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Battle of Cecora (1620)

Type Event Region Eastern Europe Time 1620

In September–October 1620 the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was defeated by the Ottomans and their Moldavian vassals at Cecora (Țuțora), where the C…

Timeline

  1. 1620Moldavian frontier · MoldaviaThe Polish grand hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski led Commonwealth forces into Moldavia, intending to install a pro-Polish ruler and check Ottoman expansion eastward. The Ottomans viewed this as a direct challenge to their vassal.
  2. 1620Cecora · MoldaviaOttoman forces under Iskender Pasha joined Crimean Tatar reinforcements, gaining numerical superiority over the Poles. After several days of fierce fighting the Polish army routed, Żółkiewski was killed, many soldiers were captured or killed, and the Commonwealth's eastern defenses were badly damaged.
  3. 1620–1621Eastern frontier of Poland · Eastern EuropeThe disastrous defeat at Cecora forced Poland to regroup and make peace with the Ottomans after the siege of Khotyn in 1621. The battle also showed that the Ottomans could still maintain military superiority in Eastern Europe under the pressure of multi-front warfare.

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