Battle of Raszyn (1809)
| Battle of Raszyn | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of thePolish–Austrian War,War of the Fifth Coalition | |||||||||
 Death ofCyprian Godebskiin the Battle of Raszyn 1855 painting byJanuary Suchodolski oil on canvas,National Museum in Warsaw | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Austrian Empire |
 Duchy of Warsaw Kingdom of Saxony | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Archduke Ferdinand |
Józef Poniatowski | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
26,000[1]–29,790: 24,500 infantry, 4,500 cavalry, 94 guns[2] |
14,200: 10,500 infantry, 3,500 cavalry, 44 guns[1][3] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
400–600[1][4] Polish estimate: 2,500 killed and wounded[5][6] |
1,400 (1,100 Poles, 300 Saxons)[7][1]
| ||||||||
The firstBattle of Raszynwas fought on 19 April 1809 between armies of theAustrian EmpireunderArchduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Esteand theDuchy of WarsawunderJózef Antoni Poniatowski,as part of theWar of the Fifth Coalitionin theNapoleonic Wars.[8]The battle was not decisive, but it did result in the Austrians obtaining their goal by capturing the Polish capitalWarsaw.
Battle[edit]
The battlefield's terrain is dominated by several villages and by the riverUtrata,which during the April thaw is usually unfordable. The only way to cross the river is at the ponds of Raszyn, Dawidy or Michalowice, which were all under Polish control.
After a preparatory cannonade starting at 14.00, the Austrian infantry attacked the Polish screening forces around 15.00.[8]The Poles gradually yielded terrain. Austrian attempts to outflank the Polish position near Jaworowo were unsuccessful. After the village of Falenty was captured at 16.00 Poniatowski launched a counterattack which evicted the Austrians from the town and re-established the Polish line.[8]Around 17.00 a combined attack was launched against Raszyn. Repulsed by the Saxon units, the Austrians called up reinforcements and took the town around 19.00 but were unable to progress beyond the last houses of the village. The Poles again counterattacked at 21.00 and drove the Austrians from Raszyn but were unable to recapture the causeway. Fighting progressed until 22.00 when the Poles evacuated the battlefield.
Aftermath[edit]
After the Austrian army withdrew to the other side of the swamps, princeJózef Poniatowskiordered his forces to withdraw towardsWarsaw.However, since the city fortifications were in a very bad shape and theSaxonexpeditionary force withdrew towards their homeland, Poniatowski decided to leave Warsaw undefended and withdraw to several fortresses located nearby (most notably toModlin FortressandSerock). The capital was seized on 23 April, but it was aPyrrhic victorysince the Austrian commander diverted most of his forces there at the expense of other fronts. In the following weeksGreater Polandwas defended by the Corps of GeneralHenryk Dąbrowskiand thePolish cavalryseizedLwów.Finally, Poniatowski left only a small force near Warsaw to prevent the Austrians from leaving it and moved the rest of his forces southwards, which led to capturing the city of Kraków.
On 14 October 1809 theTreaty of Schönbrunnwas signed betweenAustriaandFrance.According to it, Austria lost approximately 50,000 square kilometres of land inhabited by over 1,900,000 people. The territories annexed by theDuchy of Warsawincluded the lands ofZamośćand Kraków as well as 50% of income of theWieliczka salt mines.
In the opinion of the Polish military historian, General Marian Kukiel, the Battle of Raszyn can be characterized as follows:
“The Battle of Raszyn on the Polish side is an example of pure defense; Poniatowski left the initiative to the enemy until the end, which is understandable considering the terrible ratio of forces and the size of the front. On the Austrian side, an energetic frontal attack on two tactical keys, Falenty and Raszyn, was combined in both cases with a maneuver on the flank of the appropriate group of our troops. However, there was no large-scale maneuver, although the advantage in numbers made it easier for the Austrians to bypass and surround our position. This is explained only by disregard of the enemy, who was considered before the battle as a kind of unruly and untrained militia.”
Afterwards, Poniatowski was presented with thegrand-aigle de laLégion d'honneur,a saber of honor, and a lancer'sshako.
The Battle of Raszyn is commemorated on theTomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw,with the inscription "RASZYN 19 IV 1809".
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- Bodart, Gaston (1908).Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618–1905).Retrieved12 June2021.
- Czubaty, Jaroslaw (2016).The Duchy of Warsaw, 1807–1815: A Napoleonic Outpost in Central Europe.Translated by Phillips, Ursula. Bloomsbury.
- Gill, John H. (2010).1809: Thunder on the Danube – Napoleon's Defeat of the Habsburgs, Vol. 3: Wagram and Znaim.London: Frontline Books.ISBN978-1848325470.
External links[edit]
- The Battle of Raszyn, 1809Archived9 December 2015 at theWayback Machine
- https://twojahistoria.pl/2019/05/14/bitwa-pod-raszynem-to-zwyciestwo-nad-wojskami-zaborcy-przywrocilo-polakom-wiare-we-wlasne-sily/
Media related toBattle of Raszynat Wikimedia Commons- https:// wojsko-polskie.pl/raszyn/
- https://historia.org.pl/2009/04/19/bitwa-pod-raszynem/
| Preceded by Battle of Teugen-Hausen |
Napoleonic Wars Battle of Raszyn (1809) |
Succeeded by Battle of Abensberg |
