The Battle of Batoh was a battle in 1652 in which Polish forces under Marcin Kalinowski

Marcin Kalinowski

Marcin Kalinowski Field Crown Hetman, was a Polish magnate and nobleman , Kalinowa coat of arms. Son of fallen at the battle of Cecora Walenty Aleksander Kalinowski. He began his studies in Poland and continued his education at the University of Leuven...

 were defeated by Cossacks commanded by Hetman

Hetman

Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....

 Bohdan Khmelnytsky

Bohdan Khmelnytsky

Bohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky was a hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . He led an uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state...

. About 8,000 Polish soldiers were taken prisoners and massacred after the battle, including Samuel Jerzy Kalinowski, Zygmunt Przyjemski

Zygmunt Przyjemski

Zygmunt Przyjemski of Rawicz was a Polish military commander and a member of the administration of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A general of artillery and, at the same time, the Field Writer of the Crown, he was taken captive by the Cossacks in the Battle of Batoh, in which he commanded the...

, Jan Odrzywolski and Marek Sobieski

Marek Sobieski (1628-1652)

Marek Sobieski was a Polish noble , starosta of Krasnystaw and Jaworów, older brother of King Jan III Sobieski of Poland. He graduated from Nowodworski College in Kraków and Kraków Academy, the traveled and studied in Western Europe...

. The defeat had severe and long-lasting consequences for the history of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...

 and for Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

.

The background

Cossack Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky marched toward Moldavia

Moldavia

Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...

 in 1652 to form an alliance with Hospodar Basil Lupu against the Poles. He also wanted to marry his son Tymish to Rozalin, the daughter of the ruler.

Hetman Marcin Kalinowski, leader of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s Crown army, decided to foil the plan. In May 1652, he concentrated armies to block the road against the march of the Cossacks and accompanying Crimean Tatars

Crimean Tatars

Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...

. The assembly point was designated as the entrenched camp at Batoh, founded previously near the river Boh

Southern Bug

The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh), is a river located in Ukraine. The source of the river is in the west of Ukraine, in the Volyn-Podillia Upland, about 145 km from the Polish border, and flows southeasterly into the Bug Estuary through the southern steppes...

. This was a significant mistake of the Polish leadership, losing the opportunity to prevent the unification of the enemy forces. The camp was in naturally defensive terrain and appeared to be a good base, but events turned out differently.

It is difficult to estimate the strength of the sides because of the paucity of records. Some of the Crown banners ordered to move to the camp never arrived. This is tied to the unpopularity of Hetman Kalinowski among junior officers. There were about 15,000 Polish troops, while the Cossack and Tatar army may be estimated at 40,000-50,000 warriors.

The battle

Poor leadership and the passivity of the Crown army led to the enemy, without hardship, crossing the Bug

Southern Bug

The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh), is a river located in Ukraine. The source of the river is in the west of Ukraine, in the Volyn-Podillia Upland, about 145 km from the Polish border, and flows southeasterly into the Bug Estuary through the southern steppes...

. The camp thus became surrounded. Though the camp could have been easily defended for quite some time, a rebellion broke out. At that time, Kalinowski decided to treat with senior men of the army. June 1st 1652 was the first day of the battle of Batoh. As a result of the negotiations, part of the units faithful to the Polish Hetman wanted to defend the camp, whereas the rioters wished to flee. On June 2nd 1652, the battle at the camp ended in a defeat of the armies of the Crown, and the camp was overcome by fire after the grass was set ablaze. Many who were running away were captured by the Tatars. Hetman Kalinowski fell at the side of his son, Samuel.

The massacre

After the battle, the Cossacks paid the Tatars for possession of the prisoners, and promptly slaughtered the Polish captives to avenge Chmielnicki’s defeat at Berestechko

Battle of Berestechko

The Battle of Berestechko was fought between rebellious Zaporozhian Cossacks, led by Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, aided by their Crimean Tatar allies, and a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army under King John II Casimir. It was the largest land battle of 17th century.Lasting from June 28 to June 30,...

 in June 1651. All 8,000 Polish soldiers were massacred.

The losses included Samuel Jerzy Kalinowski; Sigmund Przyjemski; general of Crown Artillery and the Chancellor of the Crown, Jan Odrzywolski; Castellan of Czernihow; Marek Sobieski; Starost of Krasnystaw; and the brother of Jan Sobieski, the future king of Poland.

The Battle of Batoh destroyed the best Crown units. Although Poland managed to rebuild her army soon after the battle, the loss of the most experienced troops resulted in temporary weakness in Ukraine. Defeat of the Poles contributed to the wars to come with Russia, which in turn resulted in the "Deluge" of the country by Swedish armies.