Dmitry Pozharsky (1 November 1578-20 April 1642) was a Russian prince who led the "Second People's Militia" against the Poles during the Time of Troubles, winning the Battle of Moscow in 1612 and being remembered as a national hero.
Biography[]
Dmitry Pozharsky was born in Moscow Governorate, Tsardom of Russia in 1578. Descended from a dynasty of minor sovereign princes from Starodub-on-the-Klyazma, he took part in the 1598 Zemsky Sobor that elected Boris Godunov as Tsar of Russia. He became an influential figure at court, and he supported Vasili IV of Russia's efforts to defend Russia from Polish and Cossack invasion.
Pozharsky in 1612
In 1611, Pozharksy joined Prokopy Lyapunov's "First People's Militia" in Ryazan and took part in the 1611 anti-Polish uprising in Moscow. He came to lead a "Second People's Militia" gathered in Nizhny Novgorod with the help of Kuzma Minin, and, in August 1612, he advanced on Moscow and defeated the Poles in a four-day battle. In October, the Poles surrendered the Kremlin to the Russians before being massacred. Pozharsky and Dmitry Trubetskoy presided over the Muscovite government until Michael of Russia was elected Tsar, and Pozharksy was made a boyar. In 1615, he battled Polish raiders and attacked King Wladyslaw IV Vasa three years later. He also served as Governor of Novgorod from 1628 to 1630 and fought in the Smolensk War in secondary roles. He died in 1642.