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.