The Battle of Loyew (Belarusian: ÃÂÃÂÃÂòð ÿðô ÃÂþõòðü, Ukrainian: ÃÂøÃÂòð ÿÃÂô ÃÂþÃÂòþü, Polish: Bitwa pod à Âojowem; 31 July 1649) was fought between the Zaporozhian Host against the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth as a part of the Khmelnytsky Uprising. Near the site of the present-day town of Loyew on the Sozh River in Belarus, a forces of the Zaporozhian under the command of Colonels Mykhailo Krychevsky, Stepan Pobodailo and Martyn Nebaba was defeated by the PolishâÂÂLithuanian CommonwealthâÂÂs forces under the command of Prince Janusz Radziwià Âà  and Nobleman Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski. Prince Janusz Radziwià Âà  was able to engage a forces of the Zaporozhian Cossacks before they merged. First, he defeated the army of the Zaporozhian Cossacks under the command of Colonel Mykhailo Krychevsky, who was killed in the battle; then he defeated the rest armies of the Zaporozhian Cossacks under the command of the other Colonels Stepan Pobodailo and Martyn Nebaba.
The Zaporozhian Cossacks under the command of Colonel Stepan Pobodailo with a forces numbered around 7,000 men captured the town of Loyew in the summer of 1649 and began using it as an operational base in the region, from which they staged a series of pillaging attacks and raids on the PolishâÂÂLithuanian CommonwealthâÂÂs forces. Prince Janusz Radziwià Âà  took the PolishâÂÂLithuanian forces numbered about 10,000 men, including around 800 winged hussars, 1,000 infantry and the rest is lighter cavalry and artillery in the field to challenge him.
Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, leader of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, learned about Prince Janusz Radziwià Âà Â's plans while besieging Zbarazh in 10 July â 22 August, 1649. He sent part of his Zaporozhian CossackâÂÂs forces, an army numbered around 10,000 men under the command of Colonel Mykhailo Krychevsky to support an army numbered around 7,000 men under the command of Colonels Stepan Pobodailo and Martyn Nebaba against the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth.
In 23 July 1649, the Crown Army approached the town of Loyew on the Right-Bank of the Dnipro River. Colonels Stepan Pobodailo and Martyn Nebaba fortified camp was on the left and Prince Janusz Radziwià Âà  decided to start a siege by shelling the Zaporozhian Cossack's camp with his artillery over the river.
When Prince Janusz Radziwià Âà  learned of the approaching of the Zaporozhian CossackâÂÂs reinforcements under the command of Colonel Mykhailo Krychevsky, he sent 2,000 men of the Zaporozhian CossackâÂÂs cavalry to scout and destroy the enemy, but Colonel Mykhailo Krychevsky avoided them and attacked the main PolishâÂÂLithuanian CommonwealthâÂÂs forces. The Zaporozhian CossackâÂÂs assault was however broken by the Crown Army infantry and artillery fire. Then Prince Janusz Radziwià Âà  assaulted the Zaporozhian Cossacks with his PolishâÂÂLithuanian cavalry, but it was encircled by the Zaporozhian Cossacks and would have been destroyed if the rest of the PolishâÂÂLithuanian CommonwealthâÂÂs cavalry, returning from the failed scouting mission, hadn't arrived at that moment and turned the tables.
The remains of the Zaporozhian Cossacks under the command of Colonel Mykhailo Krychevsky took up positions in a wagon fort. Initial attempts by the PolishâÂÂLithuanian CommonwealthâÂÂs forces to take the new Zaporozhian CossackâÂÂs positions failed. In the meantime, a forces of the Zaporozhian Cossacks under the command of Colonel Stepan Pobodailo crossed the Sozh River to help their allies, but were defeated by the Crown Army. After that, the PolishâÂÂLithuanian CommonwealthâÂÂs forces final assault on the wagon fort succeeded, with the winged hussars dismounting and taking to battle on foot. Mykhailo Krychevsky, mortally wounded, was taken prisoner and then was killed by the Poles and Lithuanians. Janusz Radziwià Âà  collected about 40 Zaporozhian CossackâÂÂs banners from the field. Samuel Orgelbrand saying about the Zaporozhian CossackâÂÂs casualties and losses numbered around 3,000 men, 17 artillery pieces and 12 banners.
One of the reasons for the defeat of the Zaporozhian Cossacks and the significant casualties and losses was a strategic mistake of Mykhailo Krychevsky, who misjudged the factor of suddenness which allowed the PolishâÂÂLithuanian CommonwealthâÂÂs forces to destroy each unit of the forces of the Zaporozhian Cossacks separately.
The PolishâÂÂLithuanian CommonwealthâÂÂs forces retook control of the Minsk Voivodeship, but lack of supplies prevented Prince Janusz Radziwià Âà  from advancing on Kyiv against the Zaporozhian Cossacks.
Prince Janusz Radziwià Âà  was rewarded by the Polish King John II Casimir with possessions at Nevel, Sebezh and Krasne. Not content with those rewards, he would later betray the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth in the Union of Kédainia in 20 October 1655.
Another the Battle of Loyew in 6 July 1651 would take place in the same area but two years later between the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth and Cossack Hetmanate.