Tatar storm
In connection with the history of East Prussia, acts of war in the course of the Second Northern War are referred to as Tatar storms .
On June 23, 1656, the Electorate of Brandenburg joined Sweden in its war against the Polish King John II Casimir and the Polish Aristocratic Republic . As a result, Crimean Tatars , who were in Polish service, invaded the Duchy of Prussia, which was subordinate to Brandenburg . 13 cities, 249 villages and 37 churches were burned and destroyed. The south of the country was particularly affected, but also the area around Insterburg (today Chernyachovsk ) and the area around Gumbinnen (today Gusew ).