The Battle of Fraustadt was fought on 2 February 1706 (O.S.) / 3 February 1706 (Swedish calendar) / 13 February 1706 (N.S.) between Sweden and Saxony-Poland and their Russian allies near Fraustadt (now Wschowa) in Poland. During the Battle of Fraustadt on February 3, August II was only 120 km away, with a cavalry force about 8,000 men strong. That was one of the main reasons that Swedish General Rehnskiöld hurried to engage Schulenburg. The battle is an example of a successful pincer movement and was one of Sweden's greatest victories in the Great Northern War. Background After King Karl XII's of Sweden victory against the Saxon-Russian army in the Battle of Düna, he was able to begin his campaign against Poland. After the victory at the Battle of Kliszów in July 1702, Karl XII negotiated to depose August II from the throne of Poland, but to no avail. The Swedish army then subjected the well-fortified city of Thorn (Torun) on the river Weichsel to a long-term blockade from May to October 1703. The city fell and its entire garrison of 4,800 Saxon soldiers was taken prisoner. The strength of the Swedish army, combined with August's agreement with Tsar Peter I, caused many Polish nobles to defect to the pro-Swedish opposition. In February 1704, August was declared no longer king of Poland, and in July of the same year Stanisław Leszczyński was elected king. However, August II was not defeated and the Russians had an interest in supporting him. The Russo-Saxon strategic plan was for a Saxon army under Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg to break into Poland to join a larger cavalry force led by August II himself and then with the main Russian force, which was in Livonia, defeat the Swedish main army. In western Poland, however, there was a Swedish army corps under Rehnskiöld, which either had to be bypassed or fought by Schulenburg before the unification could take place. In early March 1705, the Russian field marshal Boris Sheremetev organized a meeting with the Saxon general Otto Arnold von Paijkull to agree on a joint plan of action to defeat Charles XII. The basis of the strategy was a plan drawn up by the nobleman Johann Patkul as early as 1703, which included a combined attack that would neutralize the Swedish army. Von Paijkull was impressed by Patkul's plans, and advocated that the plan could be