During the 10th century Brzesc was a Slavic settlement. In 1015 it was mentioned for the first time in the Old Russian Chronicles under the name of Brestov or Brestia. Due to its location near the Polish border, the city passed hands many times. The Polish king Boleslav II (Editors note: the Bold) Khrovri [?] captured Brzesc from the Russian Prince Turoveski [?] and held it for 22 years. In 1182 King Kasimir Sparvidlivi[?] captured the city and built a fort in it. In 1241 the Mongols invaded the area and destroyed the city. Prince Vahalin Vladimir [?], the Philosopher, rebuilt it and constructed a fortified tower. In 1316 the city was conquered by the Lithuanian Prince Nedimin [?] and from then on, it was one of the most important cities of his principality. In 1390 King Vladislav Yagilo [?] awarded the city special privileges. Those privileges were renewed by King Zigmund the First in 1511 and Brzesc was chosen to be the capital city of the district of Vibodiut [?]. In 1594, a union was signed in Brzesc between the Pravoslavic Church and the Catholic Church creating the Uniate Church (Greek-Catholic).
Brzesc was severely damaged during the Chmielnicki (Editors note: Cossack leader) revolt of 1648-1650, again in 1660 when troops from Moscow invaded and during the Swedish wars in the beginning of the 18th century. In 1793, when Poland was divided, Brzesc was annexed to the Russian Empire as a sub district. In the beginning, it was part of the district of Slonim and from 1831 part of the district of Grodna. In 1837, construction of Brzesc's fort started. The authorities ordered the residents to move out of their homes and the old section of the city was demolished to make room for the new construction. The residents, including the Jews, were compensated for the loss their homes and settled in the new neighborhoods. During World War I, in August of 1915, Brzesc was captured by the Germans who occupied it until January 19, 1919. On March 3, 1918 a peace treaty was signed in Brzesc between the representatives of the Soviet Union (lead by Leon Trotsky) and the representatives of Germany. In August of 1920, the city was captured for the last time by Poland and was chosen to be the capital city of the district of Polesia. Brzesc was under Polish rule until it was annexed on September 1939 to the Republic of Soviet Belarusia as part of the Soviet Union. From June 22 until July of 1944, it was the residence of the Commissar General of the Vahlin[?]-Podolia district.
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