It soon turned out that this wasn’t the Tsar’s son, who had mysteriously died in 1591, but the incident gave rise to an initiative by Polish magnates from the borderlands to start an armed intervention aimed at placing their own candidate on the Tsar's throne.
This, in turn, saw a series of other ‘Dmitrys’ give rise to what became known as ‘Dymitriads’ - the armed intervention of some Polish and Lithuanian magnates in the internal affairs of the Russian Tsardom.
This culminated in 1605 when ‘False Dimitry I’ entered Moscow and was crowned Tsar.
His reign didn’t last long though, and the following year he was murdered by aggrieved Russians.
However, the continued arrival of ‘Dymitrads’ was seen as a useful way of undermining Russian power and, according to historians, were one of the causes of the outbreak of the Polish-Russian War of 1609-1618.
One of the key early battles of the war was the Battle of Kłuszyn in which the outnumbered Polish-Lithuanian force secured a decisive victory over Russia.
Before the battle
In early June, a combined Russian-Swedish army led by the Tsar’s brother, Dmitry Shuisky, moved towards Smolensk to confront the Polish forces.
Russia expected the scattered Polish troops along the border to be unable to unite. Their strategy aimed to defeat the troops of Polish military commander Stanisław Żółkiewski first, before systematically eliminating other Polish units along the border, and then proceed towards the besieged Smolensk.
In anticipation of these moves, Żółkiewski advised the king to send a strong detachment to disrupt the approaching Russian forces heading to relieve Smolensk.
While one part of the Polish forces continued Smolensk's siege, Żółkiewski led another part towards the Russian relief army.
On July 3, reconnaissance reports indicated that the advancing enemy had established a camp near Kłuszyn for the night. The Muscovite forces numbered around 35,000 soldiers, including approximately 5,000 foreign mercenaries.
“Necessitas in loco, spes in virtute, salus in victoria”
“Necessity in place, hope in virtue, salvation in victory" were the words of encouragement in which Żółkiewski was raising the spirits of his soldiers before the battle.
Under the cover of darkness, the Polish forces of 5,500 winged hussars, 700 armored cavalry, 290 Cossack light cavalry, and 200 infantry with 2 cannons approached the Russian camp at Kłuszyn and quickly deployed before the enemy could prepare.
Moscow’s forces numbered an estimated 35,000 soldiers, including some 5,000 enlisted foreign soldiers
Żółkiewski ordered an assault before dawn. Polish artillery breached the camp's defenses, allowing the Winged Hussars to charge through. Despite initial strong resistance, particularly from Scottish and French mercenaries, the Hussars managed to scatter them.
During the intense three-hour battle, Polish forces pushed the Russians back into Kłuszyn. The Hussars, known for their repeated charges, played a crucial role during the battle.
Żółkiewski strategically sent numerous squadrons to give the impression of overwhelming superiority, which demoralized the Russian forces.
Żółkiewski, preferring not to waste lives, negotiated with the mercenaries, leading most to switch sides while others pledged not to fight against the Polish king. This shift among the mercenaries significantly impacted the battle. The Tsar’s brother and head of the Russian army, Dmitry Shuisky, abandoned his troops leaving them to flee.
Russian losses were estimated at about 15,000 dead, while the Polish side suffered 107 dead, 114 wounded, and several hundred others injured.
The Battle of Kłuszyn marked a resounding Polish victory, opening the path towards Moscow, which the Poles reached on August 3. Following assurances of peaceful intentions by Żółkiewski, negotiations began with the Russian Duma.
By August 27, 1610, an agreement was reached with the boyars and Żółkiewski, stipulating that Prince Władysław would be crowned at the Kremlin under the condition that Russia maintain Orthodoxy and its existing socio-political system.
The next day, Władysław Vasa received the oath of allegiance from Moscow's inhabitants, and on September 8, Żółkiewski entered the Kremlin.
