The siege of Weissenstein took place between 31 May and 30 September 1602, during the

Polish–Swedish War This is a List of wars between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden. Broadly construed, the term refers to a series of wars between 1562 and 1814. More narrowly, it refers to particular wars between 1600 and 1629. These are the wars ...

of 1600–1611. Two weeks after the capture of

Fellin Viljandi (, , , , ) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,255 in 2024. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu. The town was first me ...

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Jan Zamoyski Jan Sariusz Zamoyski (; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, statesman and the 1st '' ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Chancellor of the Crown f ...

led the Polish-Lithuanian army of 2,000 troops to besiege Weissenstein (now known as

Paide Paide is a town in Estonia and the capital of Järva County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia. Etymology Paide's German name (originally or in Low German) means 'white stone'. This name was derived from the limestone used for the constru ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

). Weissenstein, a major transportation hub in Estonia, was a site of strategic importance to both Poland and Sweden. Located among the marshes and built during the Teutonic period, the castle had strong artillery and was defended by 700 soldiers, local peasants, and townspeople. Weissenstein was a walled city with 30-meter towers at the corners and high bastions, and thus presented the attacking force with a significant barrier to success, even with siege works.

Siege

The Polish army began by blockading the fortress. Because the Swedish army was getting relief from

Reval Tallinn is the capital and most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and administratively lies in the Harju ''maakond'' (co ...

, the Poles sent

Stanisław Żółkiewski Stanisław Żółkiewski (; 1547 – 7 October 1620) was a Polish people, Polish szlachta, nobleman of the Lubicz coat of arms, a magnate, military commander, and Chancellor (Poland), Chancellor of the Polish Crown in the Polish–Lithuanian C ...

there. The defeat of the Swedes at the

Battle of Reval The naval Battle of Reval took place on during the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790), off the port of Reval in the roadstead (now Tallinn, Estonia). This battle ended in an imposing Imperial Russian Navy victory; it has been compared to the pr ...

on 30 June ended the Weissenstein defender's hopes of attaining further help. When their long-awaited regular infantry arrived in August, the Poles started to build siege works. The start of the operation was difficult, as the artillery was unable to break the powerful bastions. Heavy rains that turned the surrounding area into a great morass hampered the siege. The forces began to succumb to disease. When a captured Swedish prisoner revealed the northern curtain wall of the fortress was weakened, Zamoyski immediately ordered the construction of a wooden platform in front of the curtain wall where the artillery pieces could set up. The Swedes noted the potential danger and fired their guns at the newly-built platform. A fierce artillery battle was the result. On the night of 26–27 September, four heavy guns were placed on the platform. The guns opened fire the next morning, weakening the curtain wall, which began to collapse. After a few hours there was a huge breakthrough. The Swedes, seeing the hopelessness of their situation, capitulated on 30 September.

References

* Leszek Podhorodecki, "Rapier i koncerz", Warszawa 1985, {{DEFAULTSORT:Weissenstein Sieges involving the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Sieges involving Sweden Conflicts in 1602 Paide 17th century in Estonia Military history of Estonia 1602 in Europe Attacks on castles