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Coordinates: 51°6′48″N 18°15′45″E / 51.11333°N 18.2625°E
| Battle of Byczyna (Pitschen) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of War of the Polish Succession (1587-1588) | |||||||
 The Austrian surrender of Archduke Maximilian at Byczyna. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Supporters of Zygmunt Wasa, mainly Poles | Supporters of Maximilian of Austria, mainly Germans, but including many Poles and Hungarians | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jan Zamoyski | Maximilian III of Austria | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,700 cavalry, 2,300 infantry | 5,400 infantry, 600 cavalry | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 500 | 3,500 | ||||||
The Battle of Byczyna or Battle of Pitschen (German: Pitschen; Polish: Byczyna) was the deciding battle of the 1587–1588 War of the Polish Succession, which erupted after two rival candidates were elected to the Polish throne. The battle saw the victory of the "Polish" faction led by the Swedish-born king-elect Sigismund III Vasa over the army of his rival to the throne, Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria.
Taking place near the Silesian town of Pitschen (modern Byczyna), then just a few kilometres outside the territory of Poland-Lithuania, on January 24, 1588, the battle ended in an overwhelming victory for Sigismund's supporters under the command of Chancellor and Hetman Jan Zamoyski; the army of the "Austrian" faction was largely annihilated, the archduke was captured and his cause came to an abrupt end. He subsequently renounced his claim to the throne.
Exact location of the battle is still under debate by historians. Many suspect it took place near the village of Roszkowice, around Hill 218, known to locals as the "hill of death".
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[edit] Background
In 1576, following the death of previous Polish king, Stefan Batory, the Swedish king Sigismund III Vasa and Habsburg Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria took part in the election to the joint Polish–Lithuanian throne.[1][2] Each of the two candidates had supporters in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the two opposing sides gathered around pro-Sigismund Chancellor and Hetman Jan Zamoyski and the Primate of Poland, Stanisław Karnkowski on one side and the pro-Maximilain Zborowski family on the other.[1][2] Bad blood between Zamoyski and the Zborowski family dated years past; tensions during the elections run high.[3]
Sigismund, supported by Zamoyski and the former king's wife, Anna Jagiellon, was elected King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on 19 August 1587 and recognized as such by the interrex, the Primate Karnkowski.[2] However, the election was disputed by the other candidate, Maximilian III of Austria and opponents of Sigismund chose not to respect the election outcome, decreeing that Maximilian was the rightful monarch three days later, on 22 August.[2][4] Zborowscy called for the rokosz (legitimate right to rebel), and the election ended in chaos, with several killed and many wounded.[3] For both Zamoyski and Zborowski, losing was not an option, as they knew the losing side would likely pay a severe price, from confiscations and prestige loss to a possible death sentence for treason.[3]
Neither Sigismund nor Maximilian were present in the Commonwealth at that time.[2] After receiving news of his election, both Sigismund and Maximilan made haste for Poland.[2] Sigismund arrived at Danzig (Gdańsk) on the 28 September and after approximately two weeks he had departed to Kraków, where he arrived in 9 December and was crowned on 27 December.[2]
Maximilian attempted to resolve the dispute by bringing a military force to Poland – thereby starting the War of the Polish Succession.[4] After a failed attempt to storm Kraków in late 1587, successfully defended by Zamoyski, he retreated to gather more reinforcements, but was pursued by the forces loyal to Sigismund.[2][4]
[edit] The battle
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Archduke's army on the night of 24 January took positions east of Byczyna on the royal road leading into Poland. They felt secure in their camp, on the Hapsburg's side of the border, and did not expect the Poles to cross it.[3] Each side had a comparable force, estimated at about 6,000, but the Polish side had a significantly higher cavalry supplement.[3] Maximilian's army had only about 600 cavalry, Polish supporters under the command of the infamous "devil of Łańcut" Stanisław Stadnicki.[3]
The exact position of the Polish Army is unknown, but part of the Polish right flank, moving quietly in the dense mist, encircled Maximilian's left flank. After the mist began to clear, the archduke realized his force was being flanked, and his retreat to Byczyna was threatened. He ordered an attack, but a miscommunication of his orders confused part of his army and the Hungarian regiment begun to retreat. The Polish left wing, under command of future hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski, dispersed the opposing units.[5] The battle saw more infantry action than many other battles of the Commonwealth, but even so, the Polish cavalry (Polish winged hussars) played a major part.[3][6][7] The bloody battle quickly turned into a general retreat and the archduke's army suffered heavy casualties.[3] Maximilian took refuge in Byczyna, but the Poles took control of his artillery and turned the guns on the town.[3] Before the Polish forces began their assault, Maximilian surrendered and was taken prisoner.[3]
Exact casualties are unknown, but the archduke's army suffered heavier losses.[3] Soldiers of both sides were buried in mass graves and contemporary reports spoke of "many thousands" buried. Żółkiewski received a knee wound which lamed him for life.[5]
[edit] Aftermath
After the intervention of a papal envoy, Maximilian was released, but only after spending thirteen months as a "guest" of Zamoyski.[3] In the Treaty of Bytom and Będzin (signed on 9 March 1589) Maximilian had to renounce the Polish crown, and Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor had to pledge not to make any alliances against Poland with the Muscovy or Sweden.[3] The town of Lubowla, taken early in the conflict by Maximilian, was returned to Poland.[3] Upon his return to Vienna he failed to honor his pledge and renounce his claim to the Polish crown (he would do so only in 1598).[3][4] Nonetheless, there would be no serious military tensions between the Commonwealth and the Hapsburgs, as each would quickly became concerned with other issues.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Norman Davies (30 March 2005). God's Playground: The origins to 1795. Columbia University Press. pp. 328. ISBN 9780231128179. http://books.google.com/books?id=07vm4vmWPqsC&pg=PA328. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Oskar Halecki; W: F. Reddaway; J. H. Penson. The Cambridge History of Poland. CUP Archive. pp. 452–453. ISBN 9781001288024. http://books.google.com/books?id=N883AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA452. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o (Polish) Sławomir Leśniewski. Człowiek, który upokorzył Habsburgów: Zamoyski pod Byczyną, Polityka, 26 March 2010
- ^ a b c d Daniel Stone (1 September 2001). The Polish-Lithuanian state, 1386-1795. University of Washington Press. pp. 131–132. ISBN 9780295980935. http://books.google.com/books?id=LFgB_l4SdHAC&pg=PA131. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ a b Henry Krasiński (1846). Mary Barton: an historical tale of Poland. A.K. Newman and Co.. pp. 263–264. http://books.google.com/books?id=-p4DAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA263. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ J. K. Fedorowicz; Maria Bogucka; Henryk Samsonowicz (1982). A Republic of nobles: studies in Polish history to 1864. CUP Archive. p. 186. ISBN 9780521240932. http://books.google.com/books?id=p7U8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA186. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ Richard Brzezinski; Velimir Vukšić (25 July 2006). Polish Winged Hussar 1576-1775. Osprey Publishing. p. 6. ISBN 9781841766508. http://books.google.com/books?id=GCW2VIgJ5o0C&pg=PA6. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Battle of Byczyna |
- (Polish) Bitwa pod Byczyną 1588 r.
- (Polish) Bitwa pod Byczyną, Muzeum Historii Polski
