The siege of Pskov between 9 August and 27 October 1615 was the final battle of the

Ingrian War The Ingrian War ( sv, Ingermanländska kriget) between the Swedish Empire and the Tsardom of Russia lasted between 1610 and 1617. It can be seen as part of Russia's Time of Troubles and is mainly remembered for the attempt to put a Swedish duke ...

. Swedish forces under

Gustav II Adolf Gustavus Adolphus (9 December ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 19 December15946 November ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 16 November1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 to ...

laid siege 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 ...

, but were unable to take the city.

Prelude

After the

Battle of Klushino The Battle of Klushino, or the Battle of Kłuszyn, was fought on 4 July 1610, between forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia during the Polish–Muscovite War, part of Russia's Time of Troubles. The battle occ ...

, the Swedish troops, located in Russia, called in 1609 by

Vasily Shuisky Vasili IV Shuisky (russian: Василий IV Иванович Шуйский, ''Vasiliy IV Ivanovich Shuyskiy'', c. 155212 September 1612) was Tsar of Russia between 1606 and 1610 after the murder of False Dmitri I. His rule coincided w ...

, declared war on Russia and in 1611 occupied

Novgorod Land Novgorodian Land (russian: Новгородская земля) was one of the largest historical territorial–state formations in Russia, covering its Northwest Russia, northwest and Russian North, north. Novgorod Land, centered in Veliky Novgo ...

. The siege of Tikhvin in 1613 was unsuccessful for the Swedes, but in 1614 they managed to take Gdov. In 1615 the Swedish King

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...

intended to subdue the Pskov land.

Siege

Approaching Pskov, the Swedes tried to take it immediately, but were repelled by the Pskov garrison with heavy losses. In front of the king, famed field marshal

Evert Horn Evert Karlsson Horn af Kanckas (11 June 1585 – 30 July 1615) was a Sweden, Swedish Field Marshal and Governor of Narva. Biography He was born at Haapsalu Castle in the Estonia under Swedish rule, Swedish province of Estonia. He was a son of ...

was shot dead from the wall. During the siege, the Swedes shelled the city with artillery, but at night Pskovites successfully closed any breach in the walls, and repeatedly made bold sallies causing the Swedes considerable losses. In September, Pskov even received reinforcements from

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. In early October, the Swedes undertook a second decisive assault. The attackers managed to occupy part of the city wall and one of the towers. However, the Pskovites managed to blow up the tower, together with the Swedes that were in it, and went into a fierce counterattack. After two and a half months, the Swedes withdrew from Pskov to

Narva Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru County, Ida-Viru county, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which ...

in view of the coming cold weather, as well as the high mortality from diseases and famine.

Aftermath

After a cruel defeat, King

decided not to continue the war with Russia. Sweden already then planned to resume the struggle with Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for the Baltic states and was not ready for a war on two fronts. On December 15, 1615, a truce was concluded, and both parties initiated peace negotiations that ended with

Treaty of Stolbovo The Treaty of Stolbovo () was a peace treaty that ended the Ingrian War (), which had been fought between the Swedish Empire and the Russian Tsardom between 1610 and 1617. History After nearly two months of negotiations, representatives from Swe ...

in 1617.{{Cite book, title=The Cambridge history of Russia, date=2006, publisher=Cambridge University Press, others=Perrie, Maureen, 1946-, Lieven, D. C. B., Suny, Ronald Grigor., isbn=9780521812276, location=Cambridge, oclc=77011698

References

Pskov(1615) Pskov(1615) 1615 in Sweden 1610s in Sweden 1615 in Russia Russia–Sweden military relations History of Pskov