Great Northern War. For what grievances did Peter I decide to fight with Sweden? Naval battles under Peter I

On July 8 (June 27, old style), 1709, the general battle of the Northern War of 1700-1721 took place - Battle of Poltava. The Russian army under the command of Peter I defeated the Swedish army of Charles XII. The Battle of Poltava led to a turning point in the Northern War in favor of Russia.
In honor of this victory, the Day of Military Glory of Russia was established, which is celebrated on July 10. the federal law"About the days of military glory and memorable dates Russia" was adopted in 1995. It states that July 10 is the Victory Day of the Russian army under the command of Peter the Great over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava (1709).

After the defeat of the Russian army, Peter I in 1700-1702 carried out a grandiose military reform- actually re-created the army and the Baltic Fleet. In the spring of 1703, at the mouth of the Neva, Peter I founded the city and fortress of St. Petersburg, and later the maritime citadel of Kronstadt. In the summer of 1704, the Russians captured Dorpat (Tartu) and Narva and thus gained a foothold on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. At that time, Peter I was ready to conclude a peace treaty with Sweden. But Charles XII decided to continue the war until complete victory, in order to completely cut off Russia from sea trade routes.

In the spring of 1709, after an unsuccessful winter campaign in Ukraine, the army of the Swedish king Charles XII besieged Poltava, where it was planned to replenish supplies and then continue in the direction of Kharkov, Belgorod and further to Moscow. In April-June 1709, the garrison of Poltava, consisting of 4.2 thousand soldiers and 2.6 thousand armed citizens, led by commandant Colonel Alexei Kelin, supported by the cavalry of General Alexander Menshikov and Ukrainian Cossacks who came to the rescue, successfully repulsed several enemy assaults. The heroic defense of Poltava pinned down the forces of Charles XII. Thanks to her, the Russian army was able to concentrate in the area of ​​the fortress at the end of May 1709 and prepare for battle with the enemy.

At the end of May, the main forces of the Russian army under the command of Peter I approached the Poltava region. At the military council on June 27 (June 16, old style), it was decided to give a general battle. By July 6 (June 25, old style), the Russian army, numbering 42 thousand people and having 72 guns, was located in a fortified camp it had created 5 kilometers north of Poltava.

The field in front of the camp is about 2.5 kilometers wide, covered on the flanks dense forest and thickets, was fortified by a system of field engineering structures of six frontal and four 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. Two battalions of soldiers and grenadiers were stationed in the redoubts, and behind the redoubts were 17 cavalry regiments under the command of Alexander Menshikov. Peter I's plan was to wear down the enemy at the front line (the line of redoubts), and then defeat him in an open field battle.

On the night of July 8 (June 27, old style), the Swedish army under the command of Field Marshal Carl Rehnskild (Carl XII was wounded on reconnaissance) numbering about 20 thousand soldiers and with four guns - four columns of infantry and six columns of cavalry - moved to Russian positions. The remaining troops - up to 10 thousand soldiers - were in reserve and guarding Swedish communications.

A powerful patriotic mood was aroused in the Russian soldiers by the words of Peter addressed to them before the start of the battle: “Warriors! The hour has come that must decide the fate of the Fatherland. You should not think that you are fighting for Peter, but for the state entrusted to Peter, for your family, for "Fatherland, for our Orthodox Faith and Church.... Have in battle before you the Truth and God, your protector. And about Peter, know that life is not dear to him. If only Russia would live in glory and prosperity for your well-being."

At 3 a.m. on July 8 (June 27, old style), the Russian and Swedish cavalry began a stubborn battle at the redoubts. By 5 o'clock in the morning, the Swedish cavalry was overturned, but the infantry that followed them captured the first two Russian redoubts. At six o'clock in the morning, the Swedes, advancing behind the retreating Russian cavalry, came under cross rifle and cannon fire with their right flank from the Russian fortified camp, suffered heavy losses and retreated to the forest in panic. At the same time, the right-flank Swedish columns, cut off from their main forces during the battles for the redoubts, retreated into the forest north of Poltava, where they were defeated by Menshikov’s cavalry following them and surrendered.

At about 6 o'clock, Peter I led the army out of the camp and built it in two lines, where he placed the infantry in the center and the cavalry of Menshikov and Bour on the flanks. A reserve (nine battalions) was left in the camp. The main forces of the Swedes lined up opposite the Russian troops. At 9 o'clock in the morning it started hand-to-hand combat. At this time, the cavalry of the Russian army began to cover the enemy's flanks. The Swedes began a retreat, which by 11 o'clock turned into a disorderly flight. The Russian cavalry pursued them to the river bank, where the remnants of the Swedish army surrendered.

The Battle of Poltava ended in a convincing victory for the Russian army. The enemy lost over 9 thousand killed and 19 thousand captured. Russian losses were 1,345 killed and 3,290 wounded. Karl himself was wounded and fled to Turkey with a small detachment. The military power of the Swedes was undermined, the glory of the invincibility of Charles XII was dispelled.

The Poltava victory determined the outcome of the Northern War. The Russian army showed excellent combat training and heroism, and Peter I and his military leaders had outstanding military leadership abilities. The Russians were the first in the military science of the era to use field earthen fortifications, as well as fast-moving horse artillery. In 1721, the Northern War ended with the complete victory of Peter I. The ancient Russian lands went to Russia, and it firmly established itself on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

It was a shame to lose the Battle of Poltava: the exhausted, hungry and demoralized Swedes, led by a Scandinavian vagabond, did not pose much of a threat.

Klyuchevsky Vasily Osipovich

The Battle of Poltava took place on June 27, 1709 and, in short, became one of the most important battles of the Northern War, which we will briefly discuss in this article. Separately, we will dwell on the reasons for the battle, as well as its course. To do this, based on historical documents and maps, we will draw up a detailed battle plan and understand how significant the results of the victory were.

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.
• In October 1708, Hetman Mazepa approached the Swedish king. He is with 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 to the Turkish Sultan. His arguments were not heard, and having gathered a single Russian army, joined by part of the Zaporizhian Cossacks led by Skoropadsky, went to the besieged fortress.

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 - Karl 12, Rehnschild Karl Gustav, Levenhaupt Adam Ludwig, Roos Karl 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 1, Sheremetev Boris Petrovich, Repin Anikita Ivanovich, Allart Ludvig Nikolaevich, Menshikov Alexander Danilovich, Renne Karl Edward, Baur Radion Khristianovich, Skoropadsky Ivan Ilyich.

Progress of the Battle of Poltava (briefly)

At 23:00 on June 26 (the eve of the battle), Charles 12 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.

Storming the redoubts - scheme 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 salvo fire small arms, 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 limit values 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

The total losses of the Russian army were 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

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.

The significance of the Battle of Poltava

From school we are told about the great significance of the Battle of Poltava, and also that this is eternal glory for Russian weapons. Undoubtedly, the battle of Poltava gave the advantage in the war to Russia, but is it possible to talk about historical significance, how about brilliant and outstanding value? This is much more difficult... It is no coincidence that we chose the words of the famous historian Klyuchevsky as the epigraph. You can blame him for anything, but he always describes the era of Peter exclusively positively. And as a result, even Klyuchevsky admits that even a brief study of the Battle of Poltava indicates that It would be a shame to lose in it!

Historians have significant arguments:

This allows us to say that the victory in the Battle of Poltava was very significant, but its results should not be greatly extolled. It is imperative to make a reference to the enemy’s condition.

Results of the battle and its consequences

We briefly reviewed the Battle of Poltava. Its results are clear - an unconditional victory for the Russian army. Moreover, the Swedish infantry ceased to exist (of the 30,000 army, 28,000 people were captured or killed), the artillery also disappeared (Charles had 28 guns, 12 initially, 4 reached Poltava, 0 remained after the battle). The victory is unconditional and magnificent, even if you make allowances for the state of the enemy (ultimately this is their problem).

Along with these rosy results, it should be noted that, despite such a glorious victory, the outcome of the war did not come. There are several reasons for this; most historians agree that this is due to Peter’s reaction to the flight of the Swedish army. We said that the Battle of Poltava ended at 11 o’clock in the afternoon, however, the order to pursue came only at night, after celebrating the victory... As a result, the enemy managed to retreat significantly, and Charles 12 himself abandoned his army and went to Turkey to persuade the Sultan to war with Russia.

Results Poltava victory ambiguous. Despite the excellent result, Russia did not receive any dividends from this. The delay in ordering the pursuit led to the possibility of the escape of Charles 12 and to the subsequent 12 years of war.

Before Peter I, there were no large warships in Russia, and therefore there was no access to the sea. First Russian sailing ship"Eagle", intended for military needs and created in 1669, accommodated a crew of only 35 people and was intended for landing and boarding crews, that is, for close combat, but not for operations in conditions open sea.

Having studied shipbuilding abroad, the emperor came to the conclusion that a serious reorganization of maritime affairs in Russia was necessary and began shipbuilding. The result of such an extensive reform activities were the first victories won by the Russian fleet during his reign. For the first time, the Russian fleet proved itself in the Azov campaigns, after which it was tested in practice during the Northern War.

Fleet under Peter I

One of the first major and successful battles of the Russian sailing navy under Peter the Great took place, oddly enough, not at sea, but on the Pelkina River on October 6, 1713. The galley fleet of Commander-in-Chief Apraksin and his landing party took part in the battle Marine Corps on board with a total number of more than 16 thousand people and a naval fleet commanded by Peter himself. Russian troops attacked enemy positions, outflanking them, and after short resistance won a crushing victory.

On May 27, 1714, another decisive naval battle took place. navy– Gangutsky sea ​​battle, in which grenadier, infantry, guards and galley regiments and battalions took part. The Gangut battle took place in conditions of the open sea and superior enemy forces, as the Russian naval squadron, consisting of a rowing fleet, fought with 15 battleships, 3 frigates, 2 bombardment ships and 9 galleys of the Swedish fleet, commanded by G. Vatrang.

Realizing that Russian ships had no chance of directly defeating such a huge and well-armed fleet in battle, Peter decided to transfer part of the fleet across the isthmus north of the very cape at which it was planned to fight, for which a whole transshipment bridge was built, along which the galleys were to be pulled to the other side. The Swedes, having learned about such a cunning maneuver, divided their fleet and threw it across the ships that had just been transported, which were not there, since all the actions carried out by Peter were nothing more than a military trick, as a result of which they managed to divide a large fleet and gain a noticeable advantage .

A detachment of the Russian fleet consisting of 20 ships, led by Commander M.Kh. Zmaevich began a breakthrough of the Swedish fleet, while remaining out of the line of fire, while another detachment of 15 ships was in reserve for a certain time, which saved Peter from the need to transport ships, but put the Swedes in a dead end. The Swedes tried to attack three times, but were repulsed and, after the surrender of the main flagship, were forced to admit defeat. Only a small part of the Swedish ships managed to escape.

Another battle that glorified the Russian fleet and put it on a par with the best flotillas European countries occurred on July 27, 1720 near the island of Grengam, part of the Åland group of islands. The Russian fleet, consisting of 90 ships, was commanded by M. Golitsyn, the Swedish - by K. G. Sheblad. As a result of the battle, the Russian galleys and those who did not require great depth The boats managed to lure the Swedish fleet into shallow water, where it was defeated.

Naval battles under Peter I, they put an end to the dominance of the Swedes in the Baltic Sea and showed that Russia was becoming a serious rival not only on land, but also at sea.

The Northern War, which broke out in the 18th century between Russia and Sweden, became significant event for the Russian state. Why Peter 1 started the war with the Swedes and how it ended - more on this later.

Russian state under Peter 1

To understand the causes of the Northern War, you need to know what Russia was like at the beginning of the conflict. The 18th century was a time of tremendous changes in economics, culture, politics and social relations. Peter the Great is known as a reformer king. He inherited a huge country with an underdeveloped economy and an outdated army. Russian state was far behind European countries in development. Moreover, she was weakened long wars With Ottoman Empire which were fought for dominance in the Black Sea.

Considering the question of why Peter 1 started the war with the Swedes, you need to understand that for this there were the most good reasons. The Northern War was fought for access to the Baltic coast, which was vital for Russia. No trade relations with Western countries it could not develop its economy. The only port at that time through which Russian goods were supplied to the West was Arkhangelsk. The sea route through was difficult, dangerous and irregular. In addition, Peter 1 understood the need for the urgent development of his fleet in the Baltic and Black Sea. Without this it was impossible to create a strong state.

That is why the war with the Swedes under Peter 1 was inevitable. Previous rulers of Russia saw the main enemy in the Ottoman Empire, which constantly launched attacks on Russian border territories. Only such a far-sighted politician as Peter the Great understood that it is now more important for the country to be able to trade with Europe through the fight for Black Sea coast can wait for now.

Charles XII

During this period, the northern country was ruled by the same young and extraordinary monarch as Peter 1. Charles XII was considered a military genius, and his army was considered invincible. Under him, the country was considered the strongest in the Baltic region. By the way, his name is Charles in Russia, and in Sweden the king was known as Charles XII.

He began to rule, like Peter, in at a young age. He was 15 years old when his father died and Charles inherited the throne. Possessing a hot temper, the king did not tolerate any advice and decided everything himself. At the age of 18 he made his first military expedition. Having announced at court that he was leaving for fun in one of his castles, in fact the young ruler with a small army set off by sea to Denmark. With a quick march, finding himself under the walls of Copenhagen, Charles forced Denmark to leave the alliance with Russia, Poland and Saxony. After this, the king spent almost 18 years outside his native country, participating in various military campaigns. Their goal was to make Sweden the strongest state in Northern Europe.

Peter 1 and the Swedes: causes of military conflict

Russia and Sweden were opponents long before the birth of the reformer Tsar. The Baltic coast, which had an important geopolitical significance, has always been of great interest to many countries. Poland, Sweden and Russia have been trying to increase their influence in the Baltic region for many centuries. Starting from the 12th century, the Swedes repeatedly attacked northern Russia, trying to capture Ladoga, the coast of the Gulf of Finland and Karelia. By the beginning of the 18th century, the Baltic countries were completely subordinate to Sweden. Augustus II, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, Frederick IV, Ruler of Denmark and Peter the Great formed a coalition against Sweden. Their hopes of victory were based on the youth of Charles XII. In case of victory, Russia would receive long-awaited access to the Baltic coast and the opportunity to have a fleet. It was main reason, why Peter 1 started the war with the Swedes. As for the rest of the alliance against Sweden, they sought to weaken the northern enemy and strengthen their presence in the Baltic region.

Great: The Northern War with Sweden proved the military leadership talent of the Russian Tsar

An alliance between three countries (Russia, Denmark and Poland) was concluded in 1699. Augustus II was the first to speak out against Sweden. In 1700, the siege of Riga began. That same year, the Danish army launched an invasion of Holstein, which was an ally of Sweden. Then Charles XII made a bold march into Denmark and forced it to withdraw from the war. Then he sent troops to Riga, and not daring to enter into battle, withdrew his troops.

Russia was the last to enter the war with Sweden. Why did Peter 1 not start the war with the Swedes at the same time as his allies? The fact is that Russian state at that time it was at war with the Ottoman Empire, and the country could not participate in two military conflicts at once.

The very next day after the conclusion of a peace treaty with Turkey, Russia entered into a war with Sweden. Peter 1 began a campaign to Narva, the nearest Swedish fortress. The battle was lost, despite the fact that Charles XII's troops were far outnumbered by the poorly trained and insufficiently armed Russian army.

The defeat at Narva led to a rapid transformation of the Russian armed forces. In just a year, Peter the Great was able to completely transform the army, equipped with new weapons and artillery. Since 1701, Russia begins to win victories over the Swedes: Poltava at sea. In 1721, Sweden signed a peace treaty with Russia.

Results of the Northern War

After the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystadt, Russia firmly established itself in the Baltic region and Courland.

During the Time of Troubles, a significant part of the Russian North was captured by Sweden. In 1617, according to the Stolbovo Peace Treaty, Russia completely lost access to the Baltic, retaining only Veliky Novgorod and the Novgorod patrimony, and the territory from Ivangorod to Lake Ladoga was forced to transfer to Sweden. In 1656–58, as a result of successful military operations, Russia again regained a significant part of the Baltic states, but could not hold it and, according to the Treaty of Kardis, returned the conquered lands to Sweden.

Peter I, having become a full-fledged monarch, initially tried to win access to the sea in the south, making two Azov campaigns. But Russia was not yet ready to wage a full-scale war with Turkey, and this idea had to be temporarily abandoned. Then the king turned his gaze to the north, fortunately, he was strongly pushed to this by European well-wishers.

Denmark was the first to try to drag Russia into the war. Since the spring of 1697, the Danish ambassador Paul Gaines waited a whole year in Moscow for a meeting with the tsar in order to propose a military alliance against Sweden on behalf of his king. Negotiations began in October 1698 and continued in February next year in Voronezh, where Peter supervised the construction of ships.

IN short term a treaty was agreed upon, consisting of 11 open and two secret articles. The open articles contained traditional assurances of friendship for such documents, and provided for the provision of mutual military assistance in the event of an attack on one of the parties. The secret articles contained two extremely important aspects. Since there was no common border between the parties, they pledged that each would go to war with a common enemy near its borders. In addition, Russia pledged to enter into a war with Sweden no earlier than it had concluded a long-term peace with Turkey (Ottoman Empire).

Peter, by and large, was not particularly concerned about Denmark’s problems; he needed a strong ally to try to recapture the Baltic coast from Sweden, and, accordingly, open a direct path to Europe for Russia. During this period, Sweden did not intend to fight with Russia and tried in every possible way to strengthen peaceful relations, but without damaging its territories. The Swedish king Charles XI even sent 300 cannons as a gift to Peter in 1696, and allowed another 280 to be purchased from Stockholm foundries. A step that clearly did not imply aggravation of relations.

Soon, Saxony, which laid claim to the Swedish part of the Baltic states, joined negotiations with Russia. It is curious that the Saxon ambassador brought to Moscow the text of the treaty, signed in advance by King Augustus II. The agreement provided for the recognition of Russia's historical rights to lands seized by Sweden during the Time of Troubles. The offer for the Russian monarch was extremely tempting. After consulting with the Danes, Peter signed this treaty, after which the allies began to prepare for war.

In July 1699, an embassy from Sweden arrived in Moscow to confirm the Treaty of Kardis, concluded in 1661. Peter delayed making a decision in every possible way, urgently leaving “on urgent state affairs” to Voronezh, but in the fall he was forced to confirm the agreement, assuring the Swedish king of “neighboring friendship and love.” Peter knew in advance that this agreement would soon be violated. At that time, such an attitude towards interstate obligations was not something special; agreements were carried out only until the moment they satisfied both parties.

The first to strike Sweden were Saxon troops, who invaded Livonia in February 1700, where they immediately took several fortresses and besieged Riga. At the end of July, Denmark entered the war (at that time its territory in Europe was much larger than it is now). Danish troops successfully advanced into Holstein and besieged Tonningen. The allies clearly did not expect a quick reaction from Sweden. The young Swedish king Charles XII, having enlisted the support of England and Holland, blockaded Copenhagen with ships from the sea and landing troops from land, threatening to destroy it if peace was not concluded on his terms.

Denmark immediately made concessions, already on August 7 (18), 1700, having signed an agreement with Sweden, according to which it recognized the independence of Holstein, renounced the alliance with Russia and pledged to reimburse Sweden for military costs. And in mid-September, Augustus II withdrew his troops from near Riga, although by this time Russia had already declared war on Sweden.

It seems that Peter was clearly in a hurry, overestimating both the capabilities of his allies and his own strength. On August 18, news arrived in Moscow about the conclusion of a 30-year truce with the Ottoman Empire, and the very next day war was officially declared on Sweden. The pretext for the war was, to put it mildly, incomprehensible. Peter referred to the grievances that were inflicted on him in Riga (then it was the territory of Sweden) during his foreign voyage, as well as to the grievances that his northern neighbor different time caused to Russian subjects.

Peter, by the standards of that time, even acted nobly, did not strike on the sly, but openly announced in advance the breakdown of relations and the start of hostilities. Soon the Russian troops, taking some of the cannons donated by the Swedes, began to advance towards Narva. It was not possible to take the fortress right away, and a siege began. The decisive battle took place on November 19 (30). Its result is well known - the Russian army suffered a heavy defeat, only the fortitude of the Semyonovtsy and Preobrazhentsy saved it from complete defeat.

Charles XII did not finish off the Russian army; he was not interested in new lands in Russia; he had a difficult war ahead of him with Saxony. It is difficult to say what was more in this decision - the desire to settle relations with Peter or disdain for the Russian monarch and his army, which after the defeat could no longer be taken into account. Before Peter, the exit to Baltic Sea, therefore, he was no longer going to back down, and he firmly learned the lesson presented by the Swedes and drew the proper conclusions.

Soon, on the banks of the Neva, the axes of carpenters and shipwrights will begin to clatter, to the lamentations of the monks, multi-pound copper bells will fly down from the bell towers to turn into formidable weapons, a recruitment of then-still volunteers will begin throughout the country. new army, which will surprise Europe with its daring and courage, and the tight Baltic wave will be cut by the stems of military Russian ships. Ahead were the capture of Narva and Noteburg, the brilliant victories of the Russian fleet in the Baltic, the victory at Lesnaya and the triumph at Poltava, when the standards of the Swedish army, which Europe was accustomed to consider invincible, would be thrown at Peter’s feet.

No one in 1700 could have imagined that from this war, which was to last for 21 years, Russia would emerge as a powerful European power with modern army and a large navy. For Sweden it will begin long period military failures and loss of territories, a significant part of which will fall under the rule of the Russian crown.

Oddly enough, the first step towards the greatness of Russia was taken precisely on August 19 (30), 1700, when the young Russian monarch declared war on his powerful northern neighbor.