Atlas of Battles

siege, early modern

Siege of Polotsk

Siege of Polotsk was a siege conducted in June 1518 at Polatsak, in what is now Belarus. It was part of the Muscovite-Lithuanian Wars, which ran from 1487 to 1583. The recorded result: Lithuanian victory. Recorded strength: 7,000 against 2,000.

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Dzvina river in Polatsk, Belarus.
Dzvina river in Polatsk, Belarus.. Alex Zelenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtJune 1518
WherePolatsak, Belarus55.483N, 28.767E
OutcomeLithuanian victory
BelligerentsGrand Duchy of MoscowagainstGrand Duchy of Lithuania
Part ofMuscovite-Lithuanian Wars1487 to 1583

Where it sits in the Muscovite-Lithuanian Wars

Battle of the Siritsa River, 1501Battle of Mstislavl, 1501Battle of Lake Smolina, 1502Siege of Smolensk, 1502Battle of Kletsk, 1506Siege of Smolensk, 1514Siege of Polotsk, 151815011518Siege of Polotsk, 1518
7 placed engagements of the Muscovite-Lithuanian Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateJune 1518 (month precision)
PlacePolatsak, Belarus
55.483N, 28.767E
KindSiege, early modern
Strength7,0002,000
Commanders
  • Shuysky
  • Ivan Vasilievich Shuysky
  • Albertas Goštautas
Siege of PolotskSiege of PolotskSiege of PolotskFirst Battle of PolotskSecond Battle of PolotskSiege of Polotsk (1563)Battle of KlyastitsyFirst Battle of PolotskBattle of KlyastitsyVitsyebskDaugavpilsVelikiye LukiOrshaMaladzyechnaRēzekne100 km55.483N, 28.767E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between 1518 and 1812.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1518

Siege of Polotsk is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 103 in present-day Belarus.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q7510315, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Polotsk, revision 1378889258, 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.