Battle of Obertyn
Moldovian Army engaging the Poles
Date September 22, 1531 Location Obertyn in Pokutia, Ukraine Result Polish victory
Combatants
Poland	Principality of Moldavia
Commanders
Jan Amor Tarnowski	Petru Rareş
Strength
4,484 cavalry 1,167 infantry 1,143 firearms 12 cannons	17,000 cavalry 50 cannons
Casualties
256 killed	7,746 killed 1,000 captured 50 cannons lost

The Battle of Obertyn (September 22, 1531) was fought between Moldavian Prince Petru Rareş and Polish King Zygmunt Stary, in the town of Obertyn, north of the Dniester River, now in Ukraine. The battle ended with a Polish victory and the reconquest of Pokutia. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1027x1254, 618 KB) Summary Comet Halley is visible on the date of 22 august. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 26 - Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake - thousands die. ... Pokuttya or Pokuttia (Ukrainian: , Romanian: , Polish: ) is a historical area of Central Europe, between upper Prut and Cheremosh rivers, in modern Ukraine. ... Moldavian coat-of-arms. ... Noble Family Tarnowski Coat of Arms Leliwa Parents Jan Amor Tarnowski Barbara Zawisza z Różnowa Consorts Barbara Tęczyńska Zofia Szydłowiecka Children with Barbara Tęczyńska Jan Aleksander Tarnowski Jan Amor Tarnowski with Zofia Szydłowiecka Zofia Tarnowska Jan... Petru IV RareÅŸ (ca. ... January 26 - Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake - thousands die. ... Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian) was a Romanian principality, originally created in the Middle Ages, now divided between Romania, Moldovan Republic and Ukraine. ... Petru IV RareÅŸ (ca. ... Reign From December 8, 1506 until April 1, 1548 Coronation On January 24, 1507 in the Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland Royal House Jagiellon Parents Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk Elżbieta Rakuszanka Consorts Katarzyna Telniczanka Barbara Zapolya Bona Sforza Children with Katarzyna Telniczanka Jan Regina Katarzyna with Barbara... The river Dniestr (in Polish and Russian; Nistru in Romanian; Дністер, Dnister in Ukrainian; Tyras in Latin; also known as Dniester) is a river in Eastern Europe. ... Pokuttya or Pokuttia (Ukrainian: , Romanian: , Polish: ) is a historical area of Central Europe, between upper Prut and Cheremosh rivers, in modern Ukraine. ...

Background

In 1490, Stephen III of Moldavia conquered Pokutia, detaching it from the Polish kingdom. He tried to have the land recognized as his and was supported by the Kingdom of Hungary. After Stephen's death, the land was retaken by the Poles. Between 1529 and 1530, the Moldavians campaigned in Pokutia. Since Moldavia was a vassal state to the Porte, King Zygmunt sent a letter to Sultan Suliman the Magnificent to ask him where he stood on the conflict. The Sultan replied that the Poles were allowed to battle in the disputed Pokutia, but were not permitted to set foot on Moldavian soil, as that would be seen as a declaration of war on the Ottomans. This restriction was disadvantageous to the Poles, mainly because of the greater mobility of the Moldavian troops. Events Tirant Lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell, Martí Joan De Galba is published. ... Stephen III of Moldavia or Stephen III (c. ... The Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Királyság) is the name of a multiethnic kingdom that existed in Central Europe from 1000 to 1918. ... Synonym of the government of the Ottoman Empire. ... Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (November 6, 1494 – September 5/6, 1566); in Turkish Süleyman , (nicknamed the Magnificent in Europe and the Lawgiver in the Islamic World, in Turkish Kanuni) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566 and successor to Selim I. He was... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29...

The battle

Preparations

The Poles employed the Crown Hetman of Hired Soldiers, Jan Tarnowski, to lead the army, as the Polish Parliament voted to raise taxes on their serfs in order to recruit mercenary soldiers. Tarnowski was given 4,800 cavalry, 1,200 infantry, 12 cannon, and a Tabor wagon train of unknown size. He picked the town of Obertyn, north of the Dniester River, as his operation point. This is an article on the military formation called tabor. ... The river Dniestr (in Polish and Russian; Nistru in Romanian; Дністер, Dnister in Ukrainian; Tyras in Latin; also known as Dniester) is a river in Eastern Europe. ...

Poles armoury from battles of Obertyn

Between June 3 and 5, Tarnowski sent 1,000 cavalry that ousted the Moldavians from the region, and then quickly moved back to Obertyn. He then placed 100 infantry to defend the town of Gvozdzots, located a few kilometers south of Obertyn. Between June 6 and July 18, Rareş responded by sending 6,000 cavalry against Gvozdzots and started to besiege the town. The Polish main army moved from Obertyn to Gvozdzots and engaged the Moldavians, who they routed. From July 18 to 21, the Moldavians advanced with 20,000 cavalry, 50 cannon, and some infantry against the 6,000-strong Polish army that had recently regrouped. Tarnowski left some of his infantry in Gvodzots and made a slow retreat to defensive location defended by forest, north of Obertyn, where he fortified his army with his Tabor wagons. The artillery was placed in three corners of the camp and a part of the infantry was placed in the wagons, as the rest of his force, with the cavalry, was deployed in the middle of the camp. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1200 × 900 pixel, file size: 162 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo taken by Dariusz T. Wielec, in the Muzeum Wojska Polskiego (Museum of Polish Army) in Warsaw, Poland. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1200 × 900 pixel, file size: 162 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo taken by Dariusz T. Wielec, in the Muzeum Wojska Polskiego (Museum of Polish Army) in Warsaw, Poland. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1200 × 900 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo made by Dariusz T. Wielec in the Muzeum Wojska Polskiego (Museum of Polish Army) in Warsaw, Poland. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1200 × 900 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo made by Dariusz T. Wielec in the Muzeum Wojska Polskiego (Museum of Polish Army) in Warsaw, Poland. ...

On July 22, the Moldavians sent light cavalry to attack the Tabor wagons in the forest, but were repelled by the Polish infantry. The Moldavian cannons then started to fire on the Tabors, but were unsuccessful. Instead, the Polish artillery inflicted great damage on the Moldavian cannon. One-third of the Polish cavalry then launched several successful attacks on the Moldavian left, forcing Rareş to reinforce it. He, however, left some infantry to defend his right and secure the route to Obertyn, in case he needed to retreat. The remaining Polish cavalry attacked the Moldavian right and routed it, but suffered casualties from the Moldavian artillery. A final Polish attack routed the entire Moldavian army. The Moldavians lost around 7,000 cavalry, 1,000 that were taken prisoners, and all the cannons, while the Poles lost only 256 men.

Aftermath

The Sultan removed Rareş from office with the explanation that "he had disturbed the Porte's best friend, the King of Poland." The Moldavians made another unsuccessful attempt to reconquer Pokutia in 1538.

External link

• Battle description