55°25′36″N34°49′16″E / 55.42667°N 34.82111°E /55.42667; 34.82111
| Battle of Tsaryovo-Zaymishche | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofPolish–Muscovite War (1605–1618) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |  Tsardom of Russia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Stanisław Żółkiewski | Grigory Valuyev | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 11,000 | 6,000–8,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Light | Light | ||||||
TheBattle of Tsaryovo-Zaymishche took place on June 23–24, 1610, during thePolish–Muscovite War (1605–18). Forces of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were commanded byHetman of Poland,Stanislaw Zolkiewski, while Russians were led byGrigory Valuyev. The battle ended in decisive Polish victory.[1]
On September 29, 1609, the Commonwealth army under ChancellorLew Sapieha reached the heavily fortified Russian city ofSmolensk. TheSiege of Smolensk began on October 4. Meanwhile, the Russian army of TsarVasili concentrated in the area ofMoscow. In early May 1610, a Russian unit underDmitry Shuisky was sent to aid the garrison of Smolensk. NearMozhaysk, Szuisky concentrated some 15.000 soldiers, together with 25.000 poorly armed and untrained peasants. Furthermore, he was supported by 8.000 well-equipped Swedish soldiers ofJacob De la Gardie.[1]
On June 4, 1610,Hetman Zolkiewski ordered the army to march towards Tsaryovo-Zaymishche. Before the Poles and Lithuanians reached the town (June 23), the Russians burned it, preparing temporary strongpoints, protected by a forest and nearby swamps. A clash ensued, in which neither side managed to prevail. On the next day, more Commonwealth troops appeared and attacked, forcing the Russians to retreat. A temporary bridge was constructed, protected by Polish infantry andZaporozhian Cossacks. In the afternoon of June 24, after a short fight, the Russians abandoned their positions, losing some 100 men.
After the battle, rebel forces underAleksander Zborowski appeared at Tsaryovo-Zaymishche. After Hetman Zolkiewski had personally guaranteed payment of their salaries, Zborowski’s soldiers joined his army. Meanwhile Russian survivors of the battle retreated to a fortified camp, which was surrounded by 700 Polish cavalry, 800 infantry, and 3.000 Cossacks. After a few days, the Russians surrendered, and Commonwealth forces immediately marched towards Klushino (seeBattle of Klushino).