With this object in view, he allied himself, in the beginning of 1649, with the Cossack hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, and the hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia, (Vasile Lupu and Matei Basarab),[1] but took no action for several years.

On 20 May, news of the Dano-Swedish War reached Charles X Gustav and the king decided to march towards Swedish Pomerania, leaving Gustaf Otto Stenbock in charge.

Swedish forces remained in Warsaw only for a few days, as on 22 June they left the city for Stettin, to join the war against Denmark.

Simultaneously, Jerzy Lubomirski's forces organized a revenge invasion of Transylvania, with widespread looting and destruction of Rákóczi's realm.

Stefan Czarniecki was to follow Rákóczi, while Jerzy Lubomirski and Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki were to cut the Transylvanians and Cossacks from crossing the border and escaping Poland.

After the defeat and subsequent retreat of his Cossack allies, Rákóczi withdrew towards the Podolian town of Miedzyboz, where he capitulated to Jerzy Lubomirski (23 July), promising to break his alliance with Sweden, abandon the cities of Kraków and Brest Litovsk, and pay a contribution in the total amount of over 4 million złotys.

Polish commanders allowed his forces to march towards Transylvania, but on 26 July, Rákóczi was attacked by the Crimean Tatars, who at that time were Poland–Lithuania's allies.

As a result, Rákóczi's army ceased to exist.On 3 November 1657, at the command of the Ottoman Empire (to which Transylvania was tributary), the Diet deposed him for undertaking an unauthorized war and replaced him by Francis Rhédey.