The russo-polish war of the early 17th century was sparked by conflicts emerging from the Time of Troubles, when Muscovy was suffering a dynastic succession war, and from a proposed dynastic union between the commonwealth and Muscovy, which only enticed political greed from both sides. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took advantage of the chaotic situation in the eastern kingdom and plunged deep into russian territory. This culminated in the Battle of Moscow (Sept. of 1612), in which the russians, to their fortune, managed to push back the polish advance, attaining a tactical victory, and turn the tide of the war.
But what if the poles had successfully broken the defense of the city and captured it?
-Would it spill the end of the Tsardom of Muscovy?
-How would the rest of the eastern slavs react to such a defeat?
-Could Poland-Lithuania hold the territory? If so, for how long? And if for long, could they possibly expand to the Urals in the future?
-Could Sigismund III still fulfill his dreams of uniting Sweden and Poland, possibly creating a protestant counter-balance to the newly acquired orthodox population of Russia? Or possibly more religious problems?
-Even if the Commonwealth cannot hold the place and the orthodox russians break off, could this newly created "second tsardom of russia" have been crippled economically, unable to expand east?
But what if the poles had successfully broken the defense of the city and captured it?
-Would it spill the end of the Tsardom of Muscovy?
-How would the rest of the eastern slavs react to such a defeat?
-Could Poland-Lithuania hold the territory? If so, for how long? And if for long, could they possibly expand to the Urals in the future?
-Could Sigismund III still fulfill his dreams of uniting Sweden and Poland, possibly creating a protestant counter-balance to the newly acquired orthodox population of Russia? Or possibly more religious problems?
-Even if the Commonwealth cannot hold the place and the orthodox russians break off, could this newly created "second tsardom of russia" have been crippled economically, unable to expand east?
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