The causes of the Poltava War are briefly interesting. Work in the Russian camp

During the entire Northern War there was no more important battle than Battle of Poltava. In short, she completely changed the course of that campaign. Sweden found itself at a disadvantage and had to make concessions to a strengthened Russia.

Events the day before

He started a war against Sweden in order to gain a foothold on the Baltic coast. In his dreams, Russia was a great maritime power. It was the Baltic states that became the main theater of military operations. In 1700 Russian army, which had just begun to experience reforms, lost to the King Charles XII took advantage of his success to take on his other opponent - the Polish monarch Augustus II, who supported Peter at the beginning of the conflict.

While the main ones were far in the west, the Russian Tsar transferred the economy of his country to a war footing. Him in short term managed to create a new army. This modern army, trained in European style, carried out several successful operations in the Baltic states, including in Courland and on the banks of the Neva. At the mouth of this river, Peter founded the port and future capital of the empire, St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, Charles XII finally defeated Polish king and brought him out of the war. In his absence, the Russian army occupied a large piece of Swedish territory, but until now it had not had to fight the main enemy army. Karl, wanting to inflict on the enemy death blow, decided to head straight to Russia in order to gain a decisive victory in the long conflict. That is why the Battle of Poltava happened. Briefly speaking, the site of this battle was far from the previous position of the front. Karl moved south - to the Ukrainian steppes.

Mazepa's betrayal

On the eve of the general battle, Peter learned that the hetman of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, Ivan Mazepa, had gone over to the side of Charles XII. He promised the Swedish king assistance in the amount of several thousand well-trained cavalrymen. The betrayal infuriated the Russian Tsar. Detachments of his army began to besiege and capture Cossack towns in Ukraine. Despite Mazepa's betrayal, some of the Cossacks remained loyal to Russia. These Cossacks chose Ivan Skoropadsky as the new hetman.

Mazepa's help was extremely necessary for Charles XII. The monarch and his northern army had gone too far from his own territory. The army had to continue the campaign in unusual conditions. Local Cossacks helped not only with weapons, but also with navigation, as well as provisions. The shaky mood of the local population forced Peter to refuse to use the remnants of the loyal Cossacks. Meanwhile, the Battle of Poltava was approaching. Briefly assessing his situation, Charles XII decided to lay siege to an important Ukrainian city. He hoped that Poltava would quickly capitulate to his significant army, but this did not happen.

Siege of Poltava

Throughout the spring and early summer of 1709, the Swedes stood near Poltava, unsuccessfully trying to take it by storm. Historians have counted 20 such attempts, during which about 7 thousand soldiers died. The small Russian garrison held out, hoping for royal help. The besieged undertook bold forays for which the Swedes were not prepared, due to the fact that no one thought about such fierce resistance.

Basics Russian army under the command of Peter approached the city on June 4. At first, the king did not want a “general battle” with Charles’s army. However, it was becoming more and more difficult to drag out the campaign with each passing month. Only a decisive victory could help Russia consolidate all its important acquisitions in the Baltic states. Finally, after several military councils with his entourage, Peter decided to fight, which became the Battle of Poltava. It was too imprudent to prepare briefly and quickly for it. Therefore, the Russian army collected reinforcements for several more days. Skoropadsky's Cossacks finally joined. The tsar also hoped for a Kalmyk detachment, but it never managed to approach Poltava.

Between the Russian and Swedish armies was Due to unstable weather, Peter gave the order to cross the waterway south of Poltava. This maneuver turned out to be a good decision - the Swedes were not prepared for such a turn of events, expecting the Russians in a completely different area of combat operations.

Karl could still turn back and not give a general battle, which was the Battle of Poltava. Short description the Russian army, which he received from a defector, also did not give the Swedish generals optimism. In addition, the king did not receive help from the Turkish Sultan, who promised to bring him an auxiliary detachment. But against the backdrop of all these circumstances, the bright character of Charles XII was reflected. The brave and still young monarch decided to fight.

Condition of the troops

On June 27, 1709 according to the new style), the Battle of Poltava took place. Briefly, the most important thing was the strategy of the commanders-in-chief and the size of their troops. Charles had 26 thousand soldiers, while Peter had some quantitative advantage (37 thousand). The king achieved this thanks to the exertion of all the forces of the state. In just a few years, the Russian economy has come a long way from an agricultural economy to a modern one. industrial production(at that time). Cannons were cast, foreign firearms were purchased, and soldiers began to receive military education according to the European model.

What was surprising was the fact that both monarchs themselves directly commanded their armies on the battlefield. In the modern era, this function passed to the generals, but Peter and Charles were exceptions.

Progress of the battle

The battle began with the Swedish vanguard organizing the first attack on the Russian redoubts. This maneuver turned out to be a strategic mistake. The regiments, separated from their convoy, were defeated by the cavalry, commanded by Alexander Menshikov.

After this fiasco, the main armies entered the battle. In the mutual infantry confrontation for several hours, the winner could not be determined. The decisive attack was the confident attack of the Russian cavalry on the flanks. She crushed the enemy and helped the infantry put the squeeze on the Swedish regiments in the center.

Results

The enormous significance of the Battle of Poltava (it is quite difficult to describe it briefly) was that after its defeat, Sweden finally lost the strategic initiative in the Northern War. The entire subsequent campaign (the conflict continued for another 12 years) took place under the sign of the superiority of the Russian army.

The moral results of the Battle of Poltava were also important, which we will now try to briefly describe. News of the defeat of the hitherto invincible Swedish army shocked not only Sweden, but also the whole of Europe, where they finally began to look at Russia as a serious military force.

This article briefly describes the most important historical event in the history of Russia at the beginning of the eighteenth century - the Battle of Poltava.

A turning point Northern War became the Battle of Poltava, when selected Swedish troops were completely defeated, and King Charles XII fled shamefully.

In what year did the Battle of Poltava take place?

The battle took place on Sunday, July 8, 1709. This was the height of the Northern War, which lasted twenty-one years between the Kingdom of Sweden and a number of Northern European states.

The Swedish army at that time was considered one of the best in the world and had extensive experience of victories. In 1708, all their main opponents were defeated, and active fighting against Sweden were fought only by Russia. Thus, the outcome of the entire Northern War was to be decided in Russia.

To bring the war to a victorious conclusion on January 28, 1708, Charles XII began eastern campaign from the battle of Grodno.

Throughout 1708, enemy forces slowly moved towards Moscow. The expeditionary force consisted of approximately 24,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry. IN original plans The aggressor was marching on Moscow through the territory of the modern Smolensk region.

At the same time, an additional threat to Russia from the north was posed by a Swedish group of 25,000 people, which could attack St. Petersburg at any moment. In addition, the threat was posed by the vassal Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as well as the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire from the south.

To strengthen his position, in April 1709, Charles XII entered into a secret alliance with Hetman Mazepa and Koshev Ataman of the Zaporozhye Lower Army Kostya Gordienko. The agreement theoretically allowed Charles XII to solve the problem of food supplies and ammunition, as well as receive reinforcements of 30-40 thousand Cossacks.

The enemy forces were planned to be reinforced by a group of 16,000 people under the command of Levengaupt, moving from Riga with a huge convoy of approximately 7,000 carts. But Charles XII, instead of meeting this group halfway, went south.

On September 28, 1708, as a result of the defeat of Levengaupt’s group in the battle near the village of Lesnoy, logistical support was cut off and hopes for replenishment of food and ammunition were dashed.

Under these conditions, the Swedish king decided to make a roundabout maneuver to Moscow through the territory of modern Ukraine. On October 29, 1708, Mazepa openly went over to the side of Sweden, offering them the capital of the Hetmanate, Baturin, as a camp.

Mazepa was not supported by the Ukrainian people. According to historians, Mazepa came to the Swedes not as an ally, but as a fugitive in need of help. Real help from Mazepa turned out to be insignificant. Most of the Cossacks, having learned about Mazepa’s secret treaty, left him. The detachment that remained loyal to the hetman numbered no more than two thousand people.

November 2, 1708 Russian forces under the command of Menshikov they destroyed Baturin, depriving the invaders of hopes of receiving help.

Throughout the winter and spring of 1709, Charles XII, together with a small detachment of Mazepa’s supporters, was engaged in the devastation of various settlements in Slobozhanshchina. The maintenance of the group became more and more problematic, and its numbers fell due to diseases and sabotage actions of local partisan detachments. From the beginning of April 1709, the enemy military began the siege of Poltava.

Participants in the Battle of Poltava

On the eve of the battle, the number of occupying troops and the Cossacks supporting them was constantly decreasing.

The largest detachment that left Mazepa was Galagan's detachment, numbering approximately 1000 people, who captured 68 Swedish officers and soldiers. In addition, deserted from the enemy ranks a large number of military from Saxony. There was also no unity among the Cossacks of the Zaporizhian Lower Army, who formally supported the invaders, as a result of which Gordienko was removed from power.

Repression by foreign military forces led to the burning of several Ukrainian towns, which further turned the local population against them. During the siege of the city, the local garrison repulsed about 20 attacks and destroyed up to 6,000 enemy soldiers and officers.

The enemy forces on the eve of the battle numbered approximately 37,000 people, of whom:

troops of Charles XII - 30,000, including 11,000 infantry and 15,000 cavalry;
Wallachian hussars - 1000;
Cossacks-Cossacks and Cossacks-Mazepa - up to 6 thousand;
artillery – 41 units.

WITH Russian side on the eve of the battle, 67 thousand people were concentrated, of which:

infantry - 37 thousand;
cavalry - 23,700, of which the Zaporozhye Cossacks led by Skoropadsky - up to 8,000 people;
garrison of the city of Poltava and armed militia - up to 4,200 people;
artillery - more than 100 units.

The local population was resolutely opposed to foreigners and did their best to support the small Poltava garrison under the command of Commandant Kelin.

Various historical sources the forces of the parties on the eve of the battle are interpreted differently. We can say with confidence that the numerical advantage in terms of manpower and artillery was on the Russian side.

The Swedish Expeditionary Force has been at a reduced rate for the entire time. Russian campaign 1708-1709. Charles XII could only count on the skill of his military leaders and the vast military experience accumulated over the years. long years Northern War, as well as to the aid of the Cossacks who supported Mazepa.

The Swedes' plan was based on the use of the factor of surprise and the belief that the Russian army was poorly prepared and also incapable of rapid offensive and counter-offensive actions.

On Sunday July 8, 1709 early morning It was planned to carry out a surprise attack in the gap between the Russian redoubts in the area between the settlements of Yakovtsy and Malye Budyshchi. Then it was planned to introduce cavalry into the gap in the defense and defeat the Russian cavalry detachments.

After this, the Swedes planned to complete the assault on the Russian stronghold with a simultaneous frontal infantry attack and an enveloping cavalry maneuver from the north. Subsequently, the date of the Battle of Poltava would become fatal for the Swedes.

The Swedes left in reserve 1 cavalry regiment, 4 dragoon units and 2 adelsfan units (noble cavalry) with a total number of 2,000 people. Three regiments, a life guard and a regimental reserve with a total strength of 1,330 military personnel remained under siege. The Swedes allocated 1 regiment of dragoons and two cavalry detachments, totaling about 1,800 people, to guard the river crossings.

Of the artillery available to the Swedes, 4 units were ready for the start of the battle. It is believed that the remaining artillery was either lost during the siege or lacked supplies of gunpowder and ammunition. According to the testimony of individual Swedish sources, their guns were practically not used purposefully in order to achieve the factor of surprise.

On the Russian side, about 25,000 infantry and 21,000 cavalry took part in the battle, including 1,200 Skoropadsky Cossacks. In addition, the Russian side was reinforced by 8,000 Kalmyk cavalrymen during the battle.

Peter I paid great attention to the presence sufficient quantity artillery, so the fire superiority of the Russian side was overwhelming. Different sources give different indications of the number of artillery pieces that took part in the battle, but there were at least 102 of them.

Description of the Poltava battle

On the day before the battle, Peter the Great toured the troops gathered for battle and delivered a speech to them that became legendary. The essence of the speech was that the soldiers would fight for Russia and for its piety, and not for him personally.

Charles XII, speaking to his soldiers, inspired them with the promise of great booty and dinner in the Russian convoy.

On the night of July 8 (June 27, old style), enemy infantry secretly lined up in four columns. The cavalrymen created a battle formation of six columns. The troops were led by Field Marshal Renschild. The gathering was announced at 23.00 on July 7, and the nomination began at 02.00 on July 8. The beginning of preparations was detected by Russian intelligence, which made it possible to meet the enemy with dignity.

The Swedish forces began attacking the redoubts and the Russian cavalry behind them before dawn. Under the onslaught of the attackers, two incompletely completed redoubts were captured, all of whose defenders were killed. At the third redoubt the offensive was suspended and Menshikov's dragoons launched a counterattack.

A cavalry battle ensued near the redoubts, which helped maintain the general line of defense. All attacks of the Swedish cavalry were repulsed. 14 banners and standards of the destroyed cavalry units were captured. After this, Charles XII sent infantrymen to help the cavalry.

Peter I gave the order to withdraw the cavalry to pre-prepared positions near the equipped camp, but Menshikov continued the battle, realizing that deploying cavalry units at the moment of the Swedes attack meant exposing them to great danger.

Because of this, Peter I transferred command to Baur, who began to deploy cavalry units. The enemy decided that the cavalry was fleeing and began to pursue it. But the commander of the Swedish troops, Renschild, returned the cavalry to cover the infantry, which by that time had reached the Russian fortified camp.

At this moment, there was an operational pause in the battle, associated with the Swedes waiting for the lagging infantry to be brought up and the cavalry to return. Part of their infantry was busy storming the third redoubt, which they could not take due to the lack of sufficient assault equipment.

A large number of Swedish infantry, including command personnel, had already been destroyed by that time. Because of this, their units, which stormed the third redoubt, began to retreat to the forest near Yakovtsy.

Peter I threw infantry and dragoons at the retreating Swedes, as a result of which part of the forces under the command of Ross were defeated. After this, the parties began to regroup their forces for the decisive battle.

The Russian side, unexpectedly for the Swedes, prepared for a counterattack. They prepared for battle and lined up under the command of General Levenhaupt. At the same time, two Swedish battalions were searching for Ross’s group, the defeat of which they did not yet know. Later, these two battalions will also join the battle.

The Swedes decided to overturn the Russian battle formation with a swift attack by the Carolines and Reiters. At 09.00 Swedish troops began their attack. They were met with small arms and artillery fire, after which the battle turned into hand-to-hand combat. At the same time, Menshikov's cavalry struck the Swedes from the flank. At this time they began to break through the Russian left flank. Peter I personally took command of the 2nd battalion of the Novgorod regiment and restored the broken line of defense.

On the other flank, the Swedes did not even come into combat contact with the Russian defense line. They were attacked by experienced Russian Guards infantry regiments under the command of Golitsyn. The Swedish cavalry reserves were not brought into action in time and their left flank soon fled. What happened next was catastrophic for the Swedes.

As a result of Golitsyn's attack, the center of the Swedish battle formation was exposed, and their group began to be subject to flank attacks. The Swedes were surrounded and began a stampede.

During the battle, 137 banners and standards were captured, more than 9,000 military personnel were killed, and about 3,000 were captured. Russian losses totaled 1,345 killed and 3,290 wounded.

The pursuit of the retreating enemy was begun that same evening by the forces of Baur's dragoons and Golitsyn's life guards. On July 9, Menshikov joined the pursuit.

In the evening of the same day, Peter I organized a celebration to which captured Swedish generals were invited, to whom their swords were returned. During the event, Tsar Peter noted the loyalty and courage of the Swedes, who were teachers for him in military affairs.

The surviving Swedish forces, led by the king, began to regroup in the Pushkarevka area. The siege regiments from Poltava also returned here. By the evening of July 8, 1709, the Swedes headed south, to the crossing of the Dnieper.

The Swedes tried to increase the time for withdrawal by sending General Meyerfeldt for negotiations, but soon their group was finally defeated in the area settlement Perevolochny. About 16,000 Swedes capitulated here.

The Swedish king and Mazepa escaped and found shelter in Ottoman Empire near the city of Bendery.

In total, about 23,000 Swedes were captured during the battle. Some of them agreed to serve Russia. Two Swedish infantry regiments and one dragoon regiment were formed, which subsequently fought for Russia.

Map and diagram of the Battle of Poltava

Reasons for the victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Poltava

Russia won thanks to the significant development of the army and state achieved under Peter I, and the leadership talent of Russian military leaders.

The radical reforms he carried out brought the country out of the Byzantine system, in which Russia was considered a secondary backward country, into modern world. In this new way of life, Russia has emerged as a force to be reckoned with throughout the world. This is confirmed by the fact that in Western countries Peter I is called the Great.

Battle of Poltava - meaning, results and results

The most important result of the Battle of Poltava was a significant change in the strategic position in the Eastern European theater of military operations. The Swedish army, previously the dominant military force in the region, was defeated, Stockholm's regional leadership ended, and Russia became one of the world leaders.

Saxony and Denmark took the side of Russia in the subsequent war. As a result of the Northern War of 1700-1721, Sweden left the club greatest powers world, and Russia triumphantly entered the world stage. The victory at Poltava contributed to ensuring the security of sea ports in the Baltic. Further annexation of the Baltic and Eastern Finland territories would have been impossible without this victory.

Stories about the triumph of Russian weapons near Poltava have remained in popular rumor for hundreds of years. This is well illustrated by the popular expression “like a Swede near Poltava” to describe a failed event.

Victory Day near Poltava was sung by many writers, poets and musicians, including Pushkin, who wrote the poem “Poltava”. Many films were shot, including abroad.

This historical event will always remain in people's memory as an important milestone in the development of the Russian state.

The Battle of Poltava took place on June 27, 1709 and, in short, became one of the most important battles of the Northern War. Separately amateur. media would like to dwell on the reasons for the battle, as well as its course.

Reasons for the Battle of Poltava

The Northern War developed in such a way that Sweden, led by the young king-commander Charles 12, won one victory after another. As a result, by mid-1708, all of Russia’s allies were actually withdrawn from the war: both the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Saxony. As a result, it became obvious that the outcome of the war would be determined in a head-to-head battle between Sweden and Russia. Charles 12, on a wave of success, was in a hurry to end the war and in the summer of 1708 crossed the border with Russia. Initially, the Swedes moved to Smolensk. Peter understood perfectly well that such a campaign was aimed at advancing deeper into the country and defeating the Russian army. When considering the causes of the Battle of Poltava, it is necessary to pay attention to two very important facts:

On September 28, 1708, a battle took place near the village of Lesnoy, during which the Swedes were defeated. It would seem that this is an ordinary event for war. In fact, as a result of this victory, the Swedish army was left virtually without provisions and supplies, because the convoy was destroyed and the roads for sending a new one were blocked.

P.D. Marten “The Battle of Poltava”

In October 1708, Hetman Mazepa approached the Swedish king. He and the Zaporozhye Cossacks swore allegiance to the Swedish crown. This was beneficial for the Swedes, since the Cossacks could help them resolve issues with the interrupted supply of food and ammunition.

As a result, the main reasons for the Battle of Poltava must be sought in the reasons for the start of the Northern War, which at that time had already dragged on quite long and required decisive action.

Balance of forces and means before the start of the battle

The Swedes approached Poltava and began its siege at the end of March 1709. The garrison successfully held back the enemy's attacks, realizing that the king and his army would soon arrive at the battle site. At this time, Peter himself tried to strengthen his army with allied troops. To do this, he turned to the Crimean Khan and the Turkish Sultan. His arguments were not heard, and having gathered a single Russian army, which was joined by part of the Zaporozhye Cossacks led by Skoropadsky, he went to the besieged fortress.

L. Caravaque. "Peter I in the Battle of Poltava"

It should be noted that the Poltava garrison was small, only 2,200 people. However, he resisted the constant assaults of the Swedes for almost 3 months. Historians note that during this time approximately 20 attacks were repulsed and 6,000 Swedes were killed.

The Battle of Poltava in 1709, by the time it began, after the arrival of the main Russian forces, brought together the following forces of the parties.

Swedish army before the battle:

Number - 37,000 people (30,000 Swedes, 6,000 Cossacks, 1,000 Vlachs).
Guns - 4 pieces
Generals - Charles XII, Rehnschild Carl Gustav, Levenhaupt Adam Ludwig, Roos Carl Gustav, Mazepa Ivan Stepanovich.

Russian army before the battle:

Number - 60,000 people (52,000 Russians, 8,000 Cossacks) - according to some sources - 80,000 people.
Guns - 111 pieces
Generals - Peter I, Sheremetev Boris Petrovich, Repin Anikita Ivanovich, Allart Ludwig Nikolaevich, Menshikov Alexander Danilovich, Renne Karl Edward, Baur Radion Khristianovich, Skoropadsky Ivan Ilyich.

Progress of the Poltava battle

A.E. Kotzebue. "Poltava Victory"

At 23:00 on June 26 (the eve of the battle), Charles XII gave the order to wake up the army and form it into battle formation for the march. However, the disunity of the Swedes played into the hands of the Russians. They were able to bring the army into battle formation only at 2 a.m. on June 27th. Karl's plans were thwarted; the wasted 3 hours completely deprived his attack of the element of surprise. This is how the Battle of Poltava began for the Swedes, the course of which will be briefly discussed below.

Assault on the redoubts - diagram of the Battle of Poltava

The Swedes left their camp and headed to the battle site. The first obstacle on their way was the Russian redoubts, which were built both horizontally and vertically relative to the position of the Russian army. The assault on the redoubts began in the early morning of June 27, and with it the Battle of Poltava! The first 2 redoubts were taken immediately. In fairness, it should be noted that they were unfinished. The Swedes did not succeed in the rest of the redoubts. The attacks were not successful. This is largely due to the fact that after the loss of the first two redoubts, Russian cavalry under the command of Menshikov advanced to the position. Together with the defenders in the redoubts, they managed to hold back the enemy’s onslaught, preventing him from capturing all the fortifications. Below is a diagram of the Battle of Poltava for a more detailed visual representation of the course of the battle.

Despite the short-term successes of the Russian army, Tsar Peter at 4 o'clock in the morning gives the order for the retreat of all regiments to their main positions. The redoubts fulfilled their mission - they exhausted the Swedes even before the battle began, while the main forces of the Russian army remained fresh. In addition, the Swedes lost about 3,000 people on the approaches to the main battlefield. Such losses are associated with tactical blunders of the generals. Charles 12 and his generals did not expect to storm the redoubts, expecting to pass them through the “dead” zones. In reality, this turned out to be impossible, and the army had to storm the redoubts without any equipment for this.

Decisive battle

With great difficulty the Swedes overcame the redoubts. After this, they took a wait-and-see attitude, expecting the imminent arrival of their cavalry. However, General Roos by that time was already surrounded by Russian units and surrendered. Without waiting for cavalry reinforcements, the Swedish infantry lined up and prepared for battle. Forming in a line was Karl's favorite tactic. It was believed that if the Swedes were allowed to build such a battle formation, it would be impossible to defeat them. In reality it turned out differently...

The Swedish offensive began at 9 am. As a result of artillery shelling, as well as volleys of small arms fire, the Swedes suffered huge losses from the first minutes. The offensive formation was completely destroyed. At the same time, the Swedes still failed to create an attack line that would be longer than the Russian line. If the maximum values of the formation of the Swedish army reached 1.5 kilometers, then the Russian detachments stretched up to 2 kilometers. Having a numerical superiority and smaller gaps between units. The advantage of the Russian army was simply enormous. As a result, after the shelling, which created gaps of more than 100 meters among the Swedes, panic and flight began. It happened at 11 o'clock. In 2 hours, Peter's army won a complete victory.

Losses of the parties in the battle

Total losses The Russian army totaled 1,345 killed and 3,290 wounded. The losses of the Swedish army turned out to be simply nightmare:

All generals were killed or captured

9,000 people killed
3000 people taken prisoner
16,000 people were captured 3 days after the battle, when they managed to overtake the main forces of the retreating Swedes near the village of Perevolochny.

Pursuit of the enemy

"Battle of Poltava". Fragment of a mosaic by M. V. Lomonosov

The course of the Battle of Poltava after the retreat of the Swedes took on the character of persecution. On the evening of June 27, an order was given to pursue and capture the enemy army. The detachments of Baur, Galitsina and Menshikov took part in this. The advancement of the Russian army was not carried out at the fastest pace. The Swedes themselves were to blame for this, who nominated General Meyerfeld with the “authority” to negotiate.

As a result of all these actions, it was possible to reach the Swedes near the village of Perevolochny only after 3 days. Here they surrendered: 16,000 infantry, 3 generals, 51 command officers, 12,575 non-commissioned officers.

Interesting Facts

22 representatives of the Wrangel family remained on the battlefield.
On July 8, all captured Swedes were questioned about entering the service of the Tsar. In the Russian army, two infantry regiments were formed from Swedish prisoners of war (they were stationed in Astrakhan and Kazan). A dragoon regiment of Swedes took part in Bekovich's expedition to Khiva in 1717.
Of the 23 thousand Swedish prisoners of war taken near Poltava and Perevolochnaya, only about 4,000 saw their homeland again. In some regiments that began the military campaign with thousands of personnel, about a dozen people returned home. As early as 1729, eight years after the end of the war and twenty years after Poltava, former prisoners continued to come to Sweden. Perhaps the most recent among them was guardsman Hans Appelmann: he returned in 1745, after 36 years of captivity.

Battle of Poltava (briefly)

The Battle of Poltava is considered the largest battle during the so-called Northern War. The Swedish army was powerful and organized, however, after the battles in Poland, it needed rest. Tsar Peter the Great made every effort to prevent the Swedes from getting the desired rest.

On the way of the Swedish army to Ukraine, it was decided to destroy all military and food supplies, and the peasants hid their livestock and any provisions that could help the enemy in the forest. In the autumn of 1708, the exhausted army comes to Poltava, where Karl decides to stop in order to wait out the winter.

Charles the Twelfth expected supplies and help from Hetman Mazepa, but was deceived. At the same time, the king of the Swedes began to draw up a plan for the open field of Russian troops. As a result, the king decides to capture Poltava with its four thousand soldiers and two thousand inhabitants. On April 25, 1709, the Swedish army approached the Poltava walls and the siege of the city began.

The city held its defense despite powerful enemy attacks. For about two months, the residents of Poltava resisted the best army in Europe thanks to a strategically built defense. The garrison was commanded by Colonel Kelin. Frustrated by the failure, Karl did not even suspect that at the same time the army was preparing to repel him.

So, the Russian army stopped at the village of Yarovtsy, where Peter the Great decides to give battle to the Swedes. Between the Budishchinsky and Yakovetsky forests there was a plain and therefore the enemy could only advance through the copse located to the left of the camp. The tsar orders this move to be blocked by redoubts behind which the cavalry, consisting of seventeen dragoon regiments under the command of Alexander Menshikov, was located. At the same time, artillery was lined up in front of the infantry.

In addition, the Ukrainian Cossack regiments, commanded by Hetman Ivan Skoropadsky, provided significant assistance. They blocked the Swedes' path to Right Bank Ukraine and Poland. The Swedish army did not expect such organization and quickly lined up the army with a front not far from the Russian redoubts.

On June twenty-seventh, the Swedes begin their offensive and after some time they suffer huge losses, which forces them to retreat to the Budishchi forest. Soon the second wave of the battle began in which the Swedes were again defeated and by eleven o'clock in the afternoon the battle of Poltava was completed in favor of the Russian army.

During the Northern War, the battle of Poltava is considered the largest. The Swedish army was strong and powerful, but after the fighting in Poland, rest was needed. made every effort to ensure that the Swedes did not get this rest.

On the way of the Swedish king Charles XII to Ukraine, all food and military supplies were destroyed. The peasants hid their livestock and food in the forest. In November 1708, the exhausted Swedish army reached Poltava, where it settled into winter quarters.

Hetman Mazepa promised help and supplies to Charles XII, but did not fulfill his promise. And the Swedish king began to think about how to lure the Russians into battle in the open field. This victory is so important for him, the prestige of the army and himself will rise.

On long winter evenings Charles XII decided further actions, and decided to capture Poltava. They have 4 thousand soldiers, and 2.5 thousand inhabitants who can fight, and the Swedish army of 30 thousand people will quickly defeat the city. And then on April 25, 1709, the Swedes approached the walls of Poltava. The siege of the city began.

The enemy attacked powerfully, but the city did not surrender. For two months, the Poltava people resisted the best army in Europe, thanks to a well-built defense. And the garrison was commanded by Colonel Kelin. The Swedish king was very annoyed, but he had no idea that all this time the Russians were preparing for a general battle. To the very battle he dreamed of.

Opposite Poltava, on the banks of the Vorskla, the Russian army was stationed. Peter I arrived there in June and led his army up the river. Near the village of Chernyakhovo they crossed to the other side of the river, going to the rear of the Swedes. So by the end of June the Russians were five kilometers from Poltava. The Russian army stopped at the village of Yakovtsy. This is where Peter I decided to give battle to the Swedes.

A plain stretched between the Yakovetsky and Budishchinsky forests. The opponents could only advance to the left of the camp through the copse. The emperor ordered this place to be blocked off with eight redoubts. The cavalry was located behind the redoubts - 17 dragoon regiments. They were commanded by Alexander Menshikov. Artillery was deployed in front of the infantry. And the Ukrainians also helped: Cossack regiments, under the command of Hetman Ivan Skoropadsky, blocked the Swedes’ path to Poland and Right-Bank Ukraine. The Swedish army did not expect the Russians in its rear, and was forced to line up in front of a copse three kilometers from the Russian redoubts.

On June 27, at dawn, the Swedish army launched an offensive. This is how the Battle of Poltava began. Making their way through a barrage of bullets and cannonballs, the Swedes somehow overcame two rows of redoubts in hand-to-hand combat. At the same time, they suffered heavy losses. The correct tactics of Peter I did not allow the enemy to penetrate the Russian rear. The Swedes, under a heavy hail of Russian artillery, were forced to retreat into the Budishchi forest. The field was empty for a while, Peter moved his main forces forward. And here it is, the final battle.

The Swedes go on the offensive again, the Russians open fire. Again hand-to-hand combat, again losses... Peter led the battalion of the Novgorod regiment into battle, with a strong blow crushed the Swedes, and Menshikov’s cavalry began the battle on the left. The enemy could not withstand the onslaught, wavered and began to retreat. The Battle of Poltava was over by eleven o'clock. 15,000 people were captured, but the king, Mazepa and a thousand soldiers managed to escape across the Dnieper to Bendery.

It was a complete defeat of the once powerful Swedish army, 9234 people were killed, almost all the generals were captured. The Russian army lost much less - 1345 people were killed, 3290 were wounded. Peter I awarded all participants in the battle with orders and medals. The victory in the Battle of Poltava decided the outcome towards Russia.