Battle of Warsaw Polish history [1656] Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Warsaw-1656 Give Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Weapons and Warfare - Battle of Warsaw, (July 28-30, 1656) Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Warsaw-1656 Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Weapons and Warfare - Battle of Warsaw, (July 28-30, 1656) Written by Jacob F. Field Jacob F. Field is an early modern historian based at the University of Cambridge. Jacob F. Field Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jul 22, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents

　　Charles X Gustav See all media Date: July 28, 1656 - July 30, 1656(Anniversary in 6 days) (Show more) Location: Poland Warsaw (Show more) Participants: Poland Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Sweden (Show more) Context: First Northern War (Show more) Key People: Charles X Gustav John II Casimir Vasa (Show more) See all related content → Sweden invaded Poland-Lithuania in 1655, starting the First Northern War that would last until 1660. The Swedish advance was swift. On July 28–30, 1656, King Charles X of Sweden and an allied Brandenburg army bested a larger Polish-Lithuanian army near Warsaw before advancing into the city.

　　In June 1656 Sweden signed an alliance with Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia. Their joint army of 18,000, a mobile force made up mostly of cavalry soldiers and dragoons, marched toward Warsaw from the north. Awaiting them was the Polish-Lithuanian king, John II Casimir Vasa, and an army of around 40,000 largely untrained soldiers, its best component a force of 2,000 Tatar cavalrymen. John Casimir ferried part of his army across the Vistula and marched up the river’s right bank toward the Swedish-Brandenburg army. On July 28 Charles launched an unsuccessful frontal assault along the right bank. He was unable to dislodge the Polish-Lithuanian infantry, which had dug in behind earthworks between the river bank and the Białolęka Forest.

　　Britannica Quiz World Wars The next day, Charles and Frederick William decided to bypass the Polish-Lithuanian lines. Their forces wheeled left through the forest, with infantry shielded by cavalry. Fighting off Polish-Lithuanian attacks, they now occupied an open plain on the Polish-Lithuanian right, thus outflanking them. John Casimir attempted to dislodge their new position with a Hussar charge, but his force was undermanned, and he was unable to press home his advantage. With his position now untenable, John Casimir withdrew across the Vistula that night. On July 30 the Swedish-Brandenburg army marched across the open plain and attacked the retreating Polish-Lithuanian army, which was forced to flee from Warsaw. The Swedish-Brandenburg army marched into Warsaw, but its forces were inadequate to hold the city, and it was later forced to withdraw as well. Charles then turned his army’s attention to Denmark, against which it fought in campaigns the following year.