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

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

commanded by

Stefan Czarniecki Stefan Czarniecki (Polish: of the Łodzia coat of arms, 1599 – 16 February 1665) was a Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Polish szlachta, nobleman, general and military commander. In his career, he rose from a petty nobleman to a magnate hol ...

on one side, and on the other

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...

's army commanded by

Charles X Gustav Charles X Gustav, also Carl 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 Kleeburg, John Casimir, Count Palatine of Palatinate-Kleeburg, Zweib ...

. 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.

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'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...

, near the confluence of the

Wieprz The Wieprz (, ; ) is a river in central-eastern Poland, and 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 course near the to ...

and

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

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 ( (); (); () 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, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

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

, 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 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

The Poles, surrounded by an enemy that outnumbered them three times, did not allow themselves to be defeated and inflicted significant losses on the Swedish army. The skirmish near Gołębie proved the talent of Czarniecki, who skillfully exploited Charles Gustav's mistakes and successively attacked the divided Swedish forces.Zbigniew Kuchowicz, Zdzisław Speralski, "W walce z najazdem szwedzkim 1655-1660" Wydawn. Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1956. P. 55 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 Crimean Tatars (), or simply Crimeans (), are an Eastern European Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group and nation indigenous to Crimea. Their ethnogenesis lasted thousands of years in Crimea and the northern regions along the coast of the Blac ...

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

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish epic writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as The Trilogy, the Trilogy series and especially ...

, 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 or Le Déluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-L ...

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. Cont ...

(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

Works cited

* Mała Encyklopedia Wojskowa, 1967, Wydanie I *

Leszek Podhorodecki Leszek Podhorodecki (1934 – 7 December 2000) was a Polish historian and writer. A secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ...

, ''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 Northern War of 1655–1660 Conflicts in 1656 1656 in Europe Golab Golab Battles involving the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth