Day of victory over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava (1709). Battle of Poltava (briefly)

The general battle of the Northern War of 1700-1721 took place - the Battle of Poltava, in which Russian troops under the command of Peter I defeated the Swedish army of Charles XII. The Battle of Poltava led to a turning point in the Northern War in favor of Russia.

In honor of this victory, the Federal Law "On the Days military glory and memorable dates of Russia", adopted in 1995, established the Day of Military Glory of Russia, which is celebrated on July 10. According to the law, July 10 is the Victory Day of the Russian army under the command of Peter the Great over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava (1709).

Historic attempt Russian state regain the original Russian lands on the banks of Gulf of Finland and at the mouth of the Neva River (Novgorod Pyatina) and thereby gain access to the Baltic Sea resulted in the long Northern War of 1700-1721.

After the Battle of Narva in 1700 (one of the first battles of the Northern War between the army of Peter I and the Swedish army, which ended in a heavy defeat for the Russians), Peter I reorganized the Russian army and created Baltic Fleet. In 1701-1705, Russian troops gained a foothold on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, capturing Dorpat (Tartu), Narva and a number of other fortresses. In 1703, the fortified city of St. Petersburg was founded at the mouth of the Neva.

In the summer of 1708, the Swedish army of King Charles XII set out on a campaign against Russia, moving in the Moscow direction. The Swedish king initially intended to go to Moscow through Smolensk, but this direction was covered by the Russian army, and Charles XII, abandoning a general battle, turned south and went to Ukraine, where he was invited by the traitor hetman Ivan Mazepa.

On October 9 (September 28, old style), 1708, the troops of Peter I overtook and defeated the Swedish corps of General Levengaupt near the village of Lesnoy, which was heading to join the army of Charles XII with a convoy of food and ammunition.

After this battle, called by Peter I “the mother of the Poltava battle,” the Swedish king found himself in a difficult situation: the Russian army was pursuing the enemy, and Mazepa, instead of the entire Ukrainian Cossacks, brought only about two thousand people to Charles XII, and even those fled at night from hetman. In addition, Russian troops defeated the Mazepa headquarters of Baturin, in which significant food supplies were collected for the Swedes. The partisans also haunted the royal army. During the winter of 1708-1709, Russian troops, avoiding a general battle, continued to exhaust the forces of the Swedish army in local battles.

In the spring of 1709, Charles XII decided to resume the attack on Moscow through Kharkov and Belgorod. To protect his rear, he decided to take the fortified city of Poltava. The Swedish army approached it with a force of 35 thousand people with 32 guns, not counting the Mazepa and Cossacks.
Poltava stood on the high bank of the Vorskli River. Its fortifications consisted of a rampart with a palisade on top and loopholes for firing guns. The garrison, commanded by Colonel Alexey Kelin, consisted of about 4.2 thousand soldiers, 2.5 thousand Poltava Cossacks and armed townspeople and 91 gunners. The fortress had 28 guns.

In April 1709, the Swedes began the siege of Poltava, launching repeated assaults. Its defenders repelled enemy attacks and often made daring and successful forays themselves.

At the beginning of June (end of May according to the old style), the main forces of the Russian army arrived in the Poltava region under the command of Peter I, who was able to provide assistance to the besieged garrison with men and gunpowder, the reserves of which in Poltava were running out.

Heroic Defense Poltava gave the Russian army a gain in time. On June 27 (June 16, old style) at the military council it was decided to give a general battle. Peter I concentrated his army (42 thousand people, 72 guns) five kilometers north of Poltava with the intention of attacking the enemy and unblocking this fortress.

In preparation for the Battle of Poltava, Peter I equipped the approaches to his fortified camp with a system of field fortifications, which military practice had not yet seen. The Tsar ordered the construction of a line of six frontal redoubts a kilometer from the camp, and four more (the two front ones did not have time to be completed) - perpendicular to them. The earthen redoubts had a quadrangular shape and were located at a distance of a direct rifle shot from each other. This ensured tactical interaction between the garrisons of the redoubts. They housed two battalions of infantry and grenadiers, regimental guns (one or two for the redoubt). Another tactical innovation was the placement of 17 dragoon regiments immediately behind the redoubts. The regiments were commanded by Alexander Menshikov. The dragoon cavalry was supposed to attack the Swedes on the line of redoubts and between them in the initial phase of the general battle. Peter I's plan was to exhaust and frustrate the enemy on the line of redoubts, and then attack him with the main forces and defeat him in a field battle.

To eliminate the threat from the rear, Charles XII decided to defeat the Russian army, forestalling it in striking. On the night of July 8 (June 27, old style), the main forces of the Swedish army (about 20 thousand people with four guns) under the command of Field Marshal Karl Renschild (Charles XII, wounded in the leg during reconnaissance, was carried on a stretcher) moved from Poltava to the Russian camp, but in the dark they came across redoubts. Field Marshal Renschild ordered an attack on them at five o’clock in the morning. But the Swedes were able to take two of them, which they did not have time to complete. Only after a fierce battle, having suffered heavy losses, they broke through the line of redoubts, and part of their forces They bypassed them from the north and slowly advanced behind the Russian cavalry, which, on the orders of Peter I, was retreating to the camp. When approaching it, the right flank of the Swedish troops came under Russian artillery fire and, having suffered heavy losses, retreated in disarray to the forest south of the village of Malye Budishchi.

Even during the offensive, the right-flank columns, separated from the main forces, under the command of Swedish generals Karl Ross and Volmar Schlippenbach, were thrown back into the forest north of Poltava, where they were then defeated by Menshikov’s cavalry.

Peter I's calculation to dismember the enemy army at the beginning of the battle fully justified itself. The main forces of the parties collided at dawn. At about 6 o'clock, Peter I formed the Russian army in front of the camp in two battle lines, placing infantry in the center and cavalry on the flanks. The tsar entrusted general command of the troops to Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev. The main forces of the Swedish army lined up opposite.

At 9 o'clock in the morning the first line of Russians moved forward. The Swedish army also moved closer, and hand-to-hand combat ensued. The right wing of the Swedish troops, with Charles XII under his command, pushed back the Russian infantry battalion. There was a threat of a breakthrough of the Russian position almost at its very center. Peter I, who arrived here, personally led an infantry battalion stationed in the second line into a counterattack, which with a swift blow overturned the Swedes who had broken through, and closed the gap that had formed in the first line. The Swedish attack floundered, and the Russian infantry began to push back the enemy, and the cavalry began to cover his flanks. To avoid encirclement, the Swedish army began a retreat, which soon turned into a disorderly flight. Russian troops pursued the retreating enemy to Perevolochna, located at the ford across the Dnieper, where on July 11 (June 30, old style) its remnants surrendered. Cross over west bank Only King Charles XII and the deposed Hetman Mazepa with about a thousand close associates and personal guards managed to reach the Dnieper.

In the battle of Poltava, the Swedes lost more than 9 thousand people killed and about 3 thousand captured; Russians - 1345 people killed and 3290 wounded.

The Battle of Poltava was a turning point in the Northern War; the strategic initiative finally passed to Russia. The victory at Poltava significantly raised the authority of the Russian state and placed Tsar Peter I among the most skillful commanders not only of his era. Russian military art was recognized as advanced and innovative.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At about 6 o'clock, Peter I led the army out of the camp and built it in two lines, where he placed the infantry in the center and the cavalry of Menshikov and Bour on the flanks. A reserve (nine battalions) was left in the camp. The main forces of the Swedes lined up opposite the Russian troops. At 9 o'clock in the morning hand-to-hand combat began. 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 showed outstanding military leadership abilities. The Russians were the first in the military science of the era to use field earthen fortifications, as well as fast-moving horse artillery. In 1721, the Northern War ended with the complete victory of Peter I. The ancient Russian lands went to Russia, and it firmly established itself on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

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

And with them the royal squads

They came together in the smoke among the plain -

And the battle broke out, the Battle of Poltava!..

Swede, Russian - stabs, chops, cuts;

Drumming, clicks, grinding,

The thunder of guns, the stomping, the neighing groan -

And death and hell on all sides.

A. S. Pushkin. Poltava.

June 27 (July 8) 1709 six miles from the city of Poltava in Little Russia (Left Bank Ukraine) the largest battle took place Northern War between Russian and Swedish troops, which ended with the defeat of Charles's Swedish army XII.

In April 1709 Swedish troops besieged the city of Poltava, which was defended by a small garrison under the command of Colonel A. WITH. Kelina. The Swedes launched daily attacks on the fortress. If the city was captured, a threat was created to Voronezh, a key base for supplying and forming the Russian army.

At the end of May 1709 The main forces of the Russian army under the command of Peter I . The Russian army, numbering 42 thousand people and 72guns, was located in a fortified camp that she created 5 km north of Poltava. Considering experience Battle of Lesnaya , the Russian army chose a small rugged space surrounded by forest to make it difficult for the enemy to maneuver. Peter took command of the first division, and distributed the other divisions among the generals. The cavalry was assigned A. D. Menshikov , command of the artillery was entrusted to Bruce.

About 20 thousand people and 4 guns (28 guns were left in the convoy without ammunition). The rest of the troops (up to 10 thousand people), including the Cossacks and Ukrainian Cossacks who fought on the side of Sweden, led by Hetman I.S.Mazepa, were in reserve. By the Swedish army, due to the wounding of Karl XII , commanded by Field Marshal Renschild. The infantry and cavalry were commanded by generals Levenhaupt and Kreutz.

At two o'clock in the morning 27 June (8 July) Swedish infantry moved in four columns towards the Russian redoubts, followed by six cavalry columns. After a stubborn two-hour battle, the Swedes managed to capture only two advanced redoubts. Renschild, trying to bypass the Russian redoubts on the left, regrouped his troops. At the same time, six right-flank battalions and several squadrons of generals Schlippenbach and Ross broke away from the main forces of the Swedes, retreated to the forest north of Poltava, where they were defeated by Menshikov’s cavalry.

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 nine o'clock hand-to-hand combat began. Under pressure from superior forces, the Swedes began a retreat, which soon turned into a disorderly flight. A detachment of A.D. was sent in pursuit of the retreating people.Menshikov, who the next day overtook the enemy at Perevolochna on the Dnieper and forced the remnants of the Swedish army (16 thousand) under the command of A.D.Levenhaupt to capitulate. The Swedish king Charles XII and the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa with a small detachment fled to the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

During the Battle of Poltava, the Swedes lost over 9 thousand killed and over 18 thousand prisoners, while Russian losses were significantly less - 1 thousand 345people killed and 3 thousand 290 wounded.

The Russians were the first in the military science of the era to use field earthen fortifications, as well as fast-moving horse artillery. The decisive victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Poltava led to a turning point in the Northern War in Russia's favor and ended Sweden's dominance as the main military power in Europe. The ancient Russian lands went to Russia, and it firmly established itself on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Lit.: Assanovich P. L. Emperor Peter the Great: Poltava. St. Petersburg, 1909; Bogdanovich P. N. Poltava Victoria. Buenos Aires, 1959; Borisov V. E., Baltiysky A. A., Noskov A. A., Battle of Poltava. 1709 - 27 June 1909. Sat. Art. St. Petersburg, 1909; Dyadichenko V. A. Battle of Poltava. Kiev, 1962; Zlain A.I. Battle of Poltava. M., 1988; Poltava. To the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava. Sat. Art. M., 1959;Telpukhovsky B. S. Northern War 1700-1721. M., 1946;State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Field of the Poltava Battle": website. B.d. URL:

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. For 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. To do this, he turned to the Crimean Khan and the Turkish Sultan. His arguments were not heard, and having gathered a single Russian army, joined by part of the Zaporizhian Cossacks led by Skoropadsky, went to the besieged fortress.

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

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

Swedish army before the battle:

• Number - 37,000 people (30,000 Swedes, 6,000 Cossacks, 1,000 Vlachs).
• Guns - 4 pieces
• Generals - Karl 12, Rehnschild Karl Gustav, Levenhaupt Adam Ludwig, Roos Karl Gustav,

  Mazepa Ivan Stepanovich.

Russian army before the battle:

• Number - 60,000 people (52,000 Russians, 8,000 Cossacks) - according to some sources - 80,000 people.
• Guns - 111 pieces
• Generals - Peter 1, Sheremetev Boris Petrovich, Repin Anikita Ivanovich, Allart Ludvig Nikolaevich, Menshikov Alexander Danilovich, Renne Karl Edward, Baur Radion Khristianovich, Skoropadsky Ivan Ilyich.

Progress of the Battle of Poltava (briefly)

At 23:00 on June 26 (the eve of the battle), Charles 12 gave the order to wake up the army and form it into battle formation for the march. However, the disunity of the Swedes played into the hands of the Russians. They were able to bring the army into battle formation only at 2 a.m. on June 27th. Karl's plans were thwarted; the wasted 3 hours completely deprived his attack of the element of surprise. This is how the Battle of Poltava began for the Swedes, the course of which will be briefly discussed below.

Storming the redoubts - scheme of the Battle of Poltava

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

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

Decisive battle

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

The Swedish offensive began at 9 am. As a result of artillery shelling, as well as 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 a glorious victory, the outcome of the war did not come. There are several reasons for this; most historians agree that this is due to Peter’s reaction to the flight of the Swedish army. We said that the Battle of Poltava ended at 11 o’clock in the afternoon, however, the order to pursue came only at night, after celebrating the victory... As a result, the enemy managed to retreat significantly, and Charles 12 himself abandoned his army and went to Turkey to persuade the Sultan to war with Russia.

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

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

The Battle of Poltava briefly. Progress of the battle.

Before the battle begins.

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

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

Battle of Poltava. Preparing for battle.

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

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

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

Battle of Poltava with the Swedes. Battle.

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

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

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

The meaning and results of the Battle of Poltava.

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

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