The Battle of Podhajce (October 6–16, 1667) was fought in the town of Podhajce in the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
(nowadays
Pidhaitsi
Pidhaitsi ( uk, Підгайці, Pidhajci, pl, Podhajce, yi, פּידײַיִץ, Podhaitza) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located ''ca.'' 15.5 mi south of Berezhany, 43.5 mi from Ternopil ...
, western
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
), and the area surrounding it as part of the
Polish-Tartar War and the
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...
. The army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth under
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...
, totaling around 9,000 men, defeated Tatar and Cossack forces under
Petro Doroshenko
Petro Doroshenko ( uk, Петро Дорофійович Дорошенко, russian: Пётр Дорофе́евич Дороше́нко, pl, Piotr Doroszenko; 1627–1698) was a Cossack political and military leader, Hetman of Right-bank Ukr ...
and
Adil Giray
Adil Giray, Adil Khan Girai ( crh3, Adil Geray, عادل كراى) was khan of the Crimean Khanate from 1666 to 1671.
Family
He is said to have been the grandson of Fetih I Giray (see below). His father was killed in battle in 1624 when the Turk ...
, which totaled around 35,000 men.
Prelude to battle
On January 31, 1667 the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I i ...
signed the
Treaty of Andrusovo
The Truce of Andrusovo ( pl, Rozejm w Andruszowie, russian: Андрусовское перемирие, ''Andrusovskoye Pieriemiriye'', also sometimes known as Treaty of Andrusovo) established a thirteen-and-a-half year truce, signed in 1667 bet ...
. Russia gained the control of
Left-bank Ukraine
Left-bank Ukraine ( uk, Лівобережна Україна, translit=Livoberezhna Ukrayina; russian: Левобережная Украина, translit=Levoberezhnaya Ukraina; pl, Lewobrzeżna Ukraina) is a historic name of the part of Ukrain ...
, while the commonwealth maintained the rule of Right-bank Ukraine, which would be defended by Polish-Lithuanian and Russian forces. The end of the war gave time to commonwealth armies for reinforcement. In the same period
Petro Doroshenko
Petro Doroshenko ( uk, Петро Дорофійович Дорошенко, russian: Пётр Дорофе́евич Дороше́нко, pl, Piotr Doroszenko; 1627–1698) was a Cossack political and military leader, Hetman of Right-bank Ukr ...
,
Hetman
( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders.
Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...
of
Right-bank Ukraine
Right-bank Ukraine ( uk , Правобережна Україна, ''Pravoberezhna Ukrayina''; russian: Правобережная Украина, ''Pravoberezhnaya Ukraina''; pl, Prawobrzeżna Ukraina, sk, Pravobrežná Ukrajina, hu, Jobb p ...
, in order to establish his rule in Right-bank Ukraine, signed a treaty with
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV ( ota, محمد رابع, Meḥmed-i rābi; tr, IV. Mehmed; 2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693) also known as Mehmed the Hunter ( tr, Avcı Mehmed) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the a ...
that recognized the
Cossack Hetmanate
The Cossack Hetmanate ( uk, Гетьманщина, Hetmanshchyna; or ''Cossack state''), officially the Zaporizhian Host or Army of Zaporizhia ( uk, Військо Запорозьке, Viisko Zaporozke, links=no; la, Exercitus Zaporoviensis) ...
as a
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...
of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.
To further increase his military strength Doroshenko allied with
Adil Giray
Adil Giray, Adil Khan Girai ( crh3, Adil Geray, عادل كراى) was khan of the Crimean Khanate from 1666 to 1671.
Family
He is said to have been the grandson of Fetih I Giray (see below). His father was killed in battle in 1624 when the Turk ...
, the khan of the
Crimean Khanate
The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to ...
. After gathering 15,000
Cossacks
The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
, about 18,000
Tatars
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different , and 3,000
Janissaries
A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ( ...
sent by the Ottoman Empire to support the Cossacks, Doroshenko attacked the area of Podhajce in western Ukraine. Polish-Lithuanian forces under
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...
, made up mostly of armed villagers, orthodox
Galician Ruthenians
Ruthenian and Ruthene are exonyms of Latin origin, formerly used in Eastern and Central Europe as common ethnonyms for East Slavs, particularly during the late medieval and early modern periods. The Latin term Rutheni was used in medieval sourc ...
who remained loyal to Polish kings since the beginning of
Chmelnitsky's uprising, encamped themselves on the southern part of Podhajce in order to gain a strategic advantage against the army of Doroshenko. On October 4, 1667 the Cossack-Tatar forces, supported by Janissaries arrived in Podhajce.
Battle
On October 6, 1667 Tatar forces under Adil Giray attacked the Polish-Lithuanian army. The Polish-Lithuanian infantry, supported by Polish multiple guns, defeated the Tatars and counterattacked. On the following days Cossack, Tatar and Janissary troops unsuccessfully tried to circumvent the right wing of the Polish-Lithuanian army, and flank attack the left wing of the troops of the Commonwealth.
Sobieski sent forces on the left wing of the army, and outnumbered the Cossack-Tatar forces, which were defeated. After the failure of consecutive attacked, Doroshenko unsuccessfully besieged the town of Podhajce, which was defended by Jan Sobieski. In the middle of October, 1667 Sobieski and Doroshenko signed an armistice and the Cossack-Tatar army retreated from Podhajce.
Aftermath
After defeating Doroshenko in Podhajce, John III Sobieski was promoted to
commander-in-chief of the Polish-Lithuanian army and
Grand Crown Hetman
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and co ...
, the highest military rank in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Podhajce (1667)
Battles of the Great Turkish War
Cossack Hetmanate
Battles involving the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Conflicts in 1667
Battles involving the Crimean Khanate
1667 in Europe
1667 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
17th century in the Zaporozhian Host