Battle of Poltava - briefly: year, causes, meaning, move and map. Battle of Poltava (1709) Battle of Poltava number of troops

Severe winter 1707-1708 The winter of 1708-1709 turned out to be incredibly difficult for the Swedes. in left-bank Ukraine. The Swedish army was dispersed over several small towns (Gadyach, Romny, Priluki, etc.) among the hostile population. The Russian army stood side by side in the northeast, along the lines of Sumy, Lebedin, Akhtyrka, and constantly “boosted” the enemy with their sabotage (sometimes it came to battles involving several regiments). Almost every city and every fortress had to be taken by the Swedes with a fight. The Swedes stormed the small fortress of Veprik for 10 days and lost 3 (according to other sources - 1.5) thousand soldiers. They failed to advance towards Sloboda Ukraine. Communication with Stanislav Leshchinsky and the Swedish troops stationed in Poland was also lost. The Swedish army was melting before our eyes. The winter has been unusually harsh. Both Russians and Swedes suffered from severe frosts.

But at home, as they say, the walls help. The Swedes, thousands of kilometers away from their homes, lacked everything. Here is how the Swedish historian describes the situation in the Swedish camp: “Soldiers were dying in snowdrifts on the streets of the city. Every morning they collected the corpses of hundreds of soldiers, batmen, soldiers' wives and children, and all day long sleighs loaded with stiff bodies took them to some pit or ravine.

Siege of Poltava by the Swedes. But the stubborn Swedish king did not think about retreat. In the new year, he planned an attack on Moscow. And in order to feel more confident in Ukraine and not have a strong enemy garrison in the rear, in April 1709 he besieged the fortress of Poltava. The garrison of the fortress (4 thousand soldiers and 2500 armed inhabitants) led by Colonel A.S. Kelin refused to surrender on honorable terms and withstood twenty enemy attacks. The Russian army, with its sabotage, sought to divert the forces of the besiegers. Reinforcements were sent to the city. Poltava held out for two months.

The Russians are preparing for battle. Already in the winter, Peter thought about the need for a "general battle." In June, the final decision was made to give battle near Poltava. The Russian army crossed the Vorskla River and began building a fortified camp (retrenchment) five miles north of the city. On the path of the Swedish army, ten redoubts were additionally equipped with artillery. The Russians thus chose and prepared the battlefield themselves. Taking into account the experience of the Battle of Lesnaya, they chose a small rugged area surrounded by forest in order to make it difficult for the enemy to maneuver. The position of the Russian army was designed for the offensive - there was nowhere to retreat.

Forces of the Russian and Swedish armies. The king tried to act thoroughly and surely. 42,000 regular and 5,000 irregular troops were concentrated in the fortified camp. The king had a 40,000th reserve. The Russian army was well armed and provided with everything necessary. The artillery park consisted of 102 guns. The Russian cavalry was commanded by A.D. Menshikov, infantry - B.P. Sheremetev, artillery - Ya.V. Bruce.

The Swedes had about 30,000 troops near Poltava, of which, as Swedish authors insist, only 19,000 or so were actually Swedes. In battle, they had only 4 guns (the remaining 35 were left in the wagon train). The army experienced an acute shortage of bullets and gunpowder.

Military council of Charles XII. The king himself had been wounded in the leg the day before in a skirmish with a Cossack patrol. He gave command to Field Marshal Rehnschild. At the military council, it was decided to suddenly attack the Russian redoubts, and then storm the Russian fortified camp on the move.

According to some reports, before the battle, the king turned to his generals with the words: “Tomorrow we will dine in the tents of the Moscow Tsar. There is no need to take care of food - in the Moscow convoy there is a lot of everything in store for us. However, one cannot vouch for the accuracy of these words: they are very reminiscent of a literary cliche, such words, for example, are attributed to Mamai on the eve of the invasion of Rus' in The Tale of the Mamai Battle.

Peter I intended to give battle on June 29, the day of his namesake. By this time, the arrival of irregular Kalmyk cavalry was expected. However, from the "tongues" it became known that Charles XII intended to enter the battle earlier - on June 27th.

From a painting by I. Tannauer

Fight for redoubts.“Out of his usual vehemence,” the Swedish king took the initiative of the offensive, and before dawn on June 27, his troops approached the Russian redoubts, which met them with artillery fire. Here the Swedes were expected by Menshikov's cavalry (23 regiments). Having captured two unfinished redoubts, the Swedes began to shout "Victory!" - so great was their faith in the happiness of their own king.

The battle for the redoubts was very fierce. It came to hand-to-hand combat, but the king was not going to bring his main forces into battle here. The Swedish army pressed the Russian cavalry, "which, although it deservedly held out, however, was forced to yield, only at a great loss to the enemy." But when the Swedes bypassed the redoubts that had not been taken, part of the Swedish troops was cut off from the main forces. Schlipenbach's cavalry and the infantry of General Ross were forced to retreat to the Yakovetsky Forest, where they were again attacked by A.D. Menshikov, who pursued them all the way to the Swedish camp near Poltava. General Schlippenbach was captured by Menshikov. Then the cavalry of the Most Serene Prince returned to the left flank of the Russian camp.

Decisive battle. After a slight lull, both armies lined up in battle formation for a decisive battle. The king withdrew the bulk of his troops from the fortifications. In the center was the infantry, on the flanks - the dragoon regiments. The rebuilt Swedes went on the attack and were met with powerful artillery and then rifle fire. But the Swedes did not stop and tried to break through the line of Russian soldiers in the center of the position. A hand-to-hand fight ensued. The Russian cavalry began to cover the Swedish troops from the flanks. The offensive of the Russian troops began, which the Swedes could no longer stop.

Heroic behavior of Charles XII. Throughout the battle, Charles XII was in the thick of his troops, in the most dangerous places of the battle. He was carried on a stretcher. However, they were defeated by the Russian core. The king mounted a horse and, overcoming terrible pain, continued to encourage his soldiers. Several horses were killed under the king. As always, he showed personal courage and contempt for death. Seeing the start of the flight of his troops, Karl shouted in despair: “Swedes! Swedes! But the Swedes fled and did not hear the voice of their king, notes S.M. Solovyov.

Appeal of Peter I to the troops. Peter I was also in the center of the battle, although the overall leadership of the battle was entrusted to B.P. Sheremetev. Before the start of the decisive battle, the king addressed the troops with a speech. Its content is conveyed by sources in different ways. According to one version, he uttered only a few words: "It is very commendable to accept death for the Fatherland, and the fear of death in battle is a thing worthy of any blasphemy." There is another version of the speech of the king, who allegedly said that the soldiers should follow the example of their monarch, and "after victory, after labors, peace will follow."

Victory near Poltava

However, the most famous is the third version, transmitted by the author of one of the first stories of the Northern War, Feofan Prokopovich. Most likely, Peter I did not deliver this speech verbatim, but it quite accurately conveys his thoughts, his mood before the battle. Historians even call it “an order before the start of the Battle of Poltava”: “The Russian army knew that the hour had come, which laid the state of the entire Fatherland in their hands: either the abyss would be very, or Russia would be born in a better way. And they would not have thought of being armed and placed themselves for Peter, but for the state handed over to Peter, for their kind, for the people of all Russia ... Below, they would be embarrassed by the glory of the enemy, as if invincible, which they themselves have repeatedly shown to be false. One thing would be in this action before our eyes that God himself is really at war with us ... And they would know about Peter that his life is inexpensive for him, if only Russia and Russian piety, glory and prosperity would live.

Tsar Peter on the attack. At the most crucial moment of the battle, when the Swedes tried to break through the front of the Russian troops, the tsar himself led a battalion of the second line of the Novgorod regiment to attack. A horse was killed under the king. His hat was shot through by an enemy bullet. Later, when compiling the history of the war, Peter rather modestly defined his role in the Battle of Poltava: “For the people and the Fatherland, not sparing his person, he acted as a good driver should.”

Read also other topics part III ""Concert of Europe": the struggle for political balance" section "West, Russia, East in the battles of the XVII-beginning of the XVIII century":

• 9. "Swedish Deluge": from Breitenfeld to Lützen (September 7, 1631-November 16, 1632)
  • Battle of Breitenfeld. Winter Campaign of Gustavus Adolphus
• 10. Marston Moor and Nasby (July 2, 1644, June 14, 1645)
  • Marston Moor. The victory of the parliamentary army. Cromwell's army reform
• 11. "Dynastic wars" in Europe: the struggle "for the Spanish inheritance" at the beginning of the XVIII century.
  • "Dynastic Wars". The struggle for the Spanish inheritance
• 12. European conflicts take on a global dimension

And with them the royal squads

Converged in the smoke among the plains -

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

Swede, Russian - stabs, cuts, cuts;

Drum beat, clicks, rattle,

The thunder of cannons, the clatter, the neighing moan -

And death, and hell from all sides.

A. S. Pushkin. Poltava.

June 27 (July 8) 1709 in 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, culminating in the defeat of the Swedish army of Charles 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. Kelin. The Swedes made daily attacks on the fortress. In the event of the capture of the city, a threat was created to Voronezh - a key supply base and the formation of 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, located in the fortified camp 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 assigned 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 acted on the side of Sweden, led by Hetman I.S.Mazepa, were in reserve. by the Swedish army, due to the wounding of Charles XII , commanded by Field Marshal Rehnschild. The infantry and cavalry were commanded by Generals Lewenhaupt and Kreutz.

At two o'clock in the morning 27 June (8 July) the Swedish infantry moved in four columns to 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 the 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 bulk of the Swedes came under heavy artillery and rifle fire from the Russian camp, and retreated in disorder to the Budishchensky forest.

At nine o'clock hand-to-hand combat began. Under the onslaught of 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.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.Lewenhaupt 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 the losses of the Russians were much less - 1 thousand 345people killed and 3 thousand 290 the wounded.

The Russians were the first in the military science of that era to use earthen field 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 favor of Russia and put an end to the dominance of Sweden as the main military force in Europe. The ancient Russian lands went to Russia, and it was firmly entrenched on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Lit .: Assanovich P. L. Emperor Peter the Great: Poltava. SPb., 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 Poltava battle. Sat. Art. M., 1959;Telpukhovsky B. S. The Northern War of 1700-1721. M., 1946;State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Field of the Battle of Poltava": website. B.d.URL :

"Battle of Poltava" (1726) / Picture: i.ytimg.com

The Battle of Poltava is the largest general battle of the Northern War between the Russian troops under the command of Peter I and the Swedish army of Charles XII. The battle took place on the morning of June 27 (July 8), 1709 (June 28 according to the Swedish calendar), 6 miles from the city of Poltava (Hetmanate). The defeat of the Swedish army led to a turning point in the Northern War in favor of Russia and to the end of Sweden's dominance in Europe.

July 10 is the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the victory of the Russian army under the command of Peter the Great over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava.

background

After the defeat of the Russian army at Narva in 1700, Charles XII resumed hostilities against the Saxon Elector and Polish King Augustus II, inflicting one defeat after another.

The return of the Russian lands in Ingermanland, the foundation by the Russian Tsar Peter I at the mouth of the Neva of the new fortress city of St. Petersburg (1703) and the successes of the Russians in Courland (1705) prompted Charles XII to decide after the defeat of Augustus II to return to actions against Russia and capture Moscow. In 1706, August II suffered a heavy defeat and lost the crown of the Commonwealth. In June 1708, Charles XII launched a campaign against Russia.

Peter I understood the inevitability of the offensive of the Swedes deep into Russia. After the Russian army escaped defeat near Grodno in 1706, shortly after the arrival of the tsar on December 28, 1706, a military council was held in the Polish town of Zholkiev. To the question, “... should we fight with the enemy in Poland, or at our borders” - it was decided not to give (if such a misfortune happens, it is difficult to make a retreat), “and for this it is supposed to fight at our borders, when there is a necessary need; and in Poland at the crossings, and in parties, also by stripping provisions and fodder, to torment the enemy, to which many Polish senators agreed to this.

The year 1708 passed in clashes between the Swedish and Russian armies on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (battles at Golovchin, at Good, Raevka and Lesnaya). The Swedes fully felt the “nudity” in food and fodder, in which the peasantry of White Rus' contributed a lot, which hid bread, horse feed, and killed foragers.

In the autumn of 1708, hetman I. S. Mazepa betrayed Peter and took the side of Charles, assuring him of the allied feelings of the population of Little Russia for the Swedish crown. Due to illness and poor provision of food and ammunition, the Swedish army needed rest, so the Swedes from near Smolensk turned to the lands of Little Russia in order to rest there and continue the attack on Moscow from the south.

However, the winter for the Swedish army turned out to be difficult, despite the fact that the Russian army on the lands of Little Russia stopped the "scorched earth" tactics. The peasants of Little Russia, like the Belarusians, met foreigners with hatred. They fled to the forests, hid bread and fodder for horses, and killed foragers. The Swedish army was starving. () By the time Charles's army approached Poltava, it had lost up to a third of its composition and numbered 35 thousand people. In an effort to create favorable conditions for the offensive, Charles decides to take possession of Poltava, which, from a fortification point of view, seemed like “easy prey”.

Day of military glory of Russia - Victory day of the Russian army under the command of Peter the Great over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava (1709) celebrated on July 10 in accordance with the Federal Law of the Russian Federation of March 13, 1995 No. 32-FZ "On the days of military glory (victorious days) of Russia."

The Battle of Poltava itself - the decisive episode of the Great Northern War - took place (June 27) on July 8, 1709. The Russian army of Peter I and the Swedish army of Charles XII took part in it.

After Peter I conquered Livonia from Charles XII and founded the new fortress city of St. Petersburg, Charles decided to attack central Russia with the capture of Moscow. Unfavorable climatic conditions prevented Karl from doing this, who led his army to Moscow from the south, through Ukraine. By the time Charles's army approached Poltava, Charles was wounded, lost a third of the army, his rear was attacked by the Cossacks and Kalmyks.

(April 30) On May 11, 1709, the Swedish troops that invaded the territory of Russia began the siege of Poltava. Its garrison of 4200 soldiers and 2600 armed citizens under the leadership of Colonel A.S. Kelin successfully repulsed a number of assaults. At the end of May, the main forces of the Russian army, led by Peter, approached Poltava. They were located on the opposite left bank of the Vorskla River from Poltava. After (June 27) on July 8 at the military council Peter I decided on a general battle, on the same day the Russian advance detachment crossed Vorskla north of Poltava, near the village of Petrovka, ensuring the possibility of crossing the entire army.

Rotunda honoring the memory of the fallen participants of the Battle of Poltava in the Poltava Battle Field Nature Reserve / Photo: FotoYakov, Shutterstock

As a result of the Battle of Poltava, the army of King Charles XII ceased to exist. The king himself with Mazepa fled to the territory of the Ottoman Empire. The decisive Russian victory led to a turning point in the Northern War in favor of Russia and ended Sweden's dominance as the main military force in Europe.

In 1710, in St. Petersburg, in honor of the victory in this battle, the Sampson Church was built by decree of Peter (since the battle took place on the day of St. Sampson the Hospitable - his memory is honored on June 27, according to the old style). By the 25th anniversary of the battle in Peterhof, the sculptural group “Samson Tearing the Lion’s Mouth”, known today, was installed, where the lion symbolized Sweden, whose coat of arms contains this heraldic beast. On the very field of the Poltava battle in 1852, the Sampson Church was laid.

Fragments of the diorama of the Battle of Poltava / Photo:pro100-mica.livejournal.com

The first major celebration of the victory in the Battle of Poltava was organized for its 200th anniversary in 1909: the medal "In memory of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava" was established, the Museum-Reserve "The Field of the Battle of Poltava" was founded on the site of the battle (now the National Museum-Reserve), several monuments have been erected. In Soviet times, the event was practically forgotten, only in 1981, in preparation for the 275th anniversary of the battle, the Poltava field was declared a state historical and cultural reserve. And since 1995, this date has been celebrated as the Day of Russian Military Glory.

7 interesting facts about the battle of Poltava

1. God of War

One of the main factors that ensured the victory of the Russian army over the enemy was artillery. Unlike the Swedish king Charles XII, Peter I did not neglect the services of the "god of war". Against four Swedish guns brought to the field near Poltava, the Russians put up 310 different-caliber guns. In a few hours, four powerful artillery strikes were brought down on the advancing enemy. All of them led to serious losses on the part of the Swedes. As a result of one of them, a third of Karl's army was captured: 6 thousand people at once.

2. Peter the commander

After the Poltava victory, Peter I was promoted to the rank of senior lieutenant general. This promotion is not a mere formality. For Peter, the battle near Poltava was one of the most important events in his life and - with certain reservations - he could sacrifice his life if necessary. At one of the decisive moments of the battle, when the Swedes broke through the Russian ranks, he rode forward and, despite the aimed fire that the Swedish riflemen fired at him, galloped along the infantry line, inspiring the fighters by personal example. According to legend, he miraculously escaped death: three bullets almost reached the target. One pierced the hat, the second hit the saddle, and the third hit the pectoral cross.

“Know about Peter that life is not dear to him, if only Russia would live in bliss and glory for your well-being,” these are the famous words spoken by him before the start of the battle.

3. So that the enemy is not afraid ...

The fighting spirit of the soldiers was to match the mood of the commander. The regiments left in reserve seemed to be asking to go to the front line, wishing to take an active part in such an important battle for the country as much as possible. Peter was even forced to justify himself to them: “The enemy is standing near the forest and is already in great fear; if all the regiments are withdrawn, then they will not give battle and leave: for this, it is necessary to make a reduction from the other regiments in order to draw the enemy into battle through their derogation. The advantage of our troops over the enemy was indeed great not only in artillery: 22 thousand against 8 thousand infantrymen and 15 thousand against 8 thousand cavalry. () In order not to frighten the enemy, Russian strategists resorted to other tricks. For example, Peter ordered that experienced soldiers be dressed in the uniform of recruits so that the deceived enemy would direct his forces at them.

4. Surrounding the enemy and surrendering

The decisive moment in the battle: the spread of the rumor about the death of Charles. It quickly became clear that the rumor was exaggerated. The wounded king ordered himself to be raised like a banner, like an idol, on crossed spears. He shouted: “Swedes! Swedes! But it was too late: the exemplary army succumbed to panic and fled. Three days later, demoralized, she was overtaken by the cavalry under the command of Menshikov. And although the Swedes now had a numerical superiority - 16 thousand against nine - they surrendered. One of the best armies in Europe capitulated.

5. Sue the horse

However, some Swedes were able to benefit from a crushing defeat. The batman of the Life Dragoon Karl Strokirch during the battle gave the horse to General Lagerkrun. After 22 years, the cavalryman decided that it was time to return the favor, and went to court. The case was considered, the general was accused of horse stealing and ordered to pay compensation of 710 dalers, which is approximately 18 kilograms of silver.

6. Relation about Victoria

Paradoxically, despite the fact that in the battle itself, the Russian troops were doomed to victory in all respects, the report about it, compiled by Peter, made a lot of noise in Europe. It was a sensation.

The Vedomosti newspaper published a letter from Peter to Tsarevich Alexei: “I announce to you a very great victory, which the Lord God has deigned to bestow on us through the indescribable courage of our soldiers, with our small blood troops.”

7. Memory of victory

In memory of the victory and the soldiers who died for it, a temporary oak cross was erected at the site of the battle. Peter also planned to lay a monastery here. The wooden cross was replaced by a granite one only after a hundred years. Even later - by the end of the 19th century - on the site of the mass grave they built the monument and the chapel that today's tourists see. Instead of the monastery in 1856, a temple was erected in the name of St. Sampson the Old-Receiver, which was attributed to the Exaltation of the Cross Convent.

On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the battle, the chapel of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, standing on the mass grave, was restored, but, like many historical monuments in Ukraine, it is still in disrepair and is almost always closed to the public.

When writing the material, data from open Internet sources were used:

In October 1708, Peter I became aware of the betrayal and defection to the side of Charles XII, Hetman Mazepa, who negotiated with the king for quite a long time, promising him, in case of arrival in Ukraine, up to 50 thousand Cossack troops, food and comfortable wintering. On October 28, 1708, Mazepa, at the head of a detachment of Cossacks, arrived at Karl's headquarters. It was in this year that Peter I amnestied and recalled from exile (accused of betrayal on the slander of Mazepa) the Ukrainian colonel Paliy Semyon (real name Gurko); thus the sovereign of Russia enlisted the support of the Cossacks.

Of the many thousands of Ukrainian Cossacks (registered Cossacks, there were 30 thousand, Zaporozhye Cossacks - 10-12 thousand), Mazepa managed to bring only up to 10 thousand people, about 3,000 registered Cossacks and about 7,000 Cossacks, but they soon began to scatter from the camp of the Swedish army. Such unreliable allies, of which about 2 thousand remained, King Charles XII was afraid to use them in battle, and therefore left them in the wagon train.

Swedish attack on redoubts

On the eve of the battle, Peter I traveled around all the regiments. His brief patriotic appeals to soldiers and officers formed the basis of the famous order, which required the soldiers to fight not for Peter, but for "Russia and Russian piety ..."

Tried to raise the spirit of his army and Charles XII. Inspiring the soldiers, Karl announced that tomorrow they would dine in the Russian wagon train, where a lot of booty awaited them.

At the first stage of the battle, the battles went for the advanced position. At two o'clock in the morning on June 27, the Swedish infantry advanced from Poltava in four columns, followed by six horse columns. By dawn, the Swedes took to the field in front of the Russian redoubts. Prince Menshikov, having lined up his dragoons in battle formation, moved towards the Swedes, wanting to meet them as soon as possible and thereby gain time to prepare for the battle of the main forces.

When the Swedes saw the advancing Russian dragoons, their cavalry quickly rode between the columns of their infantry and swiftly rushed to the Russian cavalry. By three o'clock in the morning, a heated battle was already in full swing in front of the redoubts. At first, the Swedish cuirassiers pressed the Russian cavalry, but, quickly recovering, the Russian cavalry pushed the Swedes back with repeated blows.

The Swedish cavalry retreated and the infantry went on the attack. The tasks of the infantry were as follows: one part of the infantry should pass the redoubts without a fight in the direction of the main camp of the Russian troops, while the other part of it, under the command of Ross, was to take longitudinal redoubts in order to prevent the enemy from conducting destructive fire on the Swedish infantry, which was advancing towards the fortified camp Russians. The Swedes took the first and second advanced redoubts. Attacks on the third and other redoubts were repulsed.

The fierce stubborn battle lasted more than an hour; during this time, the main forces of the Russians managed to prepare for battle, and therefore Tsar Peter orders the cavalry and defenders of the redoubts to retreat to the main position near the fortified camp. However, Menshikov did not obey the order of the king and, dreaming of putting an end to the Swedes at the redoubts, continued the battle. Soon, however, he was forced to retreat.

Field Marshal Renschild regrouped troops, trying to bypass the Russian redoubts on the left. After capturing two redoubts, the Swedes attacked Menshikov's cavalry, but the Swedish cavalry forced them to retreat. According to Swedish historiography, Menshikov fled. However, the Swedish cavalry, obeying the general plan of the battle, did not develop success.

During the equestrian battle, six right-flank battalions of General Ross stormed the 8th redoubt, but they could not take it, losing up to half of their personnel during the attack. With the left-flank maneuver of the Swedish troops, a gap formed between them and Ross's battalions and the latter were lost from sight. In an effort to find them, Rehnschild sent 2 more infantry battalions to search for them. However, Ross's troops were defeated by the Russian cavalry.

Meanwhile, Field Marshal Rehnschild, seeing the retreat of the Russian cavalry and infantry, orders his infantry to break through the line of Russian fortifications. This order is immediately executed.

Having broken through the redoubts, the bulk of the Swedes came under heavy artillery and rifle fire from the Russian camp and retreated in disorder to the Budischensky forest. At about six o'clock in the morning, Peter led the army out of the camp and built it in two lines, having infantry in the center, Menshikov's cavalry on the left flank, and General R. H. Bour's cavalry on the right. A reserve of nine infantry battalions was left in the camp. Rehnschild lined up the Swedes opposite the Russian army.

Decisive battle

At the second stage of the battle, the struggle of Ch. forces.

OK. 6 o'clock in the morning Peter I built an army in front of the camp in 2 lines, placing infantry in the center under the command of General Feldm. , on the flanks of the cavalry gene. R. X. Bour and A. D. Menshikov, in the first line of infantry deployed artillery under the command of General I'M IN. Bruce. A reserve (9 battalions) was left in the camp. Part of the infantry and cavalry Peter I sent to reinforce Ukrainian. Cossacks in Mal. Budishchi and the garrison of Poltava, in order to cut off the retreat of the Swedes and prevent them from capturing the fortress during the battle. The Swedish army lined up against the Russians. also in line of battle.

At 9 o'clock the Swedes went on the offensive. Met by strong Russian artillery fire, they rushed into a bayonet attack. In a fierce hand-to-hand fight, the Swedes pushed the center of the Russian first line. But Peter I, who was watching the course of the battle, personally led the counterattack of the Novgorod battalion and threw the Swedes back to their original positions. Soon Russian. the infantry began to push the enemy, and the cavalry to cover his flanks.

Encouraged by the presence of the king, the right wing of the Swedish infantry furiously attacked the left flank of the Russian army. Under the onslaught of the Swedes, the first line of Russian troops began to retreat. The pressure of the enemy, according to Englund, succumbed to the Kazan, Pskov, Siberian, Moscow, Butyrsky and Novgorod regiments (the advanced battalions of these regiments). In the front line of the Russian infantry, a dangerous break in the battle formation formed: the Swedes "overturned" the 1st battalion of the Novgorod regiment with a bayonet attack. Tsar Peter I noticed this in time, took the 2nd battalion of the Novogorodsky regiment and, at the head of it, rushed to a dangerous place.

The arrival of the king put an end to the successes of the Swedes and order on the left flank was restored. First, in two or three places, under the onslaught of the Russians, the Swedes faltered.

The second line of Russian infantry joined the first, increasing the pressure on the enemy, and the melting thin line of the Swedes did not receive any reinforcements. The flanks of the Russian army covered the battle formation of the Swedes. The Swedes are already tired of the intense battle.

At 9 a.m. Peter moved his army forward; the Swedes went to meet the Russians, and a stubborn but short battle caught fire along the entire line. Struck by artillery fire and flanked by Russian cavalry, the Swedes were everywhere overturned.

By 11 o'clock the Swedes began to retreat, which turned into a stampede. Charles XII fled to the Ottoman Empire with the traitor Hetman Mazepa. The remnants of the Swede, the army retreated to Perevolochna, where they were overtaken and laid down their arms. The Swedes lost more than 9 thousand people in total. killed, St. 18 thousand prisoners, 32 guns and the entire convoy. The losses of Russian troops amounted to 1345 people. killed and 3290 wounded.

Charles XII tried to inspire his soldiers and appears in the place of the hottest fight. But the ball breaks the stretcher of the king, and he falls. Through the ranks of the Swedish army, the news of the death of the king swept with lightning speed. Panic broke out among the Swedes. Waking up from the fall, Charles XII orders to put himself on crossed peaks and raise him high so that everyone can see him, but this measure did not help either. Under the onslaught of the Russian forces, the Swedes, who had lost their formation, began a disorderly retreat, which turned into a real flight by 11 o'clock. The fainting king barely had time to be taken out of the battlefield, put in a carriage and sent to Perevolochna.

According to Englund, the most tragic fate awaited the two battalions of the Uppland Regiment, which were surrounded and completely destroyed (out of 700 people, a few dozen survived).

Both royal commanders did not spare themselves in this battle: Peter's hat was shot through, another bullet hit the cross on his chest, the third was found in the saddle arch; Karl's litter was smashed by a cannonball, the drapants surrounding him were all killed. More than 4,600 people were out of action among the Russians; the Swedes lost up to 12 tons (including prisoners). The pursuit of the remnants of the enemy army continued to the village of Perevolochny. The consequence of P.'s victory was the reduction of Sweden to the level of a second-class power and the rise of Russia to an unprecedented height.

Side losses

Menshikov, having received reinforcements of 3,000 Kalmyk cavalry by evening, pursued the enemy to Perevolochna on the banks of the Dnieper, where about 16,000 Swedes were captured.

In the battle, the Swedes lost over 11 thousand soldiers. Russian losses were 1,345 killed and 3,290 wounded.

After the Polish battles, the Swedish army was badly exhausted, and therefore retreated to Ukraine to replenish their strength. Peter I understood that the Swedes were a dangerous enemy. Therefore, everything was done so that the enemy did not get the necessary rest - on the route of the Swedish troops, all stocks of food and weapons were destroyed, ordinary people went into the forest, hiding food and livestock there.

Battle of Poltava briefly. The course of the battle.

Before the start of the battle.

In the autumn of 1708, the Swedes reached the suburbs of Poltava and, having settled down for a winter vacation 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 inhabitants of the city allowed them to hold out against the whole 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. In early June, having crossed the Vorskla River, Russian soldiers settled down near Yakovtsy, five kilometers from the besieged city, in the rear of the Swedes.

Blocking the only way the Swedes could advance with several redoubts, behind them Peter placed 17 cavalry regiments of his friend and commander, Alexander Menshikov.

The 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 strength.

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 is on the side of the Swedes - although they lost a lot of soldiers, they still managed to pass through two lines of fortifications. However, under artillery fire, they had no choice but to retreat into the forest and take a breather.

Taking advantage of the pause, Peter moved the main forces into position. And in the next "round" of the battle, the Swedes began to openly lose. The Novgorod regiment, brought into battle in time, brought confusion to 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 traitorous hetman Mazepa, managed to escape by crossing the Dnieper, but 15,000 Swedish soldiers and commanders were captured.

Significance and results of the Poltava battle.

After the battle given by Peter I to the Swedish king, this country ceased to be the most powerful military force in 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 from the hand of Peter, and the Northern War ended with the victory of Russia.