Battle of Jarosław (1656)

The Battle of Jarosław was fought on July 15, 1656, during the Second Northern War (also known as the Deluge in Poland). It took place near the town of Jarosław, in southeastern Poland (then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), between Polish-Lithuanian forces under Hetman Jerzy Lubomirski and a Swedish-Brandenburgian army led by Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg and Field Marshal Arvid Wittenberg.

The battle was a significant Polish-Lithuanian victory. Despite being outnumbered, the Polish-Lithuanian cavalry, renowned for its effectiveness, routed the Swedish and Brandenburgian forces. The victory at Jarosław, along with other successes, helped to stabilize the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's position during the war.

The Polish-Lithuanian forces consisted primarily of cavalry, including winged hussars, pancerni, and Cossack cavalry. The Swedish and Brandenburgian forces were composed of a mix of infantry (including musketeers and pikemen) and cavalry, organized according to contemporary Western European military doctrines.

The outcome of the battle significantly impacted the subsequent course of the Second Northern War, bolstering Polish morale and weakening the Swedish-Brandenburgian alliance in the region. While not a decisive battle that ended the war, it was a noteworthy tactical victory for the Polish-Lithuanian forces, contributing to their eventual expulsion of Swedish forces from much of the Commonwealth.