The Campaign of the Tushin Troops of Lisovskii and Prosovetskii to Velikie Luki and Pskov Region

Abstract

The article examines the campaign of Lisovskii and Prosovetskii — commanders of a considerable group of supporters of False Dmitry II — to Velikie Luki and Pskov. Despite the fact that there are at least three special studies on the history of this military unit in the scholarship, the campaign of Lisovskii and Prosovetskii has been studied only in general terms. Having critically analyzed and compared the data of the Russian, Polish and Swedish sources, the author comes to the conclusion that the raid was not a simple flight in fear of government troops. In February — April 1610, the rebels inflicted a number of sensitive blows on government troops and the Swedish expeditionary force. One of such strikes was the capture of the main base of the government forces, the Kaliazin monastery, and 60 thousand gold pieces intended for the payment to mercenaries. Then the lisovchiki helped the Pskov and Velikie Luki rebels to repel the onslaught of government forces, Polish and Lithuanian invaders. The rebels achieved a temporary success in Velikie Luki, while the revolt provoked by Lisovskii in the Swedish army besieging Ivangorod delayed the conquest of the Novgorod fortresses of Ivangorod, Yama, and Koporie by the Swedes for almost two years. Apparently, after the death of False Dmitry II, the paths of Lisovskii and foreign soldiers and Prosovetskii diverged. Lisovskii was invited by the king and took part in the foreign intervention in Russia. Prosovetskii and the Russian soldiers of his unit participated in the movement of the zemstvo militias.

Keywords:

The Time of Troubles of the beginning of the 17th century, the movement of False Dmitry II, government troops, Swedish expeditionary force, mercenaries, service men and Cossacks, Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish intervention in Russia