Siege of Barbara

In September 1658, the hetman of the Zaporizhzhya Army Ivan Vygovsky signed the Gadyachsky Treaty with the Commonwealth, returning the Zaporizhzhya Army to the power of the Polish crown. Calling the Crimean Khan’s troops for help, Vygovsky begins military operations against Russia.

Vygovsky’s units invade Russian lands. Prince Grigory Dolgorukov of the Putivl voivode informs the tsar that from the “Zaporizhzhya side from Glukhov Cherkasy to the Putivl and Sevsky districts” and “from the other side to the Putivl railway uezd Serbs and Cherkasy and Tatarov, came in the war and many villages fought, people were beaten and full they took them away, but the belongings and horses, and every flesh and bread were cursed, and the yards were burned ” ^[1] .

On September 8 (18), Vygovsky’s troops besieged the city of Kamennoye. On September 14 (24) “the hetman Ivan Vygovskaya came near Kamennaya with a convoy and began to sit around the village ... I dug trenches around the whole city, and set up tours, 3 or less from the fencing wall, and brought the cannons around the whole city; and hit the guns for three days ... and he smashed the city, and ... beat many people from guns; and after the cannon fire on September 19 at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, there was a brutal attack on Kamenny ... and many people were beaten up on the attack in battle, colonels, Murza, Cherkasy, and Tatars; and the city defended ” ^[2] . Not succeeding, Vygovsky besieged Oleshnya, where he was also defeated.

The Russian government begins to gather troops. To protect the southwestern counties, the governors of the princes Fyodor Kurakin , Semyon Pozharsky and Semyon Lvov with 5 streletsky orders were sent to Sevsk ^[3] .

Belgorod regiment of Prince Romodanovsky is sent to Ukraine, consisting of: 1621 noblemen and boyar children in hundreds, 1474 reiter in shkvadrons of V. Fangalen and I. Sas, 934 dragoons of I. Invalt regiment, 336 Don Cossacks Grigory Kosagov , 4206 soldiers in soldiers regiments Ф A. Fanbukoven, J. Leslie, J. Fanzager and J. Krafert; total 8571 people. Opposition Vygovsky Cossacks adhered to Romodanovsky’s army. “And which, Sovereign, the Cossacks serve you, the Great Sovereign, of faithfully different regiments, and those, Sovereign, are in the regiment with Ivan Donets and Ondrei Pokushelov. Yes, with the Don, the Sovereign, and from Zaporozhye came to you the Great Sovereign, to serve me ... And now, Sovereign, a regiment of Cherkasy with me ... horse and foot, with thirty thousand people, ” wrote the prince to Moscow.

On October 19 (29), the troops of Romodanovsky captured Malta. On October 23 ( November 2 ), Colonels Ivan Donets and Ostafei Vorypay entered Mirgorod from their regiments . Mirgorod regiment joined Romodanovsky. Colonel was Stepan Dovgal, who spoke to the Lubny. Following were taken Lubny and Piryatin. Towards Romodanovsky, Vygovsky sent troops of the hetman Grigory Gulyanitsky , Chernihiv Colonel Anikei Silich and Prilutsky Petro Doroshenko .

On November 3 (13), five miles from Piryatin, by the troops of Grigory Kosagov (3,000 people) and the Cossacks of the Mirgorod regiment, Colonel Dovgal Gulyanitsky was defeated and fled to Varva, from where he sent an order to Colonel Kobylevsky to collect Cossacks: “send to all villages and a roundabout town Yasaulov, so that everyone would be driven to Nizhyn, and they would lead the naughty neck of the utinati without greedy mercy, not repairing the other way, under severe punishment ”

On November 7 (17), the troops of Prince Romodanovsky approached Varva and besieged the city.

When Romodanovsky ’s troops “became convoys near the city” , “colonels left the city with many people, and with ... the Great Sovereign, people and Cherkasy fought a great battle, and with mercy ... of God ... in that battle, the Cherkas defeated many people and took Cherkasy of four people: the barbarian chieftain Aleshka Malyutenka with comrades, and in the questioning those Cherkasy ... said that with Gritsk Gulenitsky in Varva they were besieged with thirty thousand people, but with him there were about two hundred Serbs, and they don’t want a salat ” ^{[3 ]} .

Gulyanitsky took up defense on Zamkova Gora, an old fortification on the high left bank of the Uday River. The hillfort was an irregular quadrangle with earthen ramparts. On three sides, the mountain is surrounded by ravines that were filled with water (“swamps”), and on the fourth river flowed. Varva was a heavily fortified fortress with a strong garrison of three Cossack regiments ^[3] .

Romodanovsky launched a siege. He built "trenches, sprinkle big" and surrounded the city. On the one hand, “the Saldat and Cherkasy colonels came up with trenches, and beyond the river ... from Pryluk stands ... Colonel Ivan Inwalt da Grigore Kosagov with Don Cossacks, and Colonel Mirgorotsky Stepan Dovgal with his regiment” ^[3] .

On November 9 ( 19 ) and 12 (22), Prince Grigory Grigoryevich tried to storm the fortress. “November, sovereign, on the 9th day and on the 12th day I ordered ... the Saldat regiments on foot to Colonel Filipius Albertus Fanbukoven da Jacob Leslie to Yagan Fanzager with the saladat and to the Dragoon lieutenant colonel ... from the dragoons and the Cherkasy colonels from Cherkasy the city was launched and they’re cruel and take, the Tsar’s city has nothing to do with attacks, because the Tsar because the place is defensive and strong, on three, Tsar’s sides are surrounded by large rivers and swamps, ”the prince reported to Moscow. Having failed in seizures, Romodanovsky ordered to take the city into a blockade and “bring down the rampart” .

At this time, between November 7 ( 17 ) and 12 (22), the “Cherkasy who serve the Great Sovereign” chose Ivan Bespaly as hetman.

On November 7 (17), solicitor Grigory Kosagov sent "an entrance to the city of Priluki in Cherkasy . " The Don and Zaporizhzhya Cossacks brought two “languages” of Ivan Krovchenko and Fedor Ignatenko, who turned out to be residents of the city of Perevolochna in the Prilutsky regiment. They said that they came to the city "at the behest of Ivan Vygovsky, a Cherkas with five hundred people and ... the great sovereign of the military people ... they beat and they live alive." Perevolochnaya, located north of Varva, closed the Romny - Priluki road and thus, Vygovsky received an advantageous strategic position for attacking the troops besieging Varva. On November 8 (18), Prince Romodanovsky ordered Kosagov "to go to Perevolnaya and sent a sheet with him so that the Cossacks and bourgeoisie were still under the high hand of your great sovereign . " When, having made a swift raid on Perevolnaya “with Don Cossacks, and with Zenkov’s, yes Kuzemsky centurions and Cherkasy,” Kosagov went up to the city and gave the garrison an offer to surrender, in response from the city “they thought they would shoot guns” . Kosagov ordered the assault to begin, during which the city was taken. During the assault, “Nezhin Cossacks and twenty draggers were captured ” , and during the attack “they didn’t kill anyone and just wounded the same Don Cossack” ^[3] .

Late autumn complicated the siege of Varva, soon “if it was big frosts, but it’s hard to be a salad in trenches” , “there are many wounded, sovereign, soldiers and dragoons, and many military people are dying . ” When the "rivers and swamps freeze" the prince was going to conduct a new assault on the city. To support the prince asked to send to him to help the regiment of Prince Kurakin.

Soon, a Belgorod order of Moscow archers, Clementy Ievlev, arrived near Varva. Prince Kurakin expressed his readiness to send part of his forces to Romodanovsky under the leadership of Prince Semyon Pozharsky. From Moscow to the troops of Romodanovsky the captain of the governor Pyotr Skuratov was sent.

In this situation, Ivan Vygovsky, who was near Kiev at that time, sent to the aid of Gulenitsky a retired hetman Ivan Skorobogatko with the regiments of Pereyaslavsky Timofei Tsetsyura , Kanevsky S. Savich and Cherkassky Fedor Dzhulay, hired ramparts and Serbs, as well as Crimean Tatars. On November 20 (30), Romodanovsky had a fight with “hetman Ivan Skorobogatko from both Cherkasy and the Tatars and from the Volokh and the Serbs.” In this battle Skorobogatko was defeated and retreated to Priluki. Soon he made a second attempt to defeat the prince's troops and liberate Gulyanitsky from the siege. "And November, ... on the 25th day, Cherkasy and Tatars and Volokhs and Serbs came from Priluk and hit Colonel Stepan Dovgal and Dragoon Colonel Yagan Involt at Mirgorod . " At the same time, Gulyanitsky launched an attack from the city: "there was a large outpost from Varva to the train of Yagan Involt . " As a result of the battle, Skorobogatko was defeated and retreated from Varva, and Gulyanitsky had to return back to the city. The Poltava Colonel Kirill Pushkarenko (the son of the deceased Martyn Pushkar ) ^[3] distinguished himself in the battle, his Cossacks “with Cherkasy, Tatars and Volokhs” fought and “seven people took languages” . The prisoners said that "Tatars with a hetman ... with six thousand people" , the Pereyaslavsky, Kanevsky and Cherkassky regiments, and they are waiting for the imminent approach of the Tatars Mametshi-Murza.

On November 29 ( December 9 ), envoys from Skorobogatko arrived to Prince Romodanovsky - Pereyaslavl Colonel Timofei Tsetsyura with the Cossacks, who “beat the bosom” to the sovereign to forgive their guilt and “appeased” , swore that they were ready “to continue to be in eternal citizenship ” and “ relentlessly swear . ” Tsetsyura told the prince that he and the Russian military people would not “beaten” and the Cossacks who were with him “they won’t go to war” . Skorobogatko promised to release Crimean Tatars ^[3] .

On November 30 ( December 10 ), the Cossacks of the Pereyaslavsky, Kanevsky, Cherkassky regiments swore allegiance to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and “spoke unanimously” that they were glad to continue to be his subjects and that the Tsar would “pacify them and order them to give the blame” . Believing the oath, Romodanovsky released Gulyanitsky from the siege ^[3] .

The oath of the Vygovites near Varva (Vygovsky himself took the oath on November 9, 1658 in Kiev) turned out to be false. Already in December 1658, Vygovsky changed his word and hostilities began again.