Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

Battle of Lesnaya

Battle of Lesnaya was a battle fought on 28 September 1708 at Liasnaja, in what is now Belarus. It was part of the Great Northern War, which ran from 1700 to 1721. The recorded result: Russian victory; See Result. Recorded strength: 25px 11,000–13,000; 9,000 at Lesnaya against 24,000; 17,000 at Lesnaya; border=no|20pxKalmyk Khanate2,500–5,000; 3,000 at Lesnaya.

See it on the globe Read the article

Battle of Lesnaya
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought28 September 1708
WhereLiasnaja, Belarus53.542N, 30.915E
OutcomeRussian victory; See Result
Belligerents25px Swedish EmpireagainstTsardom of Russia; border=no|20px Cossack Hetmanate; Kalmyk Khanate
Casualties and losses3,414–5,000;...other estimatesand3,967–8,000;...other estimates
Part ofGreat Northern War1700 to 1721

Where it sits in the Great Northern War

Siege of Riga, 1700Siege of Riga, 1700Battle of Varja, 1700Battle of Narva, 1700Battle of Petschora, 1701Crossing of the Düna, 1701Battle of Rauge, 1701Battle of Vilnius, 1702Battle of Erastfer, 1702Battle of Dersunisjki, 1702Battle of Klissow, 1702Battle of Hummelshof, 1702Siege of Nöteborg, 1702Battle of Saladen, 1703Battle of Pułtusk, 1703Siege of Thorn, 1703Battle of Systerbäck, 1703Siege of Tartu, 1704Battle of Wesenberg, 1704Siege of Narva, 1704Battle of Orford Ness, 1704Battle of Jakobstadt, 1704Battle of Poznań, 1704Capture of Warsaw, 1704Battle of Lemberg, 1704Battle of Punitz, 1704Siege of Vyborg, 1706Siege of Liachavičy, 1706Battle of Kalisz, 1706Battle of Grodno, 1708Battle of Holowczyn, 1708Battle of Malatitze, 1708Battle of the Neva, 1708Battle of Rajovka, 1708Battle of Koporye, 1708Battle of Lesnaya, 1708Sack of Baturyn, 1708Battle of Koniecpol, 1708Siege of Vepryk, 1708Pursuit of Krasnokutsk, 1709Battle of Poltava, 1709Siege of Riga, 1709Siege of Vyborg, 1710Battle of Helsingborg, 1710Kexholm Siege, 1710Siege of Reval, 1710Action of 4 October 1710, 1710Siege of Wismar, 1711Sieges of Stralsund, 1711Siege of Stralsund, 1711Battle of Westtief, 1712Siege of Stralsund, 1712Siege of Stade, 1712Battle of Gadebusch, 1712Action of 22 July 1713, 1713Skirmish at Bender, 1713Siege of Tönning, 1713Battle of Helsinki, 1713Siege of Stettin, 1713Battle of Landsbro, 1713Battle of Pälkäne, 1713Siege of Tönning, 1714Battle of Napue, 1714Battle of Gangut, 1714Action of 24 April 1715, 1715Siege of Wismar, 1715Siege of Stralsund, 1715Battle of Rügen, 1715Battle of Stresow, 1715Battle of Dynekilen, 1716Siege of Poznań, 1716Battle of Göteborg, 1717Battle of Strömstad, 1717Siege of Trondheim, 1718Siege of Fredriksten, 1718Attack on Marstrand, 1719Battle of Ösel Island, 1719Battle of Stäket, 1719Battles at Göta Älv, 1719Battle of Grengam, 1720Battle of Selånger, 172117001721Battle of Lesnaya, 1708
82 placed engagements of the Great Northern War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date28 September 1708
PlaceLiasnaja, Belarus
53.542N, 30.915E
KindBattle, early modern
Strength25px 11,000–13,000; 9,000 at Lesnaya24,000; 17,000 at Lesnaya; border=no|20pxKalmyk Khanate2,500–5,000; 3,000 at Lesnaya
Casualties and losses3,414–5,000;...other estimates3,967–8,000;...other estimates
Commanders
Battle of LesnayaBattle of LesnayaBattle of MalatitzeBattle of SaltanovkaSiege of MahilowBattle of MstislavlBattle of the Vikhra RiverBattle of MalatitzeBattle of SaltanovkaSiege of MahilowHomyelBabruyskBarysawOrshaKlintsyNovozybkov100 km53.542N, 30.915E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Lesnaya
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Lesnaya today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-05-24. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 161 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 131 to 197 m, 66 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 62% tree cover, 31% cropland, 5% grassland.

tree cover: 62%cropland: 31%grassland: 5%tree cover 62%cropland 31%grassland 5%
west to east, 10.0 km142 to 187 mnorth to south, 10.0 km149 to 183 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1708

Battle of Lesnaya is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 103 in present-day Belarus.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q166015, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Lesnaya, revision 1382468154, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.