Siege of Polotsk (1563)
| Siege of Polotsk | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Russo-Lithuanian War of 1561–1570 as part of Livonian War | |||||||||
The siege of Polotsk from the Augsburg leaflet, widely distributed in Germany | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Russian Tsardom | Grand Duchy of Lithuania | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Ivan IV Vasilyevich | Stanislav Dvoina | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 31,206 to 45,000 | 2,400–6,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 86 dead & wounded | Entire Garrison surrendered | ||||||||
| 3,000 Residential yards burned down as a result of the bombing | |||||||||
The siege of Polotsk was the siege of the Lithuanian fortress of Polotsk that took place in the winter of 1562 and 1563. The siege is considered one of the largest campaigns of the Russian army in the 16th century. The fall of the city caused a resonance throughout Europe and raised the prestige of the Russian tsar. The siege is considered one of the greatest in the history of Russia before the Empire.