outposts on the outskirts of the city in advance. The position of the fortress worsened when in summer all the roads to the capital were occupied by the troops of False Dmitry. Since his main camp was in Tushino, Moscow Region, he himself was called the Tushino thief, and his troops were called Tushino.
The siege by the Poles of Smolensk could end very quickly if it were not for Shein’s operational actions. He gathered all the gunners, archers and boyar children who were nearby. In August, the voivode actively sent out decrees on the recruitment of soldiers from various estates. Peaceful peasants were taught to handle weapons so that they could also protect their hometown.
The governor divided his garrison into two parts. Two thousand people ended up in a siege detachment, which was to fully protect the walls of the fortress. The rest of the army was intended for sorties into the enemy camp. The siege garrison was divided into 38 identical units, each of which was to defend one tower on the fortress walls. If there were no sorties, the second part of the army joined the besieged and helped in areas where the enemy could gain the upper hand.
That's how the defense of Smolensk from the Poles proceeded. The situation inside the camp was distinguished by severe discipline. The governor managed to mobilize all city resources. Civilians also helped the garrison. They participated in regular patrols around the walls. The service was carried out on shifts, which made it possible to monitor security at the city borders around the clock.
Also, the question of posad arose sharply. It was part of the city, located outside the walls. The total number of yards here reached 6 thousand. All of them were burned so that the Poles could not settle there. The population of the settlement disappeared inside the walls, because of which conflicts in the city began over housing. In the end, Shein issued a decree according to which, property owners were supposed to admit homeless gratis. Money rent was prohibited. This allowed the conflicts to subside. While the Russian kingdom was suffering from raids of various enemies, Smolensk was actively preparing for defense.
The appearance of the Poles at the walls of Smolensk
The first organized Polish units approached Smolensk on September 16, 1609. They were led by the military leader Lev Sapega. Three days later, the troops of King Sigismund III were at the walls. At first, there were 12 thousand people in the enemy army, but over time this figure reached 22 thousand. Despite its impressive size, the enemy army had certain shortcomings. It was designed mainly for field battles, so the infantry and artillery necessary for the siege were practically absent. Most modern historians agree that Sigismund was not going to besiege the city for a long time, but hoped to get the keys to it immediately upon arrival at the gate. But his aspirations were not destined to come true.
The beginning of the siege of Smolensk was marked by the fact that the Polish interventionists occupied an area of about twenty square kilometers around the city. The few peasants who at that time still lived on the outskirts of Smolensk were deprived of all food supplies - they were simply seized for food of the king’s army. In addition, rural residents were supposed to supply food in the future. This led to the fact that most of the local population simply fled into the woods, just not to cooperate with the enemy. When the Polish troops finally took their positions, a parliamentarian went to the Smolensk governor with the demand to surrender the city. Information about the content of the Smolyan answer varies. According to one version, the besieged residents did not answer at all, according to another, they promised the next time they would give the Poles water to drink from the Dnieper (that is, drown).
First assault
The defense of Smolensk lasted almost three years (1609-1611). It is noteworthy that the Poles did not even draw up a siege plan and at first did not deliver the necessary artillery. This carelessness was connected with the vain aspirations of Sigismund about the quick surrender of the city. When his place was taken by the commander and hetman Stanislav Zholkevsky, he honestly informed the king that the troops did not have enough resources to conduct a successful momentary assault. Therefore, he proposed to leave Smolensk in blockade, and the main forces to move to Moscow. Sigismund, however, did not agree with this plan and ordered to prepare for the assault.
Polish sappers tried to blow up several gates, but they did not succeed, and all thanks to the fact that the defenders of the city on time installed log cabins filled with stones and earth. These attempts were made during the day, while the garrison closely monitored the actions of the enemy. The next venture took place at night. Nevertheless, the Poles managed to undermine the Avramievsky gate, but this did not bring any practical benefit. The troops were unable to get through the breach due to the poor organization of the assault and the untimely signal about the start of the attack, which was noticed by the garrison. Smolensk’s resistance came as a surprise to the attackers. The troops opened dense fire, which mowed down the ranks of Poles and Lithuanians. The reason for the large losses was also in the dense construction of the assault troops. Russian arrows hit the enemy almost every time. The fire superiority of the defenders of the fortress allowed them to fire even the royal camp, which was at a considerable distance from the place of direct battle for the gate.
After failures on the eastern flank, the Poles decided to go on the offensive on the northern and western sections of the fortress wall. The most bloody battles took place near the Pyatnitsky and Dnieper gates, where hundreds of soldiers from both sides were killed. At this critical moment, Mikhail Shein brilliantly applied the tactics of effective and mobile involvement of the reserve, which appeared where the battle began to turn in favor of the enemy.
Small-caliber guns owned by the besiegers in the early days did not noticeably damage the wide walls of the Smolensk fortress. This encouraged the defenders who saw the futility of the enemy’s efforts.
Transition to a Long Siege
The first unsuccessful assault ended on September 27, 1609. The Time of Troubles did not prevent the defenders of the fortress from rallying and successfully repelling enemy attacks. In early October, another 10 thousand people from among the Zaporozhye Cossacks joined the besieging army. A new stage of the siege began. Now Polish engineers and sappers tried to destroy the enemy walls, resorting to tricks. It is interesting that the king even hired Western foreign specialists (including Germans) who successfully waged a mine war during European conflicts. Practice has shown that most of their efforts near Smolensk were in vain.
At the same time, Sigismund did not involve the army in preparation for the assault. But the defenders of Smolensk were not sitting idle. The garrison filled up almost all the gates, reducing to a minimum the number of places where it would be possible to enter the city. The scouts promptly opened the next mine installations near the walls and did not allow the Poles to harm the fortifications. Over time, the garrison revealed all the weak points through which the enemy could get inside. Regular guards were organized there.
In this mode, the siege lasted several months. From time to time, Smolensk organized sorties, during which they destroyed the enemy infrastructure, and also produced water. With the onset of winter, such flying units also went for firewood. Meanwhile, commander Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky finally unblocked Moscow. After that, active partisan actions began in the rear of the Polish army. This dispersed the forces of Sigismund and gave respite to the besieged.
However, unfortunately for the Smolensk, the winter of 1609-1610. stood out especially harsh. Frosts weakened the garrison and left it with virtually no supplies. Famine began in the city. When the Tushinsky camp near Moscow fell, many Poles in the suburbs passed under the command of Zholkevsky and increased pressure on the besieged Smolensk. In the spring, the city learned about the sudden death of Skopin-Shuisky, who for all personified the hope of victory over the interventionists. The young commander died in Moscow after he was insidiously poisoned by the boyars.
Despite this misfortune, the tsarist army nevertheless advanced from the capital to drive the interventionists from the walls of the besieged city. This army was defeated in the battle of Klushin on June 24, 1610. The winner was the same Stanislav Zholkevsky, who specially left the camp near Smolensk to give a general battle to the Russian-Swedish army. But even this news did not deprive the besieged desire to fight the invaders to the end.
That summer, the Poles finally brought full-fledged artillery, which posed a serious threat to the city walls. The siege of Smolensk continued. On June 18, near the Faceted Tower, the cannons managed to break a significant gap. Sigismund gave the order to begin the next assault. Three attacks were made, but all of them, to the surprise of the king, ended in failure. Smolensk literally threw the Poles out of the breach. Governor Shein was assisted by Peter Gorchakov in guiding the defense.
The final isolation of Smolensk
Meanwhile, news came from Moscow that Tsar Vasily Shuisky was overthrown during the boyar coup. The new rulers of the Kremlin were supporters of the Polish king. In historiography, this short-lived regime is known as Semiboyarschina. An order came to Smolensk to hand over the city to Sigismund. However, Mikhail Shein refused to obey. The inhabitants of the fortress unanimously supported his decision. The troubles and political changes in Moscow did not affect the mood of the besieged. After almost two years of deprivation, people got used to all kinds of hardships and hated the Poles.
Sigismund, learning about the disobedience of Shein, gave the Smolensk three days to surrender the city. Otherwise, he promised to execute everyone. Meanwhile, the Smolensk undermined the positions of the Poles and undermined their artillery. As a result, Sigismund had to request new guns in his homeland, which delivered to the battlefield for another two months. During this time, the besieged inhabitants managed to catch their breath. Some Smolensk boyars doubted the need for defense due to the fall of Moscow. Shein suppressed these treacherous moods. In addition, in the fall it became known about the organization of the First People’s Militia, which only strengthened the hope of the city’s defenders for their own salvation.
The fall of the fortress
Not many survived the second siege winter. Over the past years - 1609-1611 - the defense of Smolensk finally weakened the inhabitants of the city. Knowing this, the Poles launched a new assault on June 3. They managed to break through the gaps in the walls. Defenders of Smolensk retreated inland and fought with the invaders in the streets. The invaders staged a ruthless massacre. Among them were unprincipled mercenaries who longed for blood. A large group of local residents, including women and children, took refuge in the Monomakh Cathedral. Temples often became the last refuge in the besieged cities of those times. Under the church was a powder warehouse. He was blown up by the sheltering inhabitants. The blast wave destroyed the temple, at the same time burying many interventionists.
The fate of Mikhail Shein and other prisoners
So ended the siege by the Poles of Smolensk. The brave governor Mikhail Shein, who fought off the royal army for two years, locked himself in one of the towers and fought with the Poles until the last. The relatives who were near him, begged him to surrender, and not to commit suicide. Finally he listened to his family and laid down his arms. The governor was led to Sigismund. The king was furious with a two-year siege, which not only drained the army, but also caused serious reputational damage to the monarch. Many noblemen died - the color of the nation and the support of the throne. It was Mikhail Shein who caused all this shame. Therefore, the king took the prisoner with all cruelty. He ordered the governor to be tortured to surrender all his supporters. To top it all off, Shein was taken to Poland, where he was subjected to public humiliation, characteristic of that era: they led the formation through the cities, carried in an open carriage, etc.
The Smolensk governor, like many other significant opponents of the Polish government in Russia, was in a long captivity. He had to go through another test. Former Tsar Vasily Shuisky, on whose side the Smolens came forward, was captured by the Poles after their appearance in Moscow. The ousted monarch was also sent to bow to Sigismund. Shein was also present at the humiliating meeting with the king.
When the Polish intervention in Russia ended in failure, and Mikhail Romanov came to power in Moscow, he first wanted to rescue all prisoners, including the Smolensk governor. It only happened in 1619, when the war between the two countries finally ended. Mikhail Shein returned to his homeland as a national hero. With him was another important Polish captive - Fedor Romanov. It was the father of Tsar Mikhail, who later became the Patriarch of Moscow.
Defense value
Despite the fact that the years 1609-1611 (the defense of Smolensk ended with the fall of the city) turned out to be sad for the history of Russia, the victory of the Polish army can be called Pyrrhic. Two-plus years of heroic resistance from the inhabitants of an isolated city served as an inspiring example for the rest of the Russian people, who, it would seem, were on the sidelines from the war. Smolensk events rallied disparate forces in the rear. So the First, and then the Second People’s Militia appeared. It was these troops that ultimately freed Moscow from the invaders and created the prerequisites for the Romanov accession to the throne.
The arrival of the army of Sigismund to Smolensk and a two-year delay under its walls had economic consequences for Poland. The king had to direct most of his resources to a camp set up at the besieged city, while he was losing strategic initiative in Moscow and other important regions. When Smolensk finally fell, the Polish army was already bloodless and could not stay in the Russian capital for a long time. In total, the king lost about thirty thousand well-trained soldiers under siege. Sigismund did not even imagine how many of his soldiers the Smolensk fortress would bury. The history of this siege is still regarded as a key and turning point in the Time of Troubles. After the capture of Smolensk, the king returned to his homeland.
Russian-Polish war of 1609-1618 ended with the fact that the city still moved to the Commonwealth. However, Smolensk was not under foreign dominion for long. In 1654, already under the son of Mikhail Romanov Alexei, he was returned to the Russian kingdom. In that war, Left-Bank Ukraine (along with Kiev) was also attached to the possessions of Moscow, which symbolized the historical reunion of the lands of the Eastern Slavs.
Smolensk defense has become one of the longest in Russian history. Never before has the Russian kingdom defended its city with such obstinacy. After the return of Smolensk under Alexei Romanov, he never became part of Poland.
In modern Russia, the holiday of National Unity Day is established, which is celebrated annually on November 4. This is the date of the capture of the Moscow Kremlin by the militia of Minin and Pozharsky.