The Battle of

Żarnów Żarnów is a historical village in Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Żarnów. It lies approximately south-west of Opoczno and south-east of the regional capita ...

was fought on September 16, 1655, 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 Poland and Lithuania ru ...

, commanded by

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 ...

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 Charles X Gustav. The result ended with a Swedish victory.

Background

The Swedish army captured Warsaw in late July 1655, after the Polish capital had been abandoned by King

. Soon afterwards, the Swedes began chasing the Polish troops, who retreated southwards. On September 9, near Inowłódz, a unit under

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 Com ...

attacked the Swedish rear guard of 500, commanded by George Forgell. The Poles managed to kill some 200 Swedes, but this did not halt the advance of the invaders. The Swedish army continued its march southwards, capturing and burning the towns of Inowłódz,

Drzewica Drzewica is a town in Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,778 inhabitants as of December 2021. From 1975 to 1998 the town was a part of Radom Voivodeship. Located on the Drzewiczka river (a tributary to the Pilica), in the nort ...

and Odrzywół. On September 12, the siege of

Opoczno Opoczno ) is a town in south-central Poland, in eastern part of Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship (1975–1998). It has a long and rich history, and in the past it used to be one of the most importa ...

began. The town, lacking modern fortifications, quickly capitulated, and was almost completely destroyed, with only 20 houses left intact. A similar fate awaited other local towns: in Drzewica, only 21 houses remained, and only 22 in Odrzywół. Local residents were shaken by the barbarity of the Swedish invaders, as the northwestern corner of Lesser Poland had not experienced such vast destruction since the 13th century Mongol invasion of Poland. In early September 1655, Polish forces loyal to John II Casimir concentrated near Wolborz. Charles Gustav decided to confront them, leaving Warsaw on September 12. Polish units in Wolborz consisted mostly of men raised by the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

through a levée en masse from

Mazovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...

and northern

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...

who was no match for experienced Swedish mercenaries. Since morale among the Poles was low, John Casimir planned to withdraw towards

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. The nobility disagreed with this plan, demanding to fight the invaders near their homes. On September 15, the Royal Crown army and levée en masse units, altogether numbering some 11,000, reached Żarnów, where Polish king decided to personally face Charles Gustav. The Swedish army was of similar strength, but with more infantry and 40 artillery pieces, versus six Polish cannons.

The battle

After an attack by

Polish cavalry The Polish cavalry ( pl, jazda, kawaleria, konnica) can trace its origins back to the days of medieval cavalry knights. Poland is mostly a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment. The knights and heav ...

was fought off by the Swedes, Charles Gustav ordered the infantry forward, with support from the artillery. The Swedes advanced, capturing a hill, which had served as a Polish defensive position. The Poles tried to prevent this, but facing Swedish fire superiority, they had to withdraw. Soon afterwards, Swedish cavalry entered the fray, but the battle was ended by heavy rain, which saved the Polish army from complete destruction. Retreating Polish units were chased by the Swedes, who captured the best soldiers and forced them to serve in the Swedish army. The nobility abandoned the battlefield and returned to their homes.

Aftermath

The Swedish victory opened the road to the province of

. Altogether, the Poles lost some 1,000 men. Those units that evaded capture marched towards

Włoszczowa Włoszczowa is a town in southern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about west of Kielce. It is the capital of Włoszczowa County. Population is 10,756 (2004). Włoszczowa lies in historic Lesser Poland, and from its foundation until 179 ...

and Kraków, commanded by

and King John II Casimir. The King, broken and defeated, reached Kraków on September 19. At first, John Casimir planned to defend the ancient Polish capital at all costs, but changed his mind and left the city, leaving it under the command of Czarniecki. A few days later, the Polish monarch crossed the Polish-Silesian border. One of the hills located in Żarnów is still called ''Szwedzka Góra'' (''Swedish Mountain''), as, according to a legend, King John II Casimir watched the 1655 battle from this hill. The town of Żarnów itself was burned to the ground by the Swedes to such an extent that 21 years after the battle, the population of Żarnów was only 120, while before the battle, it had reached 1,000. The northwestern corner of historic Lesser Poland, which had until then been prosperous, was turned into a desert, and with other towns in the region, such as Opoczno, Inowłódz, Drzewica and Odrzywół, Żarnów never fully recovered: "It is not an exaggeration to claim that the cataclysm of the Swedish Deluge can be compared with the barbarity of the Nazis in the Second World War", wrote local historian Krzysztof Nawrocki.

Swedish units

1. Fab. Berns Dragoon
2. Drottningens

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. ...

3. Fältm. Wittenbergs

4. Wirtz Infantry
5. Fersen Infantry
6. Fältm. Wittenbergs

7. Liv

8. Königsmarcks

9. Västerbotten Regiment Infantry (Cappelen)
10. Närke Infantry (Essen)
11.

Hälsinge Regiment The Hälsinge Regiment ( sv, Hälsinge regemente), designations I 14, I 14/Fo 49 and I 14/Fo 21, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were original ...

Infantry (Carl Larsson Sparre)
12. Königsmarcks

13. Lantgr. Fr. av Hessen

14. Upplands

15.

Infantry (Karl Spare)
16.

Småland Regiment The Småland Regiment ( sv, Smålands regemente), designations I 12 and I 12/Fo 17, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The unit was disbanded as a result of the disarmament policies set forward i ...

Infantry (Irwing)
17. Upplands

18. Fab. Berns Dragoon
19. Smålands

20. Smålands Infantry (Irwing)
21. Smålands

22. Sinclers

23. Ridderhielms

24.

Västmanland Regiment The Västmanland Regiment ( sv, Västmanlands regemente), designations I 18 and Fo 48, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded for the first time in 1927 but later reraised and disb ...

Infantry (Drakenberg)
25. Böddeker

26. Västgöta Infantry (Scheiding)
27. Pretlach

28. Gr. Pontus De la Gardie

29. Yxkull

30. Ångermanland Infantry
31. Engels

32. Taubes

Total: * 6,000 cavalry * 4,500 infantry * 400 dragoons * 40 artillery pieces

Polish units

* 6,000 cavalry (

Wojsko komputowe ''Wojsko komputowe'' (, ''comput army'') is a type of military unit that was used in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 17th century and the 18th century. Until the mid-17th century, Polish forces were divided into permanent units ( pl, ...

) * 900–1,500 dragoons and reiters * 3,000-4,000

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 ...

(levée en masse) from the

voivodeship A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...

s of

Łęczyca Łęczyca (; in full the Royal Town of Łęczyca, pl, Królewskie Miasto Łęczyca; german: Lentschitza; he, לונטשיץ) is a town of 13,786 inhabitants () in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the ...

Kuyavia Kuyavia ( pl, Kujawy; german: Kujawien; la, Cuiavia), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three ...

Sieradz Sieradz ( la, Siradia, yi, שעראַדז, שערעדז, שעריץ, german: 1941-45 Schieratz) is a city on the Warta river in central Poland with 40,891 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of the Sieradz County, situated in the Łódź Voivode ...

and

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...

* 6 artillery pieces

Sources

Pod Żarnowem - w czasach szwedzkiego Potopu. Kolejna rocznica historycznej bitwy, by Krzysztof Nawrocki (pdf format)

External links

Photos of the Swedish hill in Żarnów
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Zarnow Conflicts in 1655 1655 in Europe Zarnow Zarnow History of Łódź Voivodeship 1655 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth