The troubles of the early 17th century became a serious test for Russia. Kings and impostors on the throne changed, the country was torn apart by gangs of marauders and invading armies. There was no power in the country at all, or rather, any leader of a gang of robbers considered himself the highest power.
Many talented generals took a crooked path because they could not figure out who to serve. But Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky was one of the few who always followed his duty.
Modest provincials
Contrary to the opinion of many historians, the Pozharskys were not a seedy family. They originated from Yuri Dolgoruky himself, that is, they were Rurikovich, albeit not the most senior tribe. The ancestors of Dmitry Pozharsky came from the Starodub princes of the Suzdal land. By the middle of the 15th century, the principality had lost its independence, but the Pozharskys remained wealthy landowners.
In the 16th century, immigrants from a once influential family dispersed to their ancestral nests, named after the towns and villages where they lived. This is how the princes Ryapolovskiy, Paletskiy, Romodanovskiy appeared. And the grandfather of Dmitry Pozharsky received a nickname from his village, which died in the fire and was called the Fire (Pohar).
But big deeds bypassed them. When the grand dukes subjugated the neighboring lands to Moscow and the small titled patrimonials rushed to their service, the Pozharskys showed passivity. Their possessions were vast, and there was no special need for the awards of the sovereigns. But, not having entered the great princely service in the rank of service princes, they cut off the way for their descendants to the top of the Moscow nobility.
Only occasionally are the Pozharskys' ancestors found in the lists of regimental commanders. That is, they belonged to the second, or even to the third echelon of power (the first were governors and governors) of the ruling class. To match this situation, Dmitry Pozharsky's father, Mikhail Fedorovich, was also looking for a wife. As a result, he opted for Evfrosinya Beklemisheva, who came from an old, noble, but impoverished noble family.
Promotional video:
But Pozharsky's mother turned out to be an unusual woman for her time. She managed to give her son an excellent education. This was unusual even for the capital's nobles of the late 16th century, not to mention the provinces. In addition, Dmitry was born in 1578 - the time was then difficult and unpredictable.
By the age of 10, when his father died, the boy could read and write, he could solve a rather tricky arithmetic problem, he knew the geography of both Russia and neighboring states quite well. Young Pozharsky understood heraldry, learned something from ancient and Russian history, read Greek, knew Polish.
Servant to the king
He retained his love of reading all his life, earning a reputation among his contemporaries as the most learned man. Incidentally, Pozharsky did not hesitate to consult with his mother, even when he became a fully mature person.
Of course, they also instilled in him the skills necessary for serving the king. He kept himself well in the saddle, owned a cold weapon and firearms, understood a thing or two in artillery. He was preparing from an early age for a military career also because the family suffered greatly from the oprichnina.
The ancestral possessions in the Suzdal land were confiscated, and even before Dmitry was born, his father and his household were exiled “to the bottom” - near Nizhny Novgorod. The Pozharskys had a house in Moscow, but they did not risk settling in the capital.
After the death of Ivan the Terrible, Pozharsky's mother took a place at the court, where she was close to the tsarina. This allowed young Dmitry, when he turned 15, to be assigned to the service. At first, his affairs did not go brilliantly, but with the accession of Boris Godunov, they went up the hill. At the Zemsky Sobor in 1598, which elected Boris as tsar, Pozharsky had the rank of "solicitor with a dress." He participated in the preparation of various kinds of ceremonies, serving the "lawyer with the key" various elements of the monarch's clothing.
However, Pozharsky's mother did not sit idly by. With skillful intrigues, intelligence and cunning, she made her way up for herself and her son. True, in 1599 they were overtaken by the tsarist disfavor and exile, which became a consequence of the conflict between Euphrosyne Beklemisheva and the eldest boyar Lykova. But Godunov soon remembered the intelligent and educated Dmitry and returned the family to Moscow. Young Pozharsky received the rank of steward, and his mother became the eldest noblewoman under Princess Xenia Borisovna.
In 1602, Dmitry even received back some of the estates selected under Ivan the Terrible, including those near Moscow. This could make the life of the young prince in the capital more than pleasant. However, Pozharsky was more interested in service and books than in the usual entertainment of the golden youth of that time.
But one passion nevertheless took possession of him: in 1603 he bought an excellent war horse for 12 rubles (with an annual salary of 20 rubles). Around the same time, Dmitry got married.
Country on fire
Dmitry Mikhailovich's contemporaries characterized him as a man devoid of swagger and arrogance, well-educated, pious, but not fanatical, polite with equals, attentive to subordinates and respectful with superiors. Duty for the young prince was above all. Foreigners, who were at the court at that time, noted that he could serve as a model for Western European knights of the past.
This is probably why Pozharsky remained at the court of False Dmitry I and Vasily Shuisky in his low rank and away from palace intrigues. He calmly accepted the impostor's accession to the throne, since he was recognized by the Boyar Duma and Moscow swore allegiance to him, so that in the eyes of an honest court servant, he was a legitimate monarch.
He received Polish ambassadors, including Yuri Mnishek. He was charged with suppressing several riots in the vicinity of Moscow. But Pozharsky did not break out into the favorites of the new tsar, and he did not strive. He criticized the dominance of the Poles under the new tsar.
In May 1606, False Dmitry I was killed, and Vasily Shuisky was proclaimed tsar. Prince Pozharsky swore allegiance to him, as recognized by the church and the Boyar Duma. But Dmitry Mikhailovich had a low opinion of Shuisky. The new tsar began to settle personal scores, surrounded himself with informers, and began to get rid of the people of his predecessors. Pozharsky also got it, who was deprived of the rank of steward.
But after that, he began his own military career, which glorified him. The prince received a large detachment under his command and was ordered to clear the environs of Moscow from the remnants of Bolotnikov's defeated troops. Pozharsky was noticed and taken under his patronage by the talented voivode Skopin-Shuisky, who stood on the side of Tsar Vasily against the gaining strength of False Dmitry II.
Many courtiers and military men recognized the Tushinsky thief and went over to his service. Thus, 33 stewards, two-thirds of the holders of this rank, defected to the side of the impostor. But Pozharsky once firmly decided not to change the oath, no matter what arguments the opponents of the tsar made. Gradually, a group of nobles who shared this opinion began to form around him.
Prince and Prasol
In addition to the detachments of False Dmitry II, Poles and the remnants of the Bolotnikovites, the country was flooded with bands of marauders and Cossack mobs. Nobody wanted to gather a large regular army and give a general battle. Basically, sieges, raids of cavalry units, and rapid raids were in progress. Here the first violin was played by the Cossacks and the well-trained Polish cavalry. The winged hussars of the Commonwealth at that time had no equal in Europe.
Pozharsky was one of the first to find a way to counter cavalry. He carefully prepared his operations, paying a lot of attention to intelligence. Then he secretly put forward infantry barriers on all possible escape routes of the enemy. When the trap was ready, the blow of the main force followed. The enemy, wanting to evade the battle, was ambushed. Pozharsky understood that the infantry could effectively act against cavalry only from behind cover, widely used artillery and paid much attention to the interaction of different types of troops. Which, by the way, the Poles did not do at all.
In 1608-1610, actively using the tactics invented by him, Pozharsky defeated several strong detachments of the Tushins in the vicinity of Kolomna and swore a number of cities to Vasily Shuisky. In 1610 he was appointed governor of Zaraysk, where a strong garrison was stationed. But on June 24, the troops of Vasily Shuisky were defeated by the Poles in the battle of Klushino, and the tsar's authority was greatly shaken.
Dozens of cities turned their backs on Shuisky, even in Zaraysk a riot began. However, Pozharsky, due to his popularity, was able to quickly suppress him. Nevertheless, Shuisky was overthrown, and the Moscow boyars swore allegiance to the Polish prince Vladislav. Pozharsky, like many in the Volga cities, did not recognize this decision. He called to stand "for Tsar Basil and the Orthodox faith" and fight against foreigners.
So he ended up in the ranks of the First Militia, which was led by the Ryazan governor Procopius Lyapunov. In February 1611 Pozharsky was seriously wounded during street battles with the Poles in Moscow. He was miraculously carried away from the battlefield, after which the prince underwent long treatment in his estate near Nizhny Novgorod.
In the fall of 1611, it was there that the Second Militia began to form. It was headed by prasol (cattle and meat merchant) Kuzma Minin. However, he was mainly engaged in financial and economic activities. For the role of commander, the Nizhny Novgorod residents unanimously decided to call on Pozharsky, which was done.
The next spring, the Second Militia set out on a campaign. True, the troops advanced more slowly than Pozharsky wanted. But he was forced to agree with the opinion of other commanders that before the decisive battle with the Poles, it was necessary to select a candidate for a new tsar.
Battle for Moscow
In August 1612, Pozharsky's army (a total of about 8,000 people, not counting the Cossack detachment under the command of Dmitry Trubetskoy - about 2,500 people) approached Moscow. Jan Chodkiewicz's Poles could field up to 17,000 soldiers, mostly on horseback. Pozharsky immediately drew attention to the enemy's lack of infantry necessary for combat in urban conditions. On this he built his battle plans.
Pozharsky deployed troops in a fortified camp. Several forts were covered with a rampart, leaning against the city walls. The terrain in front of the positions abounded in pits - cellars near destroyed residential buildings and specially dug, which made it difficult for cavalry maneuvers. Artillery pre-fired positions, which was a rarity at that time. Pozharsky left his cavalry in reserve.
The battle began on 22 August. The Poles first pushed the militia back, but then they were driven back to their camp. Khodkiewicz's attacks on 23 August did not lead to success either. At the same time, Trubetskoy's detachments did not even enter the battle, waiting. True, a detachment with food was able to break into the besieged Kremlin.
Before the decisive day of the battle, Pozharsky changed the disposition of his troops, which came as a surprise to the Poles. During the first two days, they seemed to have groped for weaknesses in the Russian defense, but at night Pozharsky was able to secretly transfer reserves. Where the Poles expected to face the cavalry of the militia, they were awaited by volleys of grapeshot and infantry, hiding behind the field fortifications.
As a result, Khodkevich quickly lost his already small infantry, and he had to throw cavalry to storm the fortifications. This led to an increase in losses with very little progress. The maximum that the Poles achieved was to push the Russian noble cavalry across the river. However, Pozharsky's infantry resisted, and in the evening he ordered a counterattack. The invaders were crushed and left the battlefield. In November the Polish garrison of the Kremlin surrendered. It's time to choose a new king.
At the Zemsky Sobor, which had been in session since January 1613, the surname of Pozharsky was voiced among the candidates. However, from the point of view of the boyars, his relationship with the Rurikovich was too distant. True, much more representatives of the elite were embarrassed by Pozharsky's impeccable reputation. He was too good to be a king.
Pozharsky himself, who played almost the most prominent role in the work of the cathedral, supported the candidacy of 17-year-old Mikhail Romanov. The prince invariably refused from numerous offers to compete for the throne himself.
Under the new monarch, Pozharsky took a place of honor at the court. He was granted the rank of boyar (on the letter on the election of Mikhail as tsar, his signature is tenth, and at the coronation he carried the state) and many lands. Pozharsky for a long time remained the leading military leader of Russia, participated in the wars with the Poles and the Crimean Khanate, and invariably won victories.
The prince was entrusted with important diplomatic missions and the conduct of significant court ceremonies. Until his death in 1642, Pozharsky remained a confidant with the tsar, regularly receiving important appointments and awards.
Mark ALTSHULER