As soon as his fall became known, disorder spread among the ranks of the Saxons.

Some regiments gave way, and, the Swedes rushing forward with loud shouts, the whole army was speedily in full flight.
This victory laid the whole of Courland at the mercy of the Swedes, all the towns opening their gates at their approach.
They were now on the confines of Poland, and the king, brave to rashness as he was, hesitated to attack a nation so powerful.
Poland, at that time, was a country a little larger than France, though with a somewhat smaller population, but in this respect exceeding Sweden.

With the Poles themselves he had no quarrel, for they had taken no part in the struggle, which had been carried on solely by their king, with his Saxon troops.
The authority of the kings of Poland was much smaller than that of other European monarchs.

The office was not a hereditary one; the king being elected at a diet, composed of the whole of the nobles of the country, the nobility embracing practically every free man; and, as it was necessary, according to the constitution of the country, that the vote should be unanimous, the difficulties in the way of election were very great, and civil wars of constant occurrence.
Charles was determined that he would drive Augustus, who was the author of the league against him, from the throne; but he desired to do this by means of the Poles themselves, rather than to unite the whole nation against him by invading the country.

Poland was divided into two parts, the larger of which was Poland proper, which could at once place thirty thousand men in the field.