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The ‘With Fire and Sword’ supplement to the Twilight of Divine Right rules has been published. These rules cover warfare in Eastern Europe in the period 1605-1676. In addition to the rules supplement there are 3 scenario books for use with these. They are available from here – https://www.wyrehistoricbooks.co.uk/home
Here are some details of the 1st of the new scenario books for warfare in Eastern Europe in the 17th century. I will post information on the others later.
The first ‘With Fire and Sword’ scenario book is ‘The Rise of Sweden, 1605-1629‘.
This book mainly covers the rise of Sweden in their wars with the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1600 – 1611 and in 1626 – 1629 when Gustaf II Adolf (Gustavus Adolphus) was reforming the Swedish army. In addition, the Russians were involved in these wars in 1609-1618. Finally, there are some scenarios from the Commonwealth’s wars against the Ottomans in 1620 – 1621.
The scenarios cover the following battles –
Kircholm, 1605
Klushino, 1610
Chochim, 1621
Gniew, 1626
Dirschau, 1627
Gorzno, 1629
Trzciana, 1629Some background information on the wars of this period.
The Polish Wars against Sweden (1600-1611) and Russia (1609-1618):These two wars overlapped and were a taste of what was to come. Following on from previous wars the Swedes and Poles were fighting for control of Livonia and Estonia as well as dynastic issues. The Swedish army at this time was not very effective and the reverses of this war would inspire changes later in the century. At the same time, Russia was suffering disorder in a period called the ‘Time of Troubles’ and Poland moved to exploit this. For a time Russia and Sweden cooperated but with little success. Sweden made peace and left Russia to suffer alone and both wanted revenge in the future.
The Ottoman War of 1620-1621:
The roots of this war lay in the struggle for the overlordship of Moldavia. This had been contested between the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottomans for some time and was complicated by the involvement of the Transylvanian Prince Bethlen. This prompted the Ottomans to invade Moldavia to stop Commonwealth meddling. After initial success, the Ottomans were halted at Chochim and peace was restored with little change in the situation.
The Polish-Swedish War 1626-1629:
In late 1611 Gustav II Adolf became king of Sweden and immediately set about reforming the Swedish army. A process that would lead to Sweden emerging as a major power when it intervened in the Thirty Years War in 1630. After initial campaigning in the years before a full-scale war erupted in 1626. In the following campaigns, the Swedish army developed the tactics and experience that transformed it into an effective force and transformed Sweden on the world stage.
Here are some details of the 2nd of the new scenario books for warfare in Eastern Europe in the 17th century. These are designed to be used with the Twilight of Divine Right rules and the With Fire and Sword supplement to these rules for Eastern warfare. See – https://www.wyrehistoricbooks.co.uk/home.
I will post information on the final book later.
The second ‘With Fire and Sword’ scenario book is ‘The Deluge, 1632-1660‘.
This book focuses on the Polish Lithuanian battles mainly against the Cossacks and Swedes during the period called the ‘Deluge’ and against the Khmelnytsky Cossack revolt. The main opponent in the war of 1648 -1657 is the Cossacks while that of 1655 – 1660 is mainly against the Swedes. It is also common for allies to be present on one or both sides. In addition the Russian war against the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1632 – 1634 is also covered.
The scenarios cover the following battles –
- Smolensk, 1633
- Pyliavsti, 1648
- Berestecko, 1651
- Batoh, 1652
- Zarnow, 1655
- Warsaw, 1656
Some background information on the wars of this period.
The Smolensk War of 1632-1634:
Following the death of the previous Commonwealth king the Russians tried to exploit this b trying to retake territory they had lost in previous wars. The Russians had reacted to previous defeats and in this new war large numbers of ‘Western style’ units would be fielded in their army. Although the new army had little success this war marked Russia’s progress towards modernising their army.
The Khmelnytsky Revolt 1648-1657:
In 1648 the Cossacks under Khmelnytsky revolted against the Commonwealth. The success of the Cossacks quickly lead to others attacking the Commonwealth and the period know as ‘The Deluge’ when the Commonwealth. In the early stages of the revolt the Cossacks and their Crimean Khanate (the Tatars) allies fought the Commonwealth forces in an attempt to secure independence. Cossack reverses soon made this difficult to achieve and Khmelnytsky looked for aid from elsewhere before withdrawing temporarily from the growing series of wars.
The Swedish Deluge 1655-1660:
Sweden had in theory been at war with the Commonwealth for some time but had not actively prosecuted it. As the situation in the Commonwealth disintegrated during 1654 with the Russian intervention in the ongoing conflict with the Cossacks and Tatars the Swedes saw an opportunity for themselves. Assembling a strong force the Swedes invaded the Commonwealth in 1655 and against weal opposition swept all in front of them. The hard-pressed Commonwealth was defeated by the Swedes and their Brandenburg Prussian allies and the situation looked very grim as other opponents also made significant advances. At this point the situation was transformed by politics and intrigue. Sweden soon got involved in the series of wars which were called the Second Northern War involving Denmark and other Western nations. While the opponents of the Commonwealth started fighting and intriguing amongst themselves.
B*gg*r I’m going to have to buy some of these aren’t I?
Thanks for your order Guy, I hope you like them when they arrive.
Here are some details of the 3rd of the new scenario books for warfare in Eastern Europe in the 17th century. These are designed to be used with the Twilight of Divine Right rules and the With Fire and Sword supplement to these rules for Eastern warfare. See – https://www.wyrehistoricbooks.co.uk/home. I will post information on the final book later.
The third ‘With Fire and Sword’ scenario book is ‘The War for the Ukraine, 1654-1676‘.
This book focuses on the battles between the Cossacks, Polish Lithuanians, Russians and Tatars for control of the Ukraine area from 1654 – 1667. Shifting alliances, factions splitting and taking different sides, etc, was common and so various combinations of these forces provided the forces in the battles. In addition some of the scenarios are from elsewhere in this period and from the war against the Ottomans in 1672 -1676.
The scenarios cover the following battles –
- Konotop, 1659
- Polonka, 1660
- Chudow Campaign, 1660
- Lubar, 14th September 1660
- Lubar, 16th September 1660
- Slobodyszcze, 1660
- Kanev, 1662
- Chocim, 1673
- Zurawno, 1676
Some background information on the wars of this period.
The Thirteen Years War of 1654 – 1667:
As the hopes of the Cossacks achieving independence from the commonwealth without assistance faded the Cossacks looked for allies. In 1654 the Russians intervened in the ongoing conflict between the Commonwealth and the Cossacks. The war soon became a war for whether the Commonwealth or Russia would control the Ukraine. The Cossacks split into factions supporting the two sides and also still trying to become independent. The Crimean Khanate (Tatars) shifted their support between the sides during the course of events. The war saw Russia using a largely Western style army and achieving some success. It was the start of Russia’s rise in status to a great power. While the partial Commonwealth loss of control of the Ukraine was a significant step in their relative decline.
The Polish Ottoman War of 1672 – 1676:
After the conclusion of the Thirteen Years War the Crimean Khanate (the Tatars) continued to intervene in Ukrainian affairs. The Tatars were hoping to further undermine the Commonwealth’s position in the area and gain control of it themselves. In the years before 1672 the Tatars attempted to do this by supporting a Cossack faction that wished to become a vassal of the Ottomans, in effect would be under Tatar control, but without any success. Therefore the Tatars asked the Ottomans to intervene in the conflict to force the issue. In 1672 a massive Ottoman force invaded a weak and divided Commonwealth forcing a collapse and virtual surrender by the Commonwealth leadership. This turn of events was not accepted by large parts of the Commonwealth and opposition to it was soon organised by the famous leader Sobieski. Commonwealth forces rallied to Sobieski and they successfully managed to contest the Ottomans until peace could be obtained. The Commonwealth had survived as an independent entity but had been severely weakened.
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