Battle of Hodów

Battle of Hodów
Part of the Polish–Ottoman War (1683–1699)
Date11 June 1694
Location
Hodów, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
Result

Tatar tactical victory[a]

  • Polish forces repelled the Tatar attack at Hodów
Belligerents

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

 Budjak Horde
Commanders and leaders
Konstanty Zaborowski
Mikołaj Tyszkowski
Jan Witosławski		 Unknown
Strength
100 Winged Hussars
300 Towarzysz pancerny[2][3]		 Unknown
Contemporary Polish claims (exaggerated): 25,000–70,000[3][4][b][c]
Casualties and losses
Fewer than 100[4][3] Unknown
Contemporary Polish claims (exaggerated): 1,000–2,000[3]

The Battle of Hodów took place between the Kingdom of Poland and Budjak Horde forces, fought in June 1694 in the Ruthenian Voivodeship of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, near the village of Hodów (now Hodiv in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine). In Polish sources it is often called the Polish Thermopylae, like the Battle of Wizna.[8]

Prelude

In May 1694, Tatar raiders were preparing for an attack on Polish territory in Red Ruthenia; while the main Crimean Tatar force was engaged supporting Ottoman operations against Habsburg forces, this raid was carried out by Nogai Tatars from Budjak Horde, whose aim were to resupply the fortress of Kamianets-Podilskyi and carry out a diversionary attack against the Poles.[9] During their raid, they clashed with Polish forces composed of seven banners of hussars and pancerni , approximately 400 men in total;[10] historian Mirosław Nagielski estimates 100 hussars and 300 pancernis.[3]

Contemporary Polish sources claimed that the Tatar force numbered around 30,000, with John III Sobieski, the king of Poland at the time, claiming the figure of 40,000.[4][11] Though later Polish historiography drawing on the contemporary sources, gave figures ranging from 25,000 to 70,000, with 40,000 being the most commonly repeated figure.[12] However, it has been argued that these figures reflect wartime and commemorative amplification rather than a precise count.[11] However, the total population of the Budjak Horde in the start of the 17th century, which was around 30,000-45,000, couldn't physically sustain such armies.[13]

Battle

The Horde's attack took four days and occurred between the 8th and the 11th of June. Poles claimed that their proper deployment of their forces and Tatars' failure in obtaining large number of captives forced them to retreat. During their march towards Kamianets, the Nogais were attacked by Polish cavalry from the fortresses of "Trenches of Holy Trinity" and "Earthwork of Holy Mary". The Pole's were overwhelmed and they retreated to the village of Hodów, where they fortified themselves and managed to defend themselves against Nogai attacks for a few hours.[4] Unable to break through the strong defence, the Nogais ceased their attack on Hodow and continued their march towards Kamianets.

The Polish royal court decided that Zahorowski's action was crucial in stopping the raid of 1694, therefore it was used as part of propaganda action before the Sejm of 1695. King Jan III Sobieski, despite having commissioned a statue commemorating the battle,[14] was unable to convince a majority of his subjects, that Hodów was a great success, though.[15]

Legacy

The Statue John III Sobieski had commissioned has survived to this day. It was renewed in the summer of 2014 and officially unveiled during the celebration of 320th anniversary of the battle on 25 October 2014.[16]

In 2025, "Polskie Termopile" Polish foundation published a comic book about this battle titled 400.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The mission of the Tatars in this raid were to resupply the fortress of Kamianets-Podilskyi and carry out a diversionary attack. However, they did fail at taking plentiful slaves and plunder, which wasnt their primary objective.[1]
  2. ↑ Contemporary Polish accounts, and later Polish historiography drawing on them, estimated Tatar numbers at 25,000 to 70,000, with 40,000 being the most commonly repeated figure; but its been argued that these figures reflect wartime and commemorative amplification rather than a precise count.[5]
  3. ↑ The total population of the Budjak Horde in the start of the 17th century, which was around 30,000-45,000,[6] couldn't physically sustain such a massive army. Even a nation with 20% of their total male population as soldiers could only make up about 3 to 4,000 men. Add onto this that some of these forces have to be left back home in order to defend their own nation against Cossack raids and the Azov campaigns (1695–1696). Not even this total force of a few thousand men could all just join this one raiding party.[7]
  1. ↑ Hundert, Zbigniew (2021). "Przekaz informacji na temat starcia pod Hodowem 11 czerwca 1694 r. Propaganda dworska Jana III?". Res Historica (52): 179–218. doi:10.17951/rh.2021.52.179-218.
  2. ↑ J.Wimmer. Materiały do zagadnienia organizacji i liczebności armii koronnej w latach 1690–1696. In: Studia i Materiały do Dziejów Wojskowości. 1963, tom IX/1, pp. 237–275.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Mirosław Nagielski Hodów 1694-2014. Ostatnie zwycestwo husarii w dawnym stylu Bellona 1/2015, pp. 229–233
  4. 1 2 3 4 Sikora R., Niezwykłe bitwy i szarże husarii, Warszawa 2011.
  5. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377526805_Circulation_of_the_Information_About_Battle_of_Hodow_11th_June_1694_as_the_Element_of_the_Court_Propaganda_of_Jan_III_Sobieski
  6. ↑ https://intent.press/en/publications/history/2024/tatars-and-nogays-how-the-ottoman-empire-changed-the-ethnic-composition-of-budzhak/
  7. ↑ Brian L. Davies (2014). Warfare, State and Society on the Black Sea Steppe. pp. 25. Routledge.
  8. ↑ Moneta, Marcin (21 August 2022). "Polskie Termopile. Ile prawdy, a ile mitu w "słynnym zwycięstwie husarii"?". CiekawostkiHistoryczne.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  9. ↑ Hundert, Zbigniew (2021). "Przekaz informacji na temat starcia pod Hodowem 11 czerwca 1694 r. Propaganda dworska Jana III?". Res Historica (52): 179–218. doi:10.17951/rh.2021.52.179-218.
  10. ↑ Sarnecki K., Pamiętniki z czasów Jana Sobieskiego, tom 1, opr. J. Woliński, Wrocław 2004.
  11. 1 2 Hundert, Zbigniew (2021). "Przekaz informacji na temat starcia pod Hodowem 11 czerwca 1694 r. Propaganda dworska Jana III?". Res Historica (52): 179–218. doi:10.17951/rh.2021.52.179-218.
  12. ↑ Poznajemy. Bitwy polskie, Polen 2011.
  13. ↑ https://intent.press/en/publications/history/2024/tatars-and-nogays-how-the-ottoman-empire-changed-the-ethnic-composition-of-budzhak/
  14. ↑ Report from the celebration of the 320th anniversary of the Battle of Hodów and the unveiling of renewed monument of the Battle, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, 3.11.2014
  15. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377526805_Circulation_of_the_Information_About_Battle_of_Hodow_11th_June_1694_as_the_Element_of_the_Court_Propaganda_of_Jan_III_Sobieski
  16. ↑ Report from the celebration of the 320th anniversary of the Battle of Hodów and the unveiling of renewed monument of the Battle, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, 3.11.2014
  17. ↑ Foundation page about "400" comic book

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