Against the Deluge: Polish and Lithuanian armies during the war against Sweden 1655-1660

In summer of 1655 Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, already engaged in bitter struggle against Muscovy and Zaporozhian Cossacks, was invaded by Swedes. It led to conflict called Second Northern War but in Commonwealth better known as ‘The Deluge’. After initial series of the lost battles, country was on the brink of total defeat, with Polish troops switching sides and King Jan II Kazimierz leaving the country. Gradually though, resistance against Swedish soldiers started to grow, with local p...