Atlas of Battles

siege, notable, early modern

Siege of Riga

Siege of Riga was a siege conducted on 21 August 1656 at Riga, in what is now Latvia; it lasted 45 days. It was part of Second Northern War, which ran from 1655 to 1660. The recorded result: Swedish victory. Recorded strength: 7,389 against 35,000.

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Siege of Riga
Adam Pérelle, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought21 August 1656lasted 45 days
WhereRiga, Latvia56.949N, 24.106E
OutcomeSwedish victory
BelligerentsSwedish EmpireagainstTsardom of Russia
Casualties and lossesMinimaland8,000–14,000 dead(Swedish claims); 2,000 incl. 300 - 600 killed; (Russian claims)
Part ofSecond Northern War1655 to 1660

Where it sits in Second Northern War

Battle of Ujście, 1655Siege of Kraków, 1655Battle of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, 1655Siege of Danzig, 1655Battle of Sobota, 1655Invasion of New Sweden, 1655Battle of Żarnów, 1655Battle of Radom, 1656Battle of Nisko, 1656Battle of Kłecko, 1656Battle of Kcynia, 1656Battle of Nöteborg, 1656Battle of Tykocin, 1656Siege of Dyneburg, 1656Siege of Riga, 1656Battle of Łowicz, 1656Battle of Prostken, 1656Battle of Chojnice, 1656Siege of Kraków, 1657Battle of Walk, 1657Battle of Magierów, 1657Battle of Czarny Ostrów, 1657Invasion of Courland, 1658Battle of Kolding, 1658Battle of Grudziądz, 1659Battle of Ebeltoft, 1659Siege of Stettin, 1659Battle of Nyborg, 165916551659Siege of Riga, 1656
28 placed engagements of Second Northern War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date21 August 1656
to 5 October 1656
PlaceRiga, Latvia
56.949N, 24.106E
KindSiege, early modern
Territorial changeRussians lift the siege of Riga
Strength7,38935,000
Casualties and lossesMinimal8,000–14,000 dead(Swedish claims); 2,000 incl. 300 - 600 killed; (Russian claims)
Commanders
  • Simon Grundel-Helmfelt
  • Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie
  • Alexis of Russia
  • Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin
Siege of RigaSiege of RigaSiege of RigaSiege of RigaSiege of RigaSiege of RigaCrossing of the DünaSiege of RigaCrossing of the DünaDaugavpilsJelgavaVentspilsŠiauliai100 km56.949N, 24.106E
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 6 times between 1656 and 1812.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1656

Siege of Riga is one of 1,553 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 58 in present-day Latvia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q595785, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Riga (1656), revision 1378544310, 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.