The Hopeless Defence of Poland

Year, 1700

Thats the year the revolts began. The year the trouble started. Poland was already at war with Sweden, but now there was death and discontent withing its own borders. This evil was spreading, first starting in Ponzan with the revolt causing the death of the Lord Ranchuster of Ponzan. His keep feel fully under the control of the rebels while the revolt spread to neighboring Danzig. Word of these spread throughout Poland, and soon the people of Smolensk were in open revolt.

Neither of the revolters in Danzig and Smolensk had as much success as those of Ponzan, but they did keep the Polish army busy for all of 1700. If Sweden had invaded that year Poland probly would of quickly crumbled under the internal and external pressures. Luckily, the Swedish were busy fighting the Russians up in the Northlands, but sides were totally involved in this bloody struggle between the two great powers. Poland would be safe for the time being.

But a very short time that would be.

1701 brought about the Oslo-Moscow pact, which stated that Sweden and Russia would return to pre-war borders and the Swedish government would found the Russians with the money to rebuild its damaged cities. The moment the pact was singed Sweden massed a thrity thousand man army and marched on Poland.

April 1701 brought the news of the Swedish army entering the province of Welikia and another revolt of German peoples in the city of Danzig. With rebels still holding strong inside Ponzan, Swedish soldiers running free in northern Poland, and more rebels on the rise, the undermaned Polish army did not have to go far to find a fight. Unfortunately for them, they would choose the wrong one.

The Polish army moved a small force on Danzig. Most men were needed in the capital incase the Swedish marched south so only eight thousand were available to crush the rebellion in Danzig. They met outside the city walls, thinking to crush them between the garrision inside the city and invading force. What they didnt know is that the rebels had recieved word of this force and knew its exact location. As the Polish army forged the river Vistula, the rebels hit them head one with the army split on two sides of the river. The Polish could not ferry men across fast enough to stop the rampaging Germans, and soon over half of the eight thousand men were lost with little damage to the rebel ranks. The stubborn Polish commander fought on till less than two thousand remained. Out numbered now ten to one, he finally gave up crossing the Vistula and sent word to his high commander that Danzig would not be freed untill he recieved reinforcements.

Word spread, and soon the rebel ranks in Danzig swelled to twice that of what fought at the Battle of the Vistula Crossing. Rebels spread across Poland in the east and north, and no reinforcements were available to relieve Danzig because those men were needed elsewhere.

1701 was the first year of hard times for Poland, but when winter came things would start to look better for this still great but trouble nation.