Thread by @LandsknechtPike

Jan III Sobieski is well known for his victory at Vienna in 1683.

But he had already made his name as a warrior long before that.

On this day 11 November he achieved a great victory against the Ottomans in 1673 at Khotyn.

This is how the Lion of Lechistan was born. 🧵

The Battle of Khotyn happened in the context of the Polish-Ottoman War of 1672-1676.

The said war was started when the Ottomans invaded the lands of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Ukraine with a 80,000 strong army.

This army was led Sultan Mehmed IV and the Grand Vizier.

The invaders entered lands that were already devastated by war and faced a much weakened Commonwealth.

The Polish-Cossack-Tatar War of 1666-1671 had just ended and left the Commonwealth exhausted, tired from having to put down the unrest in Ukraine.

The Ottomans used this opportunity to attack.

They moved quick and took the key fortress of Kamieniec Podolski in August of 1672.

The small Polish garrison was unable to stop the Ottoman onslaught.

The road to Podolia was open.

While all this was happening, the important nobles in the Polish-Lithuanian were bickering with each other, as there was a strife between different factions of nobility.

Jan III Sobieski himself was under attack from a hostile faction.

The shameful peace treaty is signed on 18 October 1672 by King Michael I and the Ottomans.

The Treaty of Buchach ceded large territories to the Ottomans, as well as agreed to pay them a tribute.

The Ottomans acquired a lot of land deep in Eastern Europe.

But this was finally too much for many nobles and the Commonwealth Sejm refused to ratify the treaty.

Instead, they prepared for war!

In the spring of 1673 Jan III Sobieski presented the Sejm with his project of raising an army.

At the time, he was already a veteran warrior.

Sobieski's experience of war went all way back to 1648 when he already commanded a banner of cavalry when he was still a teenager.

The many wars in which the Commonwealth was involved since then shaped him into one of the greatest warriors in European history.

"I shall vanquish the enemy or honorably die for my homeland."

Sobieski was able to rally a significant army behind him.

In Autumn of 1673 he waged a campaign against the marauding Tatars to neutralize this threat before facing the main Ottoman army.

The campaign against the Tatars was waged brilliantly, with Sobieski only taking with him cavalrymen and having two horses per one man.

In this manner he could use similar tactics that the Tatars employed against them. The Poles also managed to free a large number of slaves.

But the real test would come in November facing a 35,000 men strong Ottoman army at the Khotyn fortress.

The Polish army had around 30,000 men which was seemingly insufficient to attack an army with a defensive advantage, positioned behind earth ramparts and fortifications.

Furthermore the army of the Commonwealth was tired from a long exhausting march across muddy terrains.

The defensive fortifications of the Ottomans were preventing the Poles from using the famous elite hussar cavalry to charge at them.

However Sobieski had a plan.

After few probing attacks, Sobieski realized that the disciplined Ottoman army would not be lured out of the fortifications.

To win, he would need to use infantry and artillery to dismantle the ramparts and clear the way before the hussars could strike.

The Poles were also aided by the weather.

The night from 10 to 11 November was exceptionally cold.

Strong winds mixed with snow and low temperatures demoralized Ottoman soldiers not used to such weather.

Many left their positions and the defense was weakened.

The attack would take place in the morning against the sleep deprived and freezing defenders.

After the bombardment from artillery the infantry advanced.

The infantrymen fought exceptionally well, armed with bardiches cutting through the weakened Ottoman soldiers.

Meanwhile Sobieski was preparing his cavalry to conduct a devastating charge once the infantry cleared the ramparts.

He knew that just one hussar moment would be enough.

"Soldiers, fight the heathen and win. My soul tells me that a brief moment will suffice to gain a victory."

Sobieski personally led the charge!

The hussars advanced beneath the banner of the eagle, this ancient symbol.

However they were met by a strong counterattack by elite Ottoman spahi cavalry.

In this heroic melee, Sobieski's life was also endangered.

Once the Polish cavalry was able to overcome their foes, the slaughter started.

In battles like this, no mercy was shown, as the goal was not just to win but also to cripple the enemy forces as much as possible.

For this purpose the Commonwealth army blocked the bridge over Dniester, which was the only possible route of retreat, bombarding it with artillery until the bridge collapsed.

The Ottomans were cut down and only 4,000 escaped and survived this battle.

The battle was very difficult for the victors as well.

Sobieski commented after the battle.

"Many good men of our armies had perished in this heavy battle. More than half of the kopias [lance-units] are crushed."

Sobieski was humble in victory and also complimented the enemy for fighting valiantly.

"I realise that such brave men as those from the Turkish army had not existed for saecula and that while being inside the camp we were twice close to defeat."

On this day, the legend was born, the Lion of Lechistan as the Ottomans would call the great Polish commander Jan III Sobieski.

This battle increased his prestige and he would be crowned as king a year later.