Battle of Poltava They say that history and time sooner or later put everything in its place. Years and centuries pass, and gradually all the i's are dotted, and then we know that white is white, and black is black, we know who is right and who is wrong, who

What is the Battle of Poltava famous for? At the beginning of the 18th century, huge and strong Russia still had no access to either Black or Baltic seas. Trade with overseas countries took place only through Arkhangelsk, a port on the White Sea. But this was extremely inconvenient: Arkhangelsk was located

• Date of: June 27 (July 8), 1709.
• Place: near Poltava, territory of modern Ukraine.
• Military conflict: .
• Opponents: Sweden - Russian Empire.
• Commanders: Charles XII - .
• Result: victory of the Russian Empire.

Battle of Poltava: background

The Battle of Poltava is rightfully considered one of the most important events in the history of our country. After many successful actions To capture Europe, King Charles XII of Sweden set as his goal the capture of Russia and its division into autonomous, smaller states. The goal seemed impossible. However, the forces of Charles's army significantly exceeded the forces of most armies in Europe, including the Russian one.

But Peter I wisely used the time that was allotted after the Battle of Narva. The Tsar carried out radical reforms of the army. New recruits were hired and trained, new talented military personnel were found, and a system was introduced military ranks and much more. The Swedish king was not aware of such changes and believed that Peter's army was still inexperienced and poorly armed.

Charles XII had a force of 43 thousand people, while he also expected the promised support of a 50 thousand-strong Cossack army under the command of Hetman Mazepa. But before the decisive battle, the size of his army decreased significantly, because... The soldiers were crippled by numerous diseases and food shortages.

Battle of Poltava: progress of the battle

After the siege of Poltava, it was clear that a serious battle could not be avoided. On June 27, 1709, the famous Battle of Poltava took place. Before this, Russian troops had built 10 fortifications - redoubts, which duly influenced the outcome of events.

On the morning of June 27, the Swedes launched an offensive. From the enemy side, 16 thousand people attacked the Russian troops, and the Russian army that took part in the battle at that time consisted of 32,000 people. Our army was also outnumbered by artillery. For four Swedish guns there were 32 defensive guns on our side.

Four columns of Swedish infantry and six columns of cavalry were met by an attack by a Russian dragoon under the command of Prince Menshikov. The battle began. Initially, the Swedish army slightly oppressed our cavalry, but soon the Russian troops began to launch successful attacks on the Swedish troops one after another. The Swedes managed to capture two redoubts, but subsequent attempts were confidently suppressed.

The time has come for the decisive battle. At that time of the battle, the forces of the Russian army were significantly superior; the Swedish army of 6,000 soldiers was opposed by 18 thousand and a large number of large guns. But the king managed to inspire the soldiers, and they launched a fierce attack. At some point, the Russian troops even had to retreat, the Swedes took possession of the banner of the Novgorod regiment, and a dangerous “gap” was formed in the line of our infantry, but Peter I led the reserve battalion and went into battle himself. Our soldiers managed to defeat the Swedes. The news spread through their ranks that the king had died, unrest began among the Swedes, and under pressure from the Russian troops, the enemy was routed. Charles XII's henchmen barely managed to take him from the battlefield and hide him. Russia won a brilliant victory over the Swedish troops.

Battle of Poltava: results

This victory was huge historical meaning. There was a radical turning point in the Northern War. Russia's role in the world has been radically changed, because other countries were now forced to take it into account. And we should not forget about the heroic actions of Russian soldiers and officers, who strengthened the spirit of the entire people as a whole.

At the end of February 1709 CharlesXII Having learned about the departure of Peter I from the army to Voronezh, he redoubled his efforts to force the Russians into battle, but it was all in vain. As a last resort, he undertook the siege of Poltava, where at the end of 1708 Peter sent the 4th battalion of the garrison, under the command of Colonel Kellin, and where, according to the assurance of the Zaporozhye ataman Gordeenko and Mazepa, there were significant stores and huge sums of money. Having personally examined the Poltava fortifications, Charles XII at the end of April 1709 moved to this city from the village of Budishcha, where his main apartment was then located, Colonel Shparre with 9 infantry regiments, 1 artillery and the entire army convoy. On the Russian side, General Renne was sent against him with a 7,000 cavalry detachment, which stood directly opposite the city, on the left bank of the Vorskla. He built two bridges and covered them with retrenchments, but his actions to maintain contact with Poltava were unsuccessful, and Renne returned to the army.

The city of Poltava was located on the heights of the right bank of the Vorskla, almost a mile from the river itself, from which it was separated by a very swampy valley. It was surrounded on all sides by a chain earthen rampart, and inside it a retrenchment with palisades was made by the garrison. Gordeenko advised the Swedes to capture Poltava through an accidental attack; but they failed to take advantage of his offer, and on the night of April 30 to May 1, 1709, taking advantage of the cover of bushes and a rather deep ravine, they opened the first trenches, at a distance of 250 fathoms from the city. The conduct of the siege was entrusted to Quartermaster General Gyllenkrok. According to his plan, it was supposed to conduct an attack, first of all, on the suburb, from the side where there was a high wooden tower, and then attack the Russian suburb. This was based on news received that in the suburbs of Poltava there were many wells, while in the city itself there was only one. Gillenkrok decided to lay three parallels at one time, connected to each other by aproshas. Zaporozhye Cossacks were assigned for the work, and a detachment of Swedish infantry provided cover for them. Due to the inexperience of the Cossacks, the work proceeded slowly and unsuccessfully, so that by morning the troops could only occupy the first two parallels, while the third, barely begun, was not yet completed. The next night the Swedes managed to complete the broken routes leading to the third parallel. Gillenkrok suggested that the king attack Poltava at dawn, but Charles XII did not agree to his proposal, but ordered him to go through the ditch with grapnels and lay a mine under the rampart. This enterprise failed because the Russians, having fired a countermine, discovered the enemy's intentions.

Not having siege weapons, with only a small number of field, small caliber, the Swedes could not hope for success, but, despite this, their actions became more decisive from hour to hour, and Poltava was in imminent danger. Colonel Kellin, who was in Poltava with 4 thousand regular troops and 2.5 thousand townspeople, sought all means for defense. He ordered a fence made of barrels to be made on the rampart and in the suburbs and repeatedly sent word with empty bombs to the Russian troops stationed near Poltava that the Swedes were getting closer and closer to the city and that the garrison was in a dangerous position, suffering a shortage of combat and partly life supplies. As a result, the Russians launched demonstrations against the enemy. Menshikov crossed to the left side of the Vorskla, and General Beling, following its right bank, attacked Colonel Shparre. The Swedes were repulsed, but Charles XII, who arrived in time with cavalry regiments, stopped the Russians and forced them to retreat. Despite this, Menshikov continued his movement along the left bank of the Vorskla and settled down opposite Poltava at the villages of Krutoy Bereg, Savka and Iskrevka, in two fortified camps, separated from each other by the Kolomak stream, flowing in a swampy and wooded valley. Through it, 4 fascine roads with posts were made, which served as a message for both camps. Wanting to reinforce the city garrison, Menshikov took advantage of the Swedes’ oversight and on May 15 brought 2 battalions into Poltava, under the command of brigadier Alexei Golovin. Encouraged by this, Kellin began to act more decisively, and the Swedes had a lot of difficulty repelling his attacks.

On May 10, the main Swedish forces arrived at Poltava: the infantry occupied the surrounding villages; The cavalry stood at some distance from the city, supporting themselves by foraging. Charles XII, wanting to stop relations between the Poltava garrison and Menshikov, ordered the construction of a redoubt at the height of the right bank of the river, opposite the bridge, near the Steep Bank, and began to actively prepare all measures for the capture of the city. Then Sheremetev, who commanded the Russian army in Peter’s absence, decided to unite with Menshikov. At the end of May 1709, he crossed Psyol and Vorskla and occupied a camp at Kruty Bereg, adjoining this village with his left flank. The main forces of his army stood in two lines with a front to the north, while the vanguard was located to the left of Iskrevka and Savka, parallel to the Kharkov road, and a front to the south. Thus, both parts of the Russian army were facing each other with their rears. Main apartment Russians were in the village of Krutoy Beregu. From the vanguard, a detachment was sent all the way to Vorskla, which began laying various fortifications: several redoubts were built near the river bank, and at a height near the bridge there was a closed trench. But all attempts by Sheremetev to provide assistance to Poltava were in vain. The Swedes laid a series of closed fortifications along the right bank of the river, near the bridge, and thus completely interrupted the Russians’ communication with the city, the situation of which was becoming more dangerous from day to day. On June 1, the Swedes began to bombard Poltava and, having managed to set fire to the wooden tower of the suburb, launched an attack, but were repulsed with damage.

Preparations for the Battle of Poltava

On June 4, Peter himself arrived at the Russian army. His presence inspired the troops. Having entered into communication with the garrison of Poltava, he assembled a military council, at which it was decided, in order to liberate the city, to cross directly against him through Vorskla and attack the Swedes together with the Cossacks Skoropadsky, going there on the right side of this river. The marshy banks of the Vorskla impeded the work, but, despite the unsuccessful execution of the tasks, Peter was still faithful to the plan he had adopted. To entertain the attention of the enemy, he ordered General Renna, with 3 regiments of infantry and several regiments of dragoons, to move up the river to Semenov Ford and Petrovka and, having crossed the Vorskla, fortify himself on its right bank; General Allard received orders to cross the river slightly below Poltava. On the 15th, Renne, having transported two infantry battalions along the Lykoshinsky Ford, occupied the old fortification on opposite heights; The Cossacks stretched out to guard the crossings along the entire right bank from Tishenkov Ford to Petrovka. On June 16, Renne built on the hills between the last village and Semenov Ford a line of separate fortifications, behind which his detachment was located. On the same date, Peter completed the fortifications on the marshy island of Vorskla against the left flank of the Swedish coastlines.

Karl paid particular attention to the movements of Allard and Renne. He himself went against the first, sending a general Renschilda to Semyonovka. Carrying out a personal reconnaissance, the Swedish king was shot in the leg, which forced him to postpone the attack on Allard. Renschild's actions were no more successful.

But Peter also saw the futility of his enterprises; At the newly assembled military council, he proposed to cross the Vorskla somewhat higher than Poltava and give a general battle, the success of which could already be relied upon with greater certainty. On June 10, 1709, the Russian army moved from the camp at Krutoy Bereg to Chernyakhov and settled down near the last village in the camp, which was partly surrounded by trenches. Then Peter learned from the prisoners about Karl’s illness, and therefore, on the 20th, he hastened to cross the bridge at Petrovka and the three fords mentioned above. The Russian army occupied the fortified camp prepared by General Renne.

Charles XII, wishing to take advantage of the removal of the Russian army, ordered, on the 21st, an assault on Poltava, but it was repulsed, as was another undertaken by the Swedes the next day with desperate courage. On June 25, Peter moved more forward, stopped before reaching Yakovets, three miles below Semenovka, and strengthened his position. The Swedes immediately stepped forward, as if challenging the Russians to battle, but seeing that they were not leaving their trenches, they decided to attack them themselves and give battle, setting the 27th for this.

On the night of June 26, the Russians finally dug in their camp and built 10 more redoubts ahead at the exit from the adjacent valley. These redoubts were located at a distance of a rifle shot from each other. The Russian position was turned with its rear to Vorskla, and with its front to a vast plain extending to the village of Budishchi; it was surrounded by forest and had exits only from the north and southwest. The disposition of the troops was as follows: 56 battalions occupied a fortified camp; 2 battalions of the Belgorod regiment, under the command of Brigadier Aigustov, were assigned to defend redoubts armed with cannons; behind them were 17 cavalry regiments, under the command of Renne and Baur; the remaining 6 cavalry regiments were sent to the right to maintain communication with Skoropadsky. The artillery, including 72 guns, was commanded by Bruce. The number of Russian troops ranged from 50 to 55 thousand.

On the morning of the 26th, Peter, accompanied by some of his generals, under the cover of a small detachment, surveyed the surrounding area. He saw that in order to liberate Poltava he had to take the fight, and therefore he only wanted to wait for the arrival of the expected reinforcements, joining with which he intended to attack the Swedes himself on the 29th. Having experienced his happiness at Lesnaya, the tsar decided to personally take over the main command of the army. In the order given to the troops, with a strong speech he convinced them of the importance of the upcoming battle.

For his part, the Swedish king did not want to allow the Russians to warn him of the attack. For this purpose, he sent back in advance, beyond Poltava, under the cover of 2 cavalry regiments, his convoy and artillery, which, due to a lack of shells, could not take part in the battle. Only 4 guns remained with the troops. Charles XII, in consultation with Field Marshal Renschild, personally drew up a plan for the battle of Poltava, which, however, was not communicated either to the troops or even to the closest persons who formed Main Headquarters. In all likelihood, the king believed that the Russians would defend themselves in their fortified camp, and therefore had the intention, dividing his army into columns, to break through between the advanced redoubts, push back the Russian cavalry and then, in accordance with the circumstances, or rush quickly against the trenches, or, if the Russians leave the camp, rush against them. Around noon, on the 26th, Quartermaster General Gillenkrok was ordered to form four columns of infantry, while the cavalry was divided by Renschild into 6 columns. There were 6 battalions in each infantry column, 6 in 4 medium cavalry columns, and 7 squadrons in both flanks. 2 battalions and part of the cavalry were left near Poltava; separate detachments covered the convoy and maintained posts down the Vorskla: in New Senzhary, Beliki and Sokolkovo. The last measure taken to ensure a retreat, in case of failure, was useless, because the Swedes did not build a bridge across the Dnieper in advance; in addition, this measure weakened the already weak army, which could only field 30 battalions and 14 cavalry regiments for battle (up to 24 thousand in total). Mazepa and the Cossacks were left to guard the siege work.

Battle of Poltava 1709. Plan

Progress of the Battle of Poltava

By the evening of the 26th, Swedish troops lined up parallel to the position occupied by the Russian cavalry behind 6 redoubts. The infantry stood in the middle, and the cavalry on the flanks. Charles XII, carried on a stretcher along the front of his soldiers, in short words persuaded them to show the same courage at Poltava with which they fought at Narva and Golovchin.

At 2 o'clock in the morning, on the 27th, at dawn, the Swedes, starting the Battle of Poltava, moved against the Russian position, into the gap between the forests that bordered the plain. In front were infantry columns, under the command of Posse, Stackelberg, Ross and Shparre. Behind them, somewhat behind, followed the cavalry, led on the right wing by Kreutz and Schlippenbach, on the left by Cruz and Hamilton. Approaching the line of redoubts, the Swedish infantry stopped and waited for the arrival of its cavalry, which immediately rushed at several Russian cavalry regiments that had ridden out to meet it. Behind her the center and right wing of the infantry moved forward. Having taken 2 unfinished redoubts, she passed through the gaps between them and the rest of the trenches, because the Russians, for fear of damaging their own cavalry, stopped shooting at the enemy. The Swedish cavalry, supported by this rapid onslaught, pushed back the Russians. Noticing this, Peter, at 4 o'clock in the morning, ordered General Baur (Bour), who took command instead of the wounded Renne, to retreat with the Russian cavalry to the camp and join his left flank to it. During this movement, the left wing of the Swedes, without waiting for Ross to join, who was busy attacking the Russian flank redoubts, moved forward. This circumstance had an extraordinary influence on the fate of the entire battle of Poltava.

Battle of Poltava. Painting by P. D. Martin, 1726

Having come under heavy fire from the Russian fortified camp, the left wing of the Swedes, instead of persistently continuing the movement they had started, stopped for a while and moved further to the left. Charles XII, who was with him on a stretcher, wishing to more accurately ensure the accession of Ross, sent part of the cavalry to his aid, after which several other cavalry regiments followed, without any command from their generals. Crowded in disorder and coming under heavy fire from the Russian batteries, this cavalry also stretched to the left, to the place where the Swedish infantry stood, which in turn retreated to the edge of the Budishchensky forest, where, hiding from the shots of the Russian batteries, it began to put its upset rows. Thus, the Swedes were unable to take advantage of their initial success and were now placed in a dangerous position. Between their right and left wings a considerable gap was formed, which divided their army into two separate parts.

This mistake did not escape the attention of Peter, who personally controlled the actions of his troops in the battle of Poltava. In the midst of the strongest fire, even before that, seeing the onslaught of the left wing of the Swedes and believing that they would attack the Russian camp, he withdrew part of his infantry from it and built it in several lines, on both sides of the trenches, in order to hit the Swedes in the flank . When their regiments were badly damaged by our shots and began to settle down near the forest, he ordered, at 6 o'clock in the morning, the rest of the infantry to also leave the camp and line up in two lines in front of him. To take advantage of Ross's distance, the Tsar ordered Prince Menshikov and General Renzel, with 5 battalions and 5 dragoon regiments, to attack the Swedes' right wing. The Swedish cavalry regiments that rode out to meet them were overthrown, and the general himself Schlippenbach, who led the cavalry of the right wing, was captured. Then Renzel’s infantry rushed against Ross’s troops, who had meanwhile occupied the Yalowitsky forest, on the left flank of our position, and the Russian dragoons moved to the right , threatening the Swedish line of retreat. This forced Ross to retreat to Poltava itself, where he occupied the siege trenches and, attacked from all sides by Renzel’s 5 battalions pursuing him, was forced, after a half-hour period given to him to think, to put down his weapon.

Having left Renzel to pursue Ross to Poltava, Prince Menshikov, commanding the left Russian wing, joined the rest of the cavalry to the main forces of the army, located in two lines in front of the camp. In the center of the first line there were 24 infantry battalions, on the left flank - 12, and on the right - 23 cavalry squadrons. The second line consisted of 18 battalions in the center, 12 on the left flank, and 23 squadrons on the right. The right wing was commanded by Baur, the center by Repnin, Golitsyn and Allard, and the left wing by Menshikov and Belling. General Ginter was left in the trenches with 6 infantry battalions and several thousand Cossacks to reinforce the battle lines, if necessary. Moreover, 3 battalions, under the command of Colonel Golovin, were sent to the Vozdvizhensky Monastery to open communications with Poltava. 29 field guns, under the command of Artillery General Bruce, and all the regimental guns were in the 1st line.

The Swedes, after the separation of Ross, were left with only 18 infantry battalions and 14 cavalry regiments, and therefore they were forced to build their infantry in one line, and their cavalry on the flanks in two lines. There was almost no artillery, as we saw.

In this order, at 9 o'clock in the morning, the Swedish regiments with desperate courage rushed towards the Russians, who had already managed to line up in battle formation and were personally led by Peter. Both troops participating in the battle of Poltava, inspired by their leaders, understood their great purpose. Courageous Peter was ahead of everyone and, saving the honor and glory of Russia, did not think about the danger that threatened him. His hat, saddle and dress were shot through. The wounded Charles, on a stretcher, was also among his troops; the cannonball killed two of his servants and they were forced to carry him on spears. The clash between both troops was terrible. The Swedes were repulsed and retreated back in disorder. Then Peter moved forward the regiments of his first line and, taking advantage of the superiority of his forces, surrounded the Swedes on both flanks, who were forced to flee and seek salvation in the forest. The Russians rushed after them, and only a small part of the Swedes, after a two-hour battle in the forest, escaped the sword and captivity.

Peter I. Portrait by P. Delaroche, 1838

Charles XII, under the cover of a small detachment, mounted a horse, barely reached the place beyond Poltava where his convoy and artillery stood, under the cover of part of the Swedish cavalry and Mazepa’s Cossacks. There he waited for the concentration of the scattered remnants of his army. First of all, the convoy and park moved along the right bank of the Vorskla to New Senzhary, Beliki and Sokolkovo, where the cavalry posts left by Karl were located. The king himself followed them and arrived on the 30th in Perevolochna.

Results and results of the Battle of Poltava

The first result of the Battle of Poltava was the liberation of Poltava, which in some way constituted the very goal of the battle. On June 28, 1709, Peter solemnly entered this city.

The losses of the Swedes in the battle of Poltava were significant: 9 thousand of them fell in the battle, 3 thousand were taken prisoner; 4 cannons, 137 banners and standards were the prey of the Russians. Field Marshal Renschild, generals Stackelberg, Hamilton, Schlpppenbach and Ross, colonels Prince Maximilian of Württemberg, Horn, Appelgren and Engstätt were captured. A similar fate befell Minister Pieper and two state secretaries. Among the dead were Colonels Thorstenson, Springen, Sigrot, Ulfenarre, Weidenhain, Rank and Buchwald.

The Russians lost 1,300 killed and 3,200 wounded. Among those killed were: Brigadier Tellenheim, 2 colonels, 4 headquarters and 59 chief officers. Among the wounded were Lieutenant General Renne, Brigadier Polyansky, 5 colonels, 11 headquarters and 94 chief officers.

After the battle of Poltava, Peter dined with his generals and staff officers; the captured generals were also invited to the table and received favorably. Field Marshal Renschild and the Prince of Württemberg were given swords. At the table, Peter praised the loyalty and courage of the Swedish troops and drank to the health of his teachers in military affairs. Some Swedish officers, by their consent, were transferred by the same ranks to the Russian service.

Peter did not limit himself to just winning the battle: on the same day he sent Prince Golitsyn with the guards and Baur with the dragoons to pursue the enemy. The next day, Menshikov was sent for the same purpose.

The further fate of the Swedish army under Perevolochne had a close connection with the result of the battle of Poltava and constituted, so to speak, its end.

No matter how great the material consequences of the Battle of Poltava were, even more immense was its moral influence on the very course of events: Peter’s conquests were secured, and his extensive plans - to improve the well-being of his people by developing trade, navigation and education - could be freely carried out.

Great was the joy of Peter and the entire Russian people. In memory of this victory, the Tsar decreed an annual celebration in all places in Russia. In honor of the Battle of Poltava, medals were struck for all officers and soldiers who participated in it. For this battle, Sheremetev received huge estates; Menshikov was made field marshal; Bruce, Allard and Renzel received the Order of St. Andrew; Renne and other generals were awarded ranks, orders and money. Medals and other awards were distributed to all officers and soldiers.

After switching to " a new style"in 1918, there was confusion with many dates, including the day of the Poltava battle. From 1918 to 1990, it was believed to have occurred on July 8th. However, according to many historical sources, dated at that time, the battle of Poltava took place on the day of remembrance of Sampson the Stranger, that is, July 10. He was the heavenly patron of this battle. Later, a church was built in honor of the saint, which still stands today. Therefore, it is more correct to consider the date July 10, 1709 as the day of the victory of the Russian army over the Swedes near Poltava.

IN late XVII century, the Swedish state turned out to be one of the main military forces in Europe. But the young king continued to build up the power of his army, entered into an alliance with England, France and Holland, thereby ensuring support for himself in the event of war.

The rulers of many states were not satisfied with Sweden's dominance in the Baltic Sea. Fearing aggression on its part and hatching plans to get rid of the power of the Swedes in the Baltic states, Saxony, the Danish-Norwegian kingdom and Russia formed the Northern Alliance, which in 1700 declared war on the Swedish state. However, after several defeats, this coalition fell apart.

Having won a victory near Narva, where Russian army suffered heavy losses and capitulated, Charles XII decides to conquer Russia. In the spring of 1709, his troops besieged Poltava to replenish their provisions and open the way for an attack on Moscow. But the heroic defense of the city garrison, with the support of Ukrainian Cossacks and A.D.’s cavalry. Menshikov detained the Swedes and gave the Russian army the opportunity to prepare for the decisive battle.

It is worth noting that, despite Mazepa’s betrayal, the number of Swedish troops was inferior in number to the Russian one. However, neither this fact nor the lack of ammunition and food forced Charles XII to abandon his plans.

On June 26, Peter I ordered the construction of six horizontal redoubts. And later he ordered the construction of four more, perpendicular to the first. Two of them had not yet been completed when the Swedes began their offensive at dawn on June 27. A few hours later, Menshikov's cavalry vanguard drove back the Swedish cavalry. But the Russians still lost two of their fortifications. Peter I ordered the cavalry to retreat behind the redoubts. Carried away by the pursuit of the retreating, the Swedes came under artillery crossfire. During the fighting, several battalions of Swedish infantry and cavalry squadrons were cut off from their own and captured in the Poltava forest by Menshikov's cavalry.

The second stage of the battle consisted of the struggle of the main forces. Peter built his army in 2 lines, and the Swedish infantry lined up opposite. After the firefight, it was time for hand-to-hand combat. Soon the Swedes began to retreat, turning into a stampede. King Charles XII and the traitor Mazepa managed to escape, and the rest of the army surrendered.

The Battle of Poltava undermined the military power of Sweden, predetermined the outcome of the Northern War and influenced the development of Russian military affairs.

Recognizing the magnificent victory, many researchers suggest not falling into euphoria. Moreover, according to historian Vasily Klyuchevsky, “it was a shame to lose the Battle of Poltava,” the training of the Russian and Swedish armies was so different. What facts of this battle usually remain behind the scenes? And how did the events unfold 307 years ago?

Is Karl an adventurer?

The Battle of Poltava is one of major battles Northern War, which lasted from 1700 to 1721. Then ambitious and young (he entered the throne at 15, and at the time of the Battle of Poltava he was only 27 years old), the Swedish king Charles XII won one victory after another. He actually disabled Saxony and Poland, our allies, and on the wave of success moved towards Russia. At the end of 1707, his army crossed the Vistula and rushed to our borders. Karl did not hide: he wanted to use weapons to make Russian state colony of Sweden and thereby weaken its economic and political development. Cut off Russia from sea trade routes. The king believed that achieving this goal was simple: you need to defeat the Russian army with one blow, and then take the shortest route, through Smolensk, to break through to Moscow, take the capital and thus capture the country. He was going to force Peter to sign a peace beneficial to Sweden. However, this adventurous plan underestimated the strength of Peter's army and the resilience of our people.

Karl felt this very quickly. The first serious clash occurred on September 28, 1708 near the village of Lesnoy. The Swedes suffered a resounding defeat there. They lost the entire supply train and up to 8.5 thousand people killed. As a result, from the 16 thousand-strong corps of General Levenhaupt, only the remnants of a defeated unit without artillery and ammunition, which the Swedes desperately needed, reached Karl. The victory at Lesnaya, in addition to its military significance, had great moral significance. It showed the strength of the Russian army, its readiness to resist the enemy. No wonder Peter called this battle “the mother of the Battle of Poltava.”

Mazepa betrayed Peter

There was another side to this war, which is perceived in a special way today. Advancing on Russia, Charles XII really hoped to strengthen his army in Ukraine. This was facilitated by the history of Hetman Mazepa. Previously a loyal ally, in 1708 he betrayed Peter and, together with part of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, swore allegiance to the Swedish crown. But the actions of the elite did not find support among the people. Ukrainians did not support the traitor Mazepa. On the contrary, the peasants hid food from the Swedes and waged a guerrilla war against the enemy. So, instead of the intended rest, the Swedes were forced to spend the entire winter of 1708-1709 in fruitless battles with Russian troops and partisans. And wintering in Ukraine, essentially encircled, weakened the Swedish army even more.

The Russian army lost 1,345 people killed and 3,290 people wounded. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In 1709, Karl again planned an attack on Moscow through Kharkov and Belgorod. On this route, one of the Russian strongholds was the Poltava fortress. In April, the Swedes besieged Poltava, but the garrison, where only 2,200 people served, bravely defended itself for three months with the support of the population. Over twenty enemy assaults were repelled! The long and stubborn defense of the fortress made it possible to prepare Russian troops for a general battle with the Swedes.

It was clear that the main battle was close. It is interesting how both emperors inspired their troops to fight. The day before, Peter I toured all the regiments, where he demanded to fight not for the Tsar, but for “Russia and Russian piety...” Charles XII also tried to raise the spirit of his army. Inspiring the soldiers, he announced that tomorrow they would dine in the Russian convoy, where great booty awaited them.

They exhausted the Swedes with redoubts

Charles scheduled the battle for June 26. One of the decisive moments had to be surprise. But from the very beginning everything went wrong. At 23.00 on June 26, the king gave the order to wake up the army and line it up for the march. However, the Swedes were unable to quickly bring their troops into battle order. The necessary readiness was achieved only by two o'clock in the morning on June 27. Thus, the Swedes lost three important hours and completely missed the speed. Further more. Russian redoubts were the first to stand in their way. They took the first two right away (many historians claim that these were unfinished structures), and then the problems began. The Swedes were going to just go through them, but that was not the case. The attacks stalled, and the cavalry that arrived in time under the leadership of Menshikov did not allow them to take possession important fortifications. As a result, the redoubts were taken with great difficulty, only on the approach to the main battlefield the enemy lost up to 3 thousand people.

Having exhausted the enemy with redoubts, Peter gave the order to retreat at 4 am. Photo: Public Domain

Peter used an interesting tactic. Having exhausted the enemy with redoubts, Peter gave the order to retreat at 4 am. The Swedes also took a wait-and-see attitude, counting on the approach of their cavalry. But support never came and then their infantry lined up and prepared for battle. Forming in a line was the strategic strong point of Charles XII. It was believed that it was impossible to defeat his troops in such a battle formation. But the reality turned out to be different.

The decisive Swedish offensive began at 9 am. However, the Russian artillery, together with the riflemen, began such heavy shelling that the enemy suffered from the first minutes huge losses. The famous building was completely destroyed. It was not possible to build an attack line that would be longer than the Russian troops, which stretched out to 2 km. As a result, panic and flight began. At 11 am everything was finished. In 2 hours, Peter's troops won a complete victory. Its price was high. The Russian army lost 1,345 people killed and 3,290 people wounded. The losses of the Swedish army were catastrophic. Infantry and artillery simply ceased to exist. All the generals were killed or captured. 9,000 soldiers and commanders were killed, 3,000 were captured immediately and another 16,000 were captured 3 days later, when they overtook the retreating near the village of Perevolochny.

Could the king be captured?

However, without at all detracting from the result, experts pay attention to other facts. In the army of Charles during Poltava there were 37 thousand, the Russians - 60, and according to modern estimates 80 thousand people. In addition, the Swedes were exhausted and half-starved, because they had spent almost a year on enemy territory without the necessary provisions. Same with weapons. All historians confirm that the Swedes had only 4 guns, and the Russians had 111! The course of the battle itself speaks about the inequality of forces. The general battle lasted only two hours. For comparison, the Battle of Borodino raged for 24 hours... In addition, the results of the victory could have become even more impressive if the Russian army had not immediately celebrated Victoria, but immediately rushed in pursuit of the enemy retreating in panic. Surely at that time they would have been able to catch up with the king and take him prisoner, which affected the further course of history. But the chance was missed. As a result, Karl managed to leave and cross to Turkey, and then wage war for another 12 years.

The memory of Poltava in Russia is widely immortalized. A.S. Pushkin wrote his famous poem “Poltava” (originally he wanted to call it “Mazepa”). In Peterhof, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the battle in 1735, the sculptural group “Samson Tearing the Lion’s Jaw,” created according to Rastrelli’s design, was installed. The lion was associated with Sweden, which has this heraldic beast on its coat of arms. In honor of the 200th anniversary of the battle, a medal was established, and a temple was erected on the site itself. The people have preserved stable expression“disappeared like a Swede near Poltava,” meaning complete failure, without hope of salvation.

Well, the Swedes themselves often admit in informal conversations that they are very grateful to Peter I. Firstly, after the crushing defeat, the country moderated its imperial ambitions and took the path of an “ordinary European state.” Secondly, with the Battle of Poltava, Peter forever weaned the Swedes from attacking Russia, with which they have good neighborly relations today. And he taught such a lesson that they chose a policy of neutrality, which allowed the nation to prosper and successfully go through many difficult periods of history.