The siege of Gdov was part of the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...

and an episode of the Ingrian War.

Prelude

In 1613, the Swedes, who captured

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

, approached Gdov twice, but as a result of the sorties of the garrison and with the help of the Pskov, the siege was withdrawn. In July 1614, the Swedes managed to defeat the Russian army sent for the liberation of Novgorod in the Battle of Bronnitsy, after which they firmly captured the military initiative in the north-west of Russia.{{Cite book, title=Ruski carevi, last=Željko., first=Fajfrić, date=2008, publisher=Tabernakl, isbn=9788685269172, edition=1. izd, location=Sremska Mitrovica, oclc=620935678

Siege

In August 1614, the main Swedish forces led by Evert Horn were concentrated at Gdov. On August 25, King

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also arrived. The defenders of Gdov managed to repel two attacks, in which the Swedes suffered serious losses. However, the situation of the besieged became increasingly critical. Swedish artillery and subversive mines systematically destroyed the fortress wall. When more than a quarter of it was destroyed, the garrison decided to agree to the surrender of the city with free departure to

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

, where it subsequently took part in repulsing the Swedish siege.

References

Gdov Gdov Gdov 17th century in Sweden 1610s in Sweden 1613 in Russia 1614 in Russia Russia–Sweden military relations