28 August 2024

On August 27, 1672, the Ukrainian-Ottoman-Crimean Army of Petro Doroshenko, Mehmed IV, and Selim Geray Captured the Kamianets Fortress

In 1672, the Ottoman Empire declared war on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, supporting the Right Bank of Ukraine under the rule of Hetman Petro Doroshenko.

This war was a de facto continuation of the Polish-Cossack-Tatar War. Having learned of Muscovy’s intentions to renounce its claims to Right-bank Ukraine, Hetman Petro Doroshenko decided to attack the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to gain the actual independence of the Right Bank. Before that, the hetman had recognized the protection of Crimea, and the united army waged a campaign against the Poles, though unsuccessfully. 

In this interval, Hetman Petro Doroshenko attempted to unite the Left and Right Bank in 1668. Still, due to Muscovy’s efforts and the Cossacks’ internal conflicts, this unification was short-lived and ended in a split. 

In 1670, Doroshenko launched a new campaign to liberate the Right Bank. To do this, he sought the help of the new Crimean Khan Selim I Geray and recognized the authority of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV. For the Ottoman Empire, the strategic goal of the war was to try to weaken the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The last pretext for the upcoming war was the summer and autumn military campaign of Jan III Sobieski in 1671, who attempted to defeat Petro Doroshenko.

In January 1672, the Ottoman ambassador brought a sultan’s decree declaring war against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to Warsaw. The campaign began in June 1672 and was led by Grand Vizier Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Paşa. The Ottoman army marched into Ukraine from the south. After crossing the Danube, the Sultan’s army was joined by the troops of the rulers of Moldova and Wallachia, Khan Selim I Geray, and the Cossack army of Hetman Petro Doroshenko.

The army quickly seized Zhvanets, allowing the troops to launch actions to capture Kamianets. The fortress of Kamianets was one of the most important in the strategic aspect of this campaign, and an army of thousands besieged it on August 18 with a small garrison. The siege lasted only nine days against the planned two months. During these days, the fortress was under heavy artillery fire from over 100 cannons.

The fortress’s garrison consisted of several hundred infantrymen, joined by two infantry regiments, almost 1500 people. In addition, there were another 500 noble militiamen. The defense was led by the general governor of Podillia, Mikołaj Potocki.

Constant shelling and digging by the Turkish army forced the defenders first to abandon the new fortress, and later, the defense of the old one was threatened as well: Ottoman sappers toppled one of the fortress towers, after which a large-scale attack began. Even though it was unsuccessful, the losses on the part of the defenders were very significant. There was no prospect of liberation and the arrival of reinforcements, and their resources were minimal. The defense’s head decided to surrender to save the citizens’ lives. They were guaranteed their lives and property.

After the siege of Kamianets, the army continued its attack on Buchach and Lviv. Despite the successful campaign of the Polish army, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth signed the Peace of Buchach in 1672. According to this document, Ukraine was transferred to Hetman Doroshenko as a possession dependent on the Ottoman Empire, and Kamianets and Podillia were transferred directly to the Sultan. In this document, the Polish side used the term “Ukrainian state” (Panstwo Ukrainskie) for the first time at the international legal level.

However, the Polish Sejm did not recognize this treaty, and soon, the restored Polish army defeated the Ottoman army near Khotyn. This was followed by a series of victories for the newly elected King of the Commonwealth, Jan Sobieski.