420 years ago, commanded by the Hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, the Polish-Lithuanian troops gave a devastating defeat to the Swedish army 3 times the number. It was a wonderful VictoriaRepublic. For many years, she pushed distant from us the “dink” of the fighting Protestantism – destroying, plundering churches and murdering priests.
Already in the early 17th century, the Republic of Poland had a serious problem with Swedes who wanted to take our Infinity. They led there, utilizing today's term, a full-scale invasion. The invaders had a much larger army than the Republic of Poland, as the Sejm passed advanced taxes on the military. In turn, the Polish parliament could not accomplish the same. In addition, the war treasure of Sweden was supported by the Russian Tsar Boris Godunov. He did it to draw our armed troops from the Borders he intended to attack.
Just as the sad tradition here is the inept usage of democracy, so our happiness is the husbands of providence, who, erstwhile and for all, bring out from oppression. At the time, specified a individual was for the Republic of Poland the Grand Lithuanian hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz.
The Swedes decided to take Inflanta, so that the Baltic Sea would be their interior waters, so that they could become very rich and grow their expansion, mainly to the Republic. On a large scale ruling in the Scandinavian country, King Charles IX of Suderman began to implement these plans in the summertime of 1604. About 9,000 aggressor soldiers were divided into 2 groups. The first 1 came in ships to Riga, the second 1 to Estonia. In September, the Estonian Swedish army group was joined by the monarch himself with 5 1000 armed men. Then the full army merged under Riga and moved to Kircholmu fields, about 15 kilometres from Riga. There were already Polish troops waiting for them, commanded by the captain Jan Karol Chodkiewicz.
The conflict took place on September 27, 1605. The numbers of invaders were very clear. About 11 1000 Swedes stood in 4 sets, while Poles and Lithuanians were at most 3 700. And something incredible happened, of course with the large participation of the genius of our hetman and the large strength of Polish Hussaria. The Swedish Army was broken up in a downfall. King Charles Sudermanski barely escaped with his life, escaping – along with respective 100 surviving soldiers – galleons, by sea.
It was a immense Victoria of the Republic that made Swedes incapable to face our troops for respective more years. Their hosts landed on the Inflantic land only in 1621, starting another war with Poland.
During all the confrontations with the Republic of Sweden, it was not just about occupying our lands. Their aggressive actions were besides motivated by hatred of Catholic religion. This became the main reason for the removal from the Swedish throne ( 1599) of Sigismund III Vasa, who was besides the king of Poland and besides a zealous Catholic. That is why his uncle, Charles IX of Suderman, came without difficulty to rebel Protestant Swedes against the rightful ruler. The usurper then took his own throne.
Had it not been for the large Victorias of the Polish troops under Kircholm, the enemy army would have plundered the Republic of Poland, as it did during the “flood” from 1655 to 1660. At that time, Swedes plundered and destroyed churches and monasteries on a massive scale – as they had already done in the Infinities. They conducted systematic persecution of Catholics, including torture and murder. The heretic soldiers profane Catholic holiness, plunder liturgical objects, works of art and valuable books, treating our temples as a origin of easy prey. In 1655 liturgical vessels and works of Renaissance art were robbed in the Wawel Cathedral. The Swedes besides plundered the Dominican Church in Krakow and destroyed the image of Our woman of the Rosary.
All these crimes, devastations, thefts and desecrations only stopped the effective defence of the monastery of the Paulins in Czestochowa. Let us note that in 1605, i.e. during the first Swedish invasion of the Republic of Poland, it would not be possible to defend this place so effectively for Polish Catholics. For a simple reason – Jasna Góra was not yet a fortress. By the order of King Sigismund III Vasa—whose reign was the large Victoria at Kircholm—was not encumbered until 1616, and the improvement of the fortifications continued until 1630. God’s providence and Our woman always keep us under guard. May present bless the defenders of our borders.
Adam Białous
