The Battle of Kokenhausen (Kokenhuza, ) was a major battle opening the

Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611) The Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611) was a continuation of struggle between Sweden and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over control of Livonia and Estonia, as well as the dispute over the Swedish throne between Charles IX of Sweden and ...

. It took place on the 13 June (O.S.) or 23 June (N.S.)Frost, R.I., 2000, The Northern Wars, 1558–1721, Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, p.63. 1601 near

Koknese Koknese () is a town in Aizkraukle Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the right bank of the Daugava River. It has a population of nearly 3,000. According to the provisions of the 2021 Latvian administrative reform, Koknese gained ...

(in

Baltic German Baltic Germans ( or , later ) are Germans, ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950), their resettlement in 1945 after the end ...

''Kokenhausen'') in

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

(now in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

). In the battle, Polish forces defeated the Swedish relief force and captured the besieging force, relieving the Polish garrison. The battle is notable as one of the greatest victories of the Polish hussars, who defeated their numerically superior

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

adversaries.

Prelude

Kokenhausen was one of three major forts blocking the Swedish progress on the line of the

Daugava River The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

. Swedish forces of about 2,000 under

Carl Carlsson Gyllenhielm Baron Carl Carlsson Gyllenhielm (4 March 1574 – 17 March 1650) was a Swedish soldier and politician. He was made a baron (''friherre'') in 1615, appointed Field Marshal in 1616, Privy Councilor in 1617, Governor General of Ingria in 1617 ...

had been blockading the fortified town of Kokenhausen, located on

, between

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

and

Daugavpils Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...

- since 10 March - after the arrival of Duke Charles with heavy

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

- laying a siege to it since 28 March. On 1 April the Swedes had taken the town but not the inner

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, which was still defended by a Polish-Lithuanian garrison. Charles left about 2,600 strong besieging force, and moved north to Erlaa. The Polish-Lithuanian relief army of 800 men under

Krzysztof Mikołaj "the Thunderbolt" Radziwiłł Krzysztof () is a Polish male given name, equivalent to English ''Christopher''. The name became popular in the 15th century. Its diminutive forms include Krzyś, Krzysiek, and Krzysio; augmentative – Krzychu Individuals named Krzysztof may choo ...

arrived around 11 May and in turn started to besiege the Swedes; it grew to over 4,000 with 16 cannons by mid-June. The Swedes decided to prioritize the relief of the Kokenhausen siege force. They had been reinforcing it with supplies through the river, but many of them had been captured by Commonwealth troops on 29 May. A major Swedish relief force of about 2,000 under

Carl Gyllenhielm Baron Carl Carlsson Gyllenhielm (4 March 1574 – 17 March 1650) was a Swedish soldier and politician. He was made a baron (''friherre'') in 1615, appointed Field Marshal in 1616, Privy Councilor in 1617, Governor General of Ingria in 1617 a ...

had been defeated at Erlaa by 1,000 Poles under Jan Siciński in early June. Emboldened by the victory, other Polish detachments captured some nearby strongholds and harassed the Swedish units. The Poles did not assault Kokenhausen, however, as they were waiting for more artillery, and were content to starve the Swedes out. The Swedes did not give up on securing the site, however, and reinforced to 5,000 the Swedes under Gyllenhielm arrived on the morning of 23 June at Kokenhausen and attempted to break the Polish encirclement.

Battle

The field of battle was raised along its edge with the Daugava for some one and a half kilometers to a width of about half a kilometer with the side nearest the river being steep and falling more gently towards the field. Gyllenhielm had about 900

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, 4000

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

, and 17

cannons A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during t ...

. Radziwiłł left about 500 infantry under Otto Denhoff with orders to maintain the siege, 150 men to guard the camp，and took the field with the rest (around 3,000 men, of which some 400 were infantry, 1000

Polish hussars The Polish hussars (; ), alternatively known as the winged hussars, were an elite heavy cavalry formation active in Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Poland and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1503 to 1702. Their epithet is derived fr ...

, and 9 cannons). In addition to

Grand Lithuanian Hetman Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...

Radziwiłł, the Polish-Lithuanian forces also included the

Field Lithuanian Hetman Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

Jan Karol Chodkiewicz Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (; 1561 – 24 September 1621) was a Polish–Lithuanian identity, Polish–Lithuanian military commander of the Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, who was from 1601 Field Hetman of Lithuania, and from 1605 Grand Hetman of Lit ...

. Polish-Lithuanian cavalry first broke the Swedish left flank. The Swedish counterattack on the right flank, which while initially successful, was in turn broken by the Polish hussar counterattack. The Swedish infantry still held against the Polish cavalry, until being broken by artillery fire. Gyllenhielm gathered some 2,000 cavalry but his troops refused to return to aid the infantry, and he was forced to retreat.

Aftermath

The Poles and Lithuanians lost about 200 men, the Swedes - 2,000 (including almost all of their infantry). After the battle, the Swedish force besieging the Kokenhausen castle, which took no part in the battle, surrendered to the Commonwealth. Swedish siege artillery was also captured. Both the hussar charges and artillery fire proved decisive in this engagement. The battle is notable as one of the greatest victories of the Polish hussars, who defeated their numerically superior

adversaries.

Gallery

File:Koknese 17.gs.jpg, Koknese Fortress. The battle took place on the banks of the Daugava Valley behind the city walls. File:Kokneses aplenkums 1601.jpg, The siege of Koknese from March to June 1601 (engraving by

Giacomo Lauro Giacomo Lauro (1550–1605), also called Giacomo da Treviso, was an Italian painter, of the late Renaissance, active mainly in his native Venice and Treviso. He was a follower of Paolo Veronese. He painted a ''St. Roch interceding for victims of t ...

, 1603).

References

External links

Map - Livonia at the start of the 17th Century''Winged Hussars''
Radoslaw Sikora, Bartosz Musialowicz, ''BUM Magazine'', 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kokenhausen Koknese Battles involving the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Battles involving Poland Battles involving Sweden Conflicts in 1601 1601 in Europe 17th century in Latvia Military history of Latvia