Battle of Lubrze
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Lubrze was a night battle which took place during the Deluge (part of the Second Northern War
) in August of 1656 between Polish forces under voivode of Kalisz Andrzej Karol Grudziński and a Swedish-Brandenburg force under Jan Wejhard von Wrzesowicz. Swedish-Brandenburg forces were coming to provide relief to the besieged town of Kalisz
, invested by Polish army under voivode of Malbork
Jakub Wejher
, brother of Ludwik Weyher.
A small Polish force (between 200 and 500 men) surprised a weakly guarded Swedish-Brandenburg cavalry camp at Lubrze
in Greater Poland
, near Śrem
and Środa Wielkopolska
, and 47 km south-east of the voivodeship
capital of Poznań
.
According to Pierre des Noyers, who was a secretary to Her Majesty Polish Queen Marie Louise Gonzaga, in his letter dated September 17, 1656, Andrzej Karol Grudziński, commanding a host of 300 noblemen, was told by the local peasants about small Swedish command of 200 men in the village of Lubrze. He decided to attack them at night, in a surprise nocturnal action. First Poles annihilated the 60 horses strong night guard and then attacked the reminder of the enemy's command, the swiftness and confusion of the night attack disallowed Swedes and Brandenburgers to mount their horses.
Throughout the night fighting Polish soldiers decimated the Swedish-Brandenburg division (source vary from 800 to 2000 strong),both in the village and on the banks of a small stream where defenders took flight, killing between 500 to 800 officers and men (entire command of 800 officers and men according to des Noyers), taking many prisoners including a Prussian colonel and his trumpeter, while the Swedish commander, Jan Wejhard von Wrzesowicz, was killed by the peasants while in flight from the battlefield. Since he was particularly hated by the local populace his body was left unburied for many days.
According to Wawrzyniec Jan Rudawski, Polish period chronicler, the battle took place on the night of August 28, 1656. Rudawski states that the Swedes suffered following losses in officers: Majors Peter, Jan Otto de Walh, Hejder from the Saxon regiment. Majors Moritz, Frydryk Gros (or Gross), Teyeh from the General Walch's regiment, Rotameister Weinland of the Nachtigall regiment; important Swedish administrative Poznań
official Kasper Fruchtland.
Rudawski gives the following officer losses suffered by the Elector of Brandenburg/Prussia army: Major of Pfuhl's regiment Andreas Pauli, Rotameister of general Dorfling's regiment Peter Saks, Rotameister of count de Wilgenstein's regiment Baron Schwende, Rotameister Bretlar, Colonel acting as general major de Kanneberg, Commissar Godfryd Weiter.
This Polish victory caused serious disruption for the Swedish hold on Central Poland. It forced the nominal possessor of Greater Poland, the Prussian-Brandenburg Elector, to reroute a sizable Prussian division under Derflinger, also marching towards Kalisz, to withdraw north to Toruń
, after leaving commands at Poznań and Miedzyrzecz
. Devoid of any hope of the relief forces the besieged Swedish garrison
of Kalisz surrendered to the Polish army on November 8, 1656.
Second Northern War
The Second Northern War was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Russia , Brandenburg-Prussia , the Habsburg Monarchy and Denmark–Norway...
) in August of 1656 between Polish forces under voivode of Kalisz Andrzej Karol Grudziński and a Swedish-Brandenburg force under Jan Wejhard von Wrzesowicz. Swedish-Brandenburg forces were coming to provide relief to the besieged town of Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
, invested by Polish army under voivode of Malbork
Malbork
Malbork is a town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region , with 38,478 inhabitants . Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship...
Jakub Wejher
Jakub Wejher
Jakub Weiher , a member of the Polish line of the Weyher family from Germany was a Count of the Holy Roman Empire and member of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth szlachta . His coat of arms was Wejher...
, brother of Ludwik Weyher.
A small Polish force (between 200 and 500 men) surprised a weakly guarded Swedish-Brandenburg cavalry camp at Lubrze
Lubrze
Lubrze is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Krzykosy, within Środa Wielkopolska County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland...
in Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
, near Śrem
Srem
Śrem is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999; from 1975 to 1998 it was part of the Poznań Voivodeship...
and Środa Wielkopolska
Sroda Wielkopolska
Środa Wielkopolska is a town in central Poland, about southeast of Poznań, with 22,001 inhabitants .-Overview:It is situated in Greater Poland Voivodeship, having previously been in the former Poznań Voivodeship...
, and 47 km south-east of the voivodeship
Voivodeship
Voivodship is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administered by, a voivod. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia....
capital of Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
.
According to Pierre des Noyers, who was a secretary to Her Majesty Polish Queen Marie Louise Gonzaga, in his letter dated September 17, 1656, Andrzej Karol Grudziński, commanding a host of 300 noblemen, was told by the local peasants about small Swedish command of 200 men in the village of Lubrze. He decided to attack them at night, in a surprise nocturnal action. First Poles annihilated the 60 horses strong night guard and then attacked the reminder of the enemy's command, the swiftness and confusion of the night attack disallowed Swedes and Brandenburgers to mount their horses.
Throughout the night fighting Polish soldiers decimated the Swedish-Brandenburg division (source vary from 800 to 2000 strong),both in the village and on the banks of a small stream where defenders took flight, killing between 500 to 800 officers and men (entire command of 800 officers and men according to des Noyers), taking many prisoners including a Prussian colonel and his trumpeter, while the Swedish commander, Jan Wejhard von Wrzesowicz, was killed by the peasants while in flight from the battlefield. Since he was particularly hated by the local populace his body was left unburied for many days.
According to Wawrzyniec Jan Rudawski, Polish period chronicler, the battle took place on the night of August 28, 1656. Rudawski states that the Swedes suffered following losses in officers: Majors Peter, Jan Otto de Walh, Hejder from the Saxon regiment. Majors Moritz, Frydryk Gros (or Gross), Teyeh from the General Walch's regiment, Rotameister Weinland of the Nachtigall regiment; important Swedish administrative Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
official Kasper Fruchtland.
Rudawski gives the following officer losses suffered by the Elector of Brandenburg/Prussia army: Major of Pfuhl's regiment Andreas Pauli, Rotameister of general Dorfling's regiment Peter Saks, Rotameister of count de Wilgenstein's regiment Baron Schwende, Rotameister Bretlar, Colonel acting as general major de Kanneberg, Commissar Godfryd Weiter.
This Polish victory caused serious disruption for the Swedish hold on Central Poland. It forced the nominal possessor of Greater Poland, the Prussian-Brandenburg Elector, to reroute a sizable Prussian division under Derflinger, also marching towards Kalisz, to withdraw north to Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
, after leaving commands at Poznań and Miedzyrzecz
Miedzyrzecz
Międzyrzecz is a town in western Poland with 18,584 inhabitants . The capital of Międzyrzecz County, it was part of the Gorzów Wielkopolski Voivodeship from 1975–1998. Since the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998, Międzyrzecz has been situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship...
. Devoid of any hope of the relief forces the besieged Swedish garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
of Kalisz surrendered to the Polish army on November 8, 1656.