Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Wesenberg

Battle of Wesenberg was a battle fought on 28 February 1268 at Rakvere, in what is now Estonia. It was part of Northern Crusades. The recorded result: Inconclusive. Recorded strength: 10,000–20,000 against 20,000.

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A political map of the Medieval Livonia, circa 1260, along with surrounding areas
A political map of the Medieval Livonia, circa 1260, along with surrounding areas. No machine-readable author provided. Termer assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought28 February 1268
WhereRakvere, Estonia59.350N, 26.350E
OutcomeInconclusive
BelligerentsNovgorod Republic; Pskov Republic; Grand Principality of VladimiragainstDuchy of Estonia; Bishopric of Dorpat; Livonian Order
Casualties and lossesUnknownandUnknown
Part ofNorthern Crusades

Where it sits in Northern Crusades

Battle of St. Matthew's Day, 1217Battle of Lyndanisse, 1219Battle of Lihula, 1220Battle of the Ice, 1242Battle of Wesenberg, 1268Battle of Rudau, 137012171370Battle of Wesenberg, 1268
6 placed engagements of Northern Crusades in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date28 February 1268
PlaceRakvere, Estonia
59.350N, 26.350E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength10,000–20,00020,000
Casualties and lossesUnknownUnknown
Commanders
  • Dmitry of Pereslavl
  • Daumantas of Pskov
  • Yury of Suzdal
  • Alexander of Dorpat
  • Otto von Lutterberg
Battle of WesenbergBattle of WesenbergBattle of RakvereBattle of WesenbergSiege of WesenbergBattle of PorkuniBattle of VarjaBattle of PorkuniBattle of VarjaHelsinkiTallinnTartuPärnuPorvooViljandiHaapsalu100 km59.350N, 26.350E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Wesenberg
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Wesenberg today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-06-08. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 88 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 59 to 128 m, 69 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 30% grassland, 30% cropland, 25% tree cover.

grassland: 30%cropland: 30%tree cover: 25%built-up: 15%grassland 30%cropland 30%tree cover 25%built-up 15%
west to east, 10.0 km71 to 95 mnorth to south, 10.0 km63 to 113 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 4 times between 1268 and 1704.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1268

Battle of Wesenberg is one of 629 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 83 in present-day Estonia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q252698, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Wesenberg (1268), revision 1370593644, 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.