The Battle of Wojnicz was fought around the medieval town of Wojnicz in

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 ...

as part of the

Second Northern War The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of ...

on October 3, 1655 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

Field Crown 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 gras ...

Stanisław Lanckoroński and Great Crown Hetman Stanisław Rewera Potocki on one side, and on the other, the invading Swedish forces commanded by King

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 ...

. The battle ended in a Swedish victory.

Background

In the early stages of the Siege of Kraków, the Polish royal units of Hetman Lanckoronski decided to abandon the city, as the situation of the defenders was hopeless. Together with king Jan Kazimierz, the Poles headed eastwards, to the city of

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...

. The king with the royal court had then turned southwards, towards Nowy Wiśnicz and

Nowy Sącz Nowy Sącz (; ; ; ; ) is a city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County as a separate administrative unit. With a population of 83,116 as of 2021, it is the largest city in the Beskid S ...

, leaving the army of Lanckoroński to join units under Hetman Potocki by the ancient market town of Wojnicz. Swedish king Charles Gustav, who commanded the siege of Kraków, decided to chase the Poles, leaving

Arvid Wittenberg Arvid Wittenberg or Arvid Wirtenberg von Debern (1606 – 7 September 1657), Swedish count, field marshal and privy councillor. Born in Porvoo, Finland, died in prison in Zamość, Poland, 7 September 1657. Arvid Wittenberg preferred call himse ...

with 8,000 soldiers in Krakow. Charles Gustav had app. 5,000 soldiers, mostly infantry, while the Polish units were more numerous, including the

hussars A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

under Aleksander Koniecpolski. The Poles were camped in the hills above Wojnicz, on the

Dunajec The Dunajec (; Goral dialects: ''Dónajec''; ) is a river running through northeastern Slovakia and southern Poland. It is also regarded as the main river of the Goral Lands. It is a right tributary of the Vistula River. It begins in Nowy Targ at ...

river.

Battle

Due to poor visibility, the Swedes sent two cavalry regiments for reconnaissance. The regiments clashed with the Polish cavalry, which had been sent on a similar mission. The skirmish turned into a full-scale battle, which took place inside the Polish camp, among its tents. Charles Gustav quickly sent reinforcements, attacking the wings of the Polish cavalry. Under pressure from disciplined Swedish musketeers and their firepower, the hussars, who were an elite force of the Polish army, had to retreat beyond the river Dunajec. Stanislaw Lanckoronski narrowly escaped death. The battle was another Polish failure and resonated profoundly across the Commonwealth. In nearby Tarnów, where the Polish forces had fled, thousands of soldiers switched sides and joined Charles Gustav. Among them were Dymitr Wisniowiecki, Aleksander Koniecpolski and Jan Sobieski, the future Polish king, who hoped that the Swedes would help Poland in the never-ending wars in the east.

Swedish units

*1. Kungliga hästgardet (400) or Müllers

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 ...

*2. Smålands

(800) *3. Wittenbergs

(600) *4. Dismounted

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

(Berndes

) and Commanded Musketeers (?) (700) *5. Yxkulls

(550) *6. Sulzbachs

(650) *7. Böddekers

(550) *8. Pretlachs

(850) *9. Ridderhielms

(600)

Polish units

A. Lanckoroński - 2,600 Cossack ( pancerni) cavalry B. Wisniowiecki - 400 hussars and C. Koniecpolski - 2,600 Cossack cavalry D. Denhoff - 460 dismounted

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s in a fortified camp

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 ...

- * Hetman Stanisław Lanckoroński's Banner * Władysław Myszkowski's Banner * Adam Działyński's Banner Cossack Cavalry - * Approximately 70 banners

s - * Col. Denhoff's Regiment * Hetman Lanckoroński's Banner * Alexander Koniecpolski's Banner

References

External links

*http://www.jasinski.co.uk/wojna/conflicts/conf06.htm {{coord, 49.966667, 20.833333, format=dms, display=title, type:event Wojnicz 1655 in Europe Wojnicz Wojnicz 1655 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Kraków Voivodeship (14th century – 1795) Battles involving the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth