The Battle of Warka occurred on April 7, 1656 between the forces of 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 ...
, commanded by
Stefan Czarniecki
Stefan Czarniecki (Polish: of the Łodzia coat of arms, 1599 – 16 February 1665) was a Polish nobleman, general and military commander. In his career, he rose from a petty nobleman to a magnate holding one of the highest offices in the Commo ...
, and the forces of the
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...
, commanded by
Frederick VI, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
Frederick VI, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (16 November 1617 – 10 or 31 January 1677Meyers Konversationslexikon 1888 says he died on 31 January) was the Margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1659 until his death.
Life
He was born at Karlsburg Castl ...
. Lasting about two hours, the battle ended in a Polish victory.
It was the first Polish success on the open field since the Swedish invasion of Poland in the early summer of 1655, during the
Swedish Deluge
The Deluge ( pl, potop szwedzki, lt, švedų tvanas) was a series of mid-17th-century military campaigns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a wider sense it applies to the period between the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648 and the Truce ...
.
Background
After the
Battle of Jaroslaw
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, which took place on March 15, 1656, Swedish forces under king
Charles X Gustav
Charles X Gustav, also Carl Gustav ( sv, Karl X Gustav; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. Afte ...
found themselves in a difficult situation. They needed reinforcements, so on March 16, the king ordered his brother,
Adolph John, to send the army of
Frederick VI, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
Frederick VI, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (16 November 1617 – 10 or 31 January 1677Meyers Konversationslexikon 1888 says he died on 31 January) was the Margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1659 until his death.
Life
He was born at Karlsburg Castl ...
, which was stationed in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
.
In the second half of March 1656, the margrave left Warsaw, with between 2,200 and 2,500
reiter
''Reiter'' or ''Schwarze Reiter'' ("black riders", anglicized ''swart reiters'') were a type of cavalry in 16th to 17th century Central Europe including Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Tsardom of Russia, and others.
...
s and
dragoon
Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...
s. His mission was to relieve The main Swedish army, together with the king himself, which was trapped and surrounded by Poles and Lithuanians in the confluence of the
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
and
San rivers. The margrave and his soldiers had to cross the dense
Kozienice
Kozienice (; yi, קאזשניץ ''Kozhnits''; german: Koschnitz) is a town in eastern Poland with 21,500 inhabitants (1995). Located four miles from the Vistula, it is the capital of Kozienice County.
Even though Kozienice is part of Lesser Pol ...
Wilderness, where Swedish units were constantly attacked by Polish guerillas. After a few days, Frederick VI received a message from Charles Gustav, ordering him to return to Warsaw. The Swedish king realized that main Polish forces, which had trapped him in the area of
Gorzyce, headed northwards, to face Frederick. Polish
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 ...
s
Jerzy Lubomirski and
Stefan Czarniecki
Stefan Czarniecki (Polish: of the Łodzia coat of arms, 1599 – 16 February 1665) was a Polish nobleman, general and military commander. In his career, he rose from a petty nobleman to a magnate holding one of the highest offices in the Commo ...
were no longer in the area, which gave Charles Gustav a chance to escape the trap.
Frederick VI obeyed royal order, and began a retreat, via Kozienice and Warka. The Polish forces under Czarniecki and Lubomirski that chased him had to cover the distance of some 80 kilometers, which was difficult in the conditions of early spring, when roads were flooded by melting snow. The forces of Frederick VI could have escaped the Poles, but the margrave made a grave mistake, when he decided to wait for a column of Swedish soldiers together with heavy wagons, which marched slowly to Warka from
Radom
Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975–1 ...
. When The Polish forces reached
Zwolen, after a quick march from
Sandomierz
Sandomierz (pronounced: ; la, Sandomiria) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (as of 2017), situated on the Vistula River in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Provi ...
, Frederick’s force was still located south of the
Pilica river.
The battle
![Kossak Bitwa pod Warką](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Kossak_Bitwa_pod_Wark%C4%85.jpg)
After both Swedish groups had joined, they crossed the Pilica, which lasted a whole night. At the same time, Polish forces under Lubomirski caught the Swedish rearguard. The skirmish, which took place near Kozienice, ended with complete destruction of the Swedes. The survivors, who reached Frederick VI, told him about the danger, but the margrave waited with destruction of the bridge until the morning of April 7.
After leaving the rearguard along the river, the Swedes formed a 4-kilometer long column, and began marching towards Warsaw. When The Polish forces arrived, the column stretched from Piaseczno in the north to Warka in the south. Frederick VI did not feel threatened, as the Pilica was very wide after snowmelt, and there was no bridge available for The Polish cavalry. The Poles, however, quickly found a
ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
, crossing the river near the village of Winiary, where they immediately attacked the Swedish reiters located. The Polish forces were then divided into three groups. One of the groups, under Czarniecki, attacked the Swedes guarding the partly destroyed bridge. After capturing the bridge, Polish engineers rebuilt it, which allowed three regiments to cross the Pilica. At the same time Lubomirski attacked the regiment of an officer named Ritter, destroying it.
Frederick VI, whose forces shrank to between 2,200 and 2,500, ordered some units to guard the wagons, while the remaining regiments took positions at the edge of a forest, waiting for the attacking Poles with loaded muskets. Since Swedish troops stood in front of the forest, it was impossible for the Poles to encircle them, and a frontal attack was the only solution.
First to attack was Lubmirski’s cavalry, but it was twice stopped by Swedish firepower. Soon, Lubomirski was reinforced by Czarniecki with three regiments. Altogether, the Poles had 8,000 soldiers, divided into ten regiments, but some 6,000 participated in the main fighting, as the remaining ones were busy chasing the retreating Swedes or looting the wagons.
Swedish defense was broken in the third attack, carried out by
Polish hussars
The Polish hussars (; pl, husaria ), alternatively known as the winged hussars, were a heavy cavalry formation active in Poland and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1503 to 1702. Their epithet is derived from large rear wings, which ...
. Survivors fled to the forest, trying to organize defensive positions there. Local residents then set the grass and bushes on fire, which forced the Swedes to return to the open field. The battle then turned into a slaughter; those reiters and dragoons that survived were mercilessly murdered by the peasants. A Swedish regiment tried to escape to a forest near the village of
Magierowa Wola
Magierowa Wola is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Warka, within Grójec County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately north of Warka, east of Grójec, and south of Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Wars ...
, but was destroyed by the
Polish hussars
The Polish hussars (; pl, husaria ), alternatively known as the winged hussars, were a heavy cavalry formation active in Poland and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1503 to 1702. Their epithet is derived from large rear wings, which ...
s of Zamoyski. Other Polish units awaited fleeing Swedes near
Chynow. Frederick himself escaped to
Czersk
Czersk (; ; formerly german: Czersk, (1942-5): ) is a town in northern Poland in Chojnice County, Pomeranian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 9,844.
Today the center of the city of Czersk in is the Village Square. ...
, where he organized defence in the local castle. Polish units, who chased him, did not try to capture the castle, as they lacked infantry and artillery.
Polish cavalry had very little time, as all units had to quickly return to the south, to prevent the Swedish army from escaping. In the meantime, however, Charles Gustav, in a daring operation, managed to evade second-rate forces, which encircled him, and crossed the San.
Aftermath
Swedish losses amounted to some 400 killed and captured, while Poles lost 100 killed and 100 wounded, plus a great number of trained horses, killed by Swedish muskets. Polish forces captured a number of wagons (about 200) with looted properties, and food, which was especially important in the destroyed, starving country.
The victory of Warka had a symbolic meaning for Poland–Lithuania. The Polish Crown army, which had lost its best soldiers in the
Battle of Batoh
The Battle of Batoh, also Battle of Batih, was a battle in 1652 in which Polish-Lithuanian forces under hetman Marcin Kalinowski were defeated by a united army of Crimean Tatars and Zaporozhian Cossacks in what is now Ukraine. A day after the ...
(1652), was based on young, inexperienced recruits, who had lost several battles with the
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...
in the previous months. The Battle of Warka was the first Polish victory in an open field.
References
{{Coord, 51.783333, 21.200000, format=dms, display=title, type:event
Warka
Warka ( yi, ווארקע) is a town in east-central Poland, located on the left bank of the Pilica river ( south of Warsaw), with 11,035 inhabitants (2004). It has been situated in Grójec County, in the Masovian Voivodeship, since 1999; pre ...
1656 in Europe
Prostki
Prostki (german: Prostken) is a village in Ełk County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Prostki. It lies approximately south of Ełk and east of the regional c ...
Warka
Warka ( yi, ווארקע) is a town in east-central Poland, located on the left bank of the Pilica river ( south of Warsaw), with 11,035 inhabitants (2004). It has been situated in Grójec County, in the Masovian Voivodeship, since 1999; pre ...
Warka
Warka ( yi, ווארקע) is a town in east-central Poland, located on the left bank of the Pilica river ( south of Warsaw), with 11,035 inhabitants (2004). It has been situated in Grójec County, in the Masovian Voivodeship, since 1999; pre ...
1656 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth