Lumen 2018

Charles Gustavus’s armies numbered about 40 thousand soldiers and invaded Poland from two directions. One army, 17 thousand strong, led by Arvid Wittenberg in the company of the traitor Radziejowski, crossed the border of the Republic of Poland at Siem- czyn on July 21, 1655, and attacked Wielkopolska, where the Polish defense broke down as early as the end of July, following a betrayal by Christopher Opalinski, Palatine of Poznan, and Andrew Grudzinski, Palatine of Kalisz, both of whom persuaded the Polish soldiers to capitulate at Ujscie. They convinced them that “[King] Charles is a Lion and it is an honor to serve him” and that they are only replacing an unpopular [Polish] monarch with a brave and gen- erous master. 45 The second attack came from Livonia towards Lithuania under the leadership of Magnus de la Gardie. On the 18 th of August, Het- man Janus Radziwill and Boguslaus Radziwill, an equerry, capitu- lated before the Swedes at Kiejdany. They were followed by other magnates, a part of the Episcopate, and crowds of the nobility. By supporting the Swedes, the Radziwills planned to create a separate little state in Lithuania. Some time later, in 1656, Frederick Wil- liam, 46 Prince of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg, a traitorous vassal of Poland, also joined the Swedes. The Poles sent about 52,000 soldiers against the invaders, but a large part of this group were poorly trained peasant units. Moreover, the mobilization was not conducted very efficiently, and the Polish military forces were dispersed. At the same time, it became necessary to send 14,000 more soldiers against Muscovy and the Cossacks. 47 The Polish units capitulated after only a few encounters with the enemy, and the Swedes rapidly took control of ever new territories, i.e., Wielkopolska with Poznan, Warsaw, and Cracow. On September 8, 1655, Warsaw capitulated without a single shot being fired. On Au- gust 17 or 18, 1655, in the face of total defeat, King John Casimir left Warsaw with his wife and court and went to Cracow. But, as early as the night of September 24th to 25th, he had to leave the city which S TANISLAUS P APCZYNSKI 104