The Battle of Gołąb was fought on either 18 or 19 February 1656, between 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

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 ...

on one side, and on the other

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 ...

's army commanded by

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 ...

. This battle was essentially a meeting engagement with Swedish troops arriving on the battlefield at different times. It is uncertain how many actually participated, and its actual date is disputed. Some sources, such as Polish-language ''Military Encyclopedia'', claim it took place on 18 February, while historian Leszek Podhorecki wrote that it was on 19 February. The outcome was a Swedish victory.

Background

In mid-February 1656, Swedish army under King

camped near a village of Golab, located in 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 ...

, near the confluence of the

Wieprz The Wieprz (, ; ua, Вепр, Vepr) is a river in central-eastern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. It is the country's ninth longest river, with a total length of 349 km and a catchment area of 10,497 km2, all within Poland. Its cour ...

and

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 ...

rivers. The Swedes awaited Polish units of

. The Poles were divided into two groups; one commanded by Czarniecki himself, another headed by Colonel Sebastian Machowski. Swedish units had a number of Polish soldiers, who had deserted to their side. Among the Poles that served the Swedish King in this battle, was

Jan 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, Sobi ...

. According to Polish historian Leszek Podhorecki, King Charles Gustav, after finding out about anti-Swedish insurrection in southern

, decided to move his army there. The Swedes crossed the

Pilica river Pilica is a river in central Poland, the longest left tributary of the Vistula river, with a length of 333 kilometres (8th longest) and a basin area of 9,258 km2 (all in Poland).Kazimierz Dolny Kazimierz Dolny () is a small historic town in eastern Poland, on the right (eastern) bank of the Vistula river in Puławy County, Lublin Voivodeship. Historically it belongs to Lesser Poland, and in the past it was one of the most important citi ...

, surprising a Polish regiment stationed there. The Swedes then moved along right bank of the river, reaching Golab, where they surprised the scattered Polish forces. Swedish front guard, under General Horn and Count

Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (1622–26 February 1656) was the son of king Christian IV of Denmark and his morganatic spouse Kirsten Munk. He had the title Count of Schleswig-Holstein. Biography Born as the youngest legitimate son ...

opened fire, moving forwards. This caused retreat of Polish forces, which was stopped by Czarniecki, who ordered a counter-attack. At the same time, additional Swedish units entered the fray, gaining numerical superiority over the Poles. Swedish regiments, commanded personally by the King, backed for a while, but soon Polish attacked was halted under Swedish fire. To prevent his forces from complete destruction, Czarniecki ordered them to retreat. A number of Polish soldiers drowned while crossing the Wieprz, when the ice broke. Total Polish loses, however, were estimated at less than 150, mainly due to Czarniecki’s order to give up the battle and flee.

Aftermath

Charles Gustav was confident that the battle ended in complete destruction of Czarniecki’s army. This was untrue, as the Poles used a manoeuver, which they had observed while fighting

Crimean Tatars , flag = Flag of the Crimean Tatar people.svg , flag_caption = Flag of Crimean Tatars , image = Love, Peace, Traditions.jpg , caption = Crimean Tatars in traditional clothing in front of the Khan's Palace ...

. Their forces scattered across the area, to concentrate again after a few days. The Battle of Golab was described by Henryk Sienkiewicz, in his novel

Deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the Biblical book of Genesis. Deluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Com ...

Swedish units

Swedish Regiments: *Fältm. Wittenbergs

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. ...

(545) *Henrik Horns

(400) *Gustav Kurcks

(550) *Västgöta

(774) *Östgöta

(774) *Smålands

(738) *Sinclers

(440) *Gr. Waldemars

(550) *Yxkulls

(561) *Aschebergs

(400) *Engells

(323) Total: 6,005 The individual unit strength figures are based on unit strength figures from five months or more previous to the battle. Polish Troops in Swedish Service Kosack (Pancerni): *Starosta of Slonim Jan Sapiehas Banner under Muchowiecki (118) *Michal Zbrozeks Banner (100) *Wojciech Golynskis Banner (72) *Stonik of Czernichow Roman Zahorowskis Banner (70) *Jerzy Wielhorskis Banner (93) *Chorazy of Podolien Mikolaj Dzieduszyckis Banner (90) *Seweryn Kalinskis Banner (150) *Andrzej Kuklinowskis Banner (100) * Jan Sapiehas Second Banner under Samuel Lojowski (113) Total: 906 Tartars (Light Cavalry): *Mustafa Sudicz Banner (109) *Halembek Morawskis Banner (118) *Jan Sieleckis Banner (120) *Adam Taraszewskis Banner (120) *Bohdan Murzas Banner (135) *Mikolaj Pohajskis Banner under Stefan Morzkowski (100) *Adam Talkowskis Banner (120) *Jan Grzebultowskis Banner (51) Total: 873

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth units

The Army was divided in two regiments: * Hetmans Regiment under Machowski * Royal Regiment under Czarniecki Hussars - * Vojevoden of Sandomierz Wladyslaw Myszkowskis Banner (220) * Jan Zamoyskis Banner (150) Kosack (Pancerni) - * Starosta of Halicz A.Potockis Banner (143) * Karlo Potockis Banner (93) * Stanislaw W. Domaszewskis Banner (106) * Sebastian Machowskis Banner (112) * Mikolaj Potockis Banner (150)* * Samuel Rogowskis Banner (125)* * Stanislaw Witowskis Banner (150)* * Prince Konstanty Wisnowieckis Banner (150) * Jan Mysliszewskis Banner (90) * Starosta of Bohuslaw Jacek Szemberks Banner (150) * Michal Stanislawskis Banner (92) * Samuel Holubs Banner (70) * Michal Morzkowskis Banner (78) * Kanstanty Soszenskis Banner (99)* * Alexander Cetners Banner (150)* * Jan Karol Potockis Banner (115) * Jacek Szemberks Valack Banner (99) * Czarnieckis Dragoons (300) (newly recruited) Total: 2,642 Units marked with * did not take part in the battle. They were escorting recruits.

References

* Mała Encyklopedia Wojskowa, 1967, Wydanie I * Leszek Podhorodecki, ''Rapier i koncerz'', Warszawa 1985, , str. 288-291 * Skworoda Paweł, "Warka - Gniezno 1656", Bellona - Dom Wydawniczy Bellona 2004, * Wimmer Jan, "Wojna Polsko-Szwedzka 1655–1660", Warszawa, 1973.

External links

Battle of Golab
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Golab Second Northern War Conflicts in 1656 1656 in Europe Golab Golab