Pierwsze lata wojny polsko-rosyjskiej (1609-1611) w relacji i opinii hetmana Stanisława Żółkiewskiego

The article discusses the initial phase of the Polish-Muscovite war (1609-1611) from the perspective of Hetman Stanislaw Zolkiewski, who was the key person during that conflict, and his work called “Poczatek i progres wojny moskiewskiej” (On the Beginning and the End of the Muscovite War). Stanislaw Zolkiewski was a protégé of Grand Crown Chancellor and Hetman Jan Zamoyski; he also supported King Sigismund III Vasa in his conflict with the Polish nobility. Over the years, he consistently climbed the career ladder both in the military and in the politics. Following his victory at the Battle of Byczyna (1688), he was promoted to the title of Crown Field Hetman. Zolkiewski’s greatest military success came on 4 July 1610 with his victory at the Battle of Klushino, when he defeated a numerically much superior Muscovite-Swedish army. The victory of Klushino is one of the brightest pages in the Polish military history. For the Polish forces, it meant the opening of the gates to the capital city of the tsars’ country and for Hetman Stanislaw Zolkiewski the capturing of the Moscow Kremlin. Unfortunately, the ideas of the Hetman did not fit into the plans of the Polish king, and with the particular policy of some of the Polish magnates, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth lost its chances in Russia and the ability to change the political situation in that part of Europe for ever.