List of Polish wars
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Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, Poland fought mostly to defend itself from the German eastward expansion, but at the same time tried to conquer its eastern neighbor, Ruthenia. Occasionally, it encountered Bohemian, Tartar, Prussian and Lithuanian raids, to be finally challenged by a new powerful neighbor from the north – the Teutonic Order.
- 972, against Germany, see battle of Cedynia
- 1003–1005, against Germany
- 1007–1013, against Germany
- 1015–1018, against Germany
- 1018, against Kievan Rus
- 1072, against Bohemia
- 1109, against Germany
- 1146, against Germany
- 1156, against Germany
- 1241, with the Teutonic Order against Tartars, see battle of Legnica
- 1326–1333, against the Teutonic Order, see battle of Płowce
- 1410, with Lithuania against the Teutonic Order, see battle of Grunwald
- 1439, against the Hussites, see battle of Grotniki
- 1444, with Hungary against Turkey see battle of Varna
- 1454–1466, Thirteen Years' War – against the Teutonic Order
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The 17th century saw fierce rivalry between the then major Eastern European powers – Sweden, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). At its heyday, the Commonwealth comprised the territories of present-day Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and parts of Russia, and was militarily able to intervene in and occupy Moscow. However, starting with the civil war following a Cossack uprising, a series of bloody wars weakened Poland enough to make it merely a pawn in European politics by the turn of the next century.
- 1577 - 1582, Livonian War – against Russia
- 1595 - 1621, Magnate wars in Moldavia, against Ottoman Empire/Turkey
- 1600 - 1611, Swedish war, see also War against Sigismund
- 1606 - 1618, Dimitriads against Russia (First Dimitriad: 1605-1606, Second Dimitriad 1607-1609, Polish-Muscovy War 1609-1618)
- 1618 - 1648, Thirty Years' War – minor involvement on the Hapsburg side, mostly noticable in the series of wars with Sweden (see above and below)
- 1617 - 1629, Swedish war
- 1632 - 1634, Smolensk War, against Russia
- 1633 - 1634, Ottoman-Commonwealth War (1633-1634)
- 1634, Polish-Swedish War of 1634, against Sweden
- 1648 - 1654, Chmielnicki Uprising, the largest Cossack uprising against Poland
- 1654 - 1656, Polish-Muscovy War (1654-1656), against Russia
- 1655 - 1661, Northern Wars – against Sweden
- The wars against Sweden, Brandenburg, Russia and Transylvania, known as the Deluge.
- 1658 - 1667, Polish-Muscovy War (1658-1667) against Russia
- 1671 - 1676, Ottoman-Commonwealth War (1671-1676), against Turkey
During the 18th century the Commonwealth was more a battlefield for neighboring European powers (Russia, Sweden, Prussia and Saxony) than an active warring party itself. Only at the end of the century did Poles start to defend their country from growing foreign, chiefly Russian, influence in their internal affairs. These late attempts to preserve independence eventually failed and ended in Poland's partitions.
- 1700 - 1721, Great Northern War – on the side of the anti-Swedish coalition
- 1733 - 1738, War of the Polish Succession
- 1768 - 1774, Russo-Turkish War, a.k.a. Polish War
- 1792, Constitution War – against Russia
- 1794, Kościuszko Uprising – against Russia
Nineteenth century
Poles unsuccessfully struggled to win back their independence throughout the 19th century. At first, they put their hopes in Napoleon. Later, they tried to ignite national uprisings every now and then – all of them bloodily repressed.
- 1809, Franco-Austrian War (see Napoleonic Wars) – on the French side
- 1812 - 1814, Franco-Russian War – on the French side
- 1830 - 1831, November Uprising – against Russia
- 1863 - 1864, January Uprising – against Russia
Twentieth century
In the turmoil of the First World War, Poles managed to regain independence and then to expand their territory in a series of local wars and uprisings; only to be occupied again during the next world war. The second half of the 20th century was more peaceful, but still tense, as Poland was involved in the Cold War on the Soviet side.
- 1914 - 1918, First World War
- 1918 - 1919, defending Lwów (L'viv) and eastern Galicia against Western Ukraine
- 1918 - 1919 Great Poland Uprising – against Germany
- 1919, defending Cieszyn against Czechoslovakia
- 1919, First Silesian Uprising – against Germany
- 1919 - 1921, Polish-Soviet War
- 1920, Second Silesian Uprising – against Germany
- 1921, Third Silesian Uprising – against Germany
- 1939 - 1945, Second World War – on the Allied side
- 1968, invasion of Czechoslovakia on the Soviet side, see Prague Spring
Twenty-first century
- 2003, Invasion of Iraq – on the US side