[1] Kapyl, first mentioned in 1274,[5] was a walled town that was noteworthy by the 14th century, and is listed in the atlas of Ortelius of 1574.

Kapyl was part of the dowry of Zofia Olelkowicz Słucka and was one of the seven fortified towns left to her husband Janusz Radziwill upon her death in 1612.

[6] Kapyl was attacked by the Tatars numerous times and was sacked on at least one occasion during the 16th century.

[6] On August 27, 1652, Kapyl received the Magdeburg Law and gained its own seal, a coat of arms depicting a hunting horn on a gold field.

Although ostensibly aimed at suppressing the activities of Soviet partisans in the area the operation resulted in the deaths of 2,325 of the local inhabitants (against the loss of six German soldiers), which can only be characterized as a campaign of genocide and terror.