Capture of Daugavgrīva

The Capture of Daugavgriva by Swedish forces in July 1608 occurred during the Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611).

Capture of Daugavgrīva
Part of the Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611)
Fortifications in Daugavgrīva in 1601
Date 27 July 1608 Location Daugavgrīva, Livonia (now in Latvia) 57°03′17″N 24°05′34″E Result Polish garrison surrenders; Swedes take the fortress
Belligerents
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	Sweden
Commanders and leaders
Franciszek Białłozor	Joachim Frederick von Mansfeld
Strength
130 infantry 40 guns	8000 infantry
Casualties and losses
none	none

Daugavgrīva castle[1] (Polish: Dynemund, Swedish: Dünamünde) was the first objective of the Swedish forces during the campaign of 1608, due to its location near Riga (Daugavgrīva is Riga suburb today), and the fact that it could be used to block that city from the sea. When the Swedes, numbering 8000 troops and led by Joachim Frederick von Mansfeld, approached the fortress at Daugavgrīva, the Polish commander of the 130 strong garrison (with 40 cannons), Franciszek Białłozor, lacking in supplies and little hope of relief, decided to surrender.[2] Swedes captured Daugavgriva on 5 August 1608.[3]

The Poles would not be able to recapture the fortress until more than a year later at the Battle of Daugavgriva (1609).

Tower of Daugavgriva on a hill behind the moat, architectural relic of the Fort of Daugavgrīva today (2006 photo)