The Battle of Warsaw (german: Schlacht von Warschau; pl, Bitwa pod WarszawÄ…; sv, Tredagarsslaget vid Warschau) took place near
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 ...
on , between the armies 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 Poland and Lithuania ru ...
and
Sweden and
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...
. It was a major battle in the
Second Northern War between Poland and Sweden in the period 1655–1660, also known as
The Deluge
The Genesis flood narrative (chapters 6–9 of the Book of Genesis) is the Hebrew version of the universal flood myth. It tells of God's decision to return the universe to its pre- creation state of watery chaos and remake it through the microc ...
. According to
Hajo Holborn
Hajo Holborn (18 May 1902, Berlin – 20 June 1969, Bonn) was a German-American historian and specialist in modern German history.
Early life
Hajo Holborn was born the son of Ludwig Holborn, the German physicist and "Direktor der Physikalisch ...
, it marked "the beginning of Prussian military history".
In the battle, a smaller Swedish-Brandenburg force, but with the fire superiority of infantry and artillery gained victory over a Polish–Lithuanian force superior in numbers, though in the long term the victory achieved little. Polish–Lithuanian losses were insignificant, since the Polish noble levy promptly and unbroken retreated from the battlefield.
Prelude
The Polish–Lithuanian forces, commanded by King
John II Casimir of Poland
John II Casimir ( pl, Jan II Kazimierz Waza; lt, Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 until his abdication in 1668 as well as titular King of Sweden from 1648 ...
, comprised about 24–25,000 regulars, which included only 950 Winged Hussars (8 banners), 2,000
Tatars
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different and 10–13,000 of the noble levy (''
pospolite ruszenie
''Pospolite ruszenie'' (, lit. ''mass mobilization''; "Noble Host", lat, motio belli, the French term ''levée en masse'' is also used) is a name for the mobilisation of armed forces during the period of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Li ...
''), altogether some 40,000 men of which only about 4,500 were infantry.
[ The allied armies of Sweden and Brandenburg, commanded by King Charles X of Sweden and Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg, were only 18,000 strong, comprising 12,500 cavalry (60 squadrons), and 5,500 infantry (15 brigades), which included 8,500 Brandenburg men.][ Second in command of Brandenburg's forces was ]Otto Christoph von Sparr
Otto Christoph Freiherr von Sparr (13 November 1599 or 1605 – 9 May 1668) was a ''Generalfeldmarschall'' of Brandenburg-Prussia.
Sparr came from a noble family from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. He was born either in Lichterfelde near Eber ...
.
John II Casimir ferried his army across 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 ...
River[ and met the approaching Swedish-Brandenburg force on its right bank, about five kilometers to the north of the suburb of ]Praga
Praga is a district of Warsaw, Poland. It is on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.
History
The historical Praga was a small settlement located at ...
. Charles X had initially hoped to destroy the Lithuanian and Tatar forces before they joined up with the remainder of the Commonwealth army, but this plan failed. Some officers of Brandenburg considered the Polish–Lithuanian forces to be overwhelming in numbers and instead advocated a retreat.
First day
Charles marched his allied army down the right (east) bank of the Vistula on 28 July and assaulted the Polish army.[ However, the Polish infantry had dug into a narrow corridor along the river bank, which prevented them from being dislodged.][
]
Second day
Charles, wheeling left, moved his entire army to the Polish right, through the Białołęka
Białołęka (, from ''biały'' - ''white'' and ''łąka'' - ''meadow'') is one of 18 districts of Warsaw, located in the northern part of the city. Until October 27, 2002 Białołęka was a gmina. The name ''Białołęka'' comes from a nobleman ...
Forest onto a narrow plain, consolidating his position before 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 ...
could react.[ Aleksander Polbinski's 800 hussars drove into the three lines of cavalry, ]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.
...
, guarding the flanks of Charles' infantry.[ The hussars broke through the first line of ]Uppland
Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhab ...
and Småland regiments, but deprived of support, they were stopped by the flank fire of the Swedish regiments.[ As a result of the attack, Charles Gustav was in danger and wounded.][Nagielski Miroslav, ''Warszawa 1656,'' Warszawa 2009, p. 199] The ''kozacka'' cavalry, the ''pancerna'', did not participate in the attack, being held in reserve.[ Seeing that the Swede-Brandenburg allies held their ground, ]John II Casimir
John II Casimir ( pl, Jan II Kazimierz Waza; lt, Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 until his abdication in 1668 as well as titular King of Sweden from 1648 ...
withdrew his army across the Vistula bridge, covered by his cavalry.[
]
Third day
The Swede and Brandenburg allies occupied the open plain and the Polish–Lithuanian cavalry escaped along 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 John Casimir abandoned Warsaw again.[
]
Aftermath
The Brandenburg and Swedish allies occupied 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†...
on 10 Aug., and the Brandenburg garrisons replaced the Swedes in Wielkopolska
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city ...
, but then they refused to support the Swedes any further, forcing Charles to withdraw north to Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia ( pl, Prusy Królewskie; german: Königlich-Preußen or , csb, Królewsczé Prësë) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) was a ...
.[Frost, R.I., 2000, The Northern Wars, 1558–1721, Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, ] John Casimir quickly regrouped at Lublin.[
The Battle of Warsaw is commemorated on the ]Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ( pl, Grób Nieznanego Żołnierza) is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, dedicated to the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. It is one of many such national tombs of unknowns that were erected af ...
, with the inscription "Warszawa 30 V-1 VII, 28–30 VII 1656".
See also
* Brandenburg-Prussia
References
*
Further reading
* Curt Jany: History of the Prussian Army - From the 15th century to 1914, Volume 1, Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1967, pp. 120–130
* ''Svenska Slagfält'', 2003, (Walhlström & Widstrand)
* Miroslav Nagielski, "Warszawa 1656", Bellona (1990)
* J.Cichowski & A.Szulczynski, "Husaria", MON (1981)
* Leszek Podhorodecki, "Rapier i koncerz", Książka i Wiedza (1985)
External links
Battle of Warsaw 1656
{{Coord, 52.2323, N, 21.0084, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Warsaw 1656
1656 in Poland
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Warsaw 1656
Warsaw 1656