1. Polish-Swedish Wars

3. Origins Traces its origin to War against Sigismund
Sigismund III was King of both Polish Lithuanian-Commonwealth and Sweden.
A Civil War was fought to remove him from Swedish throne
Decided at the Battle of Stangebro

4. Battle of Stangebro Sigismund outnumbered 2-1
Battle fought over two bridges
Duke Charles won a quick victory at one bridge
Moves all forced to the second bridge
Polish cavalry were not used, resulting in a loss

5. Origins Spelled the end for the Union between Sweden and the PLU
Sigismund did not give up
Decided to take back the territory of Estonia

6. Military Polish Swedish Confident Undefeated for nearly 100 years
Smallest military to population ratio in Europe
Population outnumbered 10-1
Centralized Government
Obligatory draft for peasants

7. Early Battles PLU Fighting the HRE and Turks over Maldovia
Sweden gains a 3:1 numerical advantage
Poland won some early victories but eventually lose Estonia and Livonia
Poland moved troops to the North
Met in the Battle of Kokenhausen

8. Battle of Kokenhausen Polish outnumbered nearly 2-1
Both sides mainly cavalry
Superior Polish Cavalry both attacked and counter-attacked
Swedes lost 2-3,000 men compared to Polish 200

9. Swedish Retreat
A large Polish army moved north after victory in Maldovia
Swedes run, but leave some troops in fortress cities
Polish slowly take those cities
Meet again at the Battle of Weissenstein

10. Battle of Weissenstein
Polish outnumbered 2-1
Swedes mix infantry and cavalry
The Polish attacked with their Hussars
Swedes suffer devastating loss
3,000 casualties, only 150 for Poland

11. Polish System
Used superior cavalry to destroy their Swedish counterparts
Then overran Swedish infantry

12. Polish Problems Commonwealth, more like common poor
All taxes needed to be agreed upon
Almost always broke
War effort is neglected
Sweden backed financially by Russia
Hires a new army

13. Riga Multiple Swedish armies converge on Riga Intent to lay siege
Discover the PLU army nearby
Meet at the Battle of Kirchholm

14. Battle of Kirchholm PLU outnumbered 3:1
Chodkiewics lured the Swedes by faking retreat
Swedes advanced, closing ranks
PLU forces opened fire and then charged with cavalry
Swedes cavalry was routed
Their center was exposed, lost up to 8,000 men, PLU 300

15. Fruitless Victory PLU Army, unpaid for year, gave up
Chodkiewicz continued the fight as best he could
Fought the Swedes to a stand still
Truce signed until 1617

16. Polish Swedish War ( )

17. Origins Sigismund did not give up his claim
New Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus
decided to make another attempted on Estonia

18. The War Swedes overrun many cities Poland sends a small force
Skill allows them to push invaders out
Sign a new truce due to war with Russia

19. Polish–Swedish War (1621–25)

20. Intro King Gustavus Adolphus regarded as a usurper
Army inferior to PLU
PLU busy fighting other wars
Adolphus reforms the military and wants for force King Zygmunt to renounce claim

21. First Phase Swedes land with a massive army
Take important city of Riga
Then took city of Mitau
A truce is signed

22. Truce Swedes were broke Truce was with Lithuania
Polish nobles wanted Zygmunt to renounce claim for permanent peace
Zygmunt instead decided to invade

23. Second phase Swedish invaded with 20,000 men
PLU armies divided due to rivalries
Swedes ambush PLU
Killed nearly half their men
Leader had a nervous breakdown

24. Polish–Swedish War (1626–29)

25. Invasion of Prussia This took Poland by surprise
Lost 16 tons without a fight
Failed to capture Danzig
A clash between forces met at Gniew, which was a Swedish victory

26. Win some, lose some
Reinforcements arrived from Poland under Hetman Koniecpolski (Konie)
Engaged in a war of maneuver
Swedes went on the defensive
The Sejm raised addition fund for the war
….Lithuania had a big defeat

27. 1627 Polish forces retook the port of Puck
Swedes planned to surround them
Flooding rivers stopped them
Konies’s forces defeated half the attacking force
Then met at the Battle of Dirschau

28. Battle of Dirschau Both sides were evenly matched
Adolphus used his cavalry aggressively supported by cavalry
Polish forces were withdrawing when Adolphus sniped

29. 1628 Konie reformed the Polish military
Neither side would engage the other
Swedish forces lost many men due to disease

30. 1629 Polish suffered a pretty severe defeat
This served to increase funding and aid was sent from the HRE
King Adolphus arrived with reinforcements
Met at the Battle of Trzciana

31. Battle of Trzciana Cossacks approached through the woods
Hussars go on a flanking maneuver
Swedish rearguard flees, artillery lost
Swedes retreat, losing nearly 1,000 men of their 6,000

32. Outcome Poland makes a bad deal Give up much of Livonia and Prussia
Surrender their fleet
Pay tax on shipping in the Baltic