Battle of Martynów
| Battle of Martynów | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Tatar raids on the Commonwealth | |||||||
 "Towarzysz pancerny" - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth cavalrymen. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
.svg){kind=icon} Crimean Tatars | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Stanisław Koniecpolski | Khan Temir | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5,000 | less than 15,000 | ||||||
The Battle of Martynów of 20 June 1624 refers to the engagement between the
horde of Crimean Tatars under Khan Temir
. Koniecpolski dealt a crushing defeat to Khan Temir's forces near Novyi Martyniv (Мартинів). The victory at Martyniów was the biggest Polish victory over the Tatar raiders in a century.
Background
In the spring of 1624 the
hussars, 1350 registered Cossacks cavalry, 650 additional Cossack cavalry, 1450 other light cavalry, 350 infantry, 450 nobles from pospolite ruszenie, and several light cannons.[3] This force included several notable soldiers and commanders, such as Stefan Chmielecki, Jan Odrzywolski, Samuel Łaszcz, Paweł Czarniecki and Stefan Czarniecki.[4] He sent some forces, including mobilized peasants, to block possible routes of retreat for the horde, in order to force the horde to cross a river near the village of Martynów, where he planned to ambush them.[4] The Tatar strength is unknown. Leszek Podhorodecki cites a contemporary diarist's estimate of 15,000, calling it a "gross exaggeration".[5]
Battle
Koniecpolski had to lay several possible ambushes, as Khan Temir was a savvy tactician, and would not fall easily into a trap.
Aftermath
The victory at Martyniów was a major success for Koniecpolski, as it was the biggest Polish victory over the Tatar raiders in a century.[9] At the same time, Khan Temir lost some influence among the Tatars.[9]
References
- ^ Podhorodecki (1978), p. 120.
- ^ Podhorodecki (1978), pp. 120–124.
- ^ Podhorodecki (1978), p. 124.
- ^ a b Podhorodecki (1978), p. 125.
- ^ a b c Podhorodecki (1978), p. 128.
- ^ Podhorodecki (1978), pp. 127–128.
- ^ a b c Podhorodecki (1978), pp. 128–130.
- ^ a b Podhorodecki (1978), pp. 130–131.
- ^ a b Podhorodecki (1978), p. 133.
- Bibliography
- Podhorodecki, Leszek (1978). Stanisław Koniecpolski ok. 1592–1646. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- Winged Hussars, Radoslaw Sikora, Bartosz Musialowicz, BUM Magazine, 2016.