Battle of Basya
Encyclopedia
Battle of the Basya River took place between 24 September and 10 October 1660, between the forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
and the Tsardom of Russia
, allied with the Cossaks and Tatars
, near Basya river in the modern Mahilyow Voblast
. Russian army of about 15,000 under Yury Dolgorukov met the Polish force of about 24,000 under Stefan Czarniecki
. The first skirmishes were between the cavalleries of both sides with Russians being victorious.
A full-scale battle took place on 28 September on a big field near the village Gubarev. Supported by the artillery, the Russian infantery launched a successful attack on the center of the Polish forces which were seriously decimated. On the flanks, however, the Polish cavalry began to prevail over the Russian one and forced it to retreat in disorder, allowing the main body of the Russian army to be surrounded. However, the Russians continued to fight and didn't abandon the field until the end of Polish attacks and their withdrawal. Both sides suffered heavy losses.
The hostilities resumed on 10 October after Russians received reinforcement by 900 men of voyevoda Maxim Rtishchev. The army of Dolgorukov managed to throw a forthcoming force of M. Pac back to its camp but couldn't use this success further. Both armies found themselves in a stalemate and the slow approach of the winter in a ravaged environment was seen as a threat on the both sides. The hostilities on the Basya river ended when the Poles heard the news of Ivan Khovansky
campaign and decided to leave. Dolgorukov had no order of the Tsar to pursuit the Poles and stayed, awaiting reinforcement from his brother.
Strategically, the 1660 campaign showed that the Commonwealth was not able to decide the war on its own even after signing peace with Sweden.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
and the Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
, allied with the Cossaks and Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
, near Basya river in the modern Mahilyow Voblast
Mahilyow Voblast
Mahilyow Voblasts or Mogilyov Oblast is a province of Belarus with its administrative center being Mogilyov ....
. Russian army of about 15,000 under Yury Dolgorukov met the Polish force of about 24,000 under Stefan Czarniecki
Stefan Czarniecki
Stefan Czarniecki or Stefan Łodzia de Czarnca Czarniecki Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth general and nobleman. Field Hetman of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom. He was a military commander, regarded as a Polish national hero...
. The first skirmishes were between the cavalleries of both sides with Russians being victorious.
A full-scale battle took place on 28 September on a big field near the village Gubarev. Supported by the artillery, the Russian infantery launched a successful attack on the center of the Polish forces which were seriously decimated. On the flanks, however, the Polish cavalry began to prevail over the Russian one and forced it to retreat in disorder, allowing the main body of the Russian army to be surrounded. However, the Russians continued to fight and didn't abandon the field until the end of Polish attacks and their withdrawal. Both sides suffered heavy losses.
The hostilities resumed on 10 October after Russians received reinforcement by 900 men of voyevoda Maxim Rtishchev. The army of Dolgorukov managed to throw a forthcoming force of M. Pac back to its camp but couldn't use this success further. Both armies found themselves in a stalemate and the slow approach of the winter in a ravaged environment was seen as a threat on the both sides. The hostilities on the Basya river ended when the Poles heard the news of Ivan Khovansky
Ivan Khovansky
Ivan Khovansky may refer to:*Ivan Andreyevich Khovansky , Russian boyar and voyevoda*Ivan Andreyevich Khovansky , Russian boyar*Ivan Ivanovich Khovansky , Russian boyar...
campaign and decided to leave. Dolgorukov had no order of the Tsar to pursuit the Poles and stayed, awaiting reinforcement from his brother.
Strategically, the 1660 campaign showed that the Commonwealth was not able to decide the war on its own even after signing peace with Sweden.