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Storming of Lemberg

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(Redirected from Battle of Lemberg (1704)) Battle of the Great Northern War For other battles fought for the city of Lemberg, see Battle of Lwów (disambiguation).
Storming of Lemberg
Part of the Great Northern War

Lemberg in the 17th century
DateAugust 26, 1704 (O.S.)
August 27, 1704 (Swedish calendar)
September 6, 1704 (N.S.)
LocationLviv, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Present day Ukraine
Result Swedish victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Commanders and leaders
Charles XII of Sweden Franciszek Gałecki
Strength
1,500–2,000 men 600 men
Casualties and losses
30–40 killed and wounded 50–60 killed,
530 captured
Great Northern War
Denmark and Holstein-Gottorp (1700)
Swedish Baltic dominions
Courland and Western Lithuania
Poland and Saxony
Russia and Eastern Lithuania
Sweden proper (including Finland)
Moldavia
Swedish German dominions
Mecklenburg and Holstein-Gottorp
Norway
Naval battles
Treaties
Polish–Swedish War (1701–1706)

The Storming of Lemberg on September 6, 1704, was a successful Swedish assault on the town of Lemberg (Lviv), in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, during the Great Northern War.

Prelude

The governor of Lemberg, Franciszek Gałecki, had earlier refused to pay a contribution demanded by the Swedes. Charles XII of Sweden, likely angered by this, struck camp at Jarosław, on September 1, and marched towards Lemberg with 16 regiments. He arrived with his vanguard on September 5 and immediately drove off a force of around two thousand under Janusz Antoni Wiśniowiecki and Stanisław Mateusz Rzewuski, after a brief fight. The garrison, about 600 strong (including 200 Saxons), then quickly scorched the suburbs and opened fire with cannons.

Storming

Charles, who wanted to storm the town immediately, proceeded with a reconnaissance from the High Castle and ordered three dragoon regiments to prepare to attack; heavy rain, however, forced him to postpone it until the following day. While the dragoon regiments made preparations, the rest of the force encircled the town to block any relief forces. The following day, September 6, the attack was carried out. About 50 Swedes stormed a fortified monastery outside the town, while Charles with the remainder of the force climbed the earthwork, where a wooden wall had to be cut through. This protected the large fortification walls directly surrounding the town. As they attacked, they were shot at through the portholes of the wooden wall. The defenders were, however, effectively forced away by grenades. As the Swedes broke through, the defenders panicked and ran towards the main gate accessing the town, with Charles pursuing them. In the chaos, the Swedes managed to take control of the gate, then the town square, and soon the whole town, all in half an hour. The fortified monastery had also been captured.

Aftermath

Between 30 and 40 Swedes had been killed or wounded during the fighting while the garrison lost about 530 men captured and between 50 and 60 killed, apart from a few armed citizens. Charles struck camp with his forces on September 23-24, and marched towards Warsaw which had been captured by Augustus II of Poland. He soon caught up with the Saxon forces, under Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, at the Battle of Punitz.

Sources

Notes

  1. The same day as the Swedish garrison at Warsaw surrendered. (Rosen 1936, p. 276)
  2. Similar to how the Battle of Pułtusk played out. (Rosen 1936, p. 284)
  3. The Swedes seized the weapons from about 600 armed citizens after the battle. (Unknown 1704, p. 5)

References

  1. ^ Rosen 1936, p. 283.
  2. Rosen 1936, p. 282.
  3. Rosen 1936, p. 287.
  4. ^ Rosen 1936, p. 284.
  5. Nordberg 1740, p. 536.
  6. Unknown 1704, p. 5.
  7. Rosen 1936, p. 289.

Bibliography

49°50′33″N 24°01′56″E / 49.84250°N 24.03222°E / 49.84250; 24.03222

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