The Battle of Kopystrzyń took place on September 8, 1487 near Kopystrzyń in Podolia, where the Polish army led by Prince John I Albert crushed the TatarChambul (5000 men), which the Ottomans had thrown against the Crown. 1,500 Tatars fell, and many were taken prisoner.[1]
Prelude
In 1485, the Ottoman Empire seized the ports of Chilia and Cetatea Albă, which belonged to Moldavia. The Moldavian HospodarStephen the Great who was a Polish vassal asked the Polish king for help. King Casimir IV Jagiellon assembled an army and set out for the Moldavian border. The combined Polish-Moldavian army set off after the enemy having reached Chilia they defeated the Ottoman army in battle. However, the Ottoman Sultan did not want to give up Moldavia and already in 1487 sent a Tatar chambul of 5,000 men towards the Polish border.[2]
Having crushed the Tatars, Albert retreated back to Kopystrzyń. There, meanwhile, a second, smaller Tatar detachment had already arrived. The Tatars realized the weakness of the Polish guard and seized the camp without difficulty. Convinced that the Poles had escaped, they divided their prey among themselves and began to enjoy the liquor they found in the tents. At this point Olbracht arrived with his army and unexpectedly struck at the feasting enemy from the march. Nearly 2,000 Tatars fell or were taken prisoner.[3]
Aftermath
After the battle, on the orders of John I Albert, the leader of the Tatars was captured and beheaded.[3]
Further reading
Mała Encyklopedia Wojskowa, Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, Warszawa 1967, Wydanie I, Tom II
Marek Plewczyński: "Wojny Jagiellonów z wschodnimi i południowymi sąsiadami Królestwa Polskiego w XV wieku"
