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Kircholm

Kircholm is a historic toponym associated with a locality in present-day Latvia, near the capital Riga. The name is chiefly known from the Battle of Kircholm, fought in 1605 during the Polish–Swedish War between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Swedish Empire. The battlefield is identified with the vicinity of Kircholm near the Daugava River, in the historical region of Livonia.

The battle occurred on September 9 (Old Style) or 19 (New Style) 1605 and pitted the forces

In the years since, Kircholm has appeared in Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish, and Latvian historiography as a notable

of
the
Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth
under
Hetman
Jan
Karol
Chodkiewicz
against
a
Swedish
army
commanded
by
King
Charles
IX.
It
ended
in
a
decisive
victory
for
the
Commonwealth.
The
engagement
is
frequently
cited
for
the
effective
use
of
combined
arms,
including
disciplined
infantry
and
heavy
cavalry,
and
for
the
high
casualties
suffered
by
the
Swedish
forces.
The
outcome
strengthened
the
military
prestige
of
the
Polish–Lithuanian
state
and
altered
the
balance
of
power
in
the
Baltic
region
for
a
period.
early
17th-century
battlefield.
The
site
is
identified
in
historical
sources
with
the
area
near
Riga
and
the
Daugava,
though
precise
modern
boundaries
of
the
battlefield
are
a
matter
of
historical
interpretation.
Today,
the
name
Kircholm
survives
primarily
in
historical
memory,
toponyms
in
the
region,
and
references
within
studies
of
early
modern
warfare,
rather
than
as
a
distinct
contemporary
settlement.