Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

Battle of Kircholm

Battle of Kircholm was a battle fought on 27 September 1605 at Salaspils, in what is now Latvia. It was part of the Polish–Swedish War of 1600–11, which ran from 1600 to 1611. The recorded result: Polish-Lithuanian victory. Recorded strength: 3,600, 5 guns against 10,868, 11 guns.

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Battle of Kircholm
Peter Snayers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought27 September 1605
WhereSalaspils, Latvia56.849N, 24.348E
OutcomePolish-Lithuanian victory
BelligerentsPoland–LithuaniaagainstSweden
Casualties and losses300 killed or woundedand8,000 killed, wounded, or captured
Part ofPolish–Swedish War of 1600–111600 to 1611

Where it sits in the Polish–Swedish War of 1600–11

Battle of Karksi, 1600Siege of Tartu, 1600Battle of Wenden, 1601Battle of Kokenhausen, 1601Siege of Wolmar, 1601Siege of Fellin, 1602Siege of Weissenstein, 1602Battle of Rakvere, 1603Battle of Weissenstein, 1604Battle of Kircholm, 1605Capture of Daugavgrīva, 1608Siege of Pärnu, 1609Battle of Salis, 1609Battle of Daugavgriva, 160916001609Battle of Kircholm, 1605
14 placed engagements of the Polish–Swedish War of 1600–11 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date27 September 1605
PlaceSalaspils, Latvia
56.849N, 24.348E
KindBattle, early modern
Strength3,600, 5 guns10,868, 11 guns
Casualties and losses300 killed or wounded8,000 killed, wounded, or captured
Commanders
Battle of KircholmBattle of KircholmBattle of RigaBattle of JuglaSiege of RigaSiege of RigaSiege of RigaBattle of RigaSiege of RigaDaugavpilsJelgavaVentspilsŠiauliaiPanevežysRēzekne100 km56.849N, 24.348E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Kircholm
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Kircholm today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-06-14. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 12 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -1 to 62 m, 63 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 35% grassland, 33% water, 21% tree cover.

grassland: 35%water: 33%tree cover: 21%built-up: 7%cropland: 4%grassland 35%water 33%tree cover 21%built-up 7%cropland 4%
west to east, 10.0 km12 to 34 mnorth to south, 10.0 km10 to 46 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1605

Battle of Kircholm is one of 1,470 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 54 in present-day Latvia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q937332, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Kircholm, revision 1376914248, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.