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Wars of Poland

Including Polish wars with Germany and Russia

 

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Poland has a long history of warfare against their neighbors. Poland's geography does it no favors. A largely flat nation with few natural barriers between them and their German and Russian neighbors.  Over the centuries, Poland had engaged in many wars against various German states (i.e. The Teutonic Knights, Prussia, Austria, Imperial Germany, Hitler's Germany) and against Russia under both the imperial Czars and the Soviet Communists.  

After achieving true independence with the fall of the Soviet Union and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Polish soil, the new, democratic government in Warsaw applied for membership in the NATO defensive alliance. In 2022, with the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and threats from the Kremlin toward Poland and other Eastern European nations, Poland is one of strongest NATO European nations militarily, as Poles wonder if they may be next on Putin's hit list.

Below are the main wars of Polish military history.

Cossack Uprising in Ukraine Against Poland (1591-1593)-Cossack uprising led by Krzysztof Kosinski against Poland in the Ukraine.

Cossack Uprising in Ukraine Against Poland (1594-1596)-Cossack uprising led by Severyn Nalyvaiko against Poland in the Ukraine.

Polish-Swedish War (1600-1611)-Polish King Sigismund III, claimed to be the rightful heir to the Swedish throne. This claim led to several wars between Sweden and Poland. War ended in a truce in 1611 following the death of the Swedish King Charles IX (Sigismund's uncle). Sigismund then turned his attention to Russia, which was undergoing a violent and confusing "Time of Troubles."

Polish Intervention in Russia (1605-1609)-Polish took advantage of Russia's "Time of Troubles" to intervene militarily in Russia.

Battle of Balkhov (1608)-A Polish army, allied with 45,000 Cossacks, defeated the forces of Basil Shuisky.

Battle of Chadyuka River (1608) --Poles again defeat Basil Shuisky and bring another pretender to the Russian throne to power.

Russo-Polish War (1609-1618)-Polish intervention in Russia in support of Russian political factions ends as King Sigismund III of Poland claims the Russian throne for himself and declares war on Russia.

Polish Turkish War (1614-1621)-Polish Cossack raids against Turkish ports on the Black Sea coast and Polish support for anti-Turkish uprisings in Moldavia and Walachi (Romania) provoked all-out war between Poland and Turkey. This war occurred concurrently with the Russo-Polish War which began in 1614. The Polish-Turkish War ended with a truce in 1621. Cross-border raids by both sides continued after the formal end to the war.

Polish-Swedish War (1617-1629)-Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus, taking advantage of Poland's two ongoing wars with Russia and Turkey and decided to re-conquer the Baltic coast of Livonia which the Poles had seized from the late King Charles IX in the previous Polish-Swedish War. In 1629, the Holy Roman Empire intervened to aid Poland by sending 7,000 Imperial troops to help fight the Swedes. This aid was largely to prevent Gustavus Adolphus from marching from Prussia (where his army was encamped) into Germany to participate in the ongoing Thirty Years' War. The Truce of Altmark (1629) ended the fighting, and allowed Poland to finally recover from nearly 30 years of constant warfare, and it allowed Gustavus to intervene in the Thirty Years' War in Germany.

Cossack Uprising in Ukraine Against Poland (1630)-Cossack uprising led by Taras Fedorovych against Poland in the Ukraine.

Russo-Polish War (1632-1634)-Russia invades Poland. Poland defeated and Polish King Ladislas renounces claims to Russian throne and recognizes Czar Michael as Russian king.

Cossack Uprising in Ukraine Against Poland (1637)-Cossack uprising led by Pavlo Mikhnovych against Poland in the Ukraine. Mikhnoyvch was captured and taken to Warsaw and executed.

Cossack Uprising in Ukraine Against Poland (1638)-Cossack uprising led by Hetman Dmytro Hunia against Poland in the Ukraine.

Cossack Uprising in Ukraine Against Poland (1648-1654)-Cossack leader Bogdan Chmielnicki led an bloody war against Polish rule in Ukraine. His rebel force also included Ukrainian peasants and he was allied to the Tartar Khan in the Crimea, who supplied troops to fight the Poles. The war expanded to include Russia in 1654 with the Treaty of Pereiaslavl, in which the Cossacks ceded sovereignty over Ukraine to Russia. This caused a new Russo-Polish War.

Russo-Polish War (1654-1656) -Taking advantage of Poland's involvement in the Ukraine and its troubles with the Cossacks, Russia under Czar Alex attacks Poland. The war ends as Poland's ally, the Crimean Tarters, intervene against the Russians in the Ukraine, defeating the Cossacks, and forcing the Russians to withdraw. War ends with the three-year Truce of Nimieza.

Russo-Polish War (1658-1666)--After an unsuccessful war against Sweden (and a three-year truce with Stockholm), Russia renews its old war against Poland by invading Lithuania. The Poles were again assisted by the Crimean Tartars. The war ended with Poland and Russia dividing Ukraine between them in the Treaty of Andrusovo.

Polish–Cossack–Tatar War (1666–1671)--A war between Poland and the Ottoman Empire (in practice, the Cossack Hetmanate and Crimean Khanate) over the Ukraine. This war was one of the successor conflicts of the Russo-Polish Wars between 1654 and 1667, and a precursor to the Polish-Turkish War of 1671 to 1676.

Polish Turkish War (1671-1676)-Ottoman Turkey invades Polish Ukraine. Treaty of Zorawno ends the war. Ukrainian territory is divided.

War of the Holy League (1683–1699)--The Ottoman Turks attacked Hapsburg Austria, and laid seige to the Austrian capital of Vienna. A coalition of Christian forces led by the Polish King John III Sobieski defeated the Turks. The war continued until 1699, and ended with a Turkish defeat.

War of the Polish Succession (1733–1735)--Russian intervention in a Polish civil war.

War of the Bar Confederation (1768–1776)-A group of Polish nobles waged a war against Russian forces and the Polish leaders who they believed were giving away Polish independence to Russia. The rebels were defeated by Russia and sent into exile. This occurred as the First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 with a simultaneous invasion of Poland by the forces of Russia, Prussia, and Austria, who each took large pieces of Polish territory for themselves. When the Polish Sjem refused to ratify the land grab, Russian, Prussian, and Austrian armies occupied Warsaw.

Cossack Uprising in Ukraine Against Poland "The Koliyivschina" (1768-1769)-Ukrainian Cossack and peasant uprising against Polish rule. Suppressed by Polish and Russian armies. This rebellion was concurrent with the War of the Bar Confederation inside Poland itself.

Russo-Polish War of 1792-One of the infamous Partitions of Poland.

Kosciuszko Uprising (1794) -Polish uprising against Russian rule. Russia defeated the rebels.

November Uprising (1830–1831)-Polish uprising against Russian rule. Russia defeated the rebels.

January Uprising (1863–1864) -Polish uprising against Russian rule. Russia defeated the rebels.

Russian Revolution in Poland (1905–1907) -Poles participated in the anti-Czarist 1905 Russian Revolution. Czarist forces retained power throughout the Russian Empire. Polish unrest, largely in the form of industiral worker strikes, continued into 1907.

Polish Revolution (1830-1831)-Russian-ruled Poland rebelled and was crushed. Inspired by 1830 Paris Revolution.

Polish Uprising of 1848 (1848) -Polish rebellion against Prussian and Austrian rule.

Second Polish Revolution (1863-1864)-Polish rebels waged a mostly guerrilla war against Russian rule. Rebellion defeated.

World War I (1914-1918)--Last war of the Hapsburg Empire, Russian Empire, and the German (Second Reich) Empire, all of whom had gained territory at the expense of Poland over the past 150 years or so. At the conclusion of World War One, all three of these empires ended, with territory taken from each to form several new, independent nations, including a reconstituted Poland.

Polish War of Independence (1918-1919) – Polish rebellion against Germany, who had occupied most of Poland in Germany's war with Russia in World War One. The success of the Polish rebels aided the cause of an indpendent Poland at the Versailles Peace Conference, which gave Poland independence and international recognition.

Polish-Ukrainian War ( 1918-1919)--Poland fought against the "West Ukrainian People's Republic" over control of Lvov and eastern Galicia.

Polish-Czechoslovak Border War (1919)-Border conflict between Poland and Czechoslovakia over parts of Silesia.

Polish-Soviet War (1919-1921)--Major war between Poland and Russia/The Soviet Union. Poland survived the Communist attack with military aid from France and a spirited defense of Warsaw in the Battle of the Vistula.

Sejny Uprising -(August 22-29, 1919)--Polish uprising against Lithuania . Rebels were supported by the Polish Army.

First Silesian Uprising (1919)-Polish rebels in the German region of Silesia rebelled, seeking to join with Poland.

Second Silesian Uprising (1920)-Polish rebels in the German region of Silesia rebelled, seeking to join with Poland.

Third Silesian Uprising (1921)-Polish rebels in the German region of Silesia rebelled, seeking to join with Poland. This uprising concluded with an agreement for part of Silesia to become Polish territory.

German Invasion of Poland (September 1, 1939-October 6, 1939)--Germany invaded Poland on September 1, and Britain, France, and Canada, declared war on Germany on September 3. The Soviet Union joined the war on Germany's side on September 17, with the Soviet Invasion of Poland from the east. The German Invasion of Poland (called Operation Case White/Unternehmen Fall Weiss by the Germans), marks the beginning of World War Two in Europe. (NOTE: World War Two in Asia is generally considered to have begun with the Japanese Invasion of China in 1937).

Polish Uprising (1956)--Polish uprising against Soviet domination. Failed. Poland would not shrug off the Soviet Russian yolk until the fall the Soviets in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968)--Polish forces particpated in the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Afghanistan War (2001-Present)--Poland currently has 2,000 troops fighting in Afghanistan as part of the multi-national coalition against the Taliban and al-Qaida..

Iraq War (2003-2008)--Poland joined with the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Poland withdrew the last of its forces in October, 2008.

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