Title:

Pugna prope pagum Golumbo

Description:

Having subjugated virtually the whole of Poland in just 6 months, Charles X Gustav was about to find out that it was easier to conquer a country than it was to conquer a people. Whilst the Polish forces were unable to withstand the might of the Swedish army in a major battle they were able, through guerrilla warfare, to attack and destroy the small Swedish garrisons left behind in the wake of the Swedish advances. The opposition to Swedish occupation grew in strength when Jan II Casimir returned from his ‘exile’ in Glogowek, Upper Silesia, probably leaving on the 8th December 1655 and eventually arriving at Lancut 5th (15th)January 1656 (by the 31st January (10th February) the King had moved to Lviv where his forces were to concentrate). The Castellan of Kiev, Stefan Czarniecki, who probably accompanied his King from exile, was given orders to recruit volunteers and rode out of Lancut on the 19th (29th) January to assemble and deliver them to Lviv.

Charles on receiving news of the return of Jan immediately sent word to various army corps and garrison to concentrate their forces at Lowicz. On the 2nd (12th) February he moved out with a force of about 8000 men (probably with a further 3000 Polish troops) and soon got word that Czarniecki was close by and decided to hunt him down. .

Czarniecki also received information that Charles was marching towards him and decided to herd his 4000 recruits back to Lviv. On the 7th (17th) February he encamped in villages along the left bank of the river Wisla around the town of Golab. Unknown to him the Swedes were close at hand and Charles decided on an immediate attack. On the 8th (18th) February the Swedish forces attacked from the south and east, pushing the Polish forces towards the river. Czarniecki realizing he was in a trap ordered his troops to disperse. Another defeat for a Polish army although actual loses were minimal. Over the next a few days later Czarniecki managed to gather his soldiers & recruits and marched them to Lviv.

This engraving shows the disciplined formation of the Swedish regiments attacking a chaotic mass of Polish recruits. At the top of the engraving is shown the rivers Vistula and Wieprz which was frozen at that time of year. This allowed the Czarniecki and his forces an escape route.

Plate 033

Background: In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia brought to an end the Thirty Years’ War and at the same time thwarted Sweden’s ambitions to control Baltic trade. Sweden was intent on gaining control of the whole of the Baltic trade (Dominium Maris Baltici) and the enormous customs duties deriving from it. All that was missing was control of the major ports on the southern coast of the Baltic or, alternatively, the Oresund, the gateway to the Baltic. A pre-emptive strike against Poland would isolate Prussia (east & west) forcing it to concede control of its ports, or at least pay Sweden a substantial amount of its income for ‘protection’. In July 1655 Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden, declared war and invaded the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania, giving rise to the 2nd Northern War, known in Poland as ‘The Deluge’. The Commonwealth was already weakened by fighting on two front; In the Ukraine it was attempting to suppress a war of independence whilst in the east Russian forces were overrunning Lithuania and Belarus. By superior tactical use of infantry and artillery, within the space of 4 months Karl X Gustav had overrun the whole of the area of present day Poland and forced the Polish King, Jan II Casmir, to flee the Country. All but a handful of the major stronghold gave up with just token resistance, the notable exceptions being Gdansk, Przemysl, Zamosc and Czestochowa.

This engravings comes from the book:

De Rebus a Carolo Gustavo Sueciae Rege Gestis Commentariorum Libri Septem elegantissimis Tabulis Aeneis exornati (Sieben Bucher von denen Thaten Carl Gustavs Konigs in Schweden)

Author: Pufendorf. S. Von,

Published: Nuremberg, Christoph Riegel

Date: 1696

The book is an account of the life and deeds of Charles Gustav during his reign as King of Sweden from 1654 to 1660.

Engraver: Cochin. Noel,

Drawn by: Dahlbergh. Erik von,

Condition: Very good. The plate has been cleaned and pressed by a professional conservator and is ready for framing.

Color: Uncoloured

Size (h x w): 35 x 41.5 cm (approx. sheet size)

Technique: Copper plate

Scarce

Samuel Pufendorf (1632-94): A German jurist and historian, he is especially noted as an early theorist of international law. In his later years, he served as royal historiographer at Stockholm and Berlin.

Erik Dahlbergh (1625-1703): A Swedish field marshal, military engineer and cartographer, Count Dahlbergh was the author of a number of topographical works including the maps and plans in a famous account of the military exploits of the Swedish King, Charles X Gustav by Samuel Pufendorf. From July 1656 he served with the Swedish forces as military engineer and his engravings are that much more valuable in that they were made as an 'eyewitness'. The engravings are scarce and have great historic as well as artistic value showing as they do plans and elevations of towns & castles as well as the costumes of the period.

NB: A papal bull, dated 24th February 1582 (Pope Gregory XIII), decreed that 10 days should be dropped from the calendar in October 1582. Thus October 15th should follow immediately after October 4th, and from then on the reformed calendar should be used. Sweden changed from the Julian calendar to that of the Gregorian in 1753. Since Dahlbergh was Swedish and also prepared all the drawings for the monumental history of Charles X Gustav of Sweden the dates on the engravings are, naturally, according to the Julian calendar.

Ref: JJB3268