On this day in 1627, the Polish fleet defeated the Swedes at the Battle of Oliwa, near Gdańsk. The battle was part of the Polish-Swedish War of 1626-1629. The Polish fleet was commanded by admiral Arend Dickmann, who is said to have been of Dutch descent. Dickmann won the day, but was hit by a cannonball and died. He was buried in St. Mary’s Church in Gdańsk, along with the Swedish admiral Nils Stiernsköld and Jan Storch, captain of the Polish fleet. The battle and funeral were witnessed and described by a delegation of Dutch diplomats. Find out more here.

*I originally wrote this post for the social media outlets of the Dutch Embassy in Poland. This was post no. 4.

The most influential portrait of King Jan III Sobieski was made in 1674 by the Dutch artist Romeyn de Hooghe. It shows Sobieski at Chocim/Khotyn (in modern-day Ukraine), where he defeated the Ottoman armies on 11 November 1673. It was copied by various artists and helped spread Sobieski’s fame all over Europe. De Hooghe was granted the title Servitor Regis (servant of the king) and went on to produce several other engravings showing the Polish monarch. Following Sobieski’s victory at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, he was glorified by numerous Dutch artists and authors. More information about Sobieski and De Hooghe can be found in this recent Dutch article (which includes a summary in English).

*I originally wrote this post for the social media outlets of the Dutch Embassy in Poland. This was post no. 3.