Siege of Kraków (1657)

Part of the Second Northern War and The Deluge

Siege of Kraków, 1657

Date	July and August 1657
Location	Kraków, Poland
Result	Polish - Austrian victory

Belligerents

Swedish Empire

Principality of Transylvania

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Holy Roman Empire

Commanders and leaders

Paul Wirtz
János Bethlen

Jerzy Lubomirski
Melchior von Hatzfeldt

Strength

2,500 Swedes and 2,500 Transilvanians

unknown number of Poles, some 17,000 Austrians

Casualties and losses

unknown

The Siege of Kraków was one of the military conflicts of the Swedish and Transylvanian invasion of Poland, which took place in the summer of 1657. The royal city of Kraków, had been occupied for two years by a Swedish-Transylvanian garrison led by Paul Wirtz and János Bethlen. It was besieged by Polish Army of Hetman Jerzy Lubomirski, supported by soldiers of the Holy Roman Empireunder Austrian Field Marshal Melchior von Hatzfeldt.

Two years prior to the 1657 siege, in the summer of 1655, two armies of the Swedish Empire invaded the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, see Deluge (history). The Swedish invaders moved southwards, reaching the city of Kraków in late September 1655. After the Siege of Kraków (1655), the ancient Polish capital surrendered, and on October 17, Swedish soldiers along with King Charles X Gustav entered the city. The looting of Kraków's treasures followed. In some districts not a single house was left standing, as in Garbary and in Biskupie. For the next two years the amount of destruction, pillage and methodical plunder was so enormous that some former parts of the city had never recovered from it.

According to the Treaty of Radnot signed on December 6, 1656, Kraków was to be occupied by Prince of Transylvania, George II Rákóczi, who was an ally of Charles X Gustav. In January 1657, the Transylvanian army invaded southern provinces of the Kingdom of Poland (Red Ruthenia and Lesser Poland), and on March 28, the Transylvanians reached Kraków. Rákóczi left, in the city, some 2,500 soldiers, who strengthened the Swedish garrison already stationed there. Most of the Transylvanian army headed northwards, to meet the Swedes.

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