Siege of Polotsk (1579)

The siege of Polotsk (Russian: Осада Полоцка, Polish: Oblężenie Połocka) was a siege by forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth under Stefan Bathory on the Russian-held city of Polotsk. Polotsk had been captured and heavily fortified by the Russians under Ivan the Terrible in 1563 because the river Dwina, which led to the key city of Riga, flowed through it. Hungarian soldiers, led by Caspar Bekes, Polish soldiers, led by Mikolaj Mielecki, and Lithuanian soldiers, led by Mikolaj Radziwill, converged at the Dzisna fortress, joined Bathory's men, and moved on to Polotsk, with a total force of about 42,000.[7] Polotsk had three fortresses: the central one, nearby Strelec fortress, and the walled town of Zapolochie. The primary focus was on the central fortress: first with artillery, which failed because it only punctured the wooden walls, then with cannons, and eventually with fire. The Russians defended Polotsk with trenches and artillery, but after the Hungarian contingent captured Zapolochie, the Russians surrendered.[8] After taking the city, Bathory's forces then moved to besiege Velikiye Luki.[7]

Siege of Polotsk (1579)
Part of the Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory in the Livonian War

The Siege of Polotsk, 1579, in a contemporary illustration.
DateAugust 11–30, 1579
Location
Polotsk
55°29′13″N 28°45′39″E
Result Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth captures Polotsk
Belligerents
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Strength
Total Polotsk campaign 41,714 [4]
  • ~6000 garrison
  • 38 cannons [3]
Casualties and losses

At least 1,462 including dead, injured, deserted [5]

  • 602 Polish
  • 860 Germans
  • unknown number of Hungarians(probably similar to Polish losses)
  • unknown small number of Lithuanians

Up to 2,000 dead. [5]

All others captured and then released except commander and a few city elders. [6]

Citations
  1. Kupisz 2003, pp. 88–89.
  2. Kupisz 2003, p. 165.
  3. Kupisz 2003, p. 127.
  4. Kupisz 2003, p. 103.
  5. Kupisz 2003, pp. 155–156.
  6. Kupisz 2003, p. 153.
  7. Perrie & Pavlov 2014.
  8. Szabo 2009, pp. 717–721.

References
  • Kupisz, Dariusz (2003). Połock 1579 (in Polish). Warszawa, Poland: Dom Wydawniczy Bellona. ISBN 83-11-09708-9.
  • Perrie, Maureen; Pavlov, Andrei (2014). Ivan the Terrible. Routledge. ISBN 9781317894674. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  • Szabo, Bela (2009). "The first campaign against Ivan, the Terrible by Stephen Báthory in 1579" (PDF). AARMS. 8 (4). Retrieved January 13, 2017.
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