On 8 July 1709, the Battle of Poltava was fought in Ukraine between Sweden under Charles XII against Russia under Peter the Great during the Great Northern War.
Why did it happen & Who was involved?
In 1697, the Swedish king Charles XI died and was succeeded by his 15-year-old son, Charles XII. Sweden’s enemies, namely Denmark-Norway, Poland-Lithuania and Russia, had feared the former king’s ambitions in the Baltic. In 1700, all these powers united and declared war on Sweden, beginning the Great Northern War. At first, these nations fatally underestimated Swedish military power, leading to crushing defeats during the first eight years of the war. However, in 1708, Charles XII invaded Russia with a force of 25,000 men, only for this number to be reduced to 17,000 by winter weather and disease. In the spring of 1709, Charles marched south into Ukraine, hoping to find the grain to feed his army. In response, Russia under Peter the Great mobilized 30,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry and 70 artillery and took up a position north of Poltava. He also constructed a series of redoubts to hinder the Swedish advance towards his camp.
What happened?
At dawn on 8 July, the Swedish infantry under Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt advanced towards the Russian camp with 2,400 troops, stopping to attack the Russian redoubts one by one. As the rest of the Swedish army continued its advance towards the plain in front of the Russians, Carl Gustav Rehnskold sent a messenger towards Lewenhaupt, ordering him to rejoin the main Swedish army. In response, the Russian army, 40,000 strong, marched out of camp with infantry arranged in two long lines in the centre, flanked by cavalry and a battery of 68 artillery in front of the infantry. At that point, the Swedish general Roos surrendered what remained of his 2,400-strong force after failing to capture the remaining Russian redoubts. With both the Swedish and Russian armies facing each other, the main battle began with a 45-minute barrage from the Russian artillery. After that, the Swedish infantry advanced towards the Russian centre, which managed to penetrate the first Russian line. However, numerical superiority proved decisive, with the Russian cavalry enveloping and breaking the Swedish line, causing the rest of the Swedish army to retreat in disarray. While Russian casualties numbered 4,500 killed or wounded, the Swedes suffered 10,000 killed and captured.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Poltava was a decisive victory for Russia. Sweden, which had dominated the Baltic since the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, never regained its former power. Although Charles XII was able to escape south to the Ottoman Empire and spent the next five years in exile, Russia had risen to replace Sweden as the dominant power in northern Europe. This was confirmed when, after Charles died at the Siege of Fredericksten in 1718, Sweden was defeated by the Russian navy at the battles of Ostel and Grengam in 1719 and 1720, respectively. In the words of Jacob F. Field, “Poltava was a major turning point. Russia could now dominate the Polish and Baltic lands without any Swedish opposition, and Peter became the leading ruler in the region” (Grant, 2011, p.400).
Bibliography
David, Saul. War: The Definitive Visual History. New York, Dorling Kindersley, 2009.
Grant, R.G. 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. London, Cassell Illustrated, 2011.
Regan, Geoffrey. Battles That Changed History: Fifty Decisive Battles Spanning Over 2,500 Years of Warfare. London, Andre Deutsch, 2002.
Webb, Jonathan. “Battle of Poltava, 1709.” The Art of Battle. Last revised 2011. http://www.theartofbattle.com/battle-of-poltava-1709/
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