Heroes of our nation

Kobrin → Creativity of fellow countrymen → Marchuk Nina Grigoryevna

At all times neighbors sought to occupy our lands. Therefore in the history of Belarus the set of wars is known. Our ancestors had to beat off attacks of enemies from all directions. Among soldiers of last times there were many heroes. In this short sketch we will tell about two of them battling in the 17th century – to Samuele Ascherco and Samuele Cmiteza.

SAMUEL ASKERKO
The Shlyakhetsky family of Askerko occurred from the Polotsk petty bourgeoises. In the 15th century they got territorial manors and thus received the status shlyakhtichy the coat of arms of "Murdeliya".

Grigory Askerko in 60th and 70th of the 16th century was a captain in royal army, at first at Sigismund II Augustus, and then at Stefan Batory. In January, 1564 he participated in battle with moskovita on the river Ullah. (In this battle the highest hetman of VKL Nikolay Radzivill "Red" with 6-thousand group broke 17-thousand army of the prince Pyotr Shuysky.)

Other representative of a sort – Mikhno Askerko (perhaps, Grigory's brother) approximately in 1562 sold the folvark near Ushach that near Polotsk, and moved with a family to a manor of Chalyushevichi near Mazyr (the village with such name exists and today). It is the Polesia remote place. Here he gave birth to two sons – Fedor and Pyotr (future father of Samuel).

Samuel Askerko was born in Chalyushevichakh about 1599 (it is known that it had also a brother Stefan, but data on the biography of the brother did not remain). Initial education he received houses – parents, except native belarusky, well knew Polish, the father knew Latin a little.

At the age of about 17 years it was sent to Krakow, for study in Jesuit academy (later it was transformed to Jagiellonian University). There Samuel studied at philosophical faculty. The program of training included all humanitarian and natural sciences of that time: theology, metaphysics (philosophy), geography, astronomy, physics (mechanics), mathematics, logic, poetics and rhetoric, and also classic and modern languages (Greek, Latin, German, French).

We do not know whether the young man finished a full course of training. Only the fact that in several years it came on service to army of the great soldier, the highest hetman of VKL Jan Karl Hodkevich is authentically known. In September – October, 1621 Samuel participated in the well-known battle near Hotin on Dniester. Nowadays it is the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, and then – the territory INCL.

The Turkish sultan Othman II in 1620 began war against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It broke near the village of Tsetsora the Polish crown army of the hetman Stanislav Zholkevsky (at the same time the hetman died, and his son Ivan was taken prisoner to Turks), then through Moldova left with 120-thousand army to a crossing through Dniester around the Hotinsky lock. But the way to it was blocked by the hetman Hodkevich who constructed the strengthened field camp near the lock. The joint army of VKL and Corona (26 thousand people), and also the Zaporizhia Cossacks of the hetman Pyotr Sagaydachny (about 20 thousand) sat down at camp. Turks and the Crimean Tatars nearly daily stormed field strengthenings, however every time Litvin, Poles and Cossacks rejected them back. Besides, they turned into counterattacks, made impudent sorties.

On September 24 the hetman Hodkevich died (he suffered from an illness of kidneys long ago). It did not help the sultan. The Supreme command was accepted by the crown hetman Stanislav Lyubomirsky. Having lost two thirds of the army (about 80 thousand people), the sultan Osman was forced to make on October 9 the peace on the conditions favorable to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Since 1617 about 22 years there was a war between Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was twice stopped by truces (in 1617-1620 and 1621-1625). In the summer of 1626 when the term of the second truce expired, the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf with 15-thousand army landed in Pillau (nowadays Baltiysk) and took northern part of East Prussia – the vassal of the Polish kingdom. Successfully only well strengthened Danzig (nowadays Polish Gdansk) held the fort. In November, 1626 the joint Polish-Lithuanian army under command of the crown hetman Alexander Konetspolsky acted to the aid of Danzig. It took storm fortress Pak on Vistula (to the west of Danzig), then broke the large group of the German mercenaries going to Swedes.

But at the end of May, 1627 Konetspolsky got beaten by Gustav Adolphus in fight at Dirshau (nowadays Polish Tchev). The Swedish king was wounded in this fight by the litvinsky hussar whose name is not mentioned in documents. It is quite possible that it was Samuel Askerko ordering a banner "winged the hussar".

In 1628 the Swedes who received considerable reinforcements pushed aside strengths of the hetman Konetspolsky far on the South. Then it divided the army into small groups and led war in the back of the enemy guerrilla methods. Dashing horsemen suddenly attacked the Swedish wagon trains on country roads, small garrisons in manors and villages, and so suddenly disappeared.

In 1629 the German emperor Ferdinand II sent the 7-thousand horse case to the help to Konetspolsky. With its help the hetman inflicted defeat over Swedes in the well-known cavalry battle at Shtum (in the lower Vistula Current). The Swedish king got the second wound in this battle.

Samuel Askerko with the hussars participated in all fights and many guerrilla raids of that war.

At last, on September 16, 1629 in the town of Altmark (nowadays Old Targ near Malbork in Poland) the truce for a period of 6 years which turned into the world was concluded. War with Sweden terminated. At the beginning of 1631 Samuel came back home. The next year he held the father's position – the clerk territorial in Mazyr, and in 1633 became the Mazyr Voight (on present concepts – the mayor).

In 1638 Samuel took in the wife Roman and Elena Filipovichey's daughter (the name of his spouse did not remain), and in a dowry of a manor behind it of Filipovichi and Kopatkevichi in the Mazyr povet (Kopatkevichi exist to this day). Then bought three more manors: Venuzhu, Kaysek and Hvoyno. But it had no children.

In 1648, despite solid age (about 50 years), Samuel had to take the field again. The Ukrainian Cossacks rebelled. Actually main slogan of their revolt – "make us shlyakhty". They demanded from the new king John II Casimir (reigned in 1648-68) and from diet of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to enlist all of them in so-called "register" – rather small exclusive group of the professional servicemen. But the authorities of the republic answered with flat refusal. Then rebels united with the Crimean Tatars, and the centurion Bogdan Khmelnytsky became their leader.

As a result extremely cruel war to the death between Cossacks and peasants who adjoined them – on the one hand, shlyakhty and citizens – began with another. Ukrainians call it "hmelnichiny" – by last name the Cossack leader. And the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz in 1884 published the novel "Flood" devoted to fight against Cossacks. This name expresses an essence of the events which were taking place in the middle of the 17th century more precisely. Then in the territory of Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish kingdom human blood flew the rivers, filling in all Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is similar to a bloody flood. By the way, Samuel Askerko served as a prototype for one of characters of this novel …

The insurgents who were ruthlessly exterminating Catholics, uniats and Jews in Ukraine were opposed by a shlyakhetsky militia headed by the prince Jeremiah Vishnevetsky (1612-1651). The prince Jeremiah ("Yarem") became famous for heroic defense of Zamostya, desperate horse raids and ruthless destruction of rebels. First it had only two thousand riders. Gradually their number increased up to ten thousand.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania kept a neutrality in war between Cossacks and Poles. But summer of 1648 Khmelnytskyi sent to the South of Lithuania Garkusha's groups, Smooth, Golovatsky, Golota, Krivoshapki, Not woman, Hvesko and other bandits - "colonels". He set him the task: to lift on revolt of local peasants and city "bottoms", to take the southern part of VKL and to attach it to lands of Army Zaporizhia. During the summer – fall of 1648 Cossacks and rebels who adjoined them took Gomel, Loyev, Chechersk, Bragin, Pinsk, Babruysk, Zhlobin, Mazyr, Cherikov, Rounds, Petrikov, Recyca, some other the cities and places in the south of Lithuania.

Cossacks and insurgents killed to a shlyakht everywhere, without sparing either women, or children, exterminated Catholic and uniatsky priests, ruined manors, temples and monasteries, plundered well-founded part of narrow-mindedness. Escaping from robberies, violence and murders, a shlyakhta, clergy and prosperous citizens ran in depth of the country. The authorities of Lithuania concerned by invasion of Cossacks and revolt of common people called "a pospolitny rusheniye" (a shlyakhetsky militia).

In the fall of 1648 the diet charged the general command of the militia which opposed rebels, to the polny hetman Janusz Radzivill (1612-1655). Among those who got up under its banners there was also Samuel Askerko with group of a shlyakhta of the Mazyr povet.

In October, 1648 Radzivill's troops freed Pinsk, in November – Cherikov, in December – Brest and Chechersk. In January, 1649 they beat out rebels and Cossacks from Turov, Petrikov and Mazyr, in February – from Babruysk. Until the end of June Radzivill and commanders of banners subordinated to it cleared from "черкас" (Cossacks) and "гультяев" (rebels) almost all territory on both coast of Dnieper, Pripyat, Druti. In July, 1649 it occupied Recyca, in August crushed Cossacks and insurgents in battle near Loyev. The Cossack and country army lost in this two-day battle about 11 thousand people by the killed and the drowned.

In the summer of 1651, after the short Zborovsky world, Cossacks by order of Khmelnytskyi began new approach to the southern lands of Lithuania. Them "colonels" Not woman, Zabello, Litvinenko, Oksh, Podobaylo, Popovic ordered. But on July 6 Radzivill again broke Cossacks near Loyev. They lost the killed over 7 thousand people.

From Recyca the hetman Radzivill on the right coast of Dnieper went to Kiev and on August 4 occupied the city where cruelly dealt shortly with rebels.

Slightly earlier, in June, 1651, in three-day battle at Berestechko that on Volhynia, the shlyakhetsky army headed by the prince Vishnevetsky inflicted a crushing defeat over insurgents. They lost the killed more than 30 thousand people!

At last on September 18, 1651 the parties signed the peace treaty in Bila Tserkva. On its conditions the number of register Cossacks was increased from 6 to 20 thousand. The king John II Casimir officially recognized Bogdan Khmelnytsky as the hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks. But the main goal – to create own state on lands Cossacks did not reach all Ukraine and the southern Lithuania. It did not manage to them to seize also right-bank Ukraine.

After conclusion of peace Samuel came back home in a rank of the colonel of the Pyatigorsk banner of army INCL. In 1653 fellow countrymen elected him the Mazyr territorial judge.

Our hero stayed about three years at home. But invasion into Lithuania (Belarus) of hordes of the Moscow tsar Alexey Mikhaylovich (father Peter I) and Cossacks of the hetman Bogdan Khmelnytsky began spring of 1654. Soon Roslavl, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Deep, Mogilev, Kopys, Mstislavl fell... And to Polesia the Ukrainian Cossacks took Gomel.

In a siege there were Smolensk, Dubrovno, Old Bykhov. The last belonged to the Vitebsk voivode Pavel Jan Sapege (1609-1665). The honored veteran went to rescue Fatherland again. With horugvy it arrived in Old Bykhov.

Then Samuel with the horsemen protected the king John II Casimir. For it after war the king awarded him with the manors confiscated from the traitors who came over to the side of moskovit.

In the fall of 1656 Samuel beat out moskovit from Wordly and Nesvizhsky locks. Near Brest it was for the first time wounded – in a leg. Recovered, again rose in a system. His hussars together with Denis Murashko's rebels became the first guerrillas acting on the Belarusian to the earth.

In January, 1660 Askerko's group (about 2,5 thousand horsemen) occupied Davyd-gorodok. In February got beaten by Cossacks under Zubarevichami near Glusk (near present Old Roads) and departed to Slutsk. Since March it stood in the wood around Nesvizha from where operated on communications of army of the prince Ivan Khovansky besieging Lyakhovichi.

At the beginning of summer of 1660 the Lithuanian army of Pavel Jan Sapegi was come to the rescue by the Polish crown hetman Stefan Charnetsky. Together they broke on June 28 Khovansky's army in fight on Polonke's river. Since this victory, there was a change in war.

Then Samuel Askerko went to Pinsky povt where was at war with groups of Cossacks. After that blocked garrison of moskovit in Old Bykhov.

Samuel finished war in the fall of 1660 in Chausakh from where it beat out group of the Cossack colonel Ivan Nechaya. There were to it 61 years. Again it was wounded, but nevertheless could kneel down in a church in Chausakh. By the way, this church began to affect Easter of 1654, shortly before the Moscow invasion (the imperial authorities destroyed it in 1832).

The old colonel came back home, to the wife. Married the niece. Gave it in a dowry part of a manor in Chalyushevichakh (the donative diploma of May 23, 1663 remained).

In 1666 the shlyakhta of the Mazyr povet elected Samuel the ambassador of Diet and the deputy of tribunal of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The same year he participated in suppression of revolt of peasants of the Turovsky povet.

In 1671 sir Samuel offered money for construction in Slutsk of the Catholic monastery of bernardines – in memory of the died companions-hussars (there is a written certificate on it). (In 160 years, in 1832, the imperial authorities turned the monastery into barracks.)

Samuel Askerko whether in 1673, whether in 1675 died. Where he is buried – it is unknown. Most likely in Mozyrshchina, near an entail property of Chalyushevichi.

The Shlyakhetsky family of Askerko and after Samuel presented to the Fatherland many outstanding people. Are most known among them Jan Nikolay (1735-1796) – the participant of revolt Tadeusha Kosciusko (1794) and three participants of revolt of 1863-64: Boleslav (1822-1896), Alexander (1830-1911) and Mikhail (1836-1864).


SAMUEL KMITEZ
While the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Vladislav IV (1632-1648) was at war with Moskovia, built military fleet, looked for ways of reconciliation between Catholics and Orthodox Christians, in a manor of Babinichi near Orsha Samuel Kmitez grew up young shlyakhtich (or Kmitich).

Surname like "Kmitets" or "Kmitich" – not simple. The word "kmt" (or "kmeets") in the Middle Ages at the people of Slavic language designated the soldier combatant (in the Kiev principality), the free peasant (in VKL), the rural head (in Bulgaria, Serbia), the official (in Bosnia, the Czech Republic).

Samuel's great-grandfather participated in the Polotsk war of 1563-1579 against moskovit. The king Stefan Batory for military merits granted him a shlyakhetstvo (the coat of arms "Radich") and folvark Babinichi near Orsha. The grandfather was a head in Orsha at the voivode Fillon. The father held cattle, bred horses, had a tanning workshop and a windmill. Samuel was born in Babinichakh in 1630.

At the age of 14-15 years the father defined it for study in a Jesuit kollegium at St Michael's church of the Archangel in Orsha. Here taught grammar, poetics, rhetoric, mathematics and music. There was the theater. At a church were available a drugstore, botanical and an orchard.

By then the father taught the son to keep confidently in a saddle, to understand horses, to own skillfully a saber and dzidy (spear).

When Samuel was 18 years old, revolt of the Ukrainian Cossacks, and then their invasion into lands began INCL. But Cossacks did not reach Orsha. As it is already told above, "hmelnichina" officially came to the end in 1651 with the Bila Tserkva world. However this world lasted not for long. In 1654 the Cossack top ("foreman") signed in Pereyaslavl the contract with the Moscow tsar under which the Zaporizhia army recognized itself it as servants. Official transition of Cossacks – Corona's citizens (i.e. The Polish kingdom) – on side of Moscow inevitably led to war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Moskovia.

And it began on April 16, 1654 when the tsar Alexey Mikhaylovich with 100-thousand army moved to Smolensk. And Khmelnytskyi sent 20 thousand Cossacks to the district of Gomel. At this time the army of VKL totaled no more than 12 thousand people. And it had no commander-in-chief (hetman). Only at the beginning of June the king John II Casimir handed a hetman mace to Janusz Radzivill.

Samuel Kmitez entered Janusz Radzivill's army with the lieutenant's rank. He carried out the first fight on August 24 near Shepelevichami. Here lay down more than one thousand Litvinov, the hetman was wounded. The army ran up on the neighboring woods and bogs. Samuel with small group of horsemen brought the hetman Radzivill to Minsk. Beyond Minsk, in Smilovichakh, about four thousand horse and pedestrian soldiers – everything that remained from former 12 thousand gathered.

At the end of 1654 the lieutenant Samuel Kmitez created from orshansky, Vitebsk and Polotsk shlyakhtichy a horse banner with which arrived to army of the prince Bogusêaw Radzivill (1620-1669). With it he participated in winter counterattack of troops of VKL under Janusz Radzivill and Alexander Gonsevsky's command, made courageous raids on backs of the Moscow aggressors.

Samuel at the end of 1654 or at the beginning of 1655 fell in love with the relative Radzivillov from a shlyakhetsky sort Bilevichey. Precisely we do not know her name – whether Ekaterina, whether Olga. Bilevich belonged to number of opponents of the union with Sweden. Therefore the young panenka contemptuously turned away from Samuel serving at Bogusêaw Radzivill.

Meanwhile Smolensk fell (on September 23, 1654). In all east Lithuania only Old Bykhov belonging to Pavel Jan Sapege successfully beat off attacks of moskovit.

Continued by spring of 1655 of a moskovita approach. One by one Shklov, Borisov, Minsk fell … terrible hour for our ancient capital came on August 8 Wag. Here is how the vilensky bishop Tyshkevich described her death:

"Was not to a litost neither age, nor a floor. All earth was red from blood. Killed all. Young women were taken away in the camp, old and children thrown into fire. Plundered everything, especially temples. Removed internal furniture, bells, broke off graves in search of values. Plundered a crypt of a fundator of the temple of Lev Sapegi and his family. Took a cross of the grand duke Vitovt, Yagayla's cup. The Vilensky orthodox church was burned to the basis. Vilnya burned 17 days!"

At this time to the tsar to camp near Vilnya there arrived the ambassador from a kurfyustr Brandenburg. In the notes he noted:

"All cities and villages are burned, the mountain the killed population lies. Even animals are not visible anywhere".

Wild Asian cruelty noted all way of the Moscow army. It jealously executed the imperial decree. The decree said:

"To go with war by different roads to borrow it is greatest lands. The cities to devastate, scorch villages, bread, hay, to destroy all economy".

Moskovita plundered and Korelichi, the World, Kopyl, Slonim, Zhirovichi, Grodno burned … Only Lyakhovichi and the lock in Nesvizhe where Mikhail Radzivill sat down resisted.

To Polesia Cossacks of the ataman Ivan Zolotarenko committed excesses. The Birch, Pinsk, Kobrin became their victims.

The military-political situation in both parts of speech Pospolita was extremely heavy. In July, 1655 from the North on the territory of Poland troops of the Swedish king Karl X Gustav intruded (reigned in 1654-60). After two days of fights the Polish troops capitulated in the area to the North from Poznan. Within August – October more than a half of the territory of the Polish kingdom passed under control of Swedes. In the north to them only one Danzig (Gdansk) which had powerful strengthenings did not surrender.

In lands of Corona Warsaw and Krakow surrendered to Swedes. The king with small army went to Silesia. It seemed that Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth any more not to rise …

At the same time other Swedish army spoke on behalf of Riga on Zhamoytiya and Lithuania. In the circumstances part of the Lithuanian shlyakhta and some magnates decided to break off the Lublin union of 1569 with the Polish kingdom and to pass under a patronage of Sweden. This group was headed by princes, cousins Janusz and Bogusêaw Radzivilly. On August 17, 1655 in Keydanakh (in Zhamoytiya) the declaration on intention of a shlyakhta of VKL to conclude a military alliance and the state union with Sweden was signed. The document was signed by about 550 shlyakhtichy and priests.

And on October 20, 1655 in Keydanakh, in the building of Lutheran Lutheran church, 1172 representatives of VKL signed the act of the state union VKL and Sweden. The king Karl X Gustav became the grand duke of Lithuania. But as he, and his ministers did not attach special significance to this union. Having left garrisons in a number of the cities of VKL, the main part of the Swedish army went to Konigsberg.

However more than a half litvinsky opposed as shlyakhtichy the union with Sweden and accused Radzivillov of treachery. Having thought, Samuel in August, 1655 joined the confederation created in Verbilov (near Vilkovishek in Zhamoytiya) against the great hetman of VKL Janusz Radzivill. A bit later he headed a horse regiment in Pavel Jan Sapegi's division. Participated in fights against Swedes.

In September – October, 1658 Samuel in chapter 12 of horse banners waged guerrilla war in the deep back of moskovit – in east part of Lithuania (Belarus).

In 1659 he was at war with a horse regiment against Swedes in Kurland, in 1660 – on Podlyashye. By this time Samuel became the ardent opponent of the king John II Casimir and the jealous supporter of clan of magnates of Sapeg. In April, 1660 he organized and headed mutiny of a division of Sapegi against the king. She declared herself confederation, and 29-year-old Kmitets – "the general colonel". The confederation existed about three years.

On June 28, 1660 Samuel as a part of a division of Sapegi participated in fight near Polonkaya who came to the end with defeat of army of the Moscow voivode Khovansky. On September 28-30 he participated in skirmishes with moskovita near the village Corners near Mogilev.

On October 8 Kmitets together with the regiment battled on the river the Bass against other voivode of moskovit, the prince Dolgorukiy. Then he (together with S. Askerko's group) got beaten near Tolochin by reytar of Khovansky going for connection with Dolgorukiy. But already next day regiments of the Moscow reytar were crushed by Charnetsky: from three thousand soldiers only 8 people returned to Khovansky!

In October of the same 1660 Kmitets and his cavalrymen acted in the area between Druyey and the village of Kushlika. Here at dawn on November 4 troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth under Kazimir Zheromsky and Stefan Charnetsky's command inflicted one more serious defeat over the voivode Khovansky. The haughty Asian lost over 5 thousand people the killed, more than 400 prisoners (including the son), all artillery, army treasury and 130 banners! Together with Khovansky no more than one thousand ratnik reached Polotsk.

In 1661-1664 military operations happened only in certain places as both parties were strongly exhausted by dragged-out war. There were enough neither people, nor horses, nor the food, nor money.

In 1663 Kmitets with the regiment made raid far for Smolensk!

In 1664 he participated in a campaign to Roslavl and Bryansk, and then prior to the beginning of 1665 was at war against moskovit near Vitebsk and Polotsk.

On May 28, 1666 representatives of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Moscow kingdom concluded a truce. In 8 months also the peace treaty was signed. The most terrible war in the history of our people stopped. It claimed the lives of a half of the population of the country!

After war Samuel Kmitez quarter of the century of veins in the manor near Orsha, actively participating in social and political life INCL. the Lady Bilevich at last became his wife. Children were born …

Samuel in 1692, at the age of 62 years died.

Nina Marchuk
Analytical newspaper "Sekretnye Issledovaniya", No. 2, 2011

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