Truce of Altmark

The truce allowed Sweden to retain control of Livonia and the mouth of the Vistula River. Sweden also evacuated most of the Duchy of Prussia but kept the coastal cities. Poland had other Swedish gains returned from the 1625 invasion. Most of Livonia north of the Daugava River was ceded to Sweden (Swedish Livonia), but Latgale, the southeastern area, remained under Polish rule. Sweden received the right to two third of all the shipping tolls at Polish ports, such as at Gdańsk (Danzig) and Elbląg (Elbing) and from the Duchy of Prussia, for six years. The shipping tolls financed Sweden's involvement in the Thirty Years' War. [2]

The Truce of Altmark was signed shortly after Sweden had been defeated by Poland led by Field Crown Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski and Holy Roman Imperial troops at Trzciana, which nearly captured King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden capture. Gustavus was wounded several times and was once saved by one of his men. [3]

The Polish Parliament (Sejm) did not impose new taxes to pay the soldiers of the imperial army fighting under Hans Georg von Arnim-Boitzenburg and low morale made some of them mutiny or go over to Sweden. Several other countries intervened diplomatically, which eventually forced Sigismund III of Poland to enter the truce.[4]

In 1635, the truce was extended by the Treaty of Stuhmsdorf. Sweden gave up the Prussian ports, and the Poland ceded most of Livonia with Riga but kept the Latgale region.

• List of treaties

• Ulf Sundberg (2002) Svenska freder och stillestånd 1249-1814 (Hjalmarson & Högberg) ISBN 9789189080980