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| Battle of Wojnicz | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theNorthern War of 1655–1660 andThe Deluge | |||||||
 Conflictus apud Tarnovam et Wounicium Ubi Rex Carolus Gustavus cum parte Sui equitatus, Conietzpolscium Polonicum Die 23 septemb 1655 byErik Dahlbergh | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Swedish Empire |  Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Charles X Gustav | Stanisław LanckorońskiStanisław Rewera Potocki | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Müllers Reiter Smålands Reiter Wittenbergs Reiter Berndes Dragoons Yxkulls Reiter Sulzbachs Reiter Böddekers Reiter Pretlachs Reiter Ridderhielms Reiter | Stanisław Lanckoroński's Banner Władysław Myszkowski's Banner Adam Działyński's Banner Denhoff's Regiment Hetman Lanckoroński's Banner Alexander Koniecpolski's Banner | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,600–5,700 | 6,300–8,000 | ||||||
TheBattle of Wojnicz was fought around the medieval town ofWojnicz inLesser Poland as part of theSecond Northern War on October 3, 1655 between forces of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth commanded byField Crown HetmanStanisław Lanckoroński andGreat Crown HetmanStanisław Rewera Potocki on one side, and on the other, the invadingSwedish forces commanded by KingCharles X Gustav. The battle ended in a Swedish victory.[1]
In the early stages of theSiege of Kraków, the Polish royal units of Hetman Lanckoronski decided to abandon the city, as the situation of the defenders was hopeless. Together with kingJan Kazimierz, the Poles headed eastwards, to the city ofTarnów. The king with the royal court had then turned southwards, towardsNowy Wiśnicz andNowy Sącz, 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, leavingArvid Wittenberg with 8,000 soldiers in Krakow. Charles Gustav had app. 5,000 soldiers, mostly infantry, while the Polish units were more numerous, including thehussars underAleksander Koniecpolski. The Poles were camped in the hills above Wojnicz, on theDunajec river.
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 wereDymitr Wisniowiecki,Aleksander Koniecpolski andJan Sobieski, the future Polish king, who hoped that the Swedes would help Poland in the never-ending wars in the east.[2]
A. Lanckoroński - 2,600 Cossack (pancerni) cavalryB. Wisniowiecki - 400 hussars andC. Koniecpolski - 2,600 Cossack cavalryD. Denhoff - 460 dismounteddragoons in a fortified camp
Cossack Cavalry -
Dragoons -
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)49°58′00″N20°50′00″E / 49.966667°N 20.833333°E /49.966667; 20.833333