Reasons for victory in the Battle of Poltava 1709. Battle of Poltava (1709). The main reasons for victory in the Battle of Poltava
Battle of Poltava |
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Near Poltava, Ukraine |
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Decisive victory for the Russian army |
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Opponents |
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Commanders |
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Carl Gustav Rehnschild |
Alexander Danilovich Menshikov |
Strengths of the parties |
General forces: |
General forces: |
Battle of Poltava - largest battle Northern War between Russian troops under the command of Peter I and the Swedish army of Charles XII. It took place on the morning of June 27 (July 8), 1709, 6 versts from the city of Poltava on Ukrainian lands (Left Bank of the Dnieper). The decisive victory of the Russian army led to a turning point in the Northern War in favor of Russia and put an end to the dominance of Sweden as the main military force in Europe.
After the Battle of Narva in 1700, Charles XII invaded Europe and long war with the participation of many states, in which the army of Charles XII was able to advance far to the south, winning victories.
After Peter I conquered part of Livonia from Charles XII and founded a new fortified city of St. Petersburg at the mouth of the Neva, Charles decided to attack central Russia with the capture of Moscow. During the campaign, he decided to lead his army to Little Russia, whose hetman, Mazepa, went over to Karl’s side, but was not supported by the bulk of the Cossacks. By the time Charles's army approached Poltava, he had lost up to a third of the army, his rear was attacked by Peter's light cavalry - Cossacks and Kalmyks, and was wounded just before the battle. The battle was lost by Charles, and he fled to the Ottoman Empire.
Background
In October 1708, Peter I became aware of the betrayal and defection of Hetman Mazepa to the side of Charles XII, who negotiated with the king for quite a long time, promising him, if he arrived in Ukraine, up to 50 thousand Cossack troops, food and comfortable wintering. On October 28, 1708, Mazepa, at the head of a detachment of Cossacks, arrived at Charles’s headquarters. It was in this year that Peter I amnestied and recalled from exile (accused of treason based on Mazepa’s slander) the Ukrainian colonel Paliy Semyon (real name Gurko); Thus, the sovereign of Russia secured the support of the Cossacks.
From the many thousands of Ukrainian Cossacks (registered Cossacks numbered 30 thousand, Zaporozhye Cossacks - 10-12 thousand), Mazepa managed to bring only up to 10 thousand people, about 3 thousand registered Cossacks and about 7 thousand Cossacks. But they soon began to flee from the camp of the Swedish army. King Charles XII was afraid to use such unreliable allies, of which there were about 2 thousand, in battle, and therefore left them in the baggage train.
In the spring of 1709, Charles XII, being with his army on Russian territory, decided to resume the attack on Moscow through Kharkov and Belgorod. The strength of his army decreased significantly and amounted to 35 thousand people. In an effort to create favorable preconditions for the offensive, Karl decides to quickly capture Poltava, located on the right bank of the Vorskla.
On April 30, Swedish troops began the siege of Poltava. Under the leadership of Colonel A. S. Kelin, its garrison of 4.2 thousand soldiers (Tver and Ustyug soldier regiments and one battalion each from three more regiments - Perm, Apraksin and Fechtenheim), 2 thousand Cossacks of the Poltava Cossack Regiment (Colonel Ivan Levenets) and 2.6 thousand armed townspeople successfully repelled a number of assaults. From April to June, the Swedes launched 20 assaults on Poltava and lost more than 6 thousand people under its walls. At the end of May, the main forces of the Russian army, led by Peter, approached Poltava. They were located on the left bank of the Vorskla River opposite from Poltava. After Peter decided on a general battle at the military council on June 16, on the same day the advanced detachment of Russians crossed the Vorskla north of Poltava, near the village of Petrovka, ensuring the possibility of crossing the entire army.
On June 19, the main forces of the Russian troops marched to the crossing and crossed Vorskla the next day. Peter I camped his army near the village of Semyonovka. On June 25, the Russian army redeployed even further south, taking up a position 5 kilometers from Poltava, near the village of Yakovtsy. The total strength of the two armies was impressive: the Russian army consisted of 60 thousand soldiers and 102 artillery pieces. Charles XII had up to 37 thousand soldiers (including up to ten thousand Zaporozhye and Ukrainian Cossacks of Hetman Mazepa) and 41 guns (30 cannons, 2 howitzers, 8 mortars and 1 shotgun). A smaller number of troops took part directly in the Battle of Poltava. On the Swedish side there were about 8,000 infantry (18 battalions), 7,800 cavalry and about 1,000 irregular cavalry, and on the Russian side - about 25,000 infantry, some of whom, even being present on the field, did not take part in the battle. In addition, on the Russian side, cavalry units numbering 9,000 soldiers and Cossacks (including Ukrainians loyal to Peter) took part in the battle. On the Russian side, 73 artillery pieces were involved in the battle against 4 Swedish ones. The charges for the Swedish artillery were almost completely used up during the siege of Poltava.
On June 26, the Russians began to build a forward position. Ten redoubts were erected, which were occupied by two battalions of the Belgorod infantry regiment of Colonel Savva Aigustov under the command of Lieutenant Colonels Neklyudov and Nechaev. Behind the redoubts there were 17 cavalry regiments under the command of A.D. Menshikov.
Charles XII, having received information about the imminent approach of a large Kalmyk detachment to the Russians, decided to attack Peter’s army before the Kalmyks completely disrupted his communications. Wounded during a reconnaissance on June 17, the king transferred command to Field Marshal K. G. Renschild, who received 20 thousand soldiers at his disposal. About 10 thousand people, including Mazepa’s Cossacks, remained in the camp near Poltava.
On the eve of the battle, Peter I toured all the regiments. His short patriotic appeals to soldiers and officers formed the basis of the famous order, which demanded that soldiers fight not for Peter, but for “Russia and Russian piety...”
Charles XII also tried to raise the spirit of his army. Inspiring the soldiers, Karl announced that tomorrow they would dine in the Russian convoy, where great booty awaited them.
Progress of the battle
Swedish attack on the redoubts
At two o'clock in the morning on June 27, Swedish infantry moved out from near Poltava in four columns, followed by six cavalry columns. By dawn, the Swedes entered the field in front of the Russian redoubts. Prince Menshikov, having lined up his dragoons in battle formation, moved towards the Swedes, wanting to meet them as early as possible and thereby gain time to prepare for the battle of the main forces.
When the Swedes saw the advancing Russian dragoons, their cavalry quickly galloped through the gaps between the columns of their infantry and quickly rushed at the Russian cavalry. By three o'clock in the morning a hot battle was already in full swing in front of the redoubts. At first, the Swedish cuirassiers pushed back the Russian cavalry, but, quickly recovering, the Russian cavalry pushed the Swedes back with repeated blows.
The Swedish cavalry retreated and the infantry went on the attack. The tasks of the infantry were as follows: one part of the infantry had to pass the redoubts without a fight towards the main camp of the Russian troops, while the other part, under the command of Ross, had to take the longitudinal redoubts in order to prevent the enemy from firing destructive fire on the Swedish infantry, which was advancing towards the fortified camp Russians. The Swedes took the first and second forward redoubts. Attacks on the third and other redoubts were repulsed.
The brutal stubborn battle continued more than an hour; During this time, the main forces of the Russians managed to prepare for battle, and therefore Tsar Peter ordered the cavalry and defenders of the redoubts to retreat to the main position near the fortified camp. However, Menshikov did not obey the tsar’s order and, dreaming of finishing off the Swedes at the redoubts, continued the battle. Soon he was forced to retreat.
Field Marshal Renschild regrouped his troops, trying to bypass the Russian redoubts on the left. After capturing two redoubts, the Swedes were attacked by Menshikov's cavalry, but the Swedish cavalry forced them to retreat. According to Swedish historiography, Menshikov fled. However, the Swedish cavalry, obeying the general battle plan, did not develop their success.
During the mounted battle, six right-flank battalions of General Ross stormed the 8th redoubt, but were unable to take it, having lost up to half of their personnel during the attack. During the left flank maneuver of the Swedish troops, a gap formed between them and Ross's battalions and the latter were lost from sight. In an effort to find them, Renschild sent 2 more infantry battalions to search for them. However, Ross's troops were defeated by Russian cavalry.
Meanwhile, Field Marshal Renschild, seeing the retreat of the Russian cavalry and infantry, orders his infantry to break through the line of Russian fortifications. This order is immediately carried out.
Having broken through the redoubts, the main part of the Swedes came under heavy artillery and rifle fire from the Russian camp and retreated in disarray to the Budishchensky forest. At about six o'clock in the morning, Peter led the army out of the camp and built it in two lines, with infantry in the center, Menshikov's cavalry on the left flank, and General R. H. Bour's cavalry on the right flank. A reserve of nine infantry battalions was left in the camp. Renschild lined up the Swedes opposite the Russian army.
Decisive battle
At 9 o’clock in the morning, the remnants of the Swedish infantry, numbering about 4 thousand people, formed in one line, attacked the Russian infantry, lined up in two lines of about 8 thousand each. First, the opponents engaged in gunfire, then began hand-to-hand combat.
Encouraged by the presence of the king, the right wing of the Swedish infantry fiercely attacked the left flank of the Russian army. Under the onslaught of the Swedes, the first line of Russian troops began to retreat. According to Englund, the Kazan, Pskov, Siberian, Moscow, Butyrsky and Novgorod regiments (the leading battalions of these regiments) succumbed to enemy pressure, according to Englund. A dangerous gap in the battle formation formed in the front line of the Russian infantry: the Swedes “overthrew” the 1st battalion of the Novgorod regiment with a bayonet attack. Tsar Peter I noticed this in time, took the 2nd battalion of the Novogorod regiment and, at its head, rushed into a dangerous place.
The arrival of the king put an end to the successes of the Swedes and order on the left flank was restored. At first, the Swedes wavered in two or three places under the onslaught of the Russians.
The second line of Russian infantry joined the first, increasing pressure on the enemy, and the melting thin line of the Swedes no longer received any reinforcements. The flanks of the Russian army engulfed the Swedish battle formation. The Swedes were already tired of the intense battle.
Charles XII tried to inspire his soldiers and appeared in the place of the hottest battle. But the cannonball broke the king's stretcher, and he fell. The news of the death of the king swept through the ranks of the Swedish army with lightning speed. Panic began among the Swedes.
Having woken up from the fall, Charles XII orders himself to be placed on crossed peaks and raised high so that everyone can see him, but this measure did not help. Under the onslaught of Russian forces, the Swedes, who had lost formation, began a disorderly retreat, which by 11 o'clock turned into a real flight. The fainting king barely had time to be taken from the battlefield, put into a carriage and sent to Perevolochna.
According to Englund, the most tragic fate awaited two battalions of the Uppland Regiment, which were surrounded and completely destroyed (out of 700 people, only a few dozen remained alive).
Losses of the parties
Menshikov, having received reinforcements of 3,000 Kalmyk cavalry in the evening, pursued the enemy to Perevolochna on the banks of the Dnieper, where about 16,000 Swedes were captured.
In the battle, the Swedes lost over 11 thousand soldiers. Russian losses amounted to 1,345 killed and 3,290 wounded.
Results
As a result of the Battle of Poltava, the army of King Charles XII was so drained of blood that it could no longer conduct active offensive operations. He himself managed to escape with Mazepa and hid in the territory Ottoman Empire in Bendery. The military power of Sweden was undermined, and in the Northern War there was a turning point in favor of Russia. During the Battle of Poltava, Peter used tactics that are still mentioned in military schools. Shortly before the battle, Peter dressed the experienced soldiers in the uniform of the young ones. Karl, knowing that the form of experienced fighters is different from the form of young ones, led his army against the young fighters and fell into a trap.
Cards
The actions of Russian troops from the moment of the attempt to liberate Poltava from Vorskla until the end of the Battle of Poltava are shown.
Unfortunately, this most informative diagram cannot be placed here due to its dubious legal status - the original was published in the USSR with a total circulation of about 1,000,000 copies (!).
Memory of an event
- At the site of the battle at the beginning of the 20th century, the museum-reserve “Field of the Poltava Battle” (now the National Museum-Reserve) was founded. A museum was built on its territory, monuments to Peter I, Russian and Swedish soldiers were erected, on the site of the camp of Peter I, etc.
- In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava (which took place on the day of St. Sampson the Host) in 1735, the sculptural group “Samson Tearing the Lion’s Jaw,” designed by Carlo Rastrelli, was installed in Peterhof. The lion was associated with Sweden, whose coat of arms contains this heraldic beast.
Monuments in Poltava:
- Monument of Glory
- Monument at the resting place of Peter I after the battle
- Monument to Colonel Kelin and the valiant defenders of Poltava.
On coins
In honor of the 300th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, the Bank of Russia issued the following commemorative silver coins on June 1, 2009 (only reverses are shown):
In fiction
- A.S. Pushkin, “Poltava” - in the novel “Poltava Peremoga” by Oleg Kudrin (shortlist for the “Nonconformism-2010” award, “Nezavisimaya Gazeta”, Moscow) the event is considered, “replayed” in the genre of alternative history.
Images
Documentary film
- “The Battle of Poltava. 300 years later." — Russia, 2008
Art films
- Servant of Sovereigns (film)
- Prayer for Hetman Mazepa (film)
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 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. For this he turned to Crimean Khan and 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 battle site. 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
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 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.
The results of the Poltava victory are 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.
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Battle of Poltava 1709
The Battle of Poltava is one of the most important battles in Russian history. It occurred in June 1709 and determined the outcome of the Northern War, which had lasted for twenty-one years.
During that period, hostilities developed in favor of Sweden. Its young but very talented king Charles the Twelfth won one victory after another, and by 1708, Russia’s allies, represented by Saxony and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, were actually withdrawn from the Northern War. Peter the Great understood that the end of the war would come after the decisive battle between Russia and Sweden. At the same time, Karl sought to end the war as soon as possible, and in the summer of 1708 he entered Russian territory.
The main reasons for victory in the Battle of Poltava
Modern historians identify the following factors as the main reasons for the victory in the Battle of Poltava:
- On September 28, 1708, a battle takes place near the village of Lesnoy, where the Swedes are defeated. Despite the insignificance of this fight at first glance, it turned out that thanks to Peter’s victory, the Swedish army was now left without supplies and provisions, since the Russians had blocked the routes for their dispatch. In addition, before this they destroyed the enemy's convoy.
- In the fall (October), Hetman Mazepa turns to Charles the Twelfth, who swears allegiance to the crown with the Zaporozhye Cossacks. This was a rather advantageous position for Sweden, because it was the Cossacks who could resolve the issue of organizing the supply of ammunition and food.
Causes of the Battle of Poltava
However, the main reasons for the Battle of Poltava lie in the causes of the protracted Northern War, which exhausted all the countries participating in it and had to be resolved as soon as possible.
Swedish troops approached Poltava at the end of March 1709. Then the siege begins. The defensive garrison managed to hold back all enemy attacks. People hoped for the speedy arrival of Tsar Peter with his army. At this time, the ruler himself is trying to replenish his army with new forces. He turns to the Turkish Sultan and the Crimean Khan for help. However, his arguments remained unheard and Peter, having gathered part of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, commanded by Skoropadsky, went to the fortress besieged by the Swedes.
It is worth noting that the Poltava garrison numbered a little more than two thousand people, but for about three months, every now and then it repelled enemy assaults. According to the calculations of contemporaries and historians, during this period more than twenty attacks were repulsed, and the Swedes lost about six thousand soldiers!
Condition of the troops
The Swedish army consisted of four guns and thirty-seven thousand people, and on the Russian side there were sixty thousand people (according to some sources, there were more - about eighty thousand) and one hundred and eleven guns.
Progress of the Battle of Poltava:
On the twenty-sixth of June, an hour before midnight, Charles the Twelfth gives the order to wake up the army and form it to march in battle formation. At the same time, the Russian army had much more time, because the disunited Swedish army gathered only in two hours. Thus, Sweden lost the surprise factor of the attack.
Having left the camp, the Swedes marched to the battle site, but almost approaching, they met resistance from Russian redoubts, built vertically and horizontally, relative to the location of the Russian army. In the early morning of June twenty-seventh, the assault on the redoubts and the Battle of Poltava begin.
After several successful Russian attacks, Peter the Great gives the order for the troops to retreat to their main positions. The redoubts managed to fulfill the mission assigned to them - they exhausted the Swedish army before the actual start of the battle, and the main power of the Russian army remained full of strength.
After the repulse, the Swedes, waiting for their cavalry, took a wait-and-see attitude. But by this time General Ross was captured. Without waiting for help, the Swedish infantry lined up in battle formation and prepared for battle.
The Swedes began their attack at nine in the morning. After the artillery bombardment, along with volley fire from small arms, their troops suffered huge losses. Already in the first minutes of the battle, Peter managed to destroy the enemy’s formation and prevent him from forming an attack line that was longer than Peter’s army.
Having a larger number of people and a smaller gap between units, the Russians continued to advance, as a result of which gaps of more than a hundred meters formed in the Swedish army and they began to flee in panic from the battlefield. It happened at eleven o'clock. Thus, in just two hours, the army of Peter the Great was able to win and thereby end one of the longest wars in Russian history.
Swedish losses:
- three thousand people were captured;
- nine thousand people were killed.
Losses of the Russian side:
- more than three thousand people were injured;
- approximately one and a half thousand people were killed.
Only on the evening of June twenty-seventh did Peter the Great give the order to pursue the fleeing Swedish army. As a result of the pursuit, sixteen thousand infantry, thirteen thousand non-commissioned officers and three generals were captured. Charles the Twelfth managed to escape.
Video lecture: Battle of Poltava 1709
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1700-1721 - Battle of Poltava - occurred on July 8 (June 27, old style) 1709. 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, a day was established military glory Russia, which is celebrated on July 10.
Russia fought the Northern War with Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea. In 1700, the young and inexperienced army of Peter I was defeated near Narva, not far from the Baltic Sea, by a talented commander, the young Swedish king Charles XII.
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 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 Karl 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. Heroic Defense Poltava fettered 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 arrived in 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 km north of Poltava.
The field in front of the camp, about 2.5 kilometers wide, covered on the flanks by dense forest and thickets, was fortified with 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. The redoubts housed 2 battalions of soldiers and grenadiers, behind the redoubts were 17 cavalry regiments under the command of 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 Renschild (Charles XII was wounded during reconnaissance), numbering about 20 thousand soldiers and with 4 guns, 4 columns of infantry and 6 columns of cavalry, moved towards the Russian position. The remaining troops, up to 10 thousand soldiers, were in reserve and guarding Swedish communications.
A powerful patriotic mood was aroused among the Russian soldiers by Peter’s words 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 the Fatherland, for our Orthodox Faith and Church. Have the Truth and God, your protector, before you in battle. And know about Peter 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 (9 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 a hand-to-hand fight broke out. 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. Russians are the first to military science That era used field earthen fortifications, as well as rapidly 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 was firmly entrenched in
History of Russia from Rurik to Putin. People. Events. Dates Anisimov Evgeniy Viktorovich
June 27, 1709 – Battle of Poltava and its consequences
Despite successful actions in suppressing Mazepa's rebellion, by the summer of 1709 the situation had become extremely tense for the Russian army. The Swedes had been besieging Poltava, an important strategic center, since April, and in June its commandant informed the Tsar that the besieged were holding out with all their might. And then Peter decided on a general battle. He agreed to this reluctantly, realizing that a general battle would decide the fate of the campaign and the entire war. The risk is huge and perhaps unjustified. The king did everything to reduce the threat of defeat. Retreating, he left a dead zone behind him, trying to bleed the Swedes. At Lesnaya, he did not allow the Swedes to strengthen their forces. Near Poltava, he concentrated regiments that outnumbered the Swedes, using his advantage in cannons and cavalry.
In the battle, which began in the early morning of June 27, 1709 on the Poltava field, Peter acted tactically without error and achieved an advantage over the enemy. During the battle, the Russians forced the Swedes to bypass the earthen fortifications and redoubts built the day before and equipped with cannons, from where they were fired upon by infantrymen and artillerymen. After this, Peter led the main forces of the army out of the camp to meet the Swedes. The critical moment of the battle had arrived. The troops met, and in a hand-to-hand clash the Swedes could not withstand the onslaught of the Russians and fled from the battlefield. The cavalry under the command of A.D. Menshikov, as well as the artillerymen of J. Bruce, acted brilliantly in the battle. After celebrating the victory and a short rest, the dragoon regiments under the command of Menshikov and General Prince M. M. Golitsyn rushed in pursuit of the Swedes retreating to the south. Russian cavalry numbering 10 thousand horsemen overtook the Swedes at Perevolochna, at the crossing of the wide Dnieper. Karl and his entourage, as well as about 1,300 soldiers, managed to move to the right bank. All the remaining troops, and this is more than 16 thousand people (!), were so tired of the battle and demoralized by the rapid flight across the steppe that they did not offer any resistance and surrendered to the Russian troops. 142 banners and standards lay at the feet of the victors, and almost all the outstanding generals of the Swedish army gave up their swords. It is still unclear how so strong army Carla suffered such a crushing defeat. However, the Swedes subsequently consoled themselves with the fact that it was on the field near Poltava that the era when Sweden, straining its strength, laid claim to world domination, ended. From that moment on, this dubious palm passed to the winner of the Swedish king. But we can also take comfort in the famous comparison of a loser with “the Swede who burned near Poltava.”
The Battle of Poltava marked a turning point in the course of the war. It became a difficult test for Peter. After the battle, the king even became seriously ill from nervous tension, but as soon as he recovered, he began to quickly reap a bountiful military-strategic harvest from the Poltava field. The Russian army moved to Poland. Stanislav Leszczynski was driven from the throne, and Augustus II became king again. But after the betrayal of 1706, Peter no longer had the same feelings for his, as he wrote earlier, “brother in truth, and not in name.”
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