Atlas of Battles

siege, early modern

Siege of Wesenberg

Siege of Wesenberg was a siege conducted in December 1573 at Rakvere, in what is now Estonia; it ran into the following year. It was part of the Livonian War, which ran from 1558 to 1583. The recorded result: Russian victory.

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Siege of Wesenberg
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtDecember 1573ran into the following year
WhereRakvere, Estonia59.351N, 26.361E
OutcomeRussian victory
BelligerentsSwedenagainstTsardom of Russia
Part ofLivonian War1558 to 1583

Where it sits in the Livonian War

Siege of Narva, 1558Siege of Fellini, 1560Battle of Ergeme, 1560Battle of Nevel, 1562Battle of Ula, 1564Siege of Reval, 1570Siege of Weissenstein, 1572Battle of Lode, 1573Siege of Wesenberg, 1573Battles of Wenden, 1578Siege of Polotsk, 1579Siege of Velikiye Luki, 1580Battle of Toropets, 1580Battle of Zavolotchia, 1580Siege of Narva, 1581Battle of Shklov, 1581Battle of Mogilev (1581), 1581Siege of Pskov, 158115581581Siege of Wesenberg, 1573
19 placed engagements of the Livonian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateDecember 1573 (month precision)
to February 1574
PlaceRakvere, Estonia
59.351N, 26.361E
KindSiege, early modern
Casualties and lossesDuring the Siege: ~1,000 killed; During infighting: 30 German cavalry killed; 1,500 Scottish infantry killed; 70 Scottish infantry deserted to Russia; 1 Scottish nobleman wounded; Unknown woundedUnknown
Commanders
  • Clas Åkesson Tott
  • Pontus De la Gardie
  • Archibald Ruthven
Siege of WesenbergSiege of WesenbergBattle of WesenbergBattle of RakvereBattle of WesenbergBattle of PorkuniBattle of VarjaBattle of PorkuniBattle of VarjaHelsinkiTallinnTartuPärnuPorvooViljandiHaapsalu100 km59.351N, 26.361E
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 4 times between 1268 and 1704.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1573

Siege of Wesenberg is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 74 in present-day Estonia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q7510514, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Wesenberg (1574), revision 1370746439, 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.