Poles and Lithuanians vs Muscovite

[perdurabo]

1500-1503
Four Wars for Kievian Lands

After the collapse of the Grand Duchy of Kiev in the 13th century, both Lithuania and Muscovy incorporated Kievian lands into their territory.

In the subsequent years, Muscovy grew in strength and then Ivan the Great made it his goal to re-unite all of the Russian Orthodox lands. For 37 years, Muscovy and Poland-Lithuania went to war four times over the Kievian lands.

1500--Muscovy Invades Lithuania. In 1500, Muscovy had captured other Kievian territory to the south and now turned its attention to the Kievian land Lithuania had acquired three hundred years ago. Muscovy invaded from the east. The Polish-Lithuanian King John Albert was busy fighting the Ottoman Empire and did not respond to the Muscovite threat. The Lithuanian troops, under John Albert's brother Alexander, allied themselves with Tatars to fight.

1503--Truce. In 1501, John Albert was killed in battle with the Ottoman Empire and his brother Alexander, the Supreme Duke of Lithuania, became King of Poland-Lithuania. In 1502, he strengthened the troops in Lithuania and even received help from their old enemy, the Teutonic Knights who were in Livonia, to fight Muscovy.
Poland-Lithuania's main goal was to defend Smolensk, the "key city" on the headwaters of the Dneiper river. In 1503, Muscovy signed a truce, for six years of peace, giving up on Smolensk but retaining most of their conquered territory.

1507-1508
Resumed Hostilities

1507--Hostilities Resumed; Wilno Taken. The "six years of peace" only lasted for four years. In 1507 Muscovite troops were marching into Lithuanian again, under a new king, Vasili III who took the throne after his father Ivan the Great died in 1505. In 1506, the king of Poland-Lithuania had also changed; Alexander had died and his brother Sigismund the Elder took the throne.

The Muscovite army was originally pulled back into Lithuania when a revolt started in Wilno, Lithuania's capital. Muscovy attempted to support the revolters, who were headed by Michal Glinski.

The Polish hussars* were a recognizable force by this time, especially after their crushing defeat of the Tatars.

Whenever the Polish Royal Army approached a Muscovite advancement, they would retreat. The rebellion in Wilno was quelled; Glinski fled to Muscovy for refuge.

Despite the might of the Polish army, the Muscovite conquests of Lithuanian territory were recognized, and in 1508 the two sides again signed a truce.

http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/3/map_polandwarmusc3.GIF
Battles (black dots). Red is the area Lithuania lost to Muscovy in the 1537 treaty

1512-1514
Siege of Smonlensk

1512--Siege of Smolensk. Muscovy had tried for Smolensk before but had been repelled. Four years after the second truce, they once again launched an invasion, aiming solely for Smolensk. In 1512, the siege began, and it would last for three years. Over 30,000 Muscovites reportedly died during this massive prolonged the siege.
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/smonlensk.jpg
Smolensk
1514 (July)--Smolensk Falls. After nearly three years of siege, Smolensk fell to the Muscovite army in July 1514.

Response to Smolensk; Battle of Orsza

1514 (September 8)--Battle of Orsza. Just months after the fall of Smolensk, Sigismund the Elder sent troops to re-take the city, in September 1514. Polish-Lithuanian troops were led by Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski and Muscovite troops were led by Ivan Andreevitch Czeladin. The two sides clashed on the Dnieper River near the city of Orsza on September 8 1514.
The Polish-Lithuanian troops were outnumbered 2 to 1 in the battle - 35,000 v. Muscovy's 70,000. However, the Polish-Lithuanian troops feigned falling back to lead Muscovite troops straight into their canons hidden in the woods. The Muscovite army broke. Over 30,000 Muscovite soldiers were killed - half of their forces - including nearly 2,000 boyars (nobles). Reportedly only 500 Polish-Lithuanian soldiers were killed.

http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/battleorsza.jpg
Battle of Orsza

Despite the victorious maneuver, Polish-Lithuanian troops did not have sufficient manpower to retake Smolensk; they did manage to retake several castles but not the "key city."
1518--St. Casimir* in Battle. Muscovy forces again were marching into Lithuania land, this time aiming at the city of Polock.* Reinforcements to the Lithuania army arrived, but still they were outnumbered by the Muscovite army, and further, as the legend goes, the swollen Daugava River separated them from the Polock fort.

Morale was failing and prayers were uttered by the Lithuanians, when St. Casimir, in a white cloak and astride a white horse, appeared and led the Lithuanians across the river safely, and inspired them to defend Polock

1534-1537
Resumed Hostilities--Fourth Time

1534--Poland Launches Attack. Ten years after Orsza, Sigismund the Elder resumed hostilities with Muscovy, to regain Smolensk.

1537--Muscovy Victorious. Poland-Lithuania was eventually forced to recognize Muscovy's supremacy in the area of Smolensk. A treaty was signed in 1537, and Muscovy again retained most of the lands they had captured.

[perdurabo]

Fight for Livonia
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/map_livonia.JPG
Brief History of Livonia
1206--Brethren of the Sword Occupy Livonia. The Brethren of the Sword, an order of Catholic knights, ruled the region in the 13th century. After German knights had conquered the territory in 1206, the Brethren of the Sword was created by the bishop of Riga to encourage German immigrants to the area. The Brethren originally numbered 50 knights. However, during the next 30 years, their ranks were severely diminished in battle with the pagans.

1237--Brethren Becomes Part of Teutonic Order. When the Teutonic Knights took Prussia (Pomerania) in 1226, they were a stronger force than the Brethren of the Sword, and in 1237 the Teutonic Knights incorporated them into their Order to have a stronger hold on the region.

1525--Knights Are Weakened. After prolonged wars in the region with Poland-Lithuania, the Teutonic Knights were broke by 1460 and then were defeated in 1521. In 1525 they gave up some of their Prussian land to Poland-Lithuania in the Krakow Peace Treaty. The remaining territory became The Duchy of Prussia, the first Protestant state in Europe. The Catholic Knights who lived there fled north to Livonia

1525
Muscovy Attacks

1525--Livonian Knights Face Muscovy. The Knights in Livonian were isolated from the rest of the Teutonic Knight forces in Germany and faced the advancing threat of Muscovy. Muscovy was interested in Livonia as a direct seaport to the Baltic Sea, because it had none.
In 1533, Vasili III died and his three year old son, Ivan IV, took the throne. He would be crowned tsar when he was 16, in 1547, and then he would continue to try to dominate Livonia to give Muscovy a "window to the west."

1557
Poland-Lithuania Allies with Teutonic Knights

1557--Poland-Lithuania Defends Livonia. After 32 years of living in Muscovy's shadow, Livonia was invaded by Muscovite troops in 1557. Muscovy captured Narva, giving them territory on the Baltic Sea.
Poland-Lithuania led by Sigismund August marched to Riga in 1557 to defend Livonia from Muscovy. Primarily, they did not want the growing power of Muscovy to have access to the Baltic Sea. In the interest of trade, Poland-Lithuania became allied with their long-standing enemy, the Teutonic Knights.

However, the leader of Livonia and Muscovy managed their own truce, and Sigismund August's forces did not engage in any battles

1557
Sweden and Denmark Enter Fight

1558--Muscovy Invades; Sweden and Denmark Enter the Fray. Despite Poland-Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights defending Livonia, Ivan the Terrible and the Muscovite army again invaded Livonia in 1558, this time pressing all the way to the sea.
This time, more countries entered the fray. Erik XIV from Sweden and Frederick II in Denmark sent troops to help protect the area. They wanted to protect their interests in the Baltic Sea Trade and keep the powerful Muscovy from having a port

1561
Vilnius Submission

1561--Vilnius Submission; Courland Created. After four years of fighting, the prince of Livonia, Gorthard Von Kettler officially submitted Livonia to Polish protection. The Teutonic Knights in the region formally disbanded.

Livonia was divided between Poland-Lithuania and the Livonians. Kettler retained the eastern portion as the Duchy of Courland, a fiefdom to the Polish-Lithuanian crown. The western portion was incorporated into Poland-Lithuania's territory. All of Livonia became Protestant

http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/2/map-poland1569.jpg
Courland

Poland-Lithuania 1569

[perdurabo]

Muscovy v. Poland-Lithuania
1577-1582

1577--Attacks From Muscovy. During Poland-Lithuania's weakness during the Interregnum (1574-1576) and then during the revolt of the city of Danzig (1576), Muscovy under Ivan IV had moved in again on Livonia.

By 1577, the Muscovite army occupied all of Livonia, except for the city of Riga and the region of Courland. The King of Poland-Lithuania, Stephen Bathory launched troops against the Muscovite forces.

1578--Sweden Helps. Sweden entered the fight in 1578, helping Poland-Lithuania's forces regain some territory; they did not want Muscovy to capture any more land on the Baltic sea. However, Sweden would not commit to a formal treaty in the war.

Bathory also found support from the Cossacks in the Ukraine; he paid for their disciplined infantry to augment his troops. Since early in the 16th century, the Cossacks had held their own councils and elected their own Hetman of the army; because of their skill in warfare, they became an integral part to the Polish-Lithuanian army.

http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/3/map_polandwarmusc2.GIF
Battles (red dots).


1579 (August 11)--Battle of Polock. Bathory marched troops into Polock, a city strategically between Muscovite territory and Livonia. He took the area, driving the Muscovite forces back and cutting them off from expanding.

1580 (September 4)--Battle of Wielkie Luki. In August 1580, Bathory sent an army to Smolensk as a decoy. Then, his real larger army attacked the Muscovite stronghold at Wielkie Luki on September 4. The Polish-Lithuanian troops sieged the stronghold and took it back.

With all of his success, Bathory was contemplating driving his troops into Muscovy and taking Moscow. He sent small troops throughout Muscovite land, threatening their regiments and, at times, even the tsar.

1581--Sweden Takes Narva. The Swedes, although not formally in the war, continued to fight in the region, and in 1581 they took Narva, Muscovite's main port on the Baltic Sea.

1581--Siege of Pskow. Bathory did not have the resources to take Moscow, so he settled for the large garrison of Pskow. With 31,000 soldiers he began his siege in 1581 and kept it up throughout the winter into 1582. The Muscovite soldiers were starving inside, and the engagement forced Muscovy to a treaty.
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/2/battle_pskow.jpg
Battle of Pskow
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/bathory_command.jpgBathory Commanding Forces


1582--Treaty with Muscovy. Bathory signed a peace treaty with Muscovy that stipulated all hostilities between the countries would cease for ten years. Poland-Lithuania regained the territory of Livonia (except for Estonia, which still belonged to Sweden from the First Northern War).

It was a huge victory for Poland-Lithuania, who had lost to Muscovy in previous conflicts. Bathory was a hero.
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/2/battle_pskow2.jpg
Stephen Bathory Receives Muscovy's Surrender

[perdurabo]

Polish Occupation of Russia
1609-1613

1605-1613
The Time of Great Troubles in Russia
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/shuisky_small.jpgVasili Shuiski--Tsar of Russia

The twelve years following the death of Fyodor, last tsar of the Rurik dynasty, were filled with political crises and economic slump in the once-powerful country of Russia. Poland-Lithuania was invested in the political conflict - the Polish nobles had supported the claims to the Russian throne of the false Dmitries, men claiming to be the long-lost son of Ivan the Terrible (the real son having died in 1591 of an epileptic fit). Further, boyars disgruntled under the various rules tried to entice Poland-Lithuania into intervening, by offering the throne to King of Poland-Lithuania Sigismund III's son Ladislaus. Previously, Sigismund III had been unwilling to commit to the internal conflict.
Then, in 1606, Vasili Shuiski became tsar. He was perceived as anti-Poland-Lithuania; he had led the coup against the first false Dmitry, killing 500 Polish soldiers in Moscow and imprisoning a Polish envoy.

Also spurring Sigismund III to action was competition. Sweden was also interested in intervening in Russia during the "dark times." Charles IX sent 6,000 men, in return for money, to Shuiski's aid, against the second false Dmitry
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/3/map_polrussiacomb_battles.GIFBattles (red dots)

1609
P-L Sieges Smolensk
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/2/Zolkiewski2.jpgHetman Stanislaus Zolkiewski
--Wrote Memoir Expedition to Moscow


Polish Occupation 1609-1618
1609--Poland-Lithuania Invades Russia. Tsar Vasili Shuiski was unpopular and weak in Russia. Sigismund III ordered troops to invade in 1609.

1609 (September 26)--Siege of Smolensk. The first target was the "key city" Smolensk that Russia had captured from Lithuania in 1514.
Grand Hetman Stanislaus Zolkiewski led 12,000 troops to Smolensk, which was manned by less than 1,000 Russian men. A previous tsar, Boris Godunov, had fortified the city with a massive fortress completed just in 1602.

The Poles found it impenetrable; they settled into a long siege, firing artillery into the city, attempting to tunnel under the moat, and building earthen ramparts, remnants of which can still be seen today.

"The guns could not make the necessary breach in the wall, there was no hope at all that the tunneling would have any effect, since the enemy was well-prepared against it; for it was already known, through one who had come over from the castle, that the enemy had set up listening-posts round the wall on the field side along the actual foundations under the earth, so that he was already safeguarded against that danger....[The King] advised rather, since we had such a large army, (for at about this time [reinforcements] had also arrived) that after ringing Smolensk with forts, we should make straight for the capital, to the head." [Zolkiewski].

The siege lasted 20 months, until June 1611.

More Polish-Lithuanian troops, with Cossack recruits, marched for Moscow. As the Poles pressed in, however, many supporters of Dmitry turned back to Shuisky, because of the ravages of the Polish army. Further, the Poles were not unified, as some preferred to stay under Dmitry's rule than the Polish hetman's.

1610 (July 4)--Battle of Klushino.* Russia, allied with Sweden, sent in 40,000 troops as reinforcements for Smolensk, but they were met by 5,000 Polish-Lithuanian soldiers and hussars at Klushino. The mighty Polish hussars defeated Russian and Swedish forces. (
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/muscovy_1610.jpg
Hussar Line at the Battle of Klushino

1610-1612
Polish Rule in Moscow

Zolkiewski came into conflict with King Sigismund III over the battle plans for taking Russia. Zolkiewski advocated for a peaceful and voluntary union, offering Russian boyars protected rights and religious freedom, envisioning an association much like that with Lithuania; to that end, Moscow should not touched, out of respect. Sigismund III, however, did not want to make political dealings but to take Moscow by force, establish his rule with might. Following the king's wishes, Zolkiewski marched on Moscow.

1610--Tsar Removed. The Polish-Lithuanian army, under Zolkiewski marched into Russia all the way to Moscow and forced Tsar Shuiski from the throne.

Zolkiewski was not without political skill and he began maneuvering for a Polish tsar, particularly the palatable 15-year old Prince Ladislaus* IV, the son of Sigismund III. Previously during the Time of Troubles, boyars had offered the throne to Ladislaus at least twice, in the hopes of having Poland-Lithuania end the despotic rule of their current tsars. Through the Zolkiweski's work, the boyars again said they would support Ladislaus for the throne, if he converted to Orthodox.

However, Poland-Lithuania protested the conversion and then the boyars drug their feet on supporting Ladislaus. Finally, they elected him, but he faced further opposition at home - Sigismund III wanted the Russian throne for himself. Ladislaus was never able to take real power.

1611 (March)--Poles Attacked in Moscow. The citizens of Moscow had participated freely in the coup in 1606, killing 500 Polish soldiers. Now, being ruled by them, they once again attacked. They took over the munitions store and burned the city. The Polish soldiers took refuge in the Moscow Kremlin and remained barricaded inside for an incredible 19 months.

Reportedly, the Poles had imprisoned the leader of the Orthodox church, Patriarch Germogen. When the Russians attacked Moscow, the Poles ordered him, as the man with the most authority with the Russians at the time, to sign a statement to call off the attack. Germogen refused and was killed.
Sigismund III was criticized in Poland-Lithuania for not being able to hold onto Moscow, and also for neglecting the army. Many soldiers hadn't received pay and on return to Poland-Lithuania, began to pillage the countryside.

Further criticism on him came from the Ottoman Empire, because the Cossacks in the Ukraine had begun to make unsanctified raids into Turkish territory. The Poles would get no support from the Ottoman Empire in holding onto Russia.

1611 (June 2)--Smolensk Falls to the Poles. After enduring 20 months of attack, two harsh winters and dwindling food supplies, the Russians in Smolensk finally retreated as the Polish-Lithuanian troops broke through the city gates.

The remaining Russian soldiers took refuge in a cathedral and blew themselves up with stores of dynamite to avoid death at the hands of the invaders. Although it was a blow to loose Smolensk, it freed up Russian troops to fight the Poles in Moscow and the Russian commander at Smolensk, Shein, was considered a hero for holding out as long as he had.

1611--More Foreign Tsars. The Russian Time of Troubles continued as other foreign tsars came to power. This included Duke Charles Philip from Sweden, the son of King Charles IX and brother to Gustav Adolph. He was tsar of Russia for a few months in 1611; he was ten years old.

1612 (November 7)--Moscow Falls to the Russians. The siege of the Moscow Kremlin continued. A historian [Parker] writes vividly of the Polish soldiers: "First they ate grass and offal, then they ate each other, and the survivors finally surrendered. The Moscow Kremlin fell on 6 November 1612."

On November 7, the Polish soldiers withdrew from Moscow. November 7 became Russia's formal Independence Day in the 1990's because of this triumphant revolt and because November 7 coincided with the 1917 revolution - an all around auspicious date in Russian history.

1613-1618
Romanov Dynasty

Michael I Romanov 1613-1645
1613--Michael Romanov Elected Tsar. After the Polish occupation, the boyars elected a new tsar, Michael from the powerful boyar Romanov family. His great-aunt was Anastasia Romanov, the wife of Ivan the Terrible.

The boyars held a council on February 21 1613, where they unanimously elected Michael Romanov, the 17-year old son of Fyodor Romanov; Fyodor had been exiled during the Polish-Lithuanian occupation. However, he could not be found. His mother had taken him to a monastery during the time of troubles. They were finally found on March 24. Reportedly, Michael's mother Martha was opposed to him taking the throne, but the boyars begged and even cried for Michael to accept the crown or else be held responsible for the further disintegration of Russia.

Michael founded the last of the Russian dynasties - the Romanov dynasty - which lasted over three hundred years (until Nicholas Romanov was deposed by the Bolsheviks in 1917).

1617--Ladislaus Tries for Throne. Five years after the retreat from Moscow, Ladislaus IV from Poland-Lithuania mustered troops and tried again to take Moscow and the Russian throne. His attempt ended in failure.

In response to his aggression, the townspeople of Smolensk revolted in opposition of Polish rule, and the Polish troops had to fight their way back as they retreated from the city.

1618--Truce. Russia and Poland-Lithuania signed a formal peace treaty in 1618. Ladislaus IV had to renounce all claims to the Russian throne and in return, Poland-Lithuania received the territories of Czerniyhov and Seversk.

(Ladislaus was also supposed to return his invoice of the election that proclaimed him tsar, but the invoice was lost in the shabby archives and was never actually given back.)

The peace was confirmed again in another peace treaty in 1634.
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/3/map_polrussiacomb.GIF
Territory gained by Poland-Lithuania (in red)

[perdurabo]

Fight for Ukraine
1654-1655

During the Khmelnitsky Uprising, the Tatars had proved to be unreliable allies for the Cossacks - they often went home after they received their booty from a battle, they were known to switch sides and fight with the Polish-Lithuanian army, and they had allowed themselves to be bribed at the Battle of Zborow (1649). So the Cossacks turned to Russia, their Orthodox brothers, for help.

1654--Pereiaslav Agreement. In 1654, the Russian Tsar Alexei I signed the Pereiaslav Agreement with Khmelntisky, the Hetman of the Cossack forces, formally making Ukraine a part of Russia.

This agreement caused a protracted war between Poland-Lithuania and Russia. Later, it would cause conflict between Russia and Ukraine - the Cossacks believed by making themselves a part of Russia, they would then be granted the right to form an independent state; Russia, however, simply kept Ukraine as new territory.

Russia Invading

1654--Russia Invades Lithuania. Strong, well-trained Russian troops invaded Lithuania and retook Smolensk before winter set in.

1655 (January)--A Draw in Ukraine. Two more squadrons of Russian troops marched into Ukraine to join the Cossacks. The newly fortified Polish-Lithuanian army allied themselves with the Cossacks' discarded ally, the Tatars. Combined, they broke through the Russian troops. However, the victory fell apart when the Tatars refused to fight the Cossacks.

1655 (July)--Wilno Burned. The Russian troops in Lithuania continued their assault and took the Lithuanian capital of Wilno* in the summer of 1655. They burned the city to the ground.

1655
War Postponed

1655--Russia Withdraws.
Just one year after Russia joined the Cossacks in their rebellion, Sweden attacked Poland-Lithuania beginning the Second Northern War. As the Swedes invaded Poland-Lithuania, Russia withdrew; the Swedish army was a force to be reckoned with and were no ally of Russia.
In late 1655 Alexei I signed a peace agreement with Poland-Lithuania, since both were fighting Sweden over the Baltic Sea trade. However, the peace in Ukraine was temporary, only waiting out the Second Northern War.

[perdurabo]

Fight for Ukraine Renewed
1658-1667

1658--Accord of Hadziacz. Khmeltnitsky had died in August 1657.


His successor as leader of the Cossacks was Ivan Vykhovskyi who negotiated with John Casimir, king of Poland-Lithuania. In 1658 the Accord of Hadziacz was formed, which granted Ukraine more autonomy under the Polish-Lithuanian crown, with rights similar to that of Lithuania.

However, the Cossacks were against the Accord. The uprising had instigated strong anti-Polish sentiments in the region; they wanted freedom, not comprise. The Russians protested the Accord as well because it took away their control over Ukraine.

1658--Russia and Poland-Lithuania Resume War. Near the end of the Second Northern War, Russia renewed the war with Poland-Lithuania because of the Accord of Hadziacz. Sweden was pulling out of the east Baltic to focus on Denmark, and the matter of Ukraine had not yet been settled.

1658 (October 21)--Battle of Werki. In the fall of 1658 Russian troops invaded Lithuania again, where they had previously burned the capital and taken Smolensk. Poland-Lithuania was weakened from the recent deluge by Sweden and could not raise the money for troops for this renewed war. Russia's second invasion proved just as successful as the first and they defeated the Lithuanian troops at the Battle of Werki on October 21 1658.

1658--Political Problems in Poland-Lithuania. The Polish-Lithuanian parliament, the Sejm was increasingly paralyzed by their own power, and in 1658, King John Casimir attempted to reinvent the parliament by removing the Rule of Consensus. The nobles protested the changes, and internal conflicts mounted.

1659--Battle of Konotop. Two additional squadrons of Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine. However, they were not doing as well as the Russian troops in Lithuania. The Polish-Lithuanian army defeated the southern Russian troops in 1659 at the Battle of Konotop in Ukraine.

Poland-Lithuania was holding their own against Russia. And then their hostilities with Sweden in the Second Northern War formally ended in 1660.

[perdurabo]

Fight for Ukraine (Continued)
1660-1667

1660 (May)--End of the Second Northern War. With the end of the Second Northern War in 1660, the Polish-Lithuanian troops began to concentrate their energies on Russia. The fight for Ukraine continued for the next seven years.
The conflict turned further complex as some of the Cossacks, disgruntled by Russian control, fought for the Polish-Lithuanian army.

1660 (June)--Tide Turns; Poland-Lithuania on Offensive. In June 1660, Russian troops headed west towards Warsaw, but the Polish-Lithuanian army under Jerzy Sebastian Lubomirski met them en route and defeated them.

The branch of the Russian army in Ukraine was similarly routed and the

Poles-Lithuanians began an offensive attack in the south.
1660 (June)--Battle of Polonka. The Polish-Lithuanian army in the north strengthened. With a force of 15,000 they met Russian troops at Polonka and defeated them in June 1660.
After the battle, the triumphant troops continued their surge and crossed the Dneiper river to fight more Russian troops occupying the territory.

1660 (November 1)--Battle of Cudnow. One of the first offensive attacks of Poland-Lithuania in the south was at Cudnow; they surrounded Russian troops in the city, seiging them until they surrendered on November 1 1660.

Lubomirski took the troops from Cudnow and, joined by Tatar reinforcements, pushed on to attack into Russia


http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/brant_polishtroops.jpg
Polish Troops

1662--Lithuanian Army Mutinies. Despite successful battles, the Lithuanian army revolted after they weren't paid. The financial situation in Poland-Lithuania, from the prolonged wars and the political crises, made taxation nearly impossible to finance the army.
1663--Casimir Invades Ukraine. King John Casmir sent Polish-Lithuanian troops into Ukraine again to keep the offensive momentum going. However, Russian troops would not engage in battle after their previous defeats; they retreated and fortified themselves in towns.

1665--Political Crisis in Poland-Lithuania. The political crisis in Poland-Lithuania, brewing since the beginning of the Khmelnitsky Uprising turned into open rebellion in the country. It was led, in fact, by the famed military commander at this time, Jerzy Sebastian Lubomirski.
1667 (January 31)--Truce of Andrusovo. Poland-Lithuania called for a truce in 1667. The war was dragging on, all sides had suffered large losses, and the Ottoman Empire was a growing threat to the south.

The Treaty of Adrusovo was signed on January 31 1667. Poland-Lithuania relinquished Smolensk and Kiev (part of Ukraine) to Russia. This would be the last time those disputed territories would change hands; Russia kept them for the next three hundred years.
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/3/map_polandrussia.GIF
Land ceded to Russia in red



Although the treaty ended the conflict between Russia and Poland-Lithuania, the Cossacks had not achieved their independence. Instead, their territory was split between Russia and Poland-Lithuania, with the Dneiper River as the dividing line.
Under Russian rule, they found life harsher than it had been under Poland-Lithuania, and they remained subordinate until the 1990's. In Poland-Lithuania, small uprisings of the Cossacks would continue for over the next hundred years, until 1795 and the Partition of Poland-Lithuania.

[perdurabo]

i'll post more later :-)

[Musashi]

i'll post more later :-)
Could you provide your source? (link)

[perdurabo]

i'll post more later :-)
Could you provide your source? (link)
ofcourse:)
this one moustly:
http://66.188.129.72:5980/History/PreModernEurope/index.htm

[Zielony]

:D I love history hehe thanks for that post.. a and the Link is really interesting :)

[CMEPTb]

Very informative website. I was born in Smolensk, so its nice to see the city on a map :D