Stanisław Żółkiewski

Timeline

1. c. 1547–1600Galicia · RutheniaBorn of the lesser nobility, he distinguished himself in the Livonian War and wars against the Tatars, gradually rising to Grand Crown Hetman and becoming an important commander for Poland's eastern defense and outward expansion.
2. 1604–1606Smolensk–Moscow line · Russian frontierIn 1605 he led troops in support of False Dmitry I's southward advance, defeating Russian forces in a key battle and providing military backing for the pretender tsar's entry into Moscow; domestic politics later prevented a long-term Polish presence in Russia.
3. 1610–1611Klushino · RussiaIn June 1610 at the Battle of Klushino he defeated a larger Russian–Swedish coalition, then advanced and occupied Moscow, installing Tsar Władysław and pushing Poland's intervention in the Time of Troubles into a phase of direct involvement.