Battle of Poltava. Poltava knockout

One of the significant events in Russian history is the Battle of Poltava in 1709. Then, at the very beginning of the 18th century - as well as during the Patriotic War of 1812, and during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) - the question was acute: is the Russian state destined to exist or not. The victory of the Russian army under the command of Peter the Great gave a clear positive answer.

Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries

In the 17th century, Sweden was one of the strongest powers in Europe. Under its control were the Baltic states, Finland, and the coastal lands of Germany, Poland, Denmark and Russia. The Kexholm district (the city of Priozersk) and Ingermarland (the coast of the Gulf of Finland and the Neva) captured from Russia were strategically important territories that provided access to the Baltic Sea.

In 1660-1661, peace agreements were signed between Sweden and Poland, Denmark and Russia. They summed up the bloody battles between the states, but could not mean complete humility in front of what was lost: in 1700, an alliance of Russia, Denmark and Saxony took shape against the treacherous Sweden.

Many historians argue that the allied countries wanted to take advantage of the accession to the throne of Sweden in 1697 of the 14-year-old heir Charles XII. But their hopes were not justified: despite his youth and inexperience in military affairs, the young Swedish king Charles XII proved himself a worthy follower of his father’s deeds and a talented commander. He defeated the King of Denmark and Norway, Frederick VI, as a result of which Denmark left the military alliance. The military operation near Narva in 1700 was no less successful, when Russian troops were defeated. But here the Swedish king made a strategic mistake: he abandoned the pursuit of the Russians, getting involved in a war with the Polish-Saxon army of King Augustus II. It was long, but its results were disappointing for Peter the Great: Russia’s main allies fell.

Rice. 1. Portrait of the Swedish King Charles XII

Prerequisites

The Russian army retreated. However, the defeat did not stop Peter I; on the contrary, it contributed to the beginning of serious reforms in the state:

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• In 1700-1702 - a grandiose military reform: the army and the Baltic Fleet were created practically from scratch;
• In 1702-1703, Peter the Great captured the fortresses of Noteburg and Nyenschanz;
• In 1703, the city of St. Petersburg was founded at the mouth of the Neva;
• In 1704, the port city of Kronstadt was founded on the island of Kotlin and the adjacent small islands of the Gulf of Finland;
• In the summer of 1704, Russian troops recaptured Dorpat and Narva, which allowed Russia to finally gain a foothold on the coast of the Gulf of Finland.

The victories won by the Russian army proved that the Swedes had a worthy opponent. But Charles XII preferred not to notice this. Confident in his abilities, he went to meet new conquests - to Moscow.

Rice. 2. Peter the Great before the construction of St. Petersburg

When did the Battle of Poltava take place?

On July 8 (June 27), 1709, a general battle took place near Poltava. The battle lasted two hours and ended in a crushing defeat for the Swedish army led by Charles XII. Scientists rightly note that it was this battle that turned out to be a turning point and predetermined the victory of the Russians in the Northern War. The victory of the Russian army was not accidental. It was predetermined for a number of reasons:

• Participants of the battle with different spirits : on the one hand, the morally exhausted Swedish army, and on the other, the reformed Russian army. Most of the Swedish army fought for nine years, far from home and relatives. In addition, the grueling winter of 1708-1709 led to food and ammunition shortages for the Swedes;
• Numerical superiority of the Russian army : Charles XII approached Poltava with an army of about 31,000 people and 39 cannons. On the eve of the battle, Peter the Great had 49,000 soldiers and 130 cannons at his disposal;
• Differences in Strategy : for two years - 1707-1709, the Russian army was constantly retreating. The tasks of Peter the Great were to preserve the army and prevent the enemy from setting foot in Moscow. To do this, he chose a strategy for a well-established victory: avoid large battles, and wear out the enemy with small ones;
• Differences in Tactics : the Swedes in an open battle used a merciless attack using edged weapons, and the Russians used superiority in numbers and a system of earthen fortifications - redoubts. At the last stage of the Battle of Poltava, the Russian army used enemy tactics and went on the attack: the battle escalated into a massacre.
• Wound of Charles XII : Swedish soldiers considered their king virtually invulnerable. Before the Battle of Poltava, he was seriously wounded in the leg, which shocked the army: many saw a mystical meaning and a bad omen in this. The patriotic attitude of the Russian army was exactly the opposite: the war was taking place on Russian soil and the fate of the Fatherland depended on its outcome.
• The moment of surprise was missed : according to the plan, the Swedish infantry was supposed to attack the Russian army at night. But this did not happen: the cavalry, led by Swedish generals, got lost in the surrounding area.

Rice. 3. Map of the Battle of Poltava

The dates of the beginning and end of the Northern War include 1700-1721. The Battle of Poltava is called the most important event of this period. Despite the fact that the war continued for another 12 long years, the clash near Poltava practically destroyed the Swedish army, forced Charles XII to flee to Turkey and predetermined the outcome of the Northern War: Russia expanded its territories, gaining a foothold in the Baltic.

In addition to the main participants in the Battle of Poltava - the Swedes and Russians, an important role was played by the Ukrainian hetman Ivan Mazepa - a protege of the Russian Tsar, who was in secret correspondence with Charles XII and promised him food, fodder and military support for the Zaporozhye Cossacks in exchange for the independence of Ukraine. As a result, he was forced to flee to Turkey with the King of Sweden, where he ended his days in 1709.

Started Peter I The struggle for Russia’s access to the Baltic Sea and strengthening on these borders was difficult and lengthy. The Northern War, in which Russia and Sweden were the main opponents, lasted for 21 years.

However, the decisive battle, which predetermined the outcome of the confrontation, took place on June 27 (July 8), 1709, six miles from the city of Poltava.

The Northern War began catastrophically for Russia - with a crushing defeat at Narva in 1700.

The defeat at Narva caused Russia not only material, but also political damage - the power of Peter I in Europe was no longer taken seriously, while the Swedish king Charles XII, the winner of the “Russian barbarians,” was treated with undisguised sympathy.

However, the discouraging start of the war did not break either the will or the political aspirations of Peter. Guided by the principle “for one beaten they give two unbeaten,” the Russian Tsar, avoiding a general battle with the Swedes, again began to capture their fortresses on the shores of the Baltic.

Charles XII himself contributed to this. The Swedish king, endowed with undoubted military talents, was also endowed with excessive self-confidence. It was she who forced the Swedish king to consider Russia completely defeated and completely concentrate on the fight against the ally of Peter I, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Augustus II.

The pursuit of the resourceful Augustus lasted for several years, which the Russian Tsar successfully used to reform and rearm the army, as well as to gradually conquer Ingria. In 1703, St. Petersburg was founded at the mouth of the Neva, after which the Russians continued their tactics of slowly “taking away Swedish lands.”

Charles XII decided, at the end of the war with Augustus II, to invade Russia, capturing and setting Moscow on fire, thereby ending the claims of Peter I.

The route of Charles XII during the Northern War. Photo: Public Domain

About the dangers of self-confidence

In 1706, Augustus II was finished, and Charles began preparing for the invasion of Russia.

True, the factor of surprise was not an ally of Charles XII - all his plans and intentions were clear to Peter I and his military leaders.

The Russian Tsar dragged his opponent into a war of attrition, and soon the Swedish army, which had invaded Russian possessions, began to experience problems with food and ammunition.

Charles XII seriously relied on the help of the Swedish king who had defected to the side Hetman of Little Russia Ivan Mazepa, who promised the Swedes 50 thousand Cossacks, food and comfortable wintering.

In practice, however, together with Mazepa, about 10 thousand Cossacks went over to the side of the Swedes. At the same time, Charles XII, not relying too much on their loyalty, did not use the Cossacks in the Battle of Poltava. It is curious that for exactly the same reason, fearing treason, Peter I also refused to use Cossack units near Poltava.

Military happiness began to change Charles XII. The three-month siege of Poltava, which the Swedes initially considered easy prey, ended in nothing.

Charles XII, having learned about the approach of Peter I with his army, intended to give his enemy a general battle, despite the weakened state of his own troops and the great advantage of the Russians in army numbers.

The Swedish generals, based on previous experience, believed that the Russians would behave passively in battle, which would give the Swedes the opportunity to overthrow the Russian army with decisive action and put it to flight.

Unlike Charles XII, Peter I did not rely on luck and military happiness, but prepared for battle carefully, building defensive redoubts in the path of the enemy’s movement. In addition, the Russian Tsar managed to achieve an overwhelming advantage in artillery, which would become one of the decisive circumstances in the battle.

On the eve of the battle, the situation was extremely unfortunate for Charles XII. He did not receive reinforcements, he was not supported by the Ottoman Empire, whose entry into the war he was counting on.

In addition, the “easy prey” of Poltava never passed into the hands of the Swedes.

Denis Martin. "Battle of Poltava" (1726). Photo: Public Domain

Despite all this, Charles XII accepted the plan for a general battle. The essence of the Swedes' plan was a surprise infantry attack at dawn with a breakthrough into the Russian rear, which was supposed to throw the Russian army into confusion, after which the cavalry was supposed to complete the job.

Of the 37 thousand people in the army of Charles XII in the Battle of Poltava, he had 8,000 infantry, 7,800 cavalry and about a thousand irregular cavalry. Peter I had at his disposal an army of 60 thousand, of which 25 thousand infantry and up to 12 thousand cavalry took part in the Battle of Poltava. And all this, not counting the superiority of the Russians in guns, which they had, according to various sources, from 100 to 300, while the Swedes had no more than 40 guns, which, moreover, did not have ample ammunition.

Knowing all this, the self-confident Charles XII nevertheless decided to give a general battle.

Swedish collapse instead of Russian

The Swedes' plan for the battle began to fall apart at the very beginning, when the regiments, intending to take the Russians by surprise, stumbled upon redoubts at night, the construction of which they did not even suspect.

The stubborn battle ended with the planned retreat of the Russians to the main positions, but in the Swedish camp the impression was that the enemy had fled.

The illusion turned out to be so strong that those close to him had already begun to congratulate King Charles on his victory.

While the Swedes were preparing for the holiday, disaster was brewing. Carried away by the assault on the 3rd redoubt, the Swedish column General Roos broke away from the main forces and was defeated by the Russians. The same fate befell the cavalry detachment. General Schlippenbach. Volmar Schlippenbach himself became the first Swedish general to fall into Russian captivity on that day.

At nine o'clock in the morning the main battle of the main forces began. The Swedish infantry attacked the Russian formation, and a fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued. The critical moment for the Russian troops came when, on the left flank, the Swedes overthrew the 1st battalion of the Novgorod regiment with a bayonet attack, capturing over a dozen Russian guns.

The authority of the Swedish army was extremely high. The Swedish breakthrough threatened to bring confusion and panic into the ranks of the Russian army. However, here Tsar Peter himself intervened in the matter, at the head of the 2nd battalion of Novgorodians, stopping the enemy’s advance.

L. Caravaque. “Peter I in the Battle of Poltava” (1718). Photo: Public Domain

Meanwhile, the Russian infantry of the right flank under the command General Mikhail Golitsyn put the Swedish battalions opposing her to flight. The cavalry tried to come to the rescue, but was repulsed by Russian cavalrymen.

Here the superiority of Russian troops in numbers began to show. Having not achieved rapid success, the Swedish regiments were exhausted, gaps appeared between them, which led to their encirclement. In the center, the battalions of the Uppland Regiment were almost completely destroyed, where out of 700 soldiers, less than two dozen remained alive.

By 11 o'clock in the morning, the worst thing happened for Charles XII - his brave and invincible warriors fled in disarray.

Feast and surrender

The king himself had to flee, suffering losses among his inner circle.

The defeat of the Swedes was complete: the Russians received 137 standards and banners of the enemy alone; the generals and field marshals of the Swedish king and even the first minister of Charles XII were captured.

In the evening of the same day, Peter I celebrated the victory in his tent, where captured Swedish generals were also invited. The Russian Tsar drank to the loyalty and courage of the Swedes and to the health of his military teachers.

Personal standard of Charles XII, captured during the Battle of Poltava. Peter-Pavel's Fortress. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / A. Sdobnikov

Despite the celebration, Peter sent part of his troops in pursuit of the retreating ones. The end of the Swedish army came two days later near the town of Perevolochna. Russian troops drove the Swedes into the spit of the Vorskla and Dnieper rivers, blocking their escape routes.

Only Charles XII himself, Mazepa, a small number of close associates and a security detachment managed to cross the Dnieper and escape pursuit. This happened a few hours before the approach of Russian troops.

When the pursuers appeared, led by Menshikov, the broken Swedes capitulated. 16 thousand people were captured, including 3 generals, 11 colonels, 16 lieutenant colonels, 23 majors, 1 field commander, 12,575 non-commissioned officers and privates.

Swedes' losses directly in the Battle of Poltava amounted to 9,224 killed and 2,973 captured.

The losses of Russian troops amounted to 1,345 killed and 3,290 wounded.

Poor Karl, poor Sweden...

The defeat at Poltava turned out to be much more terrible for Charles XII than the defeat of Peter I at Narva. Poltava not only destroyed the military authority of the Swedish king, it dealt a decisive blow to the Swedish army, which never regained its former power.

The war with Russia lasted another 12 years, but it was, figuratively speaking, a delayed defeat. Russian troops gradually finished off the Swedes, occupying more and more territories, eventually leading to devastating landings that operated almost in the vicinity of Stockholm. The Swedes could no longer counteract this with anything other than a reluctance to admit defeat.

The fate of Charles XII himself turned out to be even more deplorable. Hiding in the possessions of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, the former idol of Europe spent several years in Bendery, having no real strength to continue the war and at the same time losing power in his homeland.

In 1713, the Sultan literally expelled the “sideman” from his possessions, and he with difficulty, almost secretly, made his way to the lands belonging to Sweden. True, he never returned to Stockholm - there Charles was no longer perceived as a king. The Swedish nobility was extremely irritated by the unsuccessful and ruinous war, which literally destroyed the country's influence in Europe.

In 1718, Charles XII, resigned to the obvious, tried to make peace with Russia, recognizing most of the conquests of Peter I in the Baltic. The parties, however, never came to an agreement.

In November of the same year, the King of Sweden, during his last campaign in Norway, which at that time was owned by Denmark, was killed by a stray bullet during the siege of the Fredriksten fortress.

There is a version, however, that Charles XII fell victim to the Swedish elite, who decided that they no longer needed such a loser monarch.

But even over Karl’s heirs the “shadow of Poltava” hovered. Three years after his death, in 1721, Sweden concluded the Peace of Nystadt with Russia on conditions much more difficult than those abandoned by Charles XII in 1718.

After the Polish battles, the Swedish army was severely exhausted, and therefore retreated to Ukraine to replenish its strength. Peter I understood that the Swedes were a dangerous enemy. Therefore, everything was done to prevent the enemy from getting the necessary rest - along the route of the Swedish troops, all supplies of food and weapons were destroyed, ordinary people went into the forest, hiding food and livestock there.

The Battle of Poltava briefly. Progress of the battle.

Before the battle begins.

In the autumn of 1708, the Swedes reached the suburbs of Poltava and, settling down for the winter rest in Budishchi, decided to take the city by storm. The superiority of forces was significant - the Swedish king Charles XII had thirty thousand soldiers at his disposal against the small Poltava garrison.

But the courage of the city residents allowed them to hold out against an entire army for two months. Poltava was never surrendered to the Swedes.

Battle of Poltava. Preparing for battle.

While the Swedes were losing time and energy under the walls of Poltava, Peter I was preparing his troops for the most important battle. At the beginning of June, having crossed the Vorskla River, Russian soldiers settled down at Yakovtsy, five kilometers from the besieged city, in the rear of the Swedes.

Having blocked the only path along which the Swedes could advance with several redoubts, behind them Peter placed 17 cavalry regiments of his friend and military leader, Alexander Menshikov.

Ukrainian Hetman Skoropadsky, meanwhile, cut off the Swedes’ path to Poland and Ukraine. Peter did not trust the hetman too much, but nevertheless used his powers.

Battle of Poltava with the Swedes. Battle.

The Battle of Poltava began on the morning of June 27, 1709. At first it might seem that the advantage was on the side of the Swedes - although they lost many soldiers, they were still able to get through two lines of fortifications. However, under artillery fire they had no choice but to retreat into the forest and take a break.

Taking advantage of the pause, Peter moved his main forces to the position. And in the next “round” of the battle, the Swedes began to openly lose. The Novgorod regiment, brought into battle on time, caused confusion in the Swedish formation, and the Menshikov cavalry struck from the other side.

In this chaos, the Swedes could not stand it and fled. By 11 o'clock in the morning the battle was over. King Charles XII and his ally, the traitor hetman Mazepa, managed to escape by crossing the Dnieper, but 15 thousand Swedish soldiers and commanders were captured.

The meaning and results of the Battle of Poltava.

After the battle given to the Swedish king by Peter I, this country ceased to be the most powerful military force in Europe. The Swedes lost a third of their troops killed and lost key commanders who were captured.

All participants in the Battle of Poltava became heroes at the hands of Peter, and the Northern War ended in victory for Russia.

This battle became the decisive battle in the Northern War and one of the most striking victories of Russian weapons in history.

god of War

One of the main factors that ensured the victory of the Russian army over the enemy was artillery. Unlike the Swedish king Charles XII, Peter I did not neglect the services of the “god of war”. Against four Swedish guns brought to the field near Poltava, the Russians fielded 310 guns of various calibers. Within a few hours, four powerful artillery strikes were rained down on the advancing enemy. All of them led to serious losses on the part of the Swedes. As a result of one of them, a third of Charles’s army was captured: 6 thousand people at once.

Peter the commander

After the Poltava victory, Peter I was promoted to the rank of senior lieutenant general. This promotion is not a mere formality. For Peter, the battle of Poltava was one of the most important events in his life and - with certain reservations - he could sacrifice his life if necessary. At one of the decisive moments of the battle, when the Swedes broke through the Russian ranks, he rode forward and, despite the aimed fire that the Swedish riflemen fired at him, galloped along the infantry line, inspiring the fighters by personal example. According to legend, he miraculously escaped death: three bullets almost reached their target. One pierced the hat, the second hit the saddle, and the third hit the pectoral cross.
“O Peter, know that life is not precious to him, as long as Russia lives in bliss and glory for your well-being,” these are the famous words he said before the start of the battle.

So that the enemy does not get scared...

The fighting spirit of the soldiers matched the mood of the commander. The regiments left in reserve seemed to be asking to go to the front line, wanting to take as active part as possible in such an important battle for the country. Peter was even forced to justify himself to them: “The enemy is standing near the forest and is already in great fear; if all the regiments are withdrawn, he will not give up the fight and will leave: for this reason, it is necessary to make a reduction from the other regiments, in order to attract the enemy to the battle through his derogation.” . The advantage of our troops over the enemy was indeed great not only in artillery: 22 thousand against 8 thousand infantry and 15 thousand against 8 thousand cavalry.
In order not to frighten the enemy, Russian strategists resorted to other tricks. For example, Peter ordered experienced soldiers to be dressed as recruits so that the deceived enemy would direct his forces at them.

Surrounding the enemy and surrendering

The decisive moment in the battle: the spread of rumors about the death of Charles. It quickly became clear that the rumor was exaggerated. The wounded king ordered himself to be raised like a banner, like an idol, on crossed spears. He shouted: "Swedes! Swedes!" But it was too late: the exemplary army succumbed to panic and fled.
Three days later, demoralized, she was overtaken by cavalry under the command of Menshikov. And although the Swedes now had a numerical superiority - 16 thousand against nine - they surrendered. One of the best armies in Europe capitulated.

Sue the horse

However, some Swedes were able to find benefit in the crushing defeat. During the battle, the orderly of the Life Dragoon Karl Strokirch gave the horse to General Lagerkrun. After 22 years, the cavalryman decided that it was time to return the favor and went to court. The case was examined, the general was accused of horse theft and ordered to pay compensation of 710 dalers, which equals approximately 18 kilograms of silver.

Report about Victoria

Paradoxically, despite the fact that in the battle itself the Russian troops were doomed to victory in all respects, the report about it compiled by Peter caused a lot of noise in Europe. It was a sensation.
The Vedomosti newspaper published a letter from Peter to Tsarevich Alexei: “I announce to you a very great victory, which God deigned to bestow upon us through the indescribable courage of our soldiers, with the small blood of our troops.”

Memory of Victory

In memory of the victory and the soldiers who died for it, a temporary oak cross was erected at the battle site. Peter also planned to found a monastery here. The wooden cross was replaced with a granite one only a hundred years later. Even later - towards the end of the 19th century - the monument and chapel that today’s tourists see were built on the site of the mass grave. Instead of a monastery, in 1856 a temple was erected in the name of St. Sampson the Old Receiver, which was assigned to the Holy Cross convent. For the 300th anniversary of the battle, the chapel of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, standing on the mass grave, was restored, but it, like many historical monuments in Ukraine, is still in disrepair and is almost always closed to the public.

Peter I Great

Peter I the Great (Peter Alekseevich Romanov). Peter was born on the night of May 30(June 9) 1672 in the Terem Palace of the Kremlin (in 7180 according to the then-accepted calendar “from the creation of the world”). Died on January 28 (February 8), 1725 in St. Petersburg. He was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Peter I - Russian Tsar since April 27, 1682, the first All-Russian Emperor since October 22, 1721.

Statesman and military leader, commander and diplomat, founder of the regular Russian army and navy.

The father - Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov - had numerous offspring. Peter was the 14th child, but the first from his second wife, Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. On June 29, on the day of Saints Peter and Paul, he was baptized in the Chudov Monastery (according to other sources, in the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea, in Derbitsy, by Archpriest Andrei Savinov) and named Peter. In the 4th year of Peter’s life, in 1676, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich died. The prince's guardian was his half-brother, godfather andnew Tsar Fedor Alekseevich. Deacon N. Zotov taught Peter to read and write from 1676 to 1680.

Romanov family tree

The death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and the accession of his elder brother Fyodor(from Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya) pushed Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna and her relatives, the Naryshkins, into the background. Queen Natalya was forced to go to the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow.

On April 27 (May 7), 1682, after 6 years of reign, the sickly Tsar Fyodor Mikhailovich died. Having secured the support of Patriarch Joachim, the Naryshkins and their supporters enthroned Peter on the same day. The Miloslavskys, relatives of Tsarevich Ivan and Princess Sophia through their mother, saw in the proclamation of Peter as tsar an infringement of their interests. The Streltsy, of whom there were more than 20,000 in Moscow, incited by the Miloslavskys, came out openly on May 15 (25), 1682: shouting that the Naryshkins had strangled Tsarevich Ivan, they moved towards the Kremlin. Natalya Kirillovna, hoping to calm the archers, together with the patriarch and boyars led Peter and Ivan to the Red Porch.

Natalya Kirillovna on the Red Porch with Peter and Ivan

However, the uprising did not end. In the first hours, the boyars Artamon Matveev and Mikhail Dolgoruky were killed, then other supporters of Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, including her two Naryshkin brothers.

Murder of Artamon Matveev

On May 26, elected officials from the Streltsy regiments came to the palace and demanded that the elder Ivan be recognized as the first tsar, and the younger Peter as the second. Fearing a repetition of the pogroms, the boyars agreed, and Patriarch Joachim immediately performed a solemn prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin for the health of the two named kings, and on June 25 he crowned them kings.

On May 29, the archers insisted that Princess Sofya Alekseevna take over the government of the state (regent) under her brothers.

Princess Sophia

Already in his youth, Peter’s character traits, outstanding abilities, and interest in military and especially naval affairs clearly manifested themselves. For Peter's war games near Moscow in the village of Preobrazhenskoye on the banks of the river. In Yauza, a “amusing fortress” was created and “amusing” regiments were organized - Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky, which later became the core of the Russian regular army. The aggravation of relations between various factions fighting for power led to the preparation of Sophia's military action against Peter in August 1689. Warned by his supporters, Peter hastily left for the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where troops loyal to him had gathered. As a result of the decisive actions of Peter's supporters, Sophia was exiled to the Novodevichy Monastery under strict supervision, her closest adherents were executed.

Execution of Streltsy in Moscow

After the death of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich on January 29 (February 8), 1696, Peter I became the sole ruler. Subsequent attempts by Sophia's adherents to overthrow Peter I by organizing a new reactionary Streltsy rebellion ended in failure, and the Streltsy army was liquidated.

The priority of Peter I in the first years of autocracy was to continue the war with the Crimean Khan. Since the 16th century, Muscovite Rus' has been fighting the Crimean and Nogai Tatars for possession of the vast coastal lands of the Black and Azov Seas. During this struggle, Russia collided with the Ottoman Empire, which patronized the Tatars. One of the strongholds on these lands was the Turkish fortress of Azov, located at the confluence of the river. Don into the Sea of ​​Azov and closing the exit to Sea of ​​Azov.

To accomplish this task, Peter I formed an army of about 31,000 people, with 114 mortars, 12 howitzers, 44 arquebuses. To master military equipment, Peter I conducted maneuvers near Kozhukhov, near Moscow. In order to divert the attention of the Turks and Tatars from the impending attack on Azov, cavalry under the command of B.P. was sent to the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Sheremetyev.

B.P. Sheremetyev

In the spring of 1695, Russian troops were moved to the Azov fortress. “We were joking near Kozhukhov,” wrote Peter I, “now we are going to play near Azov.” The vanguard of the Russian army set out from Moscow at the beginning of March and on June 27 became a camp near Azov. On the way, he was joined by Don Cossacks. On April 28, the main forces moved “smoothly” on ships (along the Volga, then along the Don). With them were Peter I and his military consultant F.Ya. Lefort. On July 5, the entire army was concentrated in the Azov region. Peter I decided to take the fortress by storm. On August 5, the first assault on Azov took place, but was repulsed. The second assault on September 25 was also unsuccessful. Heavy losses and the approaching autumn forced Peter I to lift the siege of Azov and return back. The outcome of the unsuccessful actions was largely influenced by the lack of a Russian fleet in the Sea of ​​Azov, as a result of which the fortress was not isolated from outside help and received reinforcements from Turkey by sea.

F.Ya. Lefort

Failure did not break the will of Peter I. It was decided to act against Azov not only with ground forces, but also with a fleet that could cut off the fortress from the sea. For this, it was decided to build a fleet. The Boyar Duma, at his request, decided: “there will be sea vessels.” This was the basis for the creation, for the first time in Russia, of a regular Navy. Construction was carried out at established shipyards in Voronezh, the village of Preobrazhenskoye, Kozlov and other places. The Admiralty was transferred to Tavrov on the Sea of ​​Azov, and a port was created in Taganrog. Most ships were built flat-bottomed; their number included various ships, including those armed with from 44 to 58 guns. 2 battleships, 4 fire ships, 23 galleys, and a large number of transport ships were built. Flagship - 36-gun ship “Apostle Peter”

Fleet under Peter I

At the same time, ground forces were strengthened. The number of army prepared for the new campaign was 75,000 people under the command of Generalissimo A.S. Shein (the first generalissimo of Russia, the title was awarded after the successful capture of Azov).

In the spring of 1696, the 2nd Azov Campaign began, the army and navy under the overall command of Peter I were concentrated in Voronezh. At the end of April, 8 regiments, including the guard, reached Azov on transport ships. The remaining troops moved overland. Sheremetyev's cavalry (70,000 people) was again sent to the lower reaches of the Dnieper. On May 3 (13), the galley flotilla sailed in groups of 5-8 ships. The Russian fleet (under the command of Admiral F.Ya. Lefort) went to sea to blockade Azov. Peter I took part in the blockade with the rank of captain of the galley Principium.

A.S. Shein

On May 27, the Russian fleet entered the Sea of ​​Azov, drove back the Turkish ships and at the beginning of June blocked Azov from the sea. The Russian army besieged the fortress from land. With the joint efforts of the army and navy, Azov was taken by storm on July 18.

Assault on the Azov fortress

The Azov campaigns accelerated the end of the war between Russia and Turkey and the conclusion of the Treaty of Constantinople in 1700. They strengthened the country's southern borders. The experience of the Azov campaigns was used by Peter I when carrying out military reforms and reorganizing the armed forces of Russia; they showed the increased role of the fleet in the war and marked the beginning of Russia’s transformation into a maritime power.

In March 1697, the Grand Embassy was sent to Western Europe through Livonia, the main purpose of which was to find allies against the Ottoman Empire. Admiral General F.Ya. was appointed great ambassador plenipotentiary. Lefort, General F.A. Golovin, head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz P.B. Voznitsyn. In total, 250 people entered the embassy, ​​among whom, under the name of the sergeant of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Peter Mikhailov, was Tsar Peter I himself. For the first time, a Russian Tsar undertook a trip outside the borders of his state. Peter visited Riga, Königsberg, Brandenburg, Holland, England, and Austria.

Peter I in Holland

The embassy recruited several hundred shipbuilding specialists to Russia and purchased military and other scientific equipment. In addition to negotiations, Peter devoted a lot of time to studying shipbuilding, military affairs and other sciences. Peter worked as a carpenter at the shipyards of the East India Company, with his participation a ship was built“Peter and Paul.” In England he visited a foundry, an arsenal, parliament, Oxford University, the Greenwich Observatory and the Mint, of which Isaac Newton was keeper at the time.

The Grand Embassy did not achieve its main goal, but as a resultPeter I there was a reorientation of Russian foreign policy from the southern to the northern direction.

After returning from the Grand Embassy, ​​Peter I began to prepare for a war with Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea. In 1699, the Northern Alliance was created against the Swedish king Charles XII, which, in addition to Russia, included Denmark, Saxony and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Military weakness and lack of coordination at the beginning of the war doomed the Allies to major defeats. Charles XII defeated his opponents one by one with quick landing operations. Soon after the bombing of Copenhagen, Denmark withdrew from the war on August 8, 1700. The attempt of the Polish king Augustus II to capture Riga ended in failure. Only on August 19 (30), 1700, after concluding peace with Turkey, Peter I was able to declare war on Sweden and send troops (35,000 people, 145 guns) to Narva, the siege of which dragged on until late autumn. Having learned about the withdrawal of the troops of Augustus II from Riga to Kovno, Charles II landed about 32,500 people with 37 guns in Pernov and on November 19 (30), 1700, with 8,500 soldiers, attacked the camp of the Russian troops and completely defeated it. Peter I himself left for Novgorod two days earlier.

Northern War Map

Defeat of the Russian army near Narva

Charles XII

However, with energetic measures, Peter I restored the regular army (up to 40,000 people, 300 guns) according to the European model, created a navy, and took urgent measures to develop industry.

Peter I nominated talented Russian military leaders: A.D. Menshikov, B.P. Sheremetev and others.

HELL. Menshikov

In 1701, active operations of Russian troops in the Baltic States resumed.

December 9 (21), 1701 dragoon regiments B.P. Sheremetev won the first victory over the Swedish corps of General V.A. Schlippenbach at Erestfer and a larger defeat near Gumelsgorf on July 18 (30), 1702, the remnants of the Swedish troops took refuge in Pernov. At the same time, the troops of F.M. Apraskin pushed the Swedes away from the Russian base - Novaya Ladoga, defeating them on the river. Izhora and forcing a retreat to the Nyenschanz fortress at the mouth of the Neva. A flotilla of ships under the command of I. Tyrnov twice defeated Swedish ships in Lake Ladoga, near Kexholm and forced them to leave for Vyborg. On October 11 (22), Peter I captured the Notenburg (Shliselburg) fortress. In the spring of the following year he occupied Nyenschanz, Yamburg and Koporye.

Assault on Notenburg

Blocking the Swedish fleet's path to the Neva, Peter I erected the mouth of the river at the southern navigable channel, near about. Kotlin, Fort Kronshlot (Kronstadt). In 1703 at the mouth of the river. The Neva River founded the city of St. Petersburg, which became the capital of Russia in 1712.

Peter I in St. Petersburg

In 1704, Dorpat, Narva and Ivan-gorod were taken, which led to the consolidation of Russia on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

After the deposition of the Polish king Augustus II in 1706 and his replacement by Stanislav Leszczynski, Charles XII began his fatal campaign against Russia in the summer of 1708, intending to reach Moscow through Smolensk. However, having encountered resistance from Russian troops, Karl turned from the Starisha region to Ukraine, where he expected to receive help from the traitor to the Ukrainian people, Hetman I.S. Mazepa.

Charles XII and Hetman I.S. Mazepa

At the end of September, the Swedes reached Kostenichy (on the road to Starodub) and stopped in anticipation of A. Levengaupt’s corps. However, in the battle near the village of Lesnaya on September 28 (October 9), 1708, Peter I (16,000 people and 30 guns) completely defeated Levengaupt’s corps (16,000 people and 30 guns, a convoy with food and ammunition - 7,000 carts). Peter I sent A.D. to the Forest Corvolant (flying corps). Menshikov, consisting of 10 dragoon and 3 infantry regiments mounted on horses (11,600 people in total). Russian troops drove back the Swedish vanguard. Corvolant attacked the main forces of the Swedes in 2 lines. The stubborn battle lasted for several hours, but in the end the Swedes, having suffered heavy losses, retreated to Wagenburg. As Bour's cavalry approached the Russians, the Russians attacked again. At night, Levengaupt, abandoning all the artillery and the convoy, retreated down the river. Sozh. The Swedes lost 8,000 killed, 1,000 prisoners, convoys, and banners. Russian troops lost over 1,000 killed and 3,000 wounded.

Battle of Lesnaya

The defeat of A. Levengaupt's corps deprived Charles XII of the reinforcements and food he needed, and thwarted his plans for a campaign against Moscow.

An acute shortage of food and fodder forced Charles XII in the spring of 1709 to turn south to the Poltava region, which had not yet been devastated by the war. In April 1709, the Swedish army concentrated in the Poltava region.

The general battle between the Russian and Swedish armies during the Northern War took place near Poltava on June 27 (July 8), 1709.

In the spring of 1709, after an unsuccessful winter campaign in Ukraine, Charles XII(35,000 soldiers and 32 guns) besieged Poltava. In April-June, the Poltava garrison (4,200 soldiers, 2,500 armed citizens, 29 guns) led by commandant Colonel A.S. Kelin, supported from the outside by the approaching cavalry of Field Marshal A.D. Menshikov, successfully repelled several enemy assaults. On June 16 (27), at a military council, Peter I decided on a general battle. On June 20 (July 1), the main forces of the Russian army (42,000 soldiers and 72 guns) crossed to the right bank of the river. Vorskla. On June 25 (July 6), Peter I placed the army in a position near the village of Yakovtsy (5 km north of Poltava), placing it in a fortified camp.

The field in front of the camp, about 2.5 km wide, covered on the flanks by dense forest and thickets, was fortified by a system of field engineering structures of 6 frontal and 4 quadrangular redoubts perpendicular to them. The redoubts were located at a distance of a rifle shot from each other, which ensured tactical interaction between them. 2 battalions of soldiers and grenadiers were stationed in the redoubts, behind the redoubts were 17 cavalry regiments under the command of A.D. Menshikov. Peter I's plan was to wear down the enemy at the forefront of the redoubts, and then defeat him in an open field battle.

On June 27 (July 8) at 2 a.m., the Swedish army under the command of Field Marshal K.G. Rehnschild (Charles XII was wounded in the leg on June 17 (28) during reconnaissance) numbering about 20,000 people and 4 guns (28 guns without ammunition were left in the convoy, and the remaining troops - up to 10,000 people were near Poltava in reserve and guarding communications) 4 columns of infantry and 6 columns of cavalry moved towards the Russian position. At the first stage of the battle, the battles took place for the forward positions. At 3 o'clock the Russian and Swedish cavalry began a stubborn battle at the redoubts. By 5 o'clock the Swedish cavalry was overthrown, but the infantry following it captured the first two redoubts. Menshikov asked for reinforcements, but Peter I, adhering to the plan of the battle, ordered him to retreat beyond the line of redoubts. At six o'clock, the Swedes, advancing behind the retreating Russian cavalry, came under cross rifle and cannon fire from the Russian fortified camp with their right flank, suffered heavy losses and fled in panic to the forest near Maly Budishchi.

Russian artillerymen near Poltava

At the same time, the right-flank Swedish columns of generals Ross and Schlippenbach, cut off from the main forces during the battle for the redoubts, were destroyed by Menshikov’s cavalry in the Poltava forest by order of Peter I.

Poltava battle

At the second stage of the battle, the struggle of the main forces unfolded. At about 6 o'clock in the morning, Peter I built an army in front of the camp in 2 lines, placing infantry in the center under the command of General R.Kh. Bour and Field Marshal A.D. Menshikov, artillery deployed in the first line of infantry under the command of General Ch.V. Bruce. A reserve of 9 battalions was left in the camp. Peter I sent part of the infantry and cavalry for reinforcement to Malye Budishchi and the garrison of Poltava in order to cut off the Swedes’ retreat routes and prevent them from capturing the fortress during the battle. The Swedish army also lined up against the Russians in linear order.

At 9 o'clock the Swedes went on the offensive. Met by heavy Russian artillery fire, they rushed into a bayonet attack. In fierce hand-to-hand combat, the Swedes pushed back the center of the Russian first line. But Peter I, who observed the progress of the battle, personally led a counterattack of a battalion of Novgorodians and threw the Swedes back to their original positions. Soon the Russian infantry began to press back the enemy, and the cavalry began to cover his flanks. By 11 o'clock the Swedes began to retreat, which turned into a stampede. Charles XII and Hetman Mazepa, abandoning their troops, fled from the battlefield (to the Ottoman Empire). The remnants of the Swedish army retreated to Perevolochna, where they were overtaken and laid down their arms. In the Battle of Poltava, the Swedes lost more than 9,000 people killed, over 18,000 prisoners, 32 guns and the entire convoy. The losses of Russian troops amounted to 1,345 people killed and 3,290 people wounded.

Beginning of the Battle of Poltava

Captured Swedes near Poltava

The Battle of Poltava predetermined the victorious outcome of the long Northern War and raised Russia's international prestige.

Having defeated the elite troops of Charles XII in Ukraine, Russian troops in 1710 captured Riga, Revel, Kexholm, Vyborg and Fr. Ezel. With the help of English and Austrian diplomacy, Charles XII managed to drag Turkey into the war, which in 1710 declared war on Russia. Despite the failure in the Prut campaign of 1711, Peter I achieved a truce with Turkey at the cost of ceding Azov to them.

In 1713, Peter I, with the forces of a special Ingria corps (over 65,000 people), with the assistance of a galley squadron (over 200 ships with 870 guns) and a sailing fleet (7 battleships, 4 frigates with 900 guns), launched a decisive offensive against Swedish troops in Finland. During the summer of 1713, Helsingfors and Abo (Turku) were occupied, and a major defeat was inflicted on the Swedish troops in the battle of October 6 (17) near Pelkina. In February (March) 1714 M.M. Golovin defeated the Swedes near Lappala and occupied the city of Vasa.

Thanks to Sweden's dominance in the Baltic Sea, the Northern War dragged on. The Russian Baltic Fleet was just being created, but managed to win its first victory in the Gangut naval battle.

Gangut naval battle

The Gangut naval battle between the Russian and Swedish fleets took place on July 26-27 (August 6-7) north of the Gangut (Hanko) peninsula on the Baltic Sea. At the end of June 1714, the Russian rowing fleet (99 galleys and scampaways with 15,000 troops) under the command of Admiral General F.M. Apraksin concentrated on the eastern coast of the Gangut Peninsula with the goal of breaking through to the Abo-Aland skerries and landing troops to reinforce the Russian garrison in Abo (100 km northwest of Cape Gangut). The path to Apraksin's fleet was blocked by the Swedish fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Vatrang (15 battleships, 3 frigates and a detachment of rowing ships), which took a position at the southwestern tip of the Gangut Peninsula. Peter I carried out reconnaissance and ordered the construction of a portage (wooden flooring) across the narrow isthmus of the peninsula (2.5 km) to transport galleys along it to the skerry area located north of the Gangut Peninsula. The sudden actions of these ships behind enemy lines were supposed to divert his attention from breaking through the main forces of the Russian fleet. Having learned about the construction of the portage, the commander of the Swedish fleet immediately sent a detachment of ships (1 frigate, 6 galleys, 3 skerries) under the command of Rear Admiral N. Ehrenskjöld to the northern coast of the peninsula. At the same time, he sent a detachment of Vice Admiral Lillier(8 battleships and 2 bombardment ships) to strike the main forces of the Russian fleet in the area of ​​​​its concentration. The enemy forces were dismembered. Peter I immediately took advantage of this. On the morning of July 25 (August 6), when due to the lack of wind the Swedish sailing ships could not maneuver, the vanguard of the Russian fleet of 20 scampavei) under the command of Captain-Commander M.Kh. Zmaevich began a rapid breakthrough, bypassing the Swedish squadron to the sea out of the reach of its artillery fire. Following him, a guard detachment (15 scamps) made a breakthrough to the western part of the transfer. The daring actions of the Russian rowing ships took the Swedes by surprise. Bypassing the Gangut Peninsula, Zmaevich's detachment met and fired at a detachment of Schoutbenacht Taube (1 frigate, 5 galleys, 6 skerry boats), which were heading to join the main forces of the Swedish fleet. Having discovered the Russian ships that had broken through, Shaktbenakht Taube turned to the Åland Islands. On the same day, Russian ships blocked Ehrenskiöld's detachment. Believing that the next detachments of Russian ships would continue the breakthrough along the same route, the commander of the Swedish fleet recalled Lilje’s detachment, and he himself moved away from the coast, freeing the coastal fairway. Apraksin took advantage of this, breaking through the coastal fairway with the main rowing forces to his vanguard, which continued to block the Swedish ships. Ehrenskiold refused the offer to surrender. Then the vanguard of the Russian fleet attacked the Swedes. The first two attempts were repulsed, but the third was successful. All 10 Swedish ships led by Erenskjöld were captured. The Swedes lost 361 people killed, 350 people wounded, 237 prisoners, 10 ships with 116 guns went to the Russians as trophies. The Russians lost 127 people killed and 342 wounded.

The victory at Gangut (the first victory of the Russian regular fleet) was of great military and political significance. It ensured the successful operations of Russian troops in Finland and created the conditions for the transfer of military operations to Swedish territory.

Brilliant victories of the Russian fleet in the Ezel naval battle on May 24 (June 4) near the island. Ezel (Saaremaa island) and around. Grengam on July 27 (August 7), 1720 showed the complete superiority of the Russian navy over the Swedish.

Ezelian naval battle

In 1720, Sweden began peace negotiations with Russia, which ended with the Treaty of Nystadt in 1721. Victory in the Northern War crowned Russia's centuries-long struggle for access to the Baltic Sea and, together with the major internal transformations of Peter I, contributed to its transformation into one of the great powers.

The largest foreign policy event of Peter I after the Northern War was the Caspian (or Persian) campaign of 1722-1724. On June 18, 1722, after the Persian Shah Tokhmas Mirza appealed for help, a Russian detachment of 22,000 sailed across the Caspian Sea. In August, Derbent surrendered, after which the Russians returned to Astrakhan due to problems with supplies. In 1723, the western shore of the Caspian Sea with the fortresses of Baku, Rasht, and Astrabad was conquered. On September 12, 1723, the Treaty of St. Petersburg was concluded with Persia, according to which the western and southern coasts of the Caspian Sea with the cities of Derbent, Baku and the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Astrabad were included in the Russian Empire.

Persian campaign of Peter I

During his reign, Peter I showed a deep understanding of the state tasks facing Russia and carried out major reforms aimed at overcoming Russia's backwardness from the advanced countries of Europe and the use of its vast natural resources. His activities in restructuring the state apparatus were aimed at strengthening the absolutist state, strengthening the feudal-serf system, the dominance of the nobility class and the nascent bourgeoisie.

Instead of the Boyar Duma, the Governing Senate was created in 1711, to which the collegiums were subordinate. The independent position of the church was significantly limited: the activities of the created synod were controlled by a government official - the chief prosecutor, and the patriarchate was liquidated in 1721. Instead of the previous division of the country into counties and voivodeship administration, 8 provinces headed by governors were created. The provinces were divided into 50 provinces. Transformations in the field of public administration ended in 1721 with the proclamation of Russia as an empire.

As a military leader, Peter I stands among the most educated and talented builders of the armed forces, generals and naval commanders of Russian and world history of the 18th century. His whole life's work was to strengthen Russia's military power and increase its role in the international arena.

Under Peter I, the army and navy received a uniform and harmonious organization, regiments, brigades and divisions were formed in the army, squadrons, divisions and detachments were formed in the navy, and a single dragoon type cavalry was created.

The basis for the structure of the armed forces was the conscription service he introduced (1705) and compulsory military service for nobles. To control the active army, the position of commander-in-chief (field marshal general) was introduced, and in the navy - admiral general. At the field headquarters, a military council (“consilia”) was established as an advisory body. In the period 1701-1719, navigation, artillery, engineering schools and a maritime academy were opened in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Military regulations and military ranks were approved, orders and medals were established.

Weapons of the army of Peter I

Grenadiers and dragoons of Peter I

Despite all the contradictions of his nature, Peter I went down in Russian history as a progressive statesman and military figure who was able to deeply and comprehensively understand the pressing problems of Russia's development and did a lot to transform it into a great world power.

Monuments to Peter I were erected in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kronstadt, Arkhangelsk, Taganrog, Petrodvorets, Tula, and Petrozavodsk.

Monument to Peter I in Moscow

Monument to Peter I in St. Petersburg (Bronze Horseman)