# Livonian campaign (1617–1618)

Livonian campaign was the main theatre of the Polish–Swedish War (1617–1618). While the main Swedish objective to capture Riga failed, the Swedes managed to capture Pärnu, which they had for the next two years.

## Background

In 1616, Wolmar Fahrensbach, the governor over Courland, began secret talks with the Swedish Government. Due to these talks, he managed to ally Courland with Sweden against the Commonwealth.
The talks were mostly caused by Fahrensbach not receiving the rank of commander over the fortress of Dünamünde, which caused him to take offense at the Commonwealth. He had also initated a conflict with the city of Riga. The situation in Sweden was different. Sweden had lost control of Älvsborg, which was a strategic fortress situated on the Kattegat during the Kalmar War. Sweden was forced to pay one million riksdaler to get the fortress back, which was a lot of money. The Swedish Chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna, convinced the king to take advantage of the situation in Courland.

### Prelude

Since the Swedish state had little money, and foreign subsidies being unavailable at the time, Gustavus Adolphus chose to invade Livonia in order to save money for the upkeep of his army.

### Swedish plan and preparations
#### Swedish forces

For the invasion, Gustavus chose Nils Stiernsköld as the commander. Gustavus' reforms in the Swedish army had barely begun, and thus only enlisted troops would be utilized for the invasion. Few men were available in Sweden, so Stiernsköld accordingly sailed to the Dutch Republic, where he enlisted a regiment of 1,200 men divided into six companies of infantry. The Dutch Regiment, along with Jacob De la Gardie's Regiment (Fältherrens regemente) and three independent companies, which were already in Sweden, would form the expeditionary force. In total, it consisted of around 3,700 men at most, all infantry.

#### Swedish plan

The expedition lasted from 25 January to the end of March 1618. Despite relatively large forces (5 hussar banners, 2 reiters, 3 Cossacks and a dragoon), no successes were achieved. After leaving the camp, the Poles set off for Allakul, where they tried to drag the Estonian nobility with them. When this failed, Siciński, an old soldier raised in the school of Krzysztof Piorun" Radziwiłł, set off on a hasty march past Parnawa, where there were minor clashes with the Swedes, all the way to Lode, where he arrived on 30 January 1618. The lightning-fast operation, in the space of 5 days, the Polish unit covered over 320 kilometres in the winter, but it failed. The fortress's garrison, although it numbered only about 140 men, put up fierce resistance and withstood a month-long siege, or rather a blockade.
After the defeat, Siciński led the unit initially to the old camp near Fellin, where he arrived on 25 March, and then, perhaps fearing Swedish reprisal, crossed the Dvina and deployed his army in Courland. The Swedes, reassured by this, wishing to avenge the plunder committed by the Poles, unexpectedly attacked Rek's banner standing in Karkus and defeated it completely. This happened at a time when the wounded Rek was receiving treatment in Riga, and the banner was commanded by Szmeling's lieutenant, Bortz, which must have had an effect on weakening the soldier's discipline and therefore his vigilance.
The destruction of the banner made a great impression on Sigismund III, who on May 26, 1618, announced that an investigation would be conducted to clarify who was responsible for it. The entire expedition met with an unfavorable reaction from the king. Sigismund III was dissatisfied that the army committed robberies, destroying defenseless people, and finally, having achieved nothing against the enemy, returned on horses exhausted by forced marches.

## Campaign

Swedish attack on the Livonians in 1617
On June 19, 1617, the Swedish squadron stood at the Dynegont roadstead, which was enough for Colonel Wolmar Farensbach, commanding its small crew, to capitulate two days later. On June 23, another Swedish landing captured Ventspils, while the fleet blocked the port of Riga. In August, the Swedes attacked Pamawa, which capitulated after three days of fighting. Four days later (August 18), Salis fell into Swedish hands. Thus, within two months, the Swedes captured a long strip of the coast in Livonia, except for Riga.
Polish counterattack in 1617
Only then did the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth begin preparations to fight on the new front. Wolmar Farensbach returned, and in exchange for a promise to forgive the betrayal, he returned to the Polish side. Field Hetman Krzysztof II Radziwiłł, son of Janusz, took command of the small Lithuanian army. The new Lithuanian commander showed great organizational talent, as well as speed and decisiveness in action. He introduced some innovations in the army, using Thanks to his energy, the Lithuanians quite quickly regained all the lost fortresses except Pärnu. After this success, Radziwiłł entered Courland with his army, previously subordinate to Prince Wilhelm Kettler, who by betraying Poland provoked the entire action of Gustav Adolf. The Lithuanian Hetman wanted to annex the duchy he had taken over to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. However, Sigismund III did not agree to this and handed Courland over to Frederick Kettler, faithful to Poland.In December 1617, Radziwiłł, angry with the king, returned to Lithuania, and Jan Siciński took command of the army.

### 1618
#### Expedition to Estonia

The expedition lasted from 25 January to the end of March 1618. Despite relatively large forces (5 hussar banners, 2 reiters, 3 Cossacks and a dragoon), no successes were achieved. After leaving the camp, the Poles set off for Allakul, where they tried to drag the Estonian nobility with them. When this failed, Siciński, an old soldier raised in the school of Krzysztof Piorun" Radziwiłł, set off on a hasty march past Parnawa, where there were minor clashes with the Swedes, all the way to Lode, where he arrived on 30 January 1618. The lightning-fast operation, in the space of 5 days, the Polish unit covered over 320 kilometres in the winter, but it failed. The fortress's garrison, although it numbered only about 140 men, put up fierce resistance and withstood a month-long siege, or rather a blockade.
After the defeat, Siciński led the unit initially to the old camp near Fellin, where he arrived on 25 March, and then, perhaps fearing Swedish reprisal, crossed the Dvina and deployed his army in Courland. The Swedes, reassured by this, wishing to avenge the plunder committed by the Poles, unexpectedly attacked Rek's banner standing in Karkus and defeated it completely. This happened at a time when the wounded Rek was receiving treatment in Riga, and the banner was commanded by Szmeling's lieutenant, Bortz, which must have had an effect on weakening the soldier's discipline and therefore his vigilance.
The destruction of the banner made a great impression on Sigismund III, who on May 26, 1618, announced that an investigation would be conducted to clarify who was responsible for it. The entire expedition met with an unfavorable reaction from the king. Sigismund III was dissatisfied that the army committed robberies, destroying defenseless people, and finally, having achieved nothing against the enemy, returned on horses exhausted by forced marches.