ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the interactions between the local population and soldiers in foreign mercenary regiments in Russian service, predominantly German and British, on the eve of and during the Smolensk war of 1632 to 1634. On their march from the borders of the realm to the capital, and then on from Moscow to Smolensk, these foreign soldiers interacted with Russians in various ways, sometimes violently through plundering and destruction, but other times peacefully by trading and negotiating with locals on various levels. Despite the lack of a legal framework, successful systems of supply and logistics were created by local officials and the Russian government to ensure the passage of the foreign mercenaries and to provide security for civilians living along the way. When the military situation became unfavourable for the Russian army, however, these systems weakened. The chapter provides a comparative analysis of these uneasy developments, relying above all on well-documented aspects of the Thirty Years’ war.
