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| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| The Teutonic army had around 9,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry under ]. The Polish army had 16,000 cavalry, a few thousand servants (who could and usually were used in battles), a few hundred infantry plus 500 mercenaries and burgers from ] and 2,000 mercenaries hired by the Prussian Confederacy, all under the command of King ], advised by ] ] and ]. | The Teutonic army had around 9,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry under ]. The Polish army had 16,000 cavalry, a few thousand servants (who could and usually were used in battles), a few hundred infantry plus 500 mercenaries and burgers from ] and 2,000 mercenaries hired by the Prussian Confederacy, all under the command of King ], advised by ] ] and ]. | ||
| The Polish commanders were counting on the battle being won by the Polish heavy cavalry, not caring much about either artillery or infantry. They had not thought that their opponents could change their traditional strategy, or that the Teutonic soldiers besieged in Chojnice could be anything more than spectators. Bernard Szumborski, nonetheless, had planned a totally different kind of battle. | The Polish commanders were counting on the battle being won by the Polish heavy cavalry, not caring much about either artillery or infantry. They had not thought that their opponents could change their traditional strategy, or that the Teutonic soldiers besieged in Chojnice could be anything more than spectators. Bernard Szumborski, nonetheless, had planned a totally different kind of battle. | ||
Revision as of 16:51, 25 April 2012
This article is about the 1454 battle. For the 1656 battle, see Battle of Chojnice (1656). For the 1939 battle, see Battle of Chojnice (1939). | This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Battle of Chojnice" 1454 – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Battle of Chojnice | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Thirteen Years' War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Teutonic Order |
 Kingdom of PolandPrussian Confederation | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Bernard Szumborski |
King Casimir IV Jagiellon Jan Taszka Koniecpolski Piotr of Szczekociny† | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
9,000 cavalry 6,000 infantry |
16,000 cavalry, over 3,000 infantry | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| ~100 killed |
Over 3,000 killed 300 captured | ||||||
| Thirteen Years' War | |
|---|---|
The Battle of Chojnice (Battle of Konitz) occurred on September 18, 1454 near the town of Chojnice, between Poland and the Teutonic Knights during the Thirteen Years' War; it was won by the latter.
Background
The Teutonic army had around 9,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry under Bernard Szumborski. The Polish army had 16,000 cavalry, a few thousand servants (who could and usually were used in battles), a few hundred infantry plus 500 mercenaries and burgers from Gdańsk and 2,000 mercenaries hired by the Prussian Confederacy, all under the command of King Casimir IV, advised by chancellor Jan Koniecpolski and Piotr from Szczekociny.
The Polish commanders were counting on the battle being won by the Polish heavy cavalry, not caring much about either artillery or infantry. They had not thought that their opponents could change their traditional strategy, or that the Teutonic soldiers besieged in Chojnice could be anything more than spectators. Bernard Szumborski, nonetheless, had planned a totally different kind of battle.
The battle
At the beginning everything went as expected, following the pattern of many other battles between the Poles and Teutons. The Polish cavalry charged, breaking the Teutonic lines, killing Prince Rudolf of Żagań and even capturing Bernard Szumborski. The Teutonic cavalry tried to break through the Polish lines and escape to Chojnice; however, infantry grouped at the Teutonic Wagenburg broke with tradition and offered a very good defense against the mounted troops.
Then a sudden sally from Chojnice at the back of the Polish army caused panic. Bernard Szumborski managed to release himself and organised the pursuit; hundreds of Poles, including Piotr from Szczekociny, were killed during the rout or drowned in nearby marshland. The Polish King fought on with great personal courage and his knights had to force him to leave the battlefield.
Aftermath
The Polish defeat was complete. 3,000 bodies were left on the battlefield, 300 knights were captured by the Teutons, including three main commanders: Mikolaj Szarlejski, Łukasz Górka, and Wojciech Kostka from Postupice. The Teutonic Knights lost only around 100 men. Bernard Szumborski, was however, formally a Polish prisoner, since he gave a knight's word.
The battle proved that discipline and improved tactics, combined with a talented commander could win against a larger, but more traditional army. The Poles paid the price for ignoring terrain, infantry and artillery.
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