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

The main result Northern War, which lasted 21 years, was the transformation of Russia into a great power in Europe - Russian Empire.
But victory in the Northern War came at a high price. For a long time, Russia fought alone against the troops Charles XII, who was called the Swedish Alexander the Great for his talent as a commander. Fighting long time were carried out on our territory. In this war, Russia learned both the bitterness of defeat and the joy of victory. Therefore, the results of this war are assessed differently.

Some clarifications

The war is called Northern (and not Russian-Swedish), because other countries also took part in it: on the Russian side - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as well as to a lesser extent Saxony, the Danish-Norwegian Union, Prussia, Moldova, the Zaporozhye Army, the Electorate of Hanover. On different stages England and Holland took part in the war on the side of Russia, but in reality they did not want the defeat of Sweden and the strengthening of Russia in the Baltic. Their task was to weaken Sweden in order to get rid of the middleman. On the side of Sweden - Ottoman Empire, Crimean Khanate, to a lesser extent the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Zaporozhian Army, Zaporozhian Army of the Lower, Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp.

Causes of the Northern War

There is no consensus here either. Some historians believe that by the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century, the Swedish Empire was the dominant power on the Baltic Sea and one of the leading European powers. The country's territory included a significant part of the Baltic coast: the entire coast of the Gulf of Finland, the modern Baltic states, and part of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. In 1697, Sweden was led by fifteen-year-old Charles XII, and the monarch's young age gave Sweden's neighbors - the Danish-Norwegian Kingdom, Saxony and the Muscovite State - a reason to count on an easy victory and realize their territorial claims to Sweden. These three states formed the Northern Alliance, initiated by the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland Augustus II, who wanted to subjugate Livonia (Livonia), which was part of Sweden, which would allow him to strengthen his power in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Livonia fell into Swedish hands at the Treaty of Oliva in 1660. Denmark came into conflict with Sweden as a result of a long-standing rivalry for dominance in the Baltic Sea. Peter I was the last to join the Northern Alliance after negotiations with Augustus, which was formalized by the Treaty of Preobrazhensky.

For the Moscow state, gaining access to the Baltic Sea was an important economic task. By the beginning of the Northern War, the only port providing trade relations with Europe was Arkhangelsk on the White Sea. But navigation there was irregular and very difficult, making trade difficult.

In addition to these reasons, historians note two more circumstances that contributed to Russia’s participation in the Northern War: Peter I was fond of navigation and shipbuilding - he was interested in access to the Baltic Sea, and the insult (cold reception) he received from the Swedes during a reception in Riga. In addition, the Moscow state ended the war with Turkey.

Other historians claim that the initiator of the war with Sweden was the Polish king Augustus II, who sought to take Livonia from Sweden; for help, he promised to return to Russia the lands of Ingermanladia and Karelia that previously belonged to it.

Russia began the Northern War as part of the so-called Northern Alliance (Russia, Denmark, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Saxony), but after the outbreak of hostilities the alliance disintegrated and was restored only in 1709, when the heavy defeats of the Russian army were already over, and the Swedish king first proposed Peter I to make peace.

Beginning of the war

So, Peter I made peace with Turkey and moved to Narva, declaring war on Sweden. Already from the first days of the war, serious shortcomings were revealed in the military training and material support of the Russian army. Siege artillery was outdated and could not destroy the powerful walls of Narva. The Russian army experienced interruptions in the supply of ammunition and food. The siege of Narva dragged on. Meanwhile, Charles XII, having transferred his army to the Baltic states, went to the aid of besieged Narva.

On November 19, 1700, Charles XII, at the head of a small army (about 8,500 people), appeared in front of the Russian camp. The Russian army, numerically superior to Charles's detachment, at least five times, stretched out near Narva on a circumference of about seven miles, so that at all points it was weaker than the enemy, who had the opportunity to attack from where he wanted. With a concentrated blow, the Swedes broke through the center of the Russian army's defense and broke into the fortified camp, cutting the Russian army into two parts. Control of the troops was lost at the beginning of the battle, as most of the foreign officers surrendered. As a result, the Russian troops suffered significant losses and, leaving all the artillery and a large number of small arms and equipment, retreated to the right bank of the Narva.

N. Sauerweid "Peter I pacifies his soldiers after the capture of Narva"

But on June 25, 1701, a battle took place near Arkhangelsk between 4 Swedish ships and a detachment of Russian boats under the command of officer Zhivotovsky. Swedish ships were captured. And in the campaigns of 1701 - 1703. The partially rearmed and reorganized Russian army liberated a significant part of the Eastern Baltic from the Swedes.

After a ten-day continuous cannonade and a thirteen-hour battle, Russian troops captured Noteburg on October 11, 1702. To commemorate the victory, Peter I ordered the rename of Noteburg to Shlisselburg - “key city”. And the best craftsmen cast a special medal in honor of this event.

Of course, it is not possible to describe in detail all the victories and defeats of Russia in the Northern War within the framework of a short article. Therefore, we will dwell only on some of them.

Battle at the mouth of the Neva

Peter I ordered thirty simple fishing boats to be equipped and two companies of soldiers from the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments to be placed in them. On the night of May 6-7, 1702, under cover of darkness, taking advantage of rainy weather and fog, Peter I with two detachments of soldiers embarked on 30 boats attacked the Swedish 10-gun galliot "Gedan" and the 8-gun shnyava "Astrild". The boats approached the mouth of the Neva and, according to a conventional sign, attacked the ships from both sides. The soldiers under the command of Peter I and his associate A.D. Menshikov rushed to board. The fight was brutal, but successful. Both Swedish ships became battle trophies of Russian soldiers. Taken by surprise, the Swedes opened hurricane cannon and rifle fire, but, surrounded on all sides by Russian ships, after a stubborn boarding battle they were forced to lower the flag and surrender. In honor of the first victory over the Swedes on the water, all participants in the battle received commemorative medals with the inscription: “The unthinkable can happen.” This day - May 7, 1703 - became birthday of the Baltic Fleet. Aware of the decisive role of the fleet in the struggle for Russia's access to the seas, Peter I, immediately after the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703, simultaneously with the construction of fortifications and city buildings, began the construction of a shipyard - the Admiralty - in the center of the new city.

I. Rodionov "Construction of the Admiralty"

Charles XII in Russia

From December 1708 to January 1709 Swedish troops under the command of Charles XII besieged the Russian fortress of Veprik, which was taken in January 1709. On January 27, 1708, Swedish troops under the command of King Charles XII took Grodno. This battle actually began the campaign of the Swedish army against Russia (1708-1709). At the beginning of June 1708, the army of Charles XII moved from the Minsk region to the Berezina. The strategic plan of the Swedish king was to defeat the main forces of the Russians in a border battle, and then capture Moscow with a swift throw along the Smolensk-Vyazma line. In the battles in the Smolensk direction, the Swedish army, having used up a significant part of the ammunition and suffered heavy losses in manpower, exhausted its offensive capabilities. At the military council in Starishi, the generals recommended that the king abandon further attempts to break through to Smolensk on the eve of the autumn thaw and retreat to Ukraine for the winter. In October 1707, Charles entered into a secret agreement with Mazepa, according to which he undertook to place at the disposal of the Swedish king a 20,000-strong Cossack corps and operational bases in Starodub, Novgorod-Seversky, as well as provide the Swedish army with provisions and ammunition.

Victory at Lesnaya

On September 13, 1706, the separate Peace of Altranstedt was concluded between Augustus II and Charles XII, and Russia, having lost its last ally, was left alone with Sweden.

On October 9, 1708, the corvolant (a flying corps organized by Peter I) overtook the Swedes near the village of Lesnaya and completely defeated them. From his 16,000-strong corps, Levenhaupt brought only 5,000 demoralized soldiers to Karl, having lost the entire convoy and all the artillery. The victory at Lesnaya was extremely important militarily, preparing the conditions for a new, more majestic success of Russian weapons near Poltava, as well as enormous moral and psychological significance.

The turning point of the war. Battle of Poltava

In June 1708, the army of Charles XII crossed the Berezina and approached the Russian border; further fighting were carried out on the territory of modern Belarus and Ukraine .

Having been defeated by Russian troops on the soil of Belarus, Charles XII entered the territory of Ukraine, and in April 1709, a 35,000-strong Swedish army besieged the Poltava fortress. The defeat of the Russians near Poltava could have ended general defeat in the Northern War, the Swedish protectorate over Ukraine and the dismemberment of Russia into separate principalities, which is what Charles XII ultimately sought. The situation was complicated by the betrayal of Hetman I. S. Mazepa, who in October 1708 openly sided with Sweden against Russia.

The persistent Poltava garrison (6 thousand soldiers and armed citizens), led by Colonel A. S. Kelin, refused the Swedes’ demand to surrender. The battles for the fortress were fierce. At the end of May, the main Russian forces, led by Peter I, approached Poltava. The Swedes from besiegers turned into besieged and found themselves surrounded by Russian troops. In the rear of the Swedish army there were detachments of Cossacks under the command of Prince V.V. Dolgoruky and Hetman I.I. Skoropadsky, elected after Mazepa’s betrayal, and opposite stood the army of Peter I.

Charles XII made the last desperate attempt to take Poltava on June 21-22, 1709, but the defenders of the fortress courageously repelled this attack. During the assault, the Swedes wasted all their gun ammunition and actually lost their artillery. The heroic defense of Poltava exhausted the resources of the Swedish army. She did not allow him to seize the strategic initiative, giving the Russian army required time to prepare for a new battle.

On June 16, a military council was held near Poltava. On it, Peter I decided to give the Swedes a general battle. On June 20, the main forces of the Russian army (42 thousand soldiers, 72 guns) crossed to the right bank of the Vorskla River, and on June 25 the army was located five kilometers north of Poltava, in a position near the village of Yakovtsy. The field in front of the camp, flanked by dense forest and bushes, was fortified by a system of field engineering structures. They built 10 redoubts, which were occupied by two infantry battalions. Behind the redoubts there were 17 cavalry regiments under the command of A.D. Menshikov.

D. Martin " Battle of Poltava"

The famous Battle of Poltava took place on June 27, 1709. She dispelled the aggressive plans of the Swedish king Charles XII. The remnants of the Swedish troops retreated to Perevolochna on the banks of the Dnieper, where they were overtaken Russian army and on June 30 laid down their arms. The Swedes lost a total of more than 9 thousand people killed, over 18 thousand prisoners, 32 guns, banners, kettledrums and the entire convoy. The losses of Russian troops amounted to 1,345 killed and 3,290 wounded. Only Charles XII and the former hetman of Ukraine Mazepa with a detachment of about 2,000 people managed to cross the Dnieper.

G. Söderström "Mazepa and Charles XII after the Battle of Poltava"

Then from joyful Poltava
The sound of Russian victory thundered,
Then Peter's glory could not
The limit is to accommodate universes!
M. V. Lomonosov

The Poltava victory predetermined the victorious outcome of the Northern War for Russia. Sweden was no longer able to recover from the defeat it suffered.

On June 13, 1710, after the siege, Vyborg surrendered to Peter I. The capture of Vyborg ensured the security of St. Petersburg, and the Russians gained an even stronger foothold on the Baltic Sea.

At the beginning of January 1711, Turkey opened military operations against Russia, which ended in the political defeat of Russia. After the signing of the peace treaty, Azov was returned to Turkey.

The Gangut victory gave the whole of Finland into the hands of Peter. This was the first serious Russian victory at sea, proving the military experience and knowledge of their craft of Russian sailors. This victory was celebrated as magnificently as the Poltava one.

G. Cederström "Funeral procession with the body of Charles XII"

The year 1716, which, according to Peter, was supposed to be the last year of the Northern War, did not live up to these hopes. The war dragged on for another five years. On the night of November 30 to December 1, 1718, Charles XII was killed under mysterious circumstances under the walls of the Danish fortress Friedrichsgal in Norway. The death of Charles XII led to a sharp change in Sweden's foreign policy; circles that opposed the peace treaty with Russia came to power. A supporter of Russian-Swedish rapprochement, Baron Hertz was immediately arrested, tried and executed.

On July 27, 1720, the Russian fleet won a brilliant victory at Grenham over a detachment of Swedish frigates, capturing 4 ships, 104 guns and capturing 467 sailors and soldiers.

In April 1721, a peace congress opened in Nystadt (Finland), which ended with the signing of a peace treaty between Russia and Sweden on August 30, 1721 on the terms proposed by the Russian government.

According to the Treaty of Nystad, the entire eastern coast of the Baltic Sea from Vyborg to Riga, the islands of Ezel, Dago and Men, as well as part of Karelia, passed to Russia. Finland returned to Sweden. Russia pledged to pay Sweden 2 million rubles in silver as compensation for the acquired territories.

The Northern War of 1700-1721 is one of the main heroic villages in the history of Russia. The results of this war allowed our country to become one of the largest maritime powers and become one of the most powerful countries in the world.

At the celebrations on the occasion of the signing of the Peace of Nystadt, it was proclaimed that Peter I, for his services to the Motherland, would henceforth be called the Father of the Fatherland, Peter the Great, Emperor of All Russia.

However, victory in the Northern War came at a high price. The result of the war was the following human losses: from Russia - 75 thousand killed, from Poland and Saxony - from 14 to 20 thousand killed, from the Danes - 8 thousand, and Swedish losses were the largest - 175 thousand killed.

An exchange of prisoners of war was carried out, and all “criminals” and defectors” on both sides received a complete amnesty. The only exceptions were the Cossacks, who went over to the enemy’s side along with the traitor hetman Ivan Mazepa. As a result of the war, Sweden not only lost its status as a world power, vast lands and a lot of money (for example, the Swedes had to pay an indemnity to the Danes under the peace treaty of July 14, 1720), but even its king. Thus, as a result of the Northern War, Russia received lands on the shores of the Baltic Sea, which was very important for Peter the Great, who dreamed of making his country a maritime power.

However, the Nystad Peace Treaty only secured and legally formalized the Baltic sea coast for us. During the war with Sweden, other goals were achieved: the empire built a large port city, which later became the capital - St. Petersburg, renamed St. Petersburg in 1720. In addition, in the years 1700-1721, the Russian Navy(it developed especially actively after 1712). Access to the Baltic also led to positive economic results: Russia established maritime trade with Europe.

Another opinion

The results of the war are ambiguous, but many note huge economic and demographic losses. As historians point out - The Northern War became the real ruin of Russia. Already by 1710, the population of Russia had decreased by 20%, and in the territories adjacent to the theaters of military operations, by 40%. Taxes increased 3.5 times. Peasants were turned into slaves, whose forced labor became the key to cheap production. Many historians negatively assess the activities of Peter I, including sharply critical assessments expressed by N.M. Karamzin and V.O. Klyuchevsky, noting that a 20-year war was not required to defeat Sweden.

1 . Sweden did not cede the territories annexed to Russia, but sold them to Russia for huge amounts of money, which placed a heavy additional burden on the country.

2 . After the Northern War, the Russian army fell into complete decline, and the fleet turned out to be of poor quality and quickly rotted after the death of Peter I (1725).

3 . Access to the sea contributed to the prosperity not of Russia, but of Europe, which exported from Russia for next to nothing. Natural resources, increasing trade turnover 10 times.

North War
	Eastern, Central Europe
	Victory of the anti-Swedish coalition
Territorial changes:	Nystadt Peace
Opponents
Ottoman Empire (1710-1713)	Zaporozhian Army (in 1700-1708 and 1709-1721)
Crimean Khanate (in 1710-1713)	Moldavia (in 1710-1713)
Rzeczpospolita (in 1705-1709)
Zaporozhian Army (in 1708-1709)
	Prussia Hanover
Commanders
	Peter I the Great
	A. D. Menshikov
Devlet II Giray
Ivan Mazepa (in 1708-1709)	Frederick IV
Kost Gordienko	Ivan Mazepa (in 1700-1708)
	Ivan Skoropadsky (in 1709-1721)
Strengths of the parties
Sweden - 77,000-135,000 Ottoman Empire - 100,000-200,000	Russia - 170,000 Denmark - 40,000 Poland and Saxony - 170,000
Military losses
Sweden - 175,000	Russia - 30,000 killed, 90,000 wounded and shell-shocked Denmark - 8,000 killed Poland and Saxony - 14,000-20,000

North War(1700-1721) - the war between the Russian kingdom and Sweden for dominance in the Baltic, also known as Great Northern War. Initially, Russia entered the war in a coalition with the Danish-Norwegian kingdom and Saxony - as part of the so-called Northern Union, but after the outbreak of hostilities the alliance fell apart and was restored in 1709. At different stages the war also took part: on the Russian side - England (from 1707 Great Britain), Hanover, Holland, Prussia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; Hannover is on the Swedish side. The war ended with the defeat of Sweden in 1721 with the signing of the Treaty of Nystadt.

Causes of the war

By 1700, Sweden was the dominant power on the Baltic Sea and one of the leading European powers. The country's territory included a significant part of the Baltic coast: the entire coast of the Gulf of Finland, the modern Baltic states, and part of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. Each of the countries of the Northern Alliance had its own motives for entering the war with Sweden.

For Russia, gaining access to the Baltic Sea was the most important foreign policy and economic task during this period. In 1617, according to the Stolbovo Peace Treaty, Russia was forced to cede to Sweden the territory from Ivangorod to Lake Ladoga and, thus, completely lost the Baltic coast. During the war of 1656-1658, part of the territory in the Baltic states was returned. Nyenskans, Noteburg and Dinaburg were captured; Riga is besieged. However, the resumption of the war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth forced Russia to sign the Treaty of Kardis and return all conquered lands to Sweden.

Denmark was pushed into conflict with Sweden by long-standing rivalry for dominance in the Baltic Sea. In 1658, Charles X Gustav defeated the Danes during a campaign in Jutland and Zealand and seized part of the provinces in the south of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Denmark has refused to collect duties for ships passing through the Sound Strait. In addition, the two countries competed intensely for influence over Denmark's southern neighbor, the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein.

Saxony's entry into the union was explained by the obligation of Augustus II to return Livonia to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth if he was elected king of Poland. This province fell into Swedish hands under the Treaty of Oliva in 1660.

The coalition was initially formalized by a 1699 treaty between Russia and Denmark, with Russia committing to enter the war only after peace had been concluded with the Ottoman Empire. In the fall of the same year, representatives of Augustus II joined the negotiations, concluding the Preobrazhensky Treaty with Russia.

Beginning of the war

The beginning of the war is characterized by a continuous series of Swedish victories. On February 12, 1700, Saxon troops besieged Riga, but were unsuccessful. In August of that year, the Danish king Frederick IV launched an invasion of the Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp in the south of the country. However, the troops of the 18-year-old Swedish king Charles XII unexpectedly landed near Copenhagen. Denmark was forced to conclude the Treaty of Travendal on August 7 (18) and renounce the alliance with Augustus II (the alliance with Peter was not yet known at that time, since Russia had not begun hostilities).

On August 18, Peter received news of the conclusion of the Constantinople Peace Treaty with the Turks and on August 19 (30), also not yet knowing about Denmark’s withdrawal from the war, he declared war on Sweden under the pretext of revenge for the insult shown to Tsar Peter in Riga. On August 22, he marched with troops from Moscow to Narva.

Meanwhile, Augustus II, having learned about Denmark's imminent exit from the war, lifted the siege of Riga and retreated to Courland. Charles XII transferred his troops by sea to Pernov (Pärnu), landing there on October 6 and headed towards Narva, besieged by Russian troops. On November 19 (30), 1700, the troops of Charles XII inflicted a heavy defeat on the Russians in the Battle of Narva. After this defeat, for several years in Europe, the opinion about the complete incapacity of the Russian army was established, and Charles received the nickname of the Swedish “Alexander the Great.”

The Swedish king decided not to continue active military operations against the Russian army, but to deliver the main blow to the troops of Augustus II. Historians disagree on whether this decision of the Swedish king was due to objective reasons (the inability to continue the offensive, leaving the Saxon army in the rear) or personal hostility towards Augustus and disdain for Peter’s troops.

Swedish troops invaded Polish territory and inflicted several major defeats on the Saxon army. In 1701 Warsaw was taken, in 1702 victories were won near Torun and Krakow, in 1703 - near Danzig and Poznan. And on January 14, 1704, the Sejm deposed Augustus II as king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and elected the Swedish protege Stanislav Leszczynski as the new king.

Meanwhile, there were no large-scale military operations on the Russian front. This gave Peter the opportunity to regain his strength after the defeat at Narva. Already in 1702, the Russians again switched to offensive operations.

During the campaign of 1702-1703, the entire course of the Neva, guarded by two fortresses, was in the hands of the Russians: at the source of the river - the Shlisselburg fortress (Oreshek fortress), and at the mouth - St. Petersburg, founded on May 27, 1703 (in the same place, at the confluence of the Okhta River in the Neva there was the Swedish fortress of Nyenschanz, taken by Peter I, which was later dismantled for the construction of St. Petersburg). In 1704, Russian troops captured Dorpat and Narva. The assault on the fortresses clearly demonstrated the increased skill and equipment of the Russian army.

The actions of Charles XII caused discontent in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Sandomierz Conference, which met in 1704, united supporters of Augustus II and announced the non-recognition of Stanislav Leszczynski as king.

On August 19 (30), 1704, the Narva Treaty was concluded between Russia and representatives of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on an alliance against Sweden; according to this agreement, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth officially entered the war on the side of the Northern Union. Russia, together with Saxony, launched military operations on Polish territory.

In 1705, a victory was won over Leszczynski's troops near Warsaw. At the end of 1705, the main Russian forces under the command of Field Marshal Georg Ogilvy stopped for the winter in Grodno. Unexpectedly, in January 1706, Charles XII sent large forces in this direction. The allies expected to fight after the arrival of Saxon reinforcements. But on February 2 (13), 1706, the Swedes inflicted a crushing defeat on the Saxon army at the Battle of Fraustadt, defeating three times the enemy forces. Left without hope of reinforcements, the Russian army was forced to retreat in the direction of Kyiv. Due to the spring thaw, the Swedish army was stuck in the Pinsk swamps and the king abandoned the pursuit of Ogilvy's army.

Instead, he threw his forces into the destruction of cities and fortresses where Polish and Cossack garrisons were located. In Lyakhovichi, the Swedes locked up a detachment of Pereyaslavl Colonel Ivan Mirovich. In April 1706, by order "Zaporozhian troops of both sides of the Dnieper hetman and the glorious rank of the holy Apostle Andrew Cavalier" Ivan Mazepa sent the regiment of Semyon Neplyuev to the Lyakhovichi to rescue Mirovich, which was supposed to unite with the Mirgorod regiment of the Zaporozhye Army, Colonel Daniil Apostol.

As a result of the battle at Kletsk, the Cossack cavalry, succumbing to panic, trampled Neplyuev’s infantry. As a result, the Swedes were able to defeat the Russian-Cossack troops. On May 1, Lyakhovichi surrendered to the Swedes.

But Charles again did not follow Peter’s troops, but, having devastated Polesie, in July 1706 deployed his army against the Saxons. This time the Swedes invaded the territory of Saxony itself. On September 24 (October 5), 1706, Augustus II secretly concluded a peace agreement with Sweden. According to the agreement, he renounced the Polish throne in favor of Stanislav Leszczynski, broke the alliance with Russia and pledged to pay an indemnity for the maintenance of the Swedish army.

However, not daring to announce betrayal in the presence of the Russian army under the command of Menshikov, Augustus II was forced with his troops to participate in the Battle of Kalisz on October 18 (29), 1706. The battle ended with the complete victory of the Russian army and the capture of the Swedish commander. This battle was the largest involving the Russian army since the beginning of the war. But despite the brilliant victory, Russia was left alone in the war with Sweden.

Invasion of Russia

During 1707, the Swedish army was in Saxony. During this time, Charles XII managed to make up for losses and significantly strengthen his troops. At the beginning of 1708, the Swedes moved towards Smolensk. It is generally accepted that they initially planned the main attack in the direction of Moscow. The position of the Russians was complicated by the fact that Peter I did not know the enemy’s plans and the direction of his movement.

On July 3 (14), 1708, Karl won the Battle of Golovchin over Russian troops under the command of General Repnin. This battle was the last major success of the Swedish army.

Further advance of the Swedish army slowed down. Through the efforts of Peter I, the Swedes had to move through devastated terrain, experiencing an acute shortage of provisions. By the autumn of 1708, Charles XII was forced to turn south towards Ukraine.

On September 28 (October 9), 1708, in the battle near the village of Lesnoy, the troops of Peter I defeated Levenhaupt’s corps, moving from Riga to join Charles’s main army. This was not just a victory over selected Swedish troops - for the first time a victory was won over superior enemy forces. Tsar Peter called her the mother of the Poltava Victoria. Pyotr Alekseevich personally commanded one of the two columns of the “flying” corps of the Russian army - the corvolant. Under his command were the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments, a battalion of the Astrakhan regiment and three dragoon regiments. The other column (left) was commanded by General A.D. Menshikov. The enemy corps was overtaken near the village of Lesnoy. The Swedish military leader had to take on the battle, which began with a Russian attack. Peter I, with the arrival of fresh dragoon cavalry, cut off the enemy’s road to Propoisk and intensified the pressure on the Swedes. In the evening, the battle stopped due to the onset of dusk and the onset of a blizzard, which blinded the eyes. Levengaupt had to destroy the remains of his huge convoy (most of it became Russian booty), and his corps, pursued by the Russian cavalry, managed to reach the royal camp.

The total losses of the Swedes amounted to 8.5 thousand killed and wounded, 45 officers and 700 soldiers were captured. The trophies of the Russian army were 17 guns, 44 banners and about 3 thousand carts with provisions and ammunition. General Levenhaupt was able to bring only about 6 thousand demoralized soldiers to the king.

In October 1708, it became known that Hetman Ivan Mazepa had switched to the side of Sweden, who was in correspondence with Charles XII and promised him, if he arrived in Ukraine, 50 thousand Cossack troops, food and a comfortable winter quarters. On October 28, 1708, Mazepa, at the head of a detachment of Cossacks, arrived at Charles’s headquarters.

Of the many thousands of Ukrainian Cossacks, Mazepa managed to bring only about 5 thousand people. But they soon began to flee from the camp of the Swedish army. King Charles XII did not dare to use such unreliable allies, of which there were about 2 thousand, in the battle of Poltava.

In November 1708, at the All-Ukrainian Rada in the city of Glukhov, a new hetman was elected - Starodub colonel I. S. Skoropadsky.

Despite the fact that the Swedish army suffered greatly during cold winter 1708-1709 (the coldest in Europe in the last 500 years), Charles XII was eager for a general battle. It happened on June 27 (July 8), 1709 near Poltava, which was besieged by the Swedes.

The Russian army had a numerical advantage in manpower and artillery. After personal reconnaissance of the area, Peter I ordered the construction of a line of six redoubts across the field, at a distance of a rifle shot from each other. Then the construction of four more began perpendicular to their front (two earthen redoubts were not completed by the start of the battle). Now, in any case, the Swedish army had to move under enemy fire during the attack. The redoubts constituted the advanced position of the Russian army, which was a new word in the history of military art and a complete surprise for the Swedes.

The redoubts housed two battalions of soldiers and grenadiers. Behind the redoubts stood 17 regiments of dragoon cavalry under the command of A.D. Menshikov. Behind them were the infantry and field artillery. At 3 o'clock in the morning there was a clash between the Russian and Swedish cavalry, and two hours later the latter was overturned. The advancing Swedish troops ran into transverse redoubts, which they did not know about, and suffered heavy losses. The Swedish infantry tried to break through the line of redoubts, but managed to capture only two of them.

The 20,000-strong Swedish army (about 10,000 more people, including the Mazeppians - Serdyuks and Cossacks - remained in the siege camp to guard it), advanced with 4 columns of infantry and 6 columns of cavalry. The plan conceived by Peter I was a success - two Swedish right-flank columns of generals Ross and Schlippenbach, when breaking through the line of redoubts, were cut off from the main forces and were destroyed by the Russians in the Poltava Forest.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, Tsar Peter I lined up the Russian army in front of the camp in two lines: infantry in the center, dragoon cavalry on the flanks. Field artillery was in the first line. 9 infantry battalions remained in the camp as a reserve. Before the decisive battle, the Russian sovereign addressed his soldiers with the words:

The Swedish army also adopted a linear battle formation and launched an attack at 9 a.m. In a fierce hand-to-hand fight, the Swedes managed to push back the Russian center, but at that moment Peter I personally led the second battalion of the Novgorod regiment into a counterattack and restored the situation. During this battle, one Swedish bullet pierced his hat, another got stuck in the saddle, and the third, hitting his chest, was flattened on his pectoral cross.

Menshikov's cavalry was the first to engage in battle with the advancing royal army on the line of redoubts. When Charles XII decided to bypass the redoubts from the north along the edge of the Budishchensky forest, he was met here again by Menshikov, who managed to transfer his cavalry here. In a fierce battle, Russian dragoons “slashed with broadswords and, having driven into the enemy line, took 14 standards and banners.”

After this, Peter I, who commanded the Russian army in the battle, ordered Menshikov to take 5 cavalry regiments and 5 infantry battalions and attack the Swedish troops, who were separated from their main forces on the battlefield. He brilliantly coped with the task: General Schlippenbach's cavalry ceased to exist, and he himself was captured.

The Russian dragoon cavalry began to go around the flanks of the royal army, and the Swedish infantry, seeing this, wavered. Then Peter I ordered a signal for a general attack. Under the onslaught of the Russians, who were advancing with bayonets, the Swedish troops fled. Charles XII tried in vain to stop his soldiers; no one listened to him. The runners were pursued all the way to the Budishchensky forest. By 11 o'clock the Battle of Poltava ended with the complete defeat of the Swedish army. The Battle of Poltava was of great importance for the establishment of Russia as a strong power. The country has forever secured access to the Baltic Sea. The European powers, which had hitherto despised Russia, now had to reckon with her and treat her as an equal.

After the defeat near Poltava, the Swedish army fled to Perevolochna, a place at the confluence of the Vorskla and the Dnieper. But it turned out to be impossible to transport the army across the Dnieper. Then Charles XII entrusted the remnants of his army to Levengaupt and, together with Mazepa, fled to Ochakov.

On June 30 (July 11), 1709, the demoralized Swedish army was surrounded by troops under the command of Menshikov and capitulated. Charles XII took refuge in the Ottoman Empire, where he tried to convince Sultan Ahmed III to start a war against Russia.

In the history of the Northern War, General Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov has the honor of accepting the surrender of the Royal Swedish Army defeated near Poltava. On the banks of the Dnieper near Perevolochna, 16,947 demoralized enemy soldiers and officers, led by General Levengaupt, surrendered to the Russian 9,000-strong detachment. The trophies of the winners were 28 guns, 127 banners and standards, and the entire royal treasury.

For his participation in the Battle of Poltava, Emperor Peter I awarded Menshikov, one of the heroes of the defeat of the Royal Swedish Army, with the rank of Field Marshal. Before this, only one B.P. Sheremetev had such a rank in the Russian army.

The Poltava victory was achieved with “little blood.” The losses of the Russian army on the battlefield amounted to only 1,345 people killed and 3,290 wounded, while the Swedes lost 9,234 people killed and 18,794 prisoners (including those captured at Perevolochna). Tested on hikes Northern Europe The Royal Swedish Army ceased to exist.

Military operations in 1710-1718

After the victory at Poltava, Peter managed to restore the Northern Alliance. On October 9, 1709, a new alliance treaty with Saxony was signed in Toruń. And on October 11, a new alliance treaty was concluded with Denmark, according to which it undertook to declare war on Sweden, and Russia - to begin military operations in the Baltic states and Finland.

During the military campaign of 1710, the Russian army managed to take seven Baltic fortresses (Vyborg, Elbing, Riga, Dünamünde, Pernov, Kexholm, Revel) with little loss of life. Russia completely occupied Estonia and Livonia.

At the end of 1710, Peter received a message about the preparation of the Turkish army for war with Russia. At the beginning of 1711, he declared war on the Ottoman Empire and began the Prut campaign. The campaign ended in complete failure. Peter, by his own admission, barely escaped capture and the defeat of his army. Russia ceded Azov to Turkey, destroyed Taganrog and ships on the Black Sea. However, the Ottoman Empire did not enter the war on the side of Sweden.

In 1712, the actions of the partners in the Northern Alliance were aimed at conquering Pomerania, a Swedish possession on the southern coast of the Baltic in northern Germany. But due to disagreements between the allies, significant successes were not achieved. According to Peter I, “ the campaign was in vain».

On December 10, 1712, the Swedes under the command of Field Marshal Stenbock inflicted a major defeat on the Danish-Saxon troops at the Battle of Gadebusch. The Russian army under the command of Menshikov did not have time to come to the aid of the allies.

In 1712-1713, the creation of a fleet in the Baltic, which began immediately after the founding of St. Petersburg, noticeably intensified. Peter I not only actively builds, but also instructs his agents in London and Amsterdam (Saltykov and Prince Kurakin) to buy warships. In 1712 alone, 10 ships were acquired.

On September 18, 1713, Stetin capitulated. Menshikov concludes a peace treaty with Prussia. In exchange for neutrality and monetary compensation Prussia receives Stetin, Pomerania is divided between Prussia and Holstein (an ally of Saxony).

In the same year, 1713, the Russians began the Finnish campaign, in which the Russian fleet began to play a major role for the first time. On May 10, after shelling from the sea, Helsingfors surrendered. Then Breg was taken without a fight. On August 28, a landing force under the command of Apraksin occupied the capital of Finland - Abo. And on July 26-27 (August 6-7), 1714, in the Battle of Gangut, the Russian fleet won its first major victory at sea. On land, Russian troops under the command of Prince M.M. Golitsyn defeated the Swedes near the river. Pyalkane (1713), and then under the village. Lappola (1714).

Expelled from the Ottoman Empire, Charles XII returned to Sweden in 1714 and focused on the war in Pomerania. Stralsund becomes the center of military operations.

On May 1, 1715, in response to the demand for the return of Stetin and other territories, Prussia declared war on Sweden. The Danish fleet wins the battle at Ferman and then at Bulka. Admiral General Wahmeister is captured, and the Danes capture 6 Swedish ships. After this, Prussia and Hanover, having captured the Swedish possessions of Bremen and Verden, conclude an alliance treaty with Denmark. On December 23, Stralsund capitulates.

In 1716, the famous campaign of the united fleets of England, Denmark, Holland and Russia took place under the command of Peter I, the purpose of which was to stop Swedish privateering in the Baltic Sea.

In the same year, 1716, Charles XII invaded Norway. On March 25, Christiania was taken, but the assault on the border fortresses of Fredrikshald and Fredriksten failed. When Charles XII was killed in 1718, the Swedes were forced to retreat. Clashes between the Danes and Swedes on the border with Norway continued until 1720.

Final period of the war (1718-1721)

In May 1718, the Åland Congress opened, designed to work out the terms of a peace treaty between Russia and Sweden. However, the Swedes delayed the negotiations in every possible way. This was facilitated by the position of other European powers: Denmark, fearing the conclusion of a separate peace between Sweden and Russia, and England, whose king George I was also the ruler of Hanover.

On November 30, 1718, Charles XII was killed during the siege of Fredrikshald. His sister, Ulrika Eleonora, ascended the Swedish throne. England's position at the Swedish court strengthened.

In July 1719, the Russian fleet under the command of Apraksin carried out landings in the Stockholm area and raids on the suburbs of the Swedish capital.

On November 9, 1719, Sweden signed a treaty of alliance with England and Hanover. Bremen and Ferden were ceded to the latter. Norris's English squadron entered the Baltic Sea with the order to destroy the Russian fleet.

Throughout 1720, the Swedes signed peace treaties with their opponents in Stockholm:

• On January 7, 1720, peace was concluded with Saxony and Poland.
• On February 1, 1720, Sweden made peace with Prussia and finally ceded its possessions in Pomerania.
• On July 14, 1720, the Swedes made peace with Denmark, which received small territories in Schleswig-Holstein, monetary indemnity and resumed collecting duties from Swedish ships for passage through the Sound Strait.

However, in 1720, the raid on the Swedish coast was repeated in the Mangden area, and on July 27, 1720, a victory was won over the Swedish fleet in the battle of Grengam.

On May 8, 1721, new peace negotiations with Russia began in Nystadt. And on August 30, the Nystad Peace Treaty was signed.

Results of the war

The Great Northern War completely changed the balance of power in the Baltic.

Russia became a great power, dominating the Eastern Europe. As a result of the war, Ingria (Izhora), Karelia, Estland, Livonia (Livonia) and South part Finland (to Vyborg), St. Petersburg was founded. Russian influence was firmly established in Courland.

The key task of the reign of Peter I was solved - providing access to the sea and establishing maritime trade with Europe. By the end of the war, Russia had a modern, first-class army and a powerful fleet in the Baltic.

The losses from this war were very high.

Sweden lost its power and became a minor power. Not only the territories ceded to Russia were lost, but also all of Sweden's possessions on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea.

Memory of the war

• Samson (fountain, Peterhof)
• Sampsonievsky Cathedral in St. Petersburg
• In Riga, on the island of Lucavsala there is a monument to Russian soldiers who died heroically during the Northern War. Installed in 1891.
• On August 4, 2007, a holiday dedicated to the victories of the Russian fleet in the Northern War of 1700-1721 was held in Peterhof. It was called "The Day of Gangut and Grengam."
• In the museum in the village. Bogorodsky exhibits chess, the Northern War,
• A lion erected in Narva in memory of Swedish soldiers from the Northern War
• Monument of Glory in honor of the victory over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava in 1709.

The sculptural group “Peace and Victory” (Summer Garden St. Petersburg), installed in front of the southern facade of the Summer Palace, symbolizes Russia’s victory over Sweden in the Northern War and is an allegorical image of the Peace of Nystadt.

After the Battle of Krasny Kut on February 22, 1709, when Charles XII almost died or was captured (but before the Battle of Poltava), the Swedish king for the first time agreed to discuss the possibility of peace with Peter the Great. The negotiations did not end in anything, since Karl not only did not want to give up St. Petersburg, but also demanded an indemnity. After the completion of the negotiations, the Swedish representative conveyed Karl’s personal request to the Russians: “his troops cannot provide themselves with provisions, many soldiers are sick, and the Allied Poles are asking prohibitively high prices for supplies, and therefore he would be grateful if the Russians found an opportunity to sell to Swedish foragers grain, wine and necessary medicines, as well as as much gunpowder and lead as possible, but at a reasonable, moderate price.” (!) The Russian Tsar, naturally, did not arm the enemy, but fed and gave him something to drink: he immediately sent the Swedes three free convoys of grain, a convoy of wine and “three carts of various pharmacies, ... in the name of human condolences to the sick and the Lord’s alms.”

Transformations in Russia continued under Peter I (ruled 1689-1725). The need for them was dictated mainly by external conditions. By the time Peter I ascended the throne, Russia was involved in another war with Turkey, in which Austria, Poland, Venice and the state of the Order of Malta became its allies. In 1696, the Russian army took the strongest Turkish fortress of Azov.

Russia could not count on a successful continuation of the war with Turkey without allies, whose attention was diverted by another major conflict between the leading European powers - England, France, Austria and Spain (it resulted in the War of the Spanish Succession of 1700-1715). In 1700, peace was concluded between Russia and Turkey.

Inspired by the Azov victory over the Ottoman Empire, Peter I decided to oppose Sweden, providing Russia with access to the Baltic Sea and trade routes.

Sweden was the strongest power in Northern Europe; it controlled all the major ports on the Baltic Sea. The anti-Swedish coalition included Russia, Denmark, Saxony and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (King August l l of Saxony was also the King of Poland). The Northern War (1700-1721) began.

Despite the relatively small population (about 3 million people). Sweden had a first-class army and a strong navy; the young Swedish king Charles XII (1697-1718), who ascended the throne at the age of 15, took the initiative into his own hands. His troops landed at Copenhagen, which forced Denmark to withdraw from the war. In the battle of Narva in 1700, Charles XII defeated the Russian army and attacked Poland. Having occupied Warsaw, Krakow, Torun, the Swedish king achieved the deposition of August l l from the Polish throne, and in 1706 Saxony made peace with the Swedes.

The first of Peter's reforms, begun after Narva, were associated with the reorganization of the army. He disbanded the rifle regiments and introduced a recruiting system that lasted until 1874. Under it, from 20 households (later from the number of males) young people were annually called up for lifelong service (25 years). This made it possible to create numerous professional army, and then the fleet, the development of which was given Special attention. The construction of military manufactories began, which made it possible to equip the army with the most modern weapons for its time.

Later, reforms of the public administration system were carried out, increasing the concentration of power in the hands of the monarch. The Boyar Duma was replaced by a new supreme governing body - the Senate. Its members were appointed by the king. Instead of orders, collegiums with a clear delineation of functions were established, and their leaders became part of the Senate. The Church lost all independence: the patriarchate was abolished, and the management of church affairs was entrusted to the Holy Synod, acting as a collegium.

The system of organizing local power also underwent reforms. The country was divided into 8 provinces (they, in turn, were divided into districts), headed by governors appointed by the tsar. They had full power locally. Subsequently, in order to avoid excessive concentration of power in the hands of governors, only military functions were left to them, the provinces were divided into provinces, and the functions of city self-government were expanded.

The taxation system was also reformed; the house tax was replaced by a poll tax. As the war required more and more funds, new taxes were introduced - for making coffins, wearing beards, fishing, etc. To control the collection of taxes and combat abuses of local power, a control and auditing institute of fiscals was created, headed by the chief fiscal, who was a member of the Senate and reported directly to the tsar.

An important measure to increase the efficiency of government institutions was the introduction in 1722. "Table of ranks." A principle was established according to which occupation of higher positions was permitted only after passing through all levels of the career ladder. It was clearly stated that the achievement of which ranks in the army, navy and civil service gives grounds for receiving the title of nobility. At the same time, on the one hand, the principle of primogeniture (inheritance of estates by eldest sons) was established; on the other hand, the serving nobility received not land, but a monetary allowance. An incentive was created to attract the younger sons of nobles, literate and educated children of townspeople to the public service, which, like the army, acquired a professional character.

The activities of Peter l and its results began to cause controversy back in the 19th century; they became especially aggravated in Russian science in the 20th century.

One point of view was that Peter's reforms brought Russia more harm than good. Its supporters, the Slavophiles of the 19th century, drew attention primarily to the fact that the first emperor of Russia sought to remake it in a European way and did not respect the customs and traditions of his country. They emphasized the tsar's cool attitude towards Orthodoxy, they did not like his desire to force the Russian nobility to wear European clothes, his willingness to trust foreign advisers and people from lower classes more than the Russian nobility.

IN Soviet period In the history of Russia, special attention was paid to the fact that the transformations carried out by Peter l were largely carried out by increasing collections and taxes from the peasantry. This became the reason for a number of large uprisings of peasants and townspeople (uprising in Astrakhan in 1705-1706, uprising on the Don under the leadership of K. Bulavin in 1707-1709). The construction of the new northern capital, St. Petersburg, was carried out literally on the bones of serfs, driven into a foggy and swampy region at the mouth of the Neva from all over Russia.

At the same time, most historians did not deny that, for all negative traits Peter's policies, the despotic inclinations that he often showed, his reforms served to strengthen the military and economic power of Russia.

Peter's reforms undoubtedly made it possible to repel the Swedes; the Russian army operated successfully in the Baltic states. The troops of Charles XIII, who invaded Russia, despite the betrayal of the Ukrainian hetman I. Mazepa (1644-1709), who went over to the side of the Swedes, were defeated near Poltava in 1709. The Swedish king fled to Turkey, which also entered the war against Russia. The campaign against Turkey was unsuccessful. Russia had to cede Azov to the Ottoman Empire, but the outcome of the war with Sweden was already predetermined.

Russia's allies in the anti-Swedish coalition resumed military operations, and Prussia joined them. After the victory of the Russian fleet in the naval battle at Cape Gangut in 1714, Swedish troops were driven out of Finland, Russian landings threatened Stockholm.

Under these conditions, the leading countries of Europe began to fear that the complete defeat of Sweden would lead to an imbalance of power on the continent. In 1721, through the mediation of France, the Peace of Nystadt was concluded, according to which part of Finland with Vyborg and the Baltic states (Livonia, Estland, Ingermanland) passed to Russia. Russia received ice-free ports on the Baltic Sea, and its European trade opportunities expanded. In 1721, Peter I was proclaimed emperor, which placed him above most European monarchs.

	Name	Winner
	First Swedish Crusade	Novgorod Republic
	Trek to the capital Sigtuna	Novgorod Republic
	Second Swedish Crusade	Novgorod Republic
	Third Swedish Crusade
	Swedish-Novgorod War	Novgorod Republic
	Fourth Swedish Crusade
	Minor border armed conflicts
	Russo-Swedish War	Grand Duchy of Moscow
	Russo-Swedish War
	Russo-Swedish War
	Russo-Swedish War
	Russo-Swedish War
	Great Northern War
	Russo-Swedish War
	Russo-Swedish War
	Finnish War

Beginning of wars with Sweden

Wars with Novgorod

The beginning of the wars between Sweden and Russia dates back to the middle of the 13th century. At that time, the coast of the Gulf of Finland was disputed, which both the Novgorodians and the Swedes sought to take possession of.

A flotilla of ships with Novgorod, Izhora and Karelian warriors secretly passed through the Swedish skerries to Sigtuna.

The Swedish capital was stormed and burned.

These gates of the cathedral are a military trophy of the Novgorodians who walked by sea in 1187 to Sigtuna.

Peace treaties were concluded several times between the warring parties, but they were not observed for long.

In the 20s XIV century Prince Yuri Danilovich clears a number of hikes northern borders, establishes a city on the Neva on Orekhovoy Island and concludes a profitable peace with the Swedish king Magnus.

In times of troubles, the Swedes, under the command Delagardie, occupied Ladoga; The Novgorodians called a Swedish prince to the throne and surrendered Novgorod to the Swedes.

By the time of Mikhail Feodorovich’s accession, Ingermanland and part of the Novgorod lands were in the hands of the Swedes.

The Northern Alliance also included the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway, led by King Christian V, and Russia, led by Peter I.

In 1700, after a series of quick Swedish victories, the Northern Alliance collapsed, Denmark withdrew from the war in 1700, and Saxony in 1706.

After this, until 1709, when the Northern Alliance was restored, the Russian state fought with the Swedes mainly on its own.

At different stages the war also took part: on the Russian side - Hanover, Holland, Prussia; on the side of Sweden - England (since 1707 - Great Britain), the Ottoman Empire, Holstein. The Ukrainian Cossacks, including the Zaporozhye Cossacks, were divided and partly supported the Swedes and Turks, but mostly the Russian troops. During the campaign, Russian troops managed to capture Noteburg , as a result of which St. Petersburg was founded in 1703.

In 1704, Russian troops captured Dorpat and Narva.

The war put an end to the Swedish great power, and established Russia as a new power in Europe.

Russian-Swedish war under Elizaveta Petrovna

Began during the reign of the princess Anna Leopoldovna(—). The Swedish king, incited by the French government, decided to return to his power the provinces lost during the Northern War, but, not ready for war, gave Russia time to make peace with the Ottoman Porte.

Russian-Swedish War under Empress Catherine II

The successes of the 2nd Turkish War alarmed the Versailles cabinet; England, dissatisfied with the establishment of armed neutrality, also wanted to stop the success of Russian weapons. Both powers began to incite neighboring sovereigns against Russia, but only the Swedish king Gustav III succumbed to their incitement. Counting on the fact that most of Russian forces were diverted to the south, he hoped not to encounter serious resistance in Finland. The armament of the Russian squadron assigned to operate in the Mediterranean served as a pretext for war. On June 21, 1788, a detachment of Swedish troops crossed the border, broke into the outskirts of Neyslot and began bombarding the fortress.

Simultaneously with the outbreak of hostilities, the king presented the following demands to the empress:

1. punishment of our ambassador Count Razumovsky, for his imaginary machinations, tending to violate the peace between Russia and Sweden;

2. cession to Sweden of all parts of Finland acquired under the Nystadt and Abos treaties;

3. accepting Swedish mediation to conclude peace with the Porte;

4. disarmament of our fleet and the return of ships that sailed into the Baltic Sea.

Only about 14 thousand Russian troops managed to be collected on the Swedish border (some of them were newly recruited); They were confronted by a 36,000-strong enemy army, under the personal leadership of the king. Despite this inequality of forces, the Swedes did not achieve decisive success anywhere; their detachment, besieging Neyshlot, was forced to retreat, and at the beginning of August 1788 the king himself, with all his troops, withdrew from Russian borders. On July 6, a clash between the Russian fleet and the Swedish fleet, commanded by the Duke of Südermanland, took place near Hochland; the latter was forced to take refuge in the port of Sveaborg, and lost one ship. Admiral Greig sent his cruisers towards the west, which interrupted all communication between the Swedish fleet and Karlskrona.

There were no major battles on the dry route this year, but the Russian army, strengthened to 20 thousand, was no longer limited to defensive actions. During the summer, she managed to occupy a fairly significant part of Swedish Finland, and in August, Prince of Nassau-Siegen made a successful landing near Friedrichsgam.

On May 2, 1790, the Swedish fleet, under the command of the Duke of Südermanland, attacked Chichagov, who was stationed in the Revel roadstead, but, having lost two ships, retreated beyond the islands of Nargen and Wulf. The king himself led 155 rowing ships to Friedrichsgam, where part of the flotilla of the Prince of Nassau-Siegen wintered. On May 4, a naval battle took place here, and the Russians were pushed back to Vyborg. The squadron of Vice Admiral Kruse, heading to join Chichagov, met on May 23, at the longitude of the island of Seskar, with the fleet of the Duke of Südermanland. After a two-day battle, the Swedes were forced to lock themselves in Vyborg Bay, where the Swedish rowing flotilla was located, and on May 26 they were surrounded by the united squadrons of Chichagov and Kruse. After standing for about a month Vyborg Bay and lacking everything, the Swedes decided to break through the Russian fleet. On June 21 and 22, after a bloody battle, they managed to make their way to the open sea, but at the same time lost 6 ships and 4 frigates.

The pursuit lasted two days, and the Prince of Nassau-Siegen, who recklessly burst into Svenska Sound Bay, came under battery fire and was defeated, losing 55 ships and up to 600 people captured. This victory did not bring any benefit to Sweden, especially since the Swedes did not achieve any successes on the dry route against the Russian army led by Count Saltykov. There was a murmur in Stockholm, and Gustav III finally decided to ask for peace.

On August 3, 1790, the so-called Verel Treaty was signed, according to which both sides returned all places occupied by the troops of one or another power in the enemy’s possessions.

Russo-Swedish War under Alexander I

The Russo-Swedish War of 1808-1809 was a continental blockade of Great Britain - a system of economic and political sanctions organized by Napoleon. The Kingdom of Denmark also intended to join the blockade. In response, in August 1807, Great Britain launched an attack on the kingdom's capital, Copenhagen, and captured the entire Danish navy. Gustav IV rejected these proposals and headed for rapprochement with England, which continued to fight Napoleon, who was hostile to him. There was a rupture between Russia and Great Britain - the embassies were mutually recalled, and a low-intensity war began. On November 16, 1807, the Russian government again turned to the Swedish king with a proposal for assistance, but for about two months it did not receive any response. Finally, Gustav IV said that the execution of the treaties of 1780 and 1800 could not begin while the French occupied the harbors of the Baltic Sea. Then it became known that the Swedish king was preparing to help England in the war with Denmark, trying to recapture Norway from it. All these circumstances gave Emperor Alexander I a reason to conquer Finland, in order to ensure the safety of the capital from the close proximity of a hostile power to Russia.

Where everyone hoped for a peaceful resolution of misunderstandings: the king himself did not trust the news of the concentration of Russian troops in pursuit of Klingspor, but the general; Almost at the same time, the fortified cape was occupied, Gustav IV Adolf was deposed, and royal power passed into the hands of his uncle, the Duke of Südermanland, and the aristocracy surrounding him.

When the Riksdag assembled in Stockholm proclaimed the Duke of Südermanland king Charles XIII, the new government was inclined to the proposal of General Count Wrede to push the Russians out of Ostrobothnia; military operations resumed, but the Swedes' successes were limited to the capture of several transports; their attempts to incite a people's war against Russia failed.

After a successful affair for the Russians, a truce was again concluded at Gernefors, partly caused by the need for the Russians to provide themselves with food.

Since the Swedes stubbornly refused to give in to Russia Åland Islands, Barclay allowed the new boss northern detachment, Count Kamensky, to act at his own discretion.

The Swedes sent two detachments against the latter: one, Sandelsa, was supposed to lead an attack from the front, the other, an airborne one, would land near the village of Ratan and attack Count Kamensky from the rear. Due to the count's bold and skillful orders, this enterprise ended in failure; but then, due to the almost complete depletion of military and food supplies, Kamensky retreated to Pitea, where he found transport with bread and again moved forward to Umea. Already on the first march, Sandels came to him with the authority to conclude a truce, which he could not refuse due to the insecurity of supplying his troops with everything necessary.

September 5, 1809

Thus to All of Finland was ceded to Russia, which marked the end of centuries-long wars between the Russian state and Sweden.

Until the middle of the 17th century. Poland was the leading state in eastern Europe, but during the Thirty Years' War it had to cede this position to Sweden, which second halfXVII century reached highest point its power. But at the beginning of the 18th century. and Sweden lost the position it had taken, and The championship passed to Russia. At the same time it became play a very prominent role in the small German state, Prussia, which reached the significance of a great power in the middle of the same century.

Neighboring sovereigns, who had old scores to settle with her, looked at Sweden's predominance with displeasure. The Swedish king died in 1697 Charles XI, leaving the throne to his sixteen-year-old son Charles XII(1697 - 1718), and two years later a contract was concluded against Sweden alliance of three neighboring sovereigns, of which each set himself a specific goal in the future war with Charles XII. Peter I, the Tsar of Moscow, sought to establish himself on the Baltic Sea; King of Poland (and Elector of Saxony) August II Strong(1697 - 1733) meant to conquer Livonia; Danish king Frederick IV(1699 - 1730) hoped to regain his former Danish possessions in the southern part of Sweden and take Schleswig from its duke, who was the son-in-law of Charles XII. The allies did not at all expect serious resistance from the young Swedish king, who was considered a frivolous and incapable youth, but they were mistaken in their calculations. Charles XII turned out to be an energetic man and immediately discovered remarkable talents in military affairs. In 1700, the allies with different sides attacked the possessions of Charles XII, and the great North War (1700 – 1721), coinciding with the War of the Spanish Succession. From the very beginning, Charles XII hastened to deal with the enemies one by one. He crossed first of all to Denmark and began the siege of Copenhagen, which forced the Danish king to ask for peace. Then he appeared under Narva, where he inflicted a terrible defeat on the Russians, and after that he turned against his third enemy and captured Warsaw, Krakow, Thorn, Danzig and other cities. At the request of Charles XII, the Poles declared Augustus II deprived of the crown and elected a Poznan voivode to the throne Stanislav Leshchinsky. Charles XII even pursued the deposed king in his hereditary possession, the Electorate of Saxony, and forced him to make peace on the condition of renouncing the Polish crown and an alliance with the Moscow Tsar. While Charles XII was active in Poland and Saxony, Peter became firmly established on the Baltic Sea and founded his future capital, St. Petersburg. The Swedish king then again turned his forces against Russia, but with Poltava in 1709 he was defeated by Peter and escaped to Turkey. While he was busy there trying to incite the Turks to war with Russia, his opponents renewed their alliance with the goal of conquering the Swedish regions. Although Charles XII managed to raise the Turks against Peter ( Prut campaign 1711), but they willingly made peace with the Russian sovereign for minor concessions on his part and even demanded that Charles XII himself withdraw from their possessions. Only after a five-year stay in Turkey did the Swedish king return to his homeland, when Prussia and Hanover also joined Sweden’s enemies. After the death of Charles XII (1718), who was killed during his siege of a Norwegian fortress, the new government (sister of Charles XII Ulrika-Eleanor and the State Council that limited its power) concluded peace treaties with hostile powers. Sweden lost part of its possessions in Germany to Hanover and Prussia, Denmark acquired Schleswig and subjected Sweden to the obligation to pay the Sund tax: Augustus II, who had returned to Poland even earlier, was recognized by Sweden as the Polish king. Russia was the last to make peace with Sweden, which Treaty of Nystadt 1721 acquired Ingermanland, Estland, Livonia with part of Karelia and Finland. Sweden dropped out of the ranks of the great powers, but for a long time dreamed of returning to its former position (Russian-Swedish wars).