Battle of Poltava facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Poltava |
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| Part of the Swedish invasion of Russia during the Great Northern War | |||||||
 The Battle of Poltava by Louis Caravaque |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Swedish Empire Cossack Hetmanate |
 Tsardom of Russia Kalmyk Khanate Cossack Hetmanate |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Charles XII Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld (POW)Carl Gustaf Creutz (POW)Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt Hugo Johan Hamilton (POW)Wolmar Anton von Schlippenbach (POW)Carl Gustaf Roos (POW) Ivan Mazepa |
Peter I Boris Sheremetev Alexander Menshikov Jacob Bruce Ivan Skoropadsky |
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| Strength | |||||||
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Swedish combined army: Total: up to 30,000 Participated in battle: Total: 16,500 Besieging Poltava: 1,100 – 3,000 infantry 200 cavalry |
Russian combined army: Total: 75,000 Participated in battle: Total: 42,000 Garrison of Poltava: 4,200 infantry 2,000 Cossacks 28 cannons |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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Swedish accounts: 6,900 killed and wounded, 2,800 captured. Russian accounts: 9,234 killed, 2,864–2,977 captured. |
Official accounts: 1,345 killed, 3,290 wounded. |
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The Battle of Poltava was a very important battle during the Great Northern War. It happened on July 8, 1709. In this battle, the Russian army, led by Tsar Peter I, defeated the Swedish army. The Swedish army was commanded by Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld.
This battle was a huge turning point. It ended the Swedish Empire's time as a major power in Europe. It also stopped Sweden from expanding eastward. After Poltava, Russia became a very strong influence in Northern Europe.
For six years before this battle, King Charles XII of Sweden had beaten almost all his enemies. These included Poland-Lithuania, Denmark-Norway, and Tsardom of Russia. Only Russia, led by Tsar Peter I, was still fighting. So, Charles XII decided to invade Russia in 1707. He planned to march his large army towards Moscow.
However, the journey was very difficult. The weather was harsh, and the Russians used "scorched earth" tactics. This meant they burned crops and supplies so the Swedish army couldn't use them. This forced Charles XII to change his plans. He marched south to find winter shelter with the help of Ivan Mazepa. Mazepa was the leader of the Cossack Hetmanate.
After a very cold winter in 1708-1709, the Swedish army was much weaker. In the spring of 1709, they began to attack the city of Poltava. Poltava was an important trading city and military base. Meanwhile, a much larger Russian army, led by Peter, came to help Poltava. The two armies fought, and the Swedes lost badly.
King Charles and Mazepa escaped with about 1,500 men. They went south across the Dnieper River and found safety in the Ottoman Empire. The rest of the Swedish army had to surrender to the Russians a few days later.
The Battle of Poltava was a huge victory for Peter I. It was also the biggest military disaster in Swedish history. It changed the war completely, helping the countries allied against Sweden. This battle marked the end of Sweden's power in Northern Europe. Russia took over that position after the war. Because of this, the battle is very important in the history of Sweden, Russia, and Ukraine.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
Early Victories and Russian Retreat
King Charles XII had won early battles in 1700. These included victories in North Zealand and the Battle of Narva. But it took him six years to defeat Augustus II of Saxony and Poland.
Tsar Peter I pulled his troops out of Poland in 1706. He offered to give back some Swedish lands that Russia had taken. But Charles refused this offer. Peter then decided to use a "scorched-earth" plan. This meant destroying everything that the Swedish army could use for supplies.
Marching into Russia
Charles decided to launch a final attack on Russia. He planned to march towards Moscow. His army had almost 44,000 men. They left Saxony in August 1707 and slowly moved east. Charles waited for more soldiers to join him.
He crossed the Vistula River in December 1707. Then he moved through Masuria and took Grodno in January 1708. Russian troops had already left the city. At this time, the Russians were busy with a big rebellion. This was the Bulavin Rebellion by the Don Cossacks. Forces from the Cossack Hetmanate, led by Ivan Mazepa, helped control this revolt.
The Swedish army stayed in winter camps until June 1708. In July, the Swedes beat Russian forces at the Battle of Holowczyn. They then moved to the Dnieper River. General Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt was supposed to bring supplies and 12,000 men to join Charles. But he was delayed and only joined Charles in October.
A Change of Plans
Instead of staying for winter, Charles decided to move south into Ukraine. He wanted to join Mazepa, who had decided to rebel against Peter. Peter sent his general, Boris Sheremetev, to follow the Swedish army.
Lewenhaupt followed south and was attacked near a village. This was the Battle of Lesnaya. He lost his supply train and half of his army. Charles needed new supplies. He moved towards Baturyn, Mazepa's main base. But Russian troops under Aleksandr Menshikov got there first. Menshikov attacked the city, destroying or taking all the weapons, ammunition, and food.
The Siege of Poltava
By spring 1709, Charles's army was much smaller. After the coldest winter in over 500 years, he had only 20,000 soldiers and 34 cannons. They were low on supplies. So, on May 2, 1709, Charles began to attack the Russian fort at Poltava.
Peter's army of 80,000 men marched to help Poltava. When he arrived, Peter built a strong camp about 4 kilometers north of Poltava. On June 20, Charles was watching the Russian positions. He was hit in the foot by a stray bullet. This wound was so bad that he could not stand. Also, Charles's last hope for more soldiers disappeared. Swedish forces under Ernst Detlof von Krassow had gone to deal with problems in Poland.
Between the two armies, there were woods. The Russians built six small forts, called redoubts, to defend this area. Peter also ordered four more redoubts to be built. This made a "T" shape, allowing them to fire at the Swedes from the sides. Eight of these forts were ready on the morning of the battle. About 4,000 Russians were in them. Another 10,000 Russian cavalry, led by General Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, were behind the forts.
The Battle Begins
The Swedish Attack
Because of his injury, Charles gave command to Field Marshal Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld. The Swedish plan was to form four groups of foot soldiers and six groups of cavalry during the night. They would attack before dawn. The goal was to quickly get past the Russian forts and hit the main Russian army.
The foot soldiers were ready by 2:30 AM. But the cavalry arrived late because they got lost. A Swedish general saw the Russians still building two of the forts. He rode back to tell Rehnskiöld. Then, the Russians discovered a Swedish scouting party. A pistol shot warned everyone.
The Swedes had lost the element of surprise. They also didn't have enough cannons to break through the forts. Rehnskiöld talked with Charles and other leaders. He decided to go ahead with the attack. It was almost 4:00 AM, and the sun was rising.
The Swedes quickly took the first two forts, killing the Russian soldiers inside. But by 4:30 AM, they struggled to take the third fort.
Swedish Divisions and Russian Counterattack
Some Swedish groups went around the first four forts. They moved to the back line and, with cavalry help, took some forts while avoiding others. Other Swedish groups joined them. This showed that the orders were not clear. Some thought they should avoid the forts, others thought they should attack them.
The Swedish cavalry on the left side went past the forts. They attacked the Russian cavalry, making them retreat. By 5:00 AM, both sides of the Swedish army had passed the back line of forts. The Russian cavalry was running away. But Rehnskiöld ordered his cavalry to stop chasing them. He also told the other Swedish groups to pull back. They waited for two hours for other Swedish groups to join them. Meanwhile, the Russian cavalry and Ivan Skoropadsky's Cossacks waited to the north.
General Carl Gustaf Roos and six Swedish groups (one-third of the Swedish foot soldiers) got separated. They were trying to take the third Russian fort. After many attacks and heavy losses, Roos led his remaining 1,500 men into the woods at 6:00 AM. The Russians then took back the first two forts. Around 7:00 AM, the Russians launched a two-part attack. This forced Roos to retreat towards Poltava. He took shelter in an old fort. Roos was forced to surrender at 9:30 AM.
The Swedes were still waiting for Roos's troops, not knowing they had surrendered. Peter then led 42 groups of Russian foot soldiers (22,000 men) out of their camp. They had 55 small cannons and 32 guns from the fort helping them. Ten groups of dragoons (cavalry) were on the Russian right side. Six groups were on the left. Just west of the camp, 4,000 Swedish foot soldiers faced them. The Russians slowly moved forward to fight. It was very hot and humid. Smoke from the Russian cannons filled the air.
The Turning Point
At 9:45 AM, Rehnskiöld ordered the Swedish line to move forward. The Russians started firing their cannons from 500 meters away. When the Swedes were 50 meters from the Russian line, the Russians fired their muskets from all four rows of soldiers. The Swedes got within 30 meters, fired their own shots, and charged with muskets and pikes. The first Russian line pulled back.
It looked like the Swedes might break through. They needed their cavalry to help. But the Swedish cavalry could not get into position in time. The Russian line was longer than the Swedish line. The Swedish foot soldiers on the left side fell behind. They eventually dropped their weapons and ran away.
As the Swedish right side kept moving forward, a gap opened in their line. The Russians filled this gap. The battle turned into a situation like the Battle of Cannae, where an army is surrounded. The Swedish cavalry tried to attack, but the Russian groups formed strong squares. Menshikov's cavalry went around the Swedes and attacked them from behind. At this point, the Swedish attack fell apart. They no longer had organized groups to fight the Russians. Small groups of soldiers managed to escape south through the woods. Many others were overwhelmed, ridden down, or captured.
Charles realized they were the last Swedes on the battlefield. He ordered a retreat to the woods. He gathered any remaining soldiers for protection. The Russians stopped at the edge of the woods. Their cannon fire stopped. Only the Cossacks and Kalmyks rode across the plains. Charles, now on horseback, reached his baggage train 5 kilometers south. The battle was over by then.
Charles gathered his remaining troops and supplies. He retreated south that same day, around 7:00 PM. He gave up the attack on Poltava. Lewenhaupt led the surviving Swedes and some Cossacks to the Dnieper River. But the Russian cavalry and 3,000 Kalmyk soldiers chased them. Three days later, Lewenhaupt was forced to surrender at Perevolochna.
What Happened Next
Many important Swedes were captured during the battle. These included Field Marshal Rehnskiöld and several Major Generals. Peter the Great held a big celebration banquet on the battlefield. He even toasted the Swedish generals, calling them "war masters." Some believe he did this to send a message to his own generals about loyalty.
The Russian dead were buried in two large graves. Peter took many Swedish prisoners. He sent them to Siberia.
Charles and Mazepa escaped with about 1,500 men. They went to Bendery, in Moldavia. This area was controlled by the Ottoman Empire at the time. Charles stayed in exile there for five years. He finally returned to Sweden in December 1715. Even with his injury, he remained calm and fought his way out of difficult situations.
The Battle of Poltava completely changed the course of the Great Northern War. It marked the end of Sweden's dominance in Northern Europe and the rise of Russia as a major power.
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