The capture of Pernau

In 1608, Swedish troops under the command of Joachim Mansfeld again invaded Livonia and captured Dunamunde , Fellin and Kockenhausen . The successes were so overwhelming that King Charles IX began to think not only of taking Riga , but also of transferring the war to the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania .

In September 1608, Jan Karol Khodkevich returned to the Baltic states. Thanks to his tremendous energy, he gathered 18 horse banners (2019 people) and began to raid the Swedes. The Polish-Lithuanian side traditionally did not have money, but the Sejm promised to arrange an additional gathering for military needs, and the soldiers of Khodkevich agreed to wait until April 19, 1609. Soon, Khodkevich received private assistance from the Lithuanian magnates. At first, his exchanges were his base, but then he moved to Salis .

The troops of Khodkevich, having made a six-day passage through forests and impassability, secretly reached Pernau on February 28. In order not to alert the Swedes, Khodkevich forbade making fire and ordered to remain silent, hungry and frozen soldiers suffered in the frosty wind.

At midnight, Khodkevich attacked the city. Oriented Swedes sent reinforcements, and a hand-to-hand fight ensued, but Lithuanian troops gradually advanced towards the castle, and eventually set it on fire. Seeing no way to resist further, on March 2, the Swedes surrendered.

The Swedish side lost 100 people dead and 300 wounded, Lithuanians lost 45 people. 155 Scots serving the Swedes switched to the Lithuanian side. Khodkevich’s trophies were 104 guns and numerous boats and ships. Leaving 200 people as a garrison, Khodkevich went to Riga .

• Leszek Podhorodecki, Rapier i Koncerz, Warszawa 1985, ISBN 83-05-11452-X , pp. 109-110
• Claes-Göran Isacson, “Vägen till stormakt - Vasaättens krig”, Stockholm, Norstedts, 2006 ISBN 91-1-301502-8 , p. 333