Yury Baryatinsky

Who is Yury Baryatinsky?

Yury Nikitich Baryatinski was a Russian knyaz, boyar and voyevoda from the Rurikid house of Baryatinsky.

Baryatinsky was born as a son of Nikita Petrovich Baryatinsky. Until 1653 he made a military career and served in several cities before he was sent as a diplomat to Lithuania.

When the Russo-Polish War 1654—67 broke out Baryatinsky was one of the military leaders on the Russian side. In 1654, in the Battle of Szkłów he defeated a Lithuanian army of Janusz Radziwill which was twice as big as his detachment, thus helping the surrender of Smolensk. Next year he served in the Novgorodian regiment of Semyon Urusov. In 1655 he was victorious near Borisov and defeated the army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the battle of Brest.

In 1658, after a part of the Cossack leadership under Ivan Vyhovsky switched the sides and allied themselves with the Poles, Baryatinsky defeated the hetman's brother Konstantin Vyhovsky near Vasylkiv. As a trophy, Baryatinsky captured the bulawa of Vyhovsky which today is shown in the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow.

In 1659, Baryatinsky was appointed as voyevoda of Kiev and as the right hand of Vasily Sheremetev who commanded the Russian troops there. After Sheremetev left the city with his army, Baryatinsky became the commander of the city's garrison. Sheremetev capitulated after the battle of Chudniv and ordered Baryatinsky to withdraw from the ancient city according to his new treaty with the Poles. Baryatinsky, however, refused to do so, answering with historical words: "I only take orders from his Majesty, not from Sheremetev. There are many Sheremetevs in Moscow!".