Battle of Lemberg (1704)

Battle of the Great Northern War

For other battles fought for the city of Lemberg, see Battle of Lwów (disambiguation).

Battle of Lemberg

Part of the Great Northern War

Lemberg in the 17th century
| Date| August 26, 1704 (O.S.)
August 27, 1704 (Swedish calendar)
September 6, 1704 (N.S.)

|

Location|

Lviv, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Present day Ukraine

Result|  Swedish victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire|  Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Commanders and leaders
Charles XII of Sweden|  Franciszek Gałecki
Strength
1,500–2,000 men|  600 men
Casualties and losses
30–40 killed and wounded|  50–60 killed,
530 captured

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* t
* e

Great Northern War

Denmark and Holstein-Gottorp (1700)

* 1st Tönning
* Reinbek
* Humlebæk

Swedish Baltic dominions

* 1st Riga
* Varja
* 1st Narva
* Düna
* Rauge
* Erastfer
* Hummelshof
* Nöteborg
* Systerbäck
* Wesenberg
* 2nd Narva
* Neva
* Koporye
* Kolkanpää
* 2nd Riga

Courland and Western Lithuania

* Tryškiai
* Darsūniškis
* Vilnius
* Saločiai
* Jakobstadt
* Palanga
* Gemauerthof
* 1st Grodno
* Valkininkai
* Kletsk
* 2nd Grodno

Poland and Saxony

* Kliszów
* Pułtusk
* Thorn
* Poznań
* Lemberg
* Poniec
* Warsaw
* Praga
* Fraustadt
* Rosenhain
* Frauenwald
* Kalisz
* Koniecpol

Russia and Eastern Lithuania

* Petschora
* Holowczyn
* Malatitze
* Rajovka
* Lesnaya
* Desna
* Baturyn
* Veprik
* Oposhnya
* Krasnokutsk–Gorodnoye
* Sokolki
* Poltava
* Perevolochna

Sweden proper (including Finland)

* Helsingborg
* (2nd Viborg
* Helsinki
* Pälkäne
* Napue)
* Göteborg
* Strömstad
* Marstrand
* Stäket

Moldavia

* Pruth Campaign
* Bender

Swedish German dominions

* Wismar
* Usedom
* Stresow
* Stralsund

Mecklenburg and Holstein-Gottorp

* Gadebusch
* 2nd Tönning

Norway

* Høland
* Dynekilen
* Fredriksten
* Carolean Death March

Naval battles

* Køge Bay
* Fladstrand
* Hogland
* Gangut
* Fehmarn
* Rügen
* Ösel
* Grengam

* * *

Treaties

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* t
* e

Polish–Swedish War (1701–1706)

* Düna
* Tryškiai
* Darsūniškis
* Vilnius
* Kliszów
* Saločiai
* Pułtusk
* Thorn
* Jakobstadt
* Poznań
* Lemberg
* Poniec
* Palanga
* Gemauerthof
* Warsaw
* Praga
* Grodno
* Fraustadt
* Valkininkai
* Kletsk
* Kalisz

The Battle of Lemberg on September 6, 1704, was a successful Swedish assault on the town of Lemberg (Lviv), in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, during the Great Northern War.

## Prelude[edit]

The governor of Lemberg, Franciszek Gałecki, had earlier refused to pay a contribution demanded by the Swedes.[1] Charles XII of Sweden, likely angered by this, struck camp at Jarosław, on September 1, and marched towards Lemberg with 16 regiments.[2] He arrived with his vanguard on September 5[Note 1] and immediately drove off a force of around two thousand under Janusz Antoni Wiśniowiecki and Stanisław Mateusz Rzewuski, after a brief fight.[1] The garrison, about 600 strong (including 200 Saxons),[3] then quickly scorched the suburbs and opened fire with cannons.[4]

## Battle[edit]

Charles, who wanted to storm the town immediately, proceeded with a reconnaissance from the High Castle and ordered three dragoon regiments to prepare to attack; heavy rain, however, forced him to postpone it until the following day. While the dragoon regiments made preparations, the rest of the force encircled the town to block any relief forces. The following day, September 6, the attack was carried out. About 50 Swedes stormed a fortified monastery outside the town, while Charles with the remainder of the force climbed the earthwork, where a wooden wall had to be cut through. This protected the large fortification walls directly surrounding the town. As they attacked, they were shot at through the portholes of the wooden wall. The defenders were, however, effectively forced away by grenades. As the Swedes broke through, the defenders panicked and ran towards the main gate accessing the town, with Charles pursuing them. In the chaos, the Swedes managed to take control of the gate, then the town square, and soon the whole town, all in half an hour.[Note 2] The fortified monastery had also been captured.[4]

## Aftermath[edit]

Between 30[5] and 40 Swedes had been killed or wounded during the fighting while the garrison lost about 530 men captured and between 50 and 60 killed,[6] apart from a few armed citizens.[Note 3] Charles struck camp with his forces on September 23-24, and marched towards Warsaw which had been captured by Augustus II of Poland. He soon caught up with the Saxon forces, under Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, at the Battle of Punitz.[7]

## Sources[edit]

### Notes[edit]

1. ^ The same day as the Swedish garrison at Warsaw surrendered. (Rosen 1936, p. 276)
2. ^ Similar to how the Battle of Pułtusk played out. (Rosen 1936, p. 284)
3. ^ The Swedes seized the weapons from about 600 armed citizens after the battle. (Unknown 1704, p. 5)

### References[edit]

1. ^ a b Rosen 1936, p. 283.
2. ^ Rosen 1936, p. 282.
3. ^ Rosen 1936, p. 287.
4. ^ a b Rosen 1936, p. 284.
5. ^ Nordberg 1740, p. 536.
6. ^ Unknown 1704, p. 5.
7. ^ Rosen 1936, p. 289.

### Bibliography[edit]

* Unknown (1704), Kort berättelse, om det i Pohlen öfwerståndne fälttoget åhr 1704
* Fryxell, Anders (1861). Lebensgeschichte Karl des Zwölften, Königs von Schweden, Vol. 1, Brunswick
* Lundblad, Knut (1835). Geschichte Karl des Zwölften Königs von Schweden, Vol. 1, Hamburg
* Nordberg, Jöran (1740), Konung Carl den XII:tes historia, Stockholm: Directeuren Pet. Momma
* Rosen, Carl (1936), Bidrag till kännedom om de händelser, som närmast föregingo svenska stormaktsväldets fall, volume I, Stockholm: P.A. Norstedt & Söner
* Tessin, Georg (1967). Die deutschen Regimenter der Krone Schweden: Unter Karl X. Gustav (1654–1660), Böhlau
* Voltaire (1761) Geschichte Carls XII., Frankfurt am Main.

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