The subsequent campaign resulted in the Treaty of Altranstädt (1706), by which Augustus II renounced both his claim to the Polish throne and his alliance with Peter I of Russia.

After the Swedes' seizure of Warsaw, Kraków and Sandomierz[5] and another defeat for Augustus II at the Battle of Kliszów, a growing number of Polish-Lithuanian magnates switched sides, in favour of Charles XII.

[6] After further success in the engagements at Pultusk and Toruń, the Swedes proclaimed Stanisław Leszczyński king with the support of the Warsaw Confederation of Polish nobles.

[5] The Swedes reconquered Kraków in early 1705, with 4,000 men under Swedish lieutenant Nils Stromberg, forcing between 3,000[8] and 4,000[9] Saxons to evacuate the city and retreat towards Lublin.

This led the nobles of Kraków and Sandomierz to renounce their support for Augustus II in favour of Stanisław Leszczyński; they started to gather in Warsaw for the session of parliament.

[10] These movements were observed by the Saxons, who withdrew from the left bank of the Vistula River completely, along with all Polish troops, and marched towards Brest to better coordinate with the Russian army in Lithuania.

[8] Receiving news of this event, Charles XII of Sweden, headquartered in Rawicz at the time, sent a contingent of troops from Gniezno on 6 July[Note 3] consisting of 2,000 cavalry under Carl Nieroth to protect Warsaw.

[11] Another 2,000 infantry[8] under Johan Valentin von Daldorff of the Dala and Uppland Regiments were also ordered to depart on 29 July from Kaliszkowice Ołobockie[Note 4] as reinforcements, and to form an escort for Stanisław Leszczyński; but they would not arrive at the Polish capital until 11 August, more than a week after the battle.

Paykull's vanguard, under the command of Adam Śmigielski, soon arrived in the vicinity of Praga, on the opposite side of the Vistula from Warsaw, and attempted to cross the river on several occasions.

[17] Paykull appeared with his full army by the end of the month and immediately overwhelmed two small Swedish reconnaissance units sent by Nieroth to operate on that side of the river.

[20] Nieroth, being informed of their intentions on 28 July, split off two small units, with 186 men in each, under the commands of Jon Stålhammar and Claes Bonde, to scout for the enemy in the vicinity of the Vistula river.

[19] He intended to cross the river some 30 km (19 mi) north-west of Warsaw, near Zakroczym, which Bonde received intelligence of during the night of 29–30 July, while in Kazuń Nowy.

As it was already far into the evening by the time he arrived, and with no sign of the enemy, he chose to go back and position his troops between Warsaw and Rakowiec, just west of the initial Swedish camp.

[1] Furthermore, the unusually hot and dry summer contributed to large dust clouds being raised, which were swept by strong westerly winds to obscure vision.

[36] Some Lithuanians at the end of the wing, whose banners extended further than the width of the Swedish line, had initially proceeded with the flanking manoeuvre; they were soon driven off as some squadrons of the Småland Regiment turned their attention towards them,[35] pursuing and harassing them for 20 km (12 mi) in a northerly direction.

[27] The Poles, being furthest out on the wing where the Swedish line did not extend, had managed to partially encircle the Swedes, and started to attack their flank and rear as they pursued the Saxons.

The Swedish Östgöta Regiment was then forced to split their squadrons in two by leaving a few to halt the Poles in the rear, the others facing the counter-attacking Saxons to their front.

Order was restored on the left wing after some fierce fighting, when the 60 infantrymen from the Skaraborg Regiment arrived in time to give a strong volley from their muskets to end the struggle.

[45] It is clear that Paykull had not received orders from Augustus II encouraging him to give battle to the Swedes; he was only to interrupt the coronation of Stanisław Leszczyński.

In this he initially succeeded, as many of the noblemen in Warsaw fled at his presence by the Vistula River, and would have remained scattered as long as he posed a threat with his army.

Historians have concluded that the size of his army, at least 8,000 men,[46] compared with the smaller Swedish force that was awaiting reinforcements,[20] made him eager to seek battle with them while they were heavily outnumbered.

[46] The scattered Polish noblemen, receiving notice of the victory, eventually returned and proceeded with the coronation of Stanisław Leszczyński and the declaration of peace between Sweden and Poland.

[48] This put a temporary end to the ambitions of Augustus II's allies, forcing them to withdraw towards Lithuania and unite with the Russian Army stationed there.

[47] The main Swedish army at Rawicz,[Note 13] under Charles XII, struck camp at 8 August and marched towards Krotoszyn, where the captured Otto Arnold von Paykull was taken under strict military surveillance, for an audience with the king.

[41] The documents informed Charles XII of the greater allied plan, under which the Tsar, Peter I of Russia, intended to march into Warsaw on 30 August at the head of 40,000 men and put an end to the parliament.

[50] This would, they thought, provoke Charles XII to take action and march with the Swedish army to Warsaw, where he would find himself surrounded by Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg[51] and his 20,000 men, who were assembling in Saxony,[52] to move into Poland and attack the Swedes in the rear.

Charles XII, who had long sought a decisive battle with the coalition forces, indicated no sign of panic at this, but simply stated to his ministers: "I wish the enemy may keep their word".

[51] He had left General Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld with 10,000 men near Poznań to guard against the main Saxon army under Schulenburg which threatened to enter Poland.

As he no longer dared to fully commit in Poland,[54] he decided to instead let his main army under Georg Benedict Ogilvy await the Swedes behind the strongly fortified defences of Grodno, in Lithuania.

[58] These developments allowed Charles XII to break camp on 9 January 1706 with his 20,000 men, and march towards the Russians at Grodno, where he partly encircled the city and starved them out.