Confrontation of Kings, 1656

Confrontation of Kings presents, for the first time in English, the largest battle of the war of the Swedish Deluge (1655-1660). During three days of fighting, the Swedish-Brandenburg Alliance faced the combined Polish, Lithuanian, and Tatar armies. It was a clash between Western and Eastern styles of warfare, but it was also a clash between the irreconcilable Polish and Swedish monarchs, John II Casimir and Charles X Gustavus, over hegemony in the Baltic region.
This is an in-depth study of the battle based on contemporary sources, including previously unpublished archival materials, many of which were written by soldiers who took part in the struggle. In addition, Confrontation of Kings provides full details on the dissimilar military systems of Sweden, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Brandenburg-Prussia, and the Tatar Khanate of the Crimea, with detailed reconstructions of the organisation and strength of the armies that confronted each other at Warsaw. The book will equally appeal to enthusiasts of military history and professional historians. The authors present new research on a war previously seldom described in English, describing the battle from the perspective of both sides. As well as examining the wider picture of the previous campaigns in Poland and the events that led up to the battle itself.

Professor Michael Fredholm von Essen is an historian and former military analyst who has published extensively on the history, defence strategies, security policies, and energy sector developments of Eurasia. He currently is the Head of Research and Development at IRI, an independent research institute. Educated at Uppsala, Stockholm, and Lund Universities, Michael Fredholm von Essen has lectured, including during conferences and as visiting professor, at numerous institutions and universities around the world. He is the author of a large number of books, articles, and academic papers, including Muscovy's Soldiers: The Emergence of the Russian Army, 1462-1689 (Helion, 2018); Charles XI's War: The Scanian War between Sweden and Denmark, 1675-1679 (Helion, 2018); Transnational Organized Crime and Jihadist Terrorism: Russian-Speaking Networks in Western Europe (Routledge, 2017); Understanding Lone Actor Terrorism: Past Experience, Future Outlook, and Response Strategies (Routledge, 2016); Afghanistan Beyond the Fog of War: Persistent Failure of a Rentier State (NIAS, 2018); Eight Banners and Green Flag: The Army of the Manchu Empire and Qing China, 1600-1850 (Pike and Shot Society, 2009); and a large number of articles on early modern warfare in the Arquebusier, the journal of the Pike and Shot Society.