Battle of Ujście

Part of Second Northern War / The Deluge

Battle of Ujście by Erik Dahlberg, 1655

Date	July 24–25, 1655
Location	Ujście
Result	Swedish victory, Poles surrender Greater Poland becomes Swedish ally

Belligerents

Swedish Empire

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Commanders and leaders

Field marshal Arvid Wittenberg

Krzysztof Opaliński
Andrzej Grudziński

Strength

7,500 (infantry)
6,150 (cavalry)
72 cannon

14,400 (13,000 pospolite ruszenie and 1,400 infantry)

The Battle of Ujście was fought on July 24–25, 1655 between forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth commanded by Krzysztof Opaliński and Andrzej Grudziński on one side, and on the other Swedish forces commanded by Arvid Wittenberg. Krzysztof Opaliński and Bogusław Leszczyński, dissatisfied with policies of King John II Casimir of Poland, decided to become Swedish allies together with the pospolite ruszenie (Levée en masse) of Greater Poland to Charles X Gustav of Sweden.

In the summer of 1655, the Swedish Empire invaded the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, entering Poland–Lithuania from Swedish Pomerania and Swedish Livonia. On July 5, 1655, Arvid Wittenberg concentrated his forces near Stettin, and marched towards the Polish border. He was faced by the Levée en masse from the province of Greater Poland. Polish forces were made of local szlachta (nobility), which had not experienced any major military conflicts, and was unprepared to fight professional Swedish army, which was largely based on mercenaries, veterans of the Thirty Years' War.

Wittenberg's army of 17,000 crossed Polish border near Czaplinek, on July 21. Polish forces, concentrated near Ujście consisted of 13,000 nobility, plus 1,400 chosen infantry. The Poles were supposed to be commanded by Bogusław Leszczyński, who feigned illness and left to Breslau. In the absence of Leszczyński, the command was shared by Voivode of Poznań Krzysztof Opalinski, and Voivode of Kalisz, Andrzej Karol Grudziński. Their task was to defend the Noteć river crossings before the arrival of main forces, commanded by King John II Casimir.

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Wikipedia