Northern War of 1655–1660
| Northern War of 1655–1660 | |||||||||
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| Part of the Northern Wars | |||||||||
From left to right:
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Swedish Empire Brandenburg-Prussia (1656–57) Transylvania Swedish Lithuania |
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Denmark–Norway (from 1657) Habsburg Monarchy Russia (1656–58) Brandenburg-Prussia (1655–56, 1657–60) Crimean Khanate | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Charles X Gustav Arvid Wittenberg Magnus de la Gardie Johan Risingh Janusz Radziwiłł † Bogusław Radziwiłł Frederick William I George II |
John II Casimir Stefan Czarniecki Paweł Jan Sapieha Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski Frederick III Alexis of Russia Frederick William I Peter Stuyvesant | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 55–70,000 (average strength, 1655–1660) | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 70,000 dead (excluding mercenaries) | Unknown | ||||||||
The Northern War of 1655–1660 was fought between Sweden and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, with participation at different times by Russia, Brandenburg-Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and Denmark–Norway. It ended with the treaties of Copenhagen and Oliva in 1660.
In 1655, Charles X took advantage of the Russo-Polish War (1654–67) to over-run western Poland. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was annexed by Sweden, and John II Casimir Vasa took refuge in Vienna. He managed to regain parts of his kingdom in 1656, and the conflict widened when Russia declared war on Sweden, supported by Emperor Leopold and Frederick III of Denmark.
Previously allied with Sweden, Brandenburg switched sides in 1657 when Casimir granted Frederick William I sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia. That winter, Charles X invaded Denmark and forced Frederick to withdraw from Southern Sweden. However, a second Swedish offensive failed, and by 1659 the war had become one of attrition, with neither side able to gain a decisive advantage.
After Charles died in February 1660, his son made peace with his opponents. Sweden kept most of its gains from Denmark, but the belligerents largely returned to the status quo ante bellum.