The Swedish army captured Warsaw in late July 1655, after the Polish capital had been abandoned by King John II Casimir.

On September 9, near Inowłódz, a unit under Stefan Czarniecki attacked the Swedish rear guard of 500, commanded by George Forgell.

The Swedish army continued its march southwards, capturing and burning the towns of Inowłódz, Drzewica and Odrzywół.

The town, lacking modern fortifications, quickly capitulated, and was almost completely destroyed, with only 20 houses left intact.

In early September 1655, Polish forces loyal to John II Casimir concentrated near Wolborz.

Polish units in Wolborz consisted mostly of men raised by the nobility through a levée en masse from Mazovia and northern Lesser Poland who was no match for experienced Swedish mercenaries.

On September 15, the Royal Crown army and levée en masse units, altogether numbering some 11,000, reached Żarnów, where Polish king decided to personally face Charles Gustav.

The Swedish army was of similar strength, but with more infantry and 40 artillery pieces, versus six Polish cannons.

After an attack by Polish cavalry was fought off by the Swedes, Charles Gustav ordered the infantry forward, with support from the artillery.

Soon afterwards, Swedish cavalry entered the fray, but the battle was ended by heavy rain, which saved the Polish army from complete destruction.

Retreating Polish units were chased by the Swedes, who captured the best soldiers and forced them to serve in the Swedish army.

Those units that evaded capture marched towards Włoszczowa and Kraków, commanded by Stefan Czarniecki and King John II Casimir.

At first, John Casimir planned to defend the ancient Polish capital at all costs, but changed his mind and left the city, leaving it under the command of Czarniecki.

The northwestern corner of historic Lesser Poland, which had until then been prosperous, was turned into a desert, and with other towns in the region, such as Opoczno, Inowłódz, Drzewica and Odrzywół, Żarnów never fully recovered: "It is not an exaggeration to claim that the cataclysm of the Swedish Deluge can be compared with the barbarity of the Nazis in the Second World War", wrote local historian Krzysztof Nawrocki.