Vasily Borisovich Sheremetev (Russian: Василий Борисович Шереметев) (1622 - 24 April 1682)[1] was a Russian military commander and state official of Sheremetev family, boyar since 1653,[1] voivode of Smolensk (1656-1658), later of Kiev (1658-1660?).
Career
In 1646 he was in charge of border guard regiments in Yablunov and Yelets (today both are in Lipetsk Oblast).[1] In 1649 Sheremetev was appointed a voivode of Tobolsk.[1] In 1653-54 he led border guard detachments quartered at the Belgorod Defense Line.[1] During the Khmelnytsky Uprising, his military contingent joined military troops of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.[1]
One of Muscovite commanders during the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667); he fought in the battle of Ochmatów (1655) where he led Muscovite "Southern Corps"[1] and the battle of Cudnów (1660). In 1656 Sheremetev was appointed as a voivode of Smolensk and played an active role in Muscovite and Commonwealth negotiations of 1650s.[1] In 1658 he led a Muscovite delegation in Barysaw (today a city in Minsk Voblast) where he had a conflict with polkovnyk of Belarus Regiment Ivan Nechay.[1]
On 6 April 1658 by a Tsar's decree Sheremetev was appointed a voivode of the Muscovite 6,000 garrison in Kiev and was assisted by Prince Yuriy Bariatinsky.[1][2] Sheremetev supported election of Yurii Khmelnytsky as Hetman of Zaporizhian Host.[1] Following the 1660 Cudnów campaign culminated in battle of Cudnów, Sheremeted was taken prisoner by Polish troops and handed over to Crimean Tatar Khan Mehmed IV Giray.[1]
He was prisoner for more than 20 years (1660–1681) in Chufut-Kale,[1] he died in Tsardom of Muscovy. During his imprisonment, there died his wife and his son Ivan.[1]