Key Facts
- Duration
- 19 September – 5 November 1659 (47 days)
- Austrian/Imperial force
- 5,000 men
- Brandenburgian reinforcements
- 1,500–2,000 men
- Swedish sortie force
- ~900 men
- Result
- Swedish victory; Allied withdrawal from Pomerania
Strategic Narrative Overview
The Allied besiegers crossed the Reglitz and Oder rivers and, after two failed surrender demands, pressed trenches close to Stettin's bastions. Heavy siege guns arrived by 20 October, intensifying bombardment. Swedish Lord High Admiral Carl Gustaf Wrangel dispatched reinforcements from Stralsund. On 1 November, a Swedish sortie of around 900 men surprised the Austrians, killing and capturing hundreds and destroying many Allied guns, followed by further attacks on Allied supply depots on 3 November.
01 / The Origins
The Siege of Stettin took place within the broader Second Northern War (1655–1660), in which Sweden faced a coalition of adversaries contesting its Baltic dominance. In mid-September 1659, an Austrian/Imperial army sought to exploit Swedish vulnerabilities by invading Swedish Pomerania and besieging the strategically vital city of Stettin, supported by Brandenburgian and possibly Polish-Lithuanian forces aiming to curtail Swedish power in the region.
03 / The Outcome
On 5 November 1659, the Allied forces raised the siege, their morale broken by heavy losses, Swedish reinforcements, and Wrangel's presence. Austrian forces withdrew to Greifenhagen and Brandenburgians to Löcknitz, before both withdrew fully from Pomerania. The Swedish victory preserved Swedish sovereignty over Pomerania and secured the region's status under Swedish dominion well into the 18th century.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Jean-Louis Raduit de Souches, Friedrich zu Dohna.
Side B
1 belligerent
Carl Gustaf Wrangel.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.