| Battle of Khotyn (1621) | |||||||||
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| Part of theMoldavian Magnate Wars andPolish–Ottoman War (1620–1621) | |||||||||
 Battle of Chocim byJózef Brandt | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Zaporozhian Cossacks | Ottoman Empire Crimean Khanate Wallachia Moldavia | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Grand HetmanJan Karol Chodkiewicz# RegimentarzStanisław Lubomirski Crown Prince Władysław Vasa Petro Sahaidachny (WIA) Ivan Sirko | SultanOsman II Grand VizierOhrili Hüseyin Pasha Khan Temir Canibek Giray | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
25,000[2] Polish-Lithuanian troops: 20,000–25,000Zaporozhian Cossacks[2] | 120,000–160,000Ottoman[4] andTatar, 13,000Moldavian andWallachian troops[5][better source needed] '34,825 Kapikulu (regular army)'[6]~18,000Janissary ~1,800Cebeci ~1,300 artillery corps ~13,000Kapikulu cavalry. | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 14,000 killed[7] | 40,000 killed[7] | ||||||||
TheBattle of Khotyn orBattle of Chocim orKhotyn War[8] (in Turkish:Hotin Muharebesi) was a combined siege and series ofbattles which took place from 2 September to 9 October 1621 between aPolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, commanded by theGrand Hetman of LithuaniaJan Karol Chodkiewicz, against an invadingOttoman Imperial army, led bySultanOsman II, which was stopped until the first autumn snows. On 9 October, due to the lateness of the season and heavy losses - due to failed assaults on Commonwealth fortifications - the Ottomans abandoned their siege and the battle concluded with a stalemate, which is reflected in the treaty where some sections favour the Ottomans while others favoured the Commonwealth. Chodkiewicz died on 24 September 1621 shortly before concluding a treaty with the Turks.
Khotyn was conquered and controlled by many states, resulting in many name changes (Ukrainian:Хотин;Polish:Chocim;Romanian:Hotin;Turkish:Hotin). Other variations includeChotyn, orChoczim (especially inPolish).
At the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, themagnates of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth intervened in the affairs ofMoldavia, a vassal state of theOttoman Empire since its conquest byMehmed II in the 15th century. Additionally, the Ottomans were aggravated by the constant raids into their territories by UkrainianCossacks, then nominal subjects of the Commonwealth.
In the meantime, theThirty Years' War raged across Europe. The Commonwealth was relatively uninvolved in this war but the Polish KingSigismund III Vasa sent an elite and ruthlessmercenary unit, theLisowczycy, to aid hisHabsburg allies in Vienna, since his brother-in-law was the Emperor. They defeatedGeorge Rákóczi ofTransylvania at theBattle of Humenné in 1619.Gabriel Bethlen, the reigning Prince of Transylvania, askedSultanOsman II for aid. The sultan agreed and a large Ottoman army was gathered for a punitive invasion of the Commonwealth.
On 20 September 1620, an Ottoman army under the command of the governor of Oczakov (Ozi)Iskender Pasha routed the Commonwealth army at theBattle of Cecora, capturedStanisław Koniecpolski and beheadedStanisław Żółkiewski,[9]: 347 sending Tatar raiders to ravage southern Poland.[10][full citation needed] The campaign was suspended for the winter. Both sides resumed hostilities in 1621.
In April 1621 an army of 120,000–160,000 soldiers[4][5] (sources vary), led byOsman II, advanced fromConstantinople andEdirne towards the Polish frontier.Khan Temir of theBudjak Horde and theKhan of Crimea, Canibek Giray joined the battle on the Ottoman side. Approximately 25% of the Ottoman forces were composed of contingents from their vassal states:Tatars,Moldavians andWallachians, a total of about 13,000 troops. The Ottoman army had about 66 heavy guns. When the Ottomans reached an area nearIași a distribution ofbahşiş took place on 26/27 July.[6][dead link] There were 34,825 paidKapikulu soldiers, who were the regular troops.[6][dead link] Each one was given 1,000Akçe, for a total of 34,825,000 Akçe spent.[6][dead link]
In the meantime, the Commonwealth'sSejm, shaken by last year's defeat, agreed to raise taxes and fund a larger army, as well as to recruit large numbers ofCossacks. The commander of Polish-Lithuanian forces, theGrand Lithuanian HetmanJan Karol Chodkiewicz crossed theDniester River in September 1621 with approximately 20,000 to 35,000 soldiers, joined by 10,000 more led by the future king of Poland,Prince Władysław Vasa.[11]: 369 This army numbered 30,000 (18,000 cavalry, 12,000 infantry) and their allied Cossack army led byatamanPetro Konashevych-Sahaidachny was composed of 25,000–40,000 troops, mostly infantry,[11]: 368 and about 22 guns.[11]: 369
The Polish-Lithuanian army arrived nearKhotyn around 24 August and started entrenching itself near theKhotyn Fortress, blocking the path of the Ottoman march.[12]: 570 The army followed a common Commonwealth strategy when facing large Ottoman forces. It employed deep defences by building separatefield works in front of the camp's defences. These fieldworks were designed to allow the use of cavalry counterattacks. Cavalry counterattacks were especially crucial because the Commonwealth relied heavily on its elitehussars andcossacks. A semicircle of field fortifications was created. The fortress was behind the fortifications and theDniester River bordered the fortifications. The circle was divided into three sections: right, commanded byHetman Chodkiewicz; central, commanded by Prince Władysław; and left, under Regimentarz Lubomirski. In addition, two fortified camps were set in front of the main defence line: the Cossacks' and the mercenaries' (the famousLisowczycy unit).
On 27 August, a Cossack cavalry detachment carried out a suicidal raid, delaying the approaching Ottoman forces. It also inflicted casualties amounting to several times the number of attacking Cossacks, but the attackers were nearly annihilated. On 31 August, Ottoman cavalry, in turn, struck at the Cossack forces outside the camp. The Ottomans tried to scatter the Cossacks and cut them off from the main Polish-Lithuanian forces, but did not succeed. By 2 September, the main Ottoman army had arrived, and the siege began the day after the Cossacks joined the Polish camp.[11]: 368
On 2 September the Ottomans tried to breach the unfinished Cossack camp. The Cossacks had received reinforcements from the Polish-Lithuanian army and held their positions. On 3 September, another Ottoman assault was directed at Lubomirski's flank of the main fortifications. This attack was stopped. In the afternoon the big Ottoman forces attacked the Cossack camp. This attack started a very fierce fight. The Ottomans were repulsed. The Cossacks rushed up behind the Ottomans into the Ottoman camp and returned at dusk with rich loot. The next day, 4 September, the Ottomans again tried to overrun the Cossacks camp but failed again. A Commonwealth counterattack managed to destroy several Ottoman guns in their positions.[11]: 369 The experienced Commonwealth forces were able to withstand the Ottoman assaults because the Ottoman forces contained too many cavalrymen and too many inexperienced artillerymen to be efficient.
On 7 September, Ottoman troops assaulted the Cossack camp four times but were repulsed. At noon, the Ottoman soldiers stormed the Commonwealth camp, which had not been attacked so far.Janissaries exploited the Poles' lack of vigilance, as they were sleeping, attacking on the right flank of the Commonwealth Army and storming into the Polish entrenchments, cutting down about a hundred infantrymen. The janissaries were repulsed, but a new assault was expected. On 8 September, Ottoman Janissaries and Tatar troops attacked a Cossack convoy. Cossacks allowed the enemy to approach their convoy, once the enemy got into the position favorable to Cossacks, they opened fire from muskets on the approaching Ottoman Janissaries and Tatar troops. The Ottomans and Tatars were forced to retreat after suffering heavy losses, around 3,000 Janissaries died as a result of failed attack.[13]
Around 10,000 Ottomans moved to attack, but then Chodkiewicz personally led a counterattack with three hussar squadrons and onereiter squadron, a total of between 600 and 650 men. TheSipahi could not withstand the charge and they retreated chaotically. Chodkiewicz with his cavalry pursued them to the camp. Ottomans losses amounted to more than 500 killed and Commonwealth losses amounted to 30 killed. The charge inflicted heavy casualties and had a huge impact on the morale of the Ottoman army.[14]
On 10 September, Chodkiewicz proposed a night attack. An assault was prepared for the night of 12 to 13 September, but just before the attack, there was heavy rainfall and the action had to be cancelled. The Cossacks then beheaded Borodavka in retribution.[11]: 370
After several costly and unsuccessful assaults in the first week of the siege, the Ottomans tried to take the fortress by cutting off their supply and reinforcements and waiting for them to succumb to hunger and disease.[11]: 370 A temporary bridge was raised by 14 September over the Dniester River that allowed the Ottomans to stop the Commonwealth fortress from using the river to communicate with another fortress at nearbyKamianets-Podilskyi. It also allowed the Ottomans to shift some of their cannons to the other bank of the river and shell Commonwealth forces from the rear. Another Ottoman assault on 15 September was again repulsed.
On 18 September, at night, Cossacks stormed into the Ottoman camp on the Dniester. The attack was successful and the Ottomans suffered heavy losses. A similar attack took place on the night of 21 to 22 September. This time the objective was the lodging ofOhrili Hüseyin Pasha who was almost taken prisoner. Such actions raised the morale of the Commonwealth troops.[11]: 371
Although the defenders were weakened, the Ottomans failed to break their morale. Also, while the defenders were running low on food and supplies, the Ottomans had similar problems. On 24 September, a few days before the siege was to be lifted, the aged Grand Hetman died of exhaustion and illness in the camp.[12]: 570 Chodkiewicz's second-in-command,RegimentarzStanisław Lubomirski, took command of the Polish forces on 23 September, when the ailing hetman passed the command to him. On 25 September Lubomirski ordered his weakened forces to pull back and man a smaller, shorter defensive line; the Ottomans tried another assault hoping for the defenders to be disorganized, but again, the assault failed. A final assault was stopped on 28 September.[11]: 372
The lateness of the season, the loss of approximately 40,000 of his men in battle, the general exhaustion of the Ottoman army, the fact that his large force was also running out of supplies, and reportedly because of his illness compelled Osman II to accept a request from the defenders to start negotiations,[13][12]: 570 even though the Polish-Lithuanian forces were almost out of supplies (a legend has it that by the end of the siege, the Commonwealth army was down to its last barrel ofgunpowder).
A peace treaty, theTreaty of Khotyn, was signed on 9 October.[11]: 373 In some clauses, it favoured the Commonwealth, but the Ottoman Empire also got what it wanted. There were no territorial changes; the Commonwealth-Ottoman border was confirmed to be the Dniester River and the Commonwealth recognized Ottoman control over Moldavia. In the Commonwealth, and among the Cossacks, the stopping of the huge Ottoman army was seen as a great victory.
Sultan Osman himself was not satisfied with the battle's outcome and put the blame for it on thejanissaries. Osman wanted to modernize the army, which he blamed for the defeat; his plans for modernization were, however, opposed by the tradition-minded janissaries. That opposition resulted in therebellion of janissaries in 1622, in which Osman II was deposed and killed.[15]
Having already lost Grand Hetman Chodkiewicz during the battle, the Commonwealth soon lost another of its most notable military figures of the early 17th century in Hetman of Registered Cossacks Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny, who couldn't recover from battle injuries and died several months later.
The Battle of Khotyn was the largest battle in the history of the Polish Commonwealth to date, and it was proclaimed as a great victory over the 'heathens'. Among the accounts of the battle is a rather one-sided one fromWacław Potocki'sTransakcja wojny chocimskiej (The Progress of the War of Chocim),[9]: 347 written during the period 1669–1672. It was based on the less-knownCommentariorum Chotinensis belli libri tres ("Commentary on the Chocim War in three volumes") (diary, published in 1646) byJakub Sobieski and other sources, now lost.
On the Ottoman side, young Sultan Osman II declared publicly that the result of this battle was an Ottoman victory over the 'giaour'. When he returned to Constantinople on 27 December 1621, he entered with a victory procession; there were three days and nights of victory celebrations.[16] However, the young Sultan was personally very unsatisfied with the result of the battle and the behavior of his household troops, the janissaries, during the campaign and started taking measures to reform the Ottoman military. That attempt led to a revolt in Constantinople by the army, madrasa (religious school) students and wealthy merchants in May 1622, at the end of which Sultan Osman II was deposed and killed by the leaders of the mob.[10][full citation needed] This revolt and the demise of the young Sultan (who was only 17 when killed) is one of the events most written about by Ottoman historians and appears often in Ottoman court literature and Ottoman popular literature. In the peoples' coffee houses in Istanbul (up to the end of the 19th century) public storytellers used to relate the tales, many in poetry form, of the exploits ofYoung Osman (including Khotin) and his tragic demise.[16]
The Battle of Khotyn is commemorated on theTomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, with the inscription "CHOCIM 2 IX - 9 X 1621/10 - 11 XI 1673".
The defeat at Tutora (1620) was now a thing of the past, and the victorious Battle of Khotyn (1621) gave the Commonwealth greater confidence in its confrontation with the Ottoman Empire.
Accompanying Prince Wladyslaw during the campaign against Muscovy 1617-18, Birkowski also witnessed the battle of Chocim (just inside Turkish Moldavia) in 1621, where Sultan Osman and his army were defeated in a defensive battle. This victory was crucially important and had been preceded by widespread public devotions....
In 1621, he commanded 40,000 Cossacks in the battle of Chocim (Khotyn) and contributed greatly to the Polish victory over the Turks.
Sultan Othman (Osman) II invaded Ukraine in 1621 to reclaim rebellious Moldavia and punish Cossack raiders. He was beaten decisively by a Polish-Cossack army at Khotyn (1621).
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