Topic: Swedish Deluge

Target group

6th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

XI. The Polish‑Lithuanian Commonwealth and its neighbors in the 17th century. Pupil:

1. explains the main causes of the wars of the Polish‑Lithuanian Commonwealth with (...) Sweden (...);

2. discusses the course and significance of the Swedish Deluge;

3. situates in time, locates and discusses the most important battles in the seventeenth century;

4. evaluates the political, social and economic consequences of wars in the 17th century.

General aim of education

Students learn about the history of Polish‑Swedish wars in the 17th century.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• why Poland was waging war against Sweden;

• the history of the Swedish Deluge and the origins of its name;

• the importance of the defence of the Jasna Góra Monastery for the Poles;

• the role of Stefan Czarniecki during the war with Sweden;

• the consequences of the 1655‑1660 war with Sweden.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. The teacher asks the students to remind themselves of the ties between Poland and Sweden in the 16th century and their cooperation to stop the dangers of the Duchy of Moscow.

Introduction

1. The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

2. Referring to the homework task, the teacher asks the students whether Poland and Sweden in the sixteenth century had something in common. Whether, for example, they bordered with each other, had a common enemy, etc. Then the teacher discusses the location of both countries, and the students carry out the Task 1. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and provides feedback.

Realization

1. The teacher tells students about the choice of Sigismund III Vasa for the Polish king during the third free election. He mentions his kinship with the Jagiellonians, which was of great importance when being chosen for the throne. Then he introduces students to the causes of the conflict with Sweden (loss of the crown) and related consequences: wars in the first half of the seventeenth century.

2. Students carry out Task 2, and the teacher, commenting on the information contained in it, emphasizes that the wars with Sweden were fought from 1600 to 1635 with only few short breaks. Despite great victories, like the Battles of Kircholm and Trzciana, they showed the weakness of the Republic and its inability to use the advantages it had (victories) mainly due to non‑existance of an enstablished, professional army.

3. The biggest clash was commonly known as The Deluge of the years 1655--1660. The teacher explains why the war broke out and what was its initial course, mentioning the submission of the Polish nobility to the Swedes (capitulation at Ujście, Agreement of Kėdainiai, disbandment of the nobility and the king, etc.). Students follow Task 3. Then the teacher draws the students' attention to the breakthrough stage of the war -- the Siege of Jasna Góra, explaining that from the military point of view Częstochowa was not a strategic point. For Poles, however, it was an important place and the attack on the monastery, containing the most important Polish holy image, met with great indignation of Polish society.

4. The teacher explains that the Siege of Jasna Góra was one of the several reasons for changing the attitude of the society towards the Swedes. Also, the new hit‑and‑run tactics contributed to the success of the Polish army. Students carry out the Task 4. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and provides feedback.

Summary

1. The teacher, summing up the subject, begins the discussion: What could be the effects of the Deluge and what did it lead to? Analyzing the answers, the teacher should raise the topic of the final defeat of the Polish state in the struggle for the * dominium maris Baltici *, the lack of patriotism among some of the magnates and nobility, and the end of the reign of the Vasas and the election of a Pole for the throne.

2. Students perform Exercise 1. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.

3. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare a self‑assessment questionnaire.

Homework

1. The teacher tasks willing students with homework: The Siege of Jasna Góra, even though it was a small skirmish and had no military significance for the fate of the war, left its mark on Polish tradition and history. Look for paintings and texts about the Siege of Jasna Góra and describe how artists have imagined fighting for the Pauline monastery over the centuries.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Swedish Deluge

After the election of Sigismund III Vasa as the King of Poland, in time the Republic of Poland and Sweden were merged by a personal union (after the death of his father, Sigismund was also the King of Sweden). But soon his power was overthrown there. Sigismund, like his sons later, did not intend to give up his fatherhood and stubbornly called himself the King of Sweden. Additionally, Livonia become a major hotspot between the Polish‑Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden. The Swedes sought to occupy Livonia and then control Pomerania, so that the Baltic Sea would become a Swedish internal sea. This resulted in a long‑standing conflict. In the years 1655–1660, the so‑called Swedish Deluge took place. A well‑organized Swedish army invaded and occupied most of Poland and Lithuania, destroying and robbing many cultural goods. King John Casimir fled the country. The neighbouring countries even planned to divide up the Commonwealth lands between themselves. The heroic *defence of the Pauline Jasna Góra Monastery near Częstochowa became a powerful rallying symbol. On the other hand, in Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) Stefan Czarniecki, an outstanding military commander, used hit‑and‑run tactics (guerilla warfare) against the Swedes. As a result of war and diplomatic efforts, the alliances were reversed, and Swedes withdrew from Poland and Lithuania. Later, the Treaty of Oliva was struck, under which John Casimir relinquished his rights to the Swedish throne and recognised earlier Swedish conquests in Livonia.