Siege of Varva (1658)

Siege of Varva
Part of The Ruin (Ukrainian history)
Date 1658 Location Varva, Chernihiv Oblast, (Modern day Ukraine) Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Cossack hetmanate Crimean Khanate	Russia Cossack hetmanate
Commanders and leaders
Ivan Skorobagatko [uk]	Grigory Romodanovsky Ivan Bezpaly

The Siege of Varva [a] is one of the events of the Russo-Polish War of 1654-1667 and Ruin in Ukraine.[1] [2]

Background

Polish–Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth as proposed by Treaty of Hadiach in 1658

In September 1658, the Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host Ivan Vyhovsky signed the Treaty of Hadiach with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , which returned the Zaporozhian Host to the rule of the Polish Crown. Having called upon the troops of the Crimean Khan for help, Vyhovsky began military operations against Russia.

Siege

On the 7th of November, Grigory Romodanovsky and his army arrived at around Varva and started laying siege to the city.[3] However, Varva, due to both a strong cossack garrison and being surrounded with rivers and swamps,was well fortified and as a result the first two assaults of the Russian army were swiftly repelled.[4]

But, Romadonvosky,seeing the harsh conditions of winter,saw the opportunity to launch another assault once the rivers had frozen.[5] And on the 20th of November, Romadonvosky went into battle against Hetman Skorobogatko in which his army won and Skorobogatko retreated.[6] Later, on the 25th of November a second attempt to defeat Romadonvosky in battle was attempted but a result of the battle, Skorobogatko was defeated and retreated from Varva.[7][8]

Consequences

Hetman of Right-Bank Ukraine Ivan Vyhovsky

The oath of the Vygovskites at Varva turned out to be false. Already in December 1658, Vyhovsky changed his word, and military actions began again.[9][10]

References & Notes

1. Markevych 1843, p. 209.
2. Kostomarov 1891, p. 82. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKostomarov1891 (help)
3. Babulin 2015, p. 118.
4. Babulin 2015, p. 119.
5. Babulin 2015, p. 120.
6. Babulin 2015, p. 120-121.
7. Babulin 2015, p. 121.
8. Bulvinskyi, Andriy (1998-01-01). "Похід кн. Г.Г.Ромодановського на Україну восени 1658 року" [Prince G.G. Romodanovsky’s campaign in Ukraine in the autumn of 1658]. Нова політика (1).
9. Barsukov 1881, p. 148.
10. Ivan Grigor'evich. Acts relating to the history of Southern and Western Russia (1846). vol. 4. p. 275

Bibliography

• Solovyov, Sergey (1879). История России с древнейших времён [History of Russia from Ancient Times] (in Russian). ISBN 9785170960903.
• Markevych, Mykola (1843). История малой России [History of Little Russia] (in Russian). Vol. 5.
• Barsukov, Alexander (1881). Род Шереметевых [Sheremetev family] (in Russian). Book V.
• Babulin, Igor (2015). Борьба за Украину и битва под Конотопом (1658-1659 гг.) [The Struggle for Ukraine and the Battle of Konotop (1658-1659)] (in Russian). ISBN 978-5-903389-99-5.
• Mykola, Kostomarov (1891). Історичні монографії Миколи Костомарова [Historical monographs of Mykola Kostomarov] (in Ukrainian). Volume 6 : Hetmanship of Ivan Vyhovsky. З друк. Павловського.

Notes

1. Russian: Осада Варвы;Ukrainian: Облога Варви