The six-year
Truce of Altmark (or
Treaty of Stary Targ) was signed on
September 25,
1629 at the Altmarkt (
Stary Targ), near
Danzig (Gdańsk) by
Sweden and
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during
Thirty Years' War, ending the
Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629).
The conditions of the truce allowed Sweden to retains control of
Livonia and the mouth of the
Vistula river. Sweden also evacuated most of the
Duchy of Prussia, but keeps the coastal cities. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth gets back other Swedish gains since the
1625 invasion. The greater part of Livonia north of the
Western Dvina (
Vidzeme) was ceded to Sweden, though
Latgale, the southeastern area, remained under Commonwealth rule. Sweden will receive right to 2/3 of all the shipping tolls at ports of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, such as
Danzig and
Elbląg (Elbing) and from the
Duchy of Prussia ports for the next six years. These shipping tolls financed Sweden's involvement in the
Thirty Years' War.
In
1635, the truce was extended, but Sweden gave up the Prussian ports. In turn Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ceded most of Livonia with
Riga, keeping the
Daugavpils area. The Truce of Altmark was signed shortly after Sweden was defeated by Commonwealth and
Holy Roman Imperial troops at
Trzciana (Honigfelde) also known as
Sztum (Stuhm), whereby King
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden narrowly escaped capture. Gustavus was wounded several times and at one point was saved by one of his men - Eric Soop.
Polish parliament (
Sejm) did not impose new taxes in order to pay the soldiers of the imperial army fighting under
Hans Georg von Arnim-Boitzenburg and due to low morale some of them mutineered or went over to the Swedish side. Several other countries intervened diplomatically and
Sigismund III was eventually forced to enter the truce.
See also
