The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and its Cossack allies began their defense of Khotyn on the Dniester on 2 September 1621, holding out for over a month against a vast Ottoman invasion led by Sultan Osman II. The failed campaign so humiliated the young sultan that it cost him his throne and his life.
A siege of more than a month
The defense was initially under hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz. Estimates of the forces differ: the Commonwealth and its Cossack allies are usually put at about 50,000 to 70,000 men.1› Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
Our article on the Battle of Khotyn covers the defense and the aftermath. › Battle of Khotyn, 1621
Also on this day
1898: Battle of Omdurman. North of Omdurman, Herbert Kitchener's Anglo-Egyptian army faced the Mahdist forces of the Khalifa Abdallahi ibn Muhammad in the conquest of Sudan.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was the Battle of Khotyn?
It was fought from 2 September to 9 October 1621 near Khotyn (Chocim) on the Dniester river, in what is now Ukraine, during the Polish-Ottoman War.
Who fought at Khotyn in 1621?
A Polish-Lithuanian army with a large Cossack contingent, initially under hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, faced a much larger Ottoman army led in person by Sultan Osman II.
Why did the failed campaign matter?
The failed campaign so humiliated the young sultan that it cost him his throne and his life.
Notes
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