Truce of Altmark

The six-year Truce of Altmark (or Treaty of Stary Targ) was signed on September 25 or 26, 1629 at the Altmarkt (Stary Targ), near Danzig (Gdańsk) by Sweden and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during Thirty Years' War, ending the Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629) mostly fought on Prussian soil. Meetings were also held at Strasburg.

Sweden retains control of Livonia and the mouth of the Vistula river. Sweden also evacuated most of the Duchy of Prussia, but keept the coastal cities, which had opened their gates to the "savior of the Lutherans". Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, supported by the Catholic Holy Roman Empire, got back other Swedish gains since the 1625 invasion. The greater part of Livonia north of the Western Dvina (Vidzeme) was ceded to Sweden, though Latgale, the southeastern area, remained under Commonwealth rule. Sweden received rights to 2/3 of all the shipping tolls at ports in western Prussia, such as Danzig and Elbing and from the eastern Duchy of Prussia (Brandenburg-Prussia the ports for the next six years. These shipping tolls financed Sweden's involvement in the Thirty Years' War.

In 1635, the truce was extended by the Treaty of Stuhmsdorf, but after the 1632 death of Gustav Adolph, Sweden under Christina gave up the Prussian ports. In turn Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ceded most of Livonia with Riga, keeping the Daugavpils area. The Truce of Altmark was signed shortly after Polish Commonwealth and Holy Roman Imperial troops at Honigfeld(t) , also Honigfelde (Trzciana) (also (Stuhm) were exausted, starvation and pest set in, Polish sejm did not pay the soldiers of the imperial army under Hans Georg von Arnim-Boitzenburg and they mutineered or went over to the Swedish side. Several other countries intervened diplomaticly and Sigismund III was forced to enter a six year truce. King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden was several times wounded and at one point saved by one of his men, Eric Soop.

ee also

*List of treaties
*Treaty of Sztumska Wieś

External links

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=VkACAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA110&dq=ernst+magnus+doenhoff+Livonia Meeting at Strasburg 1629]
* [http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/swedhis/swed1600.htm Chronology of Sweden]
* [http://www.latvia-usa.org/hisoflatbrie.html History of Latvia: A Brief Synopsis]
* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/PL/30/Trzciano.html Trzciano Other names: Honigfelde,Trzciana]
* [http://www.library.ucla.edu/yrl/reference/maps/blaeu/prvssia.jpgMap of Prussia c 1600 with Honigfeld(t)] south of Marienburg and Stu(h)m
* [http://books.google.com/books?lr=&q=Honigfeld+1629&btnG=Search+Books Books about Meeting at Honigfeld]