Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629)

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Polish–Swedish War
partof=the Polish–Swedish War of 1600–1629


caption=Gustav II Adolf in battle of Dirschau in 1627
date=1626–1629
casus=
place=Baltic Sea, Prussia, Sweden, Poland
territory=
result=Swedish victory
combatant1=flagicon|Sweden Sweden
combatant2=
commander1=
commander2=The Polish–Swedish War of 1626–1629 was the fourth stage (after 1600–1611, 1617–1618, and 1620–1625) in a series of conflicts between Sweden and Poland fought in the 17th century. It began in 1626 and ended four years later with the Truce of Altmark and later at Stuhmsdorf with the Treaty of Sztumska Wieś

Course

1626

The first encounter in this war would be in Wallhof, Latvia, where a Swedish force of 3,000 men under Gustavus II Adolphus defeated a twice as big Polish force under Jan Stanisław Sapieha, Swedish casualties are (amazingly) reported as being none, while the Polish casualties exceeded 2,000 men.

In May 1626 Gustav Adolf began the surprising invasion of Prussia. Gustav's fleet (over 125 ships) landing in Ducal Prussia near Piława (Pillau) with over 8,000 soldiers (including 1,000 cavalry) came as a surprise to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and despite his relatively small forces, Gustav Adolf acting with the support of the neutral Duchy of Prussia, under the duke and Elector of Brandenburg, quickly captured - usually without fighting - 16 of the coastal Prussian towns, who opened their gates to the Lutheran forces, who were fighting against the Catholic forces of the Counter-Reformation. Gustav Adolph did not manage to capture the largest prize: the city of Danzig (Gdańsk), which as a Hansa city was self-reliant and kept its own military and fleet. Gustav Adolf wanted to prepare his army for another attack on Danzig, and he increased his forces to over 22,000. The Commonwealth received no support from its vassal, Ducal Prussia. Near the village of Gniew in a battle (22-30 September 1626) Gustav with 8150 infantry, 1750 cavalry and 74 canons managed to stop attacking Polish army of 11,000 men led by King Sigismund. Sigismund withdrew and called for reinforcements from other parts of the country.

Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski's forces (4,200 light cavalry, 1,000 dragoons , 1,000 infantry) moved to Prussia with amazing speed. Strengthened by other units, he had 10,000 men against over 20,000-strong Swedish force. Using the tactic of maneuver warfare, with small mobile units striking at the enemy's communication lines and smaller units, he managed to stop the Swedish attack and force the units under Axel Oxenstierna, who also attempted to avoid battles with an overwhelming concentrated forces of Koniecpolski, into a defense. For a short time the war became a stalemate.

In the meantime, the Sejm (Commonwealth Parliament) agreed to raise money for the war, but the situation of the Polish forces was difficult. Lithuanian forces were dealt a serious defeat in December of 1626 near Kokenhusen in Livonia and retreated behind the Dvina river. The Swedes planned to strike Koniecpolski from two directions — Oxenstierna from direction of the Vistula and Johann Streiff von Lauenstein and Maximilian Teuffel from Swedish held Pomerania. The flooding of the Vistula disrupted their plans and allowed Koniecploski to intercept the enemy units coming from neighboring Pomerania.

Koniecpolski recaptured the town of Putzig, erlier Pautzke at the Pautzker Wiek (now Puck) on 2nd April. During the crossing of the Vistula near Käsemark, Danziger Niederung (delta) Kieżmark, in the vicinity of Danzig (Gdańsk), Gustav met the Polish forces and in the ensuing battle was wounded in the hip and forced to retreat. In July he led forces to lift the siege of Braunsberg (now Braniew), and lay siege to Wormditt (now Orneta). Koniecpolski responded with the sudden attack and capture of Gniew. Gustav Adolf was reported to be impressed by the speed of Koniecpolski's reaction. With about 7,800 men (including 2,500 cavalry and hussars), Koniecpolski tried to stop the Swedish army from reaching Danzig near Dirschau (Gdansk, near Tczew). On 7–8 August (or 18 September, sources vary), battle with the Swedish forces (10,000 men including 5,000 infantry) took place near the swamps of the river Mottlau (Motława). The Swedes wanted to provoke the Poles into an attack and then destroy them with infantry fire and artillery, but Koniecpolski decided not to attack. The Swedes then took the initiative and attacked with cavalry, but did not manage to draw the Poles within the range of their fire. The consequent Swedish attacks managed to deal severe damage to Polish cavalry units, but did not manage to cripple the army (whose morale was kept high, thanks to Koniecpolski). The battle ended when Gustav Adolf was once again wounded and the Swedes retreated.

After the battle, Koniecpolski saw the need to reform the army and strengthen the firepower of infantry and artillery to match the Swedish units. The Swedes, on the other hand, learned arts of cavalry attacks, charges and melee combat from the Poles.

1627

In March or April (dates vary) of 1627 near Czarne (Hamersztyn) Koniecpolski forced the Swedish forces to retreat inside the city, and three days later to surrender, leaving behind their banners and insignia. Some Swedish soldiers and mercenaries changed sides at that time. This victory also convinced the Elector of Brandenburg to declare his support for the Commonwealth, and the Lithuanian forces resumed the offensive in Inflanty.

Koniecpolski's insistence of taking the war to the seas resulted in gathering aid to charter a tiny and untested Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy of 9 ships to the defeat of a Swedish flotilla on 28 November 1627 (or 17 November, dates vary), at the battle of Oliwa near Oliva-Danzig.

1628

In 1628 the Polish forces, lacking funding, were forced to stop their offensive and switch to defense. Gustav Adolf captured Nowy and Brodnica. Koniecpolski counterattacked by using his small forces most efficiently — fast cavalry melee attacks combined with the supporting fire of infantry and artillery, and using fortifications and terrain advantage. By that time the war had become a war of maneuver with neither side willing to face the other without advantages of terrain or fortifications.

1629

The Sejm decided to increase the funds for the war after the battle of Górzno, where Stanisław Potocki was defeated. The Imperial Catholic Holy Roman Empire sent help to the Commonwealth in the form of units under field marshal Hans Georg von Arnim-Boitzenburg and Ernst Georg Sparr. An imperial corps under Albrecht von Wallenstein also cooperated in Pomerania with Koniecpolski in 1629. Nonetheless, Koniecpolski was forced to withdraw Commonwealth forces from many strategic Polish strongholds he had set up in Prussia.

In time, hetman Koniecpolski managed to recapture Putzig Pautzke (now Puck). Another skirmish took place on 17 June 1629 at Honigfeld(t) or Honigfelde near Stuhm ( by Polish writers descibed as Trzciana (or Trzcianka). The Swedes attacked in the direction of Graudenz (Grudziądz), were stopped, and retreated to Stuhm (Szturm) and Marienburg (Malbork). Koniecpolski attacked the rear guard led by Johann Wilhelm von Salm, count of Rhine and the Wilds, and destroyed it. He also repelled a counterattack by Swedish raitars, who were pushed in the direction of Pułkowice, where another counterattack was led by Gustav Adolf with 2,000 cavalrymen. This counterattack was also stopped, and the Swedish forces were saved by the last reserve units led by field marshal Herman Wrangel, who finally managed to stop the Polish attack. Swedish losses were heavy, especially in the cavalry regiments. Gustav Adolf said after the battle "I have never been in such a bath". 600 Swedes were killed, including the count Johann Wilhelm and the son of Wrangel, and a few hundred were captured. Polish losses were under 200 killed and injured.

However, in the same year, Poland suffered a defeat at Gurzno, where a Swedish army of 8,000 men encountered a Polish army of 3,000 men, Sweden lost 30 dead and 60 wounded, while Poland suffered 1,500 dead and wounded.

Outcome

The stalemate at Honigfeld was still not followed by Sigismund III giving in to a truce, who wanted to sign a truce only under the condition of Gustav Adoplh denouncing the crown of Sweden. Sigismund III never gave up, trying to regain the Swedish crown and his son Wladislaw IV continued it. Despite all of Koniecpolski's brilliant efforts, a ceasefire in Stary Targ (Truce of Altmark) on 26 October 1629 was in favour of the Swedes, to whom Poland ceded the larger part of Livonia with the important port of Riga. Swedes also got the right to tax Polish trade moved through the Baltic (3.5% on the value of goods), kept control of many cities in Royal and Ducal Prussia (including Piława (Pillau), Memel and Elbląg (Elbing)) and for the time were generally recognized as the dominant power on the southern Baltic Sea coast. It was failure of Polish diplomacy, not the army's. The Duchy of Prussia was compensated for its losses (occupation of some cities by Swedes) by Commonwealth, with the temporary (until 1634) transfer of Marienburg, Stuhm and Żuławy Wiślane. Remaining ships of the Commonwealth fleet were transferred to Sweden. The Swedes only failure was their inability to capture the important port of Danzig. Gustav Adolf’s biographer, Harte, noted that the king was furious "that a pacific commercial rabble should beat a set of illustrious fellows, who made fighting their profession". Nonetheless, Swedes now controlled almost all Baltic ports, with the exception of Danzig, Putzig Pautzke, Königsberg and Liepāja (Libau). This would be the closest Sweden ever got to realising its goal of making the Baltic Sea 'Sweden's inner lake'. After the treaty, Sweden used their prizes and money as a starting point in their entry into the Thirty Years' War and begun the invasion of northern Germany.

The Treaty of Altmark would be revised in Commonwealth favour in 1635 (Treaty of Sztumska Wieś or Treaty of Stuhmsdorf), when Sweden, with the death of the king Gustav Adolph in 1632, was weakened by their losses in the Thirty Years' War, would retreat from some Baltic ports and quit collecting the 3.5% tax.

External links

* [http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/17cen/swedpol16201629.html Swedish-Polish War, 1620-1629]
* On GUSTAF II ADOLF and Poland: [http://members.tripod.com/Strv102r/gustaf3_.htm] , [http://members.tripod.com/Strv102r/gustaf_4.htm] , [http://members.tripod.com/Strv102r/gustaf_ii_adolf5.htm]