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.

Today in our historical section we will talk about the Battle of Poltava on June 27, 1709, which became one of the most important battles of the Northern War.

On June 27 (July 8), 1709, six miles from the city of Poltava in Little Russia (Left-bank Ukraine), the largest battle of the Northern War between Russian and Swedish troops took place, ending in the defeat of the Swedish army Charles XII.

Reasons for the Battle of Poltava
The Northern War developed in such a way that Sweden, led by a young commander-king Charles XII won one victory after another. As a result, by the middle of 1708, all the allies of Russia were actually withdrawn from the war: both the Commonwealth and Saxony. As a result, it became obvious that the outcome of the war would be determined in a face-to-face battle between Sweden and Russia. Charles XII, on the 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 he understood perfectly well that such a campaign was aimed at advancing deep into the country and defeating the Russian army.

Considering the causes of the Battle of Poltava, it is necessary to pay attention to two very important facts:
1) 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 the 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 blocked to send a new one.
2) In October 1708, the Swedish king was addressed Hetman Mazepa. 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 provision of food and ammunition.

As a result, the main causes of the Battle of Poltava must be sought in the causes of the start of the Northern War, which at that time had already dragged on quite a bit and required decisive action.

Course of events
In April 1709, Swedish troops besieged the city of Poltava, which was defended by a small garrison under the command of Colonel Alexey 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.

Order of Peter I before the Battle of Poltava
Warriors! Here comes the hour that will decide the fate of the Fatherland. And so you should not think that you are fighting for Peter, but for the state handed over to Peter, for your family, for the fatherland, for our Orthodox faith and church. You should also not be embarrassed by the glory of the enemy, as if invincible, which lie you yourself have repeatedly proved by your victories over him. Have righteousness before your eyes in battle, and God to fight against you. And know about Peter that his life is not dear to him, if only Russia would live in bliss and glory, for your well-being.

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 72 guns, was located in the fortified camp it created, 5 km north of Poltava. The Russian army chose a small rugged area surrounded by forest to make it difficult for the enemy to maneuver. Command of the first division Peter took over, and distributed the other divisions among the generals. The cavalry was assigned Alexander Menshikov, the command of artillery was entrusted to Bruce.

About 20 thousand people and 4 guns took part in the battle from the Swedish side (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 the hetman Ivan Mazepa were in reserve. by the Swedish army, due to being wounded Charles XII, commanded by Field Marshal Rehnschild. Infantry and cavalry commanded by generals Lewenhaupt and Kreutz.

At two o'clock in the morning on June 27 (July 8), the Swedish infantry moved in four columns against the Russian redoubts, followed by six cavalry columns. After a stubborn two-hour battle, the Swedes managed to capture only two advanced redoubts. Rehnschild, trying to bypass the Russian redoubts on the left, he 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 cavalry Menshikov.

Redoubt (fr. redoute - shelter) - closed-type fortification, usually (but not necessarily) earthen, with a rampart and a moat, intended for all-round defense.
Squadron (fr. escadron)- a unit in the cavalry, corresponding to a company in the infantry.

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 was sent in pursuit of the retreating Alexandra Menshikova, which the next day overtook the enemy at Perevolochna on the Dnieper and forced the remnants of the Swedish army (16 thousand) under the command Adam Lewenhaupt capitulate. swedish king Charles XII and 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 much less - 1 thousand 345 people killed and 3 thousand 290 wounded.

"Please welcome to my tent"
On the eve of the Battle of Poltava, King Charles XII, promising his officers and soldiers a quick victory, invited the Russian Tsar to a sumptuous dinner in the tent. “He prepared many dishes; go where your glory leads you." Peter I really arranged a feast for the winners, where he invited captured Swedish generals. At the same time, the Russian monarch, not without irony, said: “Yesterday my brother King Charles called you to dine in my tent, but today he didn’t come and didn’t keep his word, although I really expected him. But when His Majesty did not deign to appear, then I ask you to come to my tent.

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.

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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.

This article briefly describes the most important historical event in the history of Russia at the beginning of the eighteenth century - the Battle of Poltava.

The turning point of the Northern War was the Battle of Poltava, when the selected Swedish troops were utterly defeated, and King Charles XII shamefully fled.

What year did the Battle of Poltava take place?

The battle took place on Sunday, July 8, 1709. It was the height of the Northern War, which lasted twenty-one years between the Kingdom of Sweden and a number of northern European states.

The Swedish army at that time was considered one of the best in the world and had a huge experience of victories. In 1708, all their main opponents were defeated, and active hostilities against Sweden were carried out only by Russia. Thus, the outcome of the entire Northern War was to be decided in Russia.

For the victorious conclusion of the war on January 28, 1708, Charles XII began the eastern campaign from the battle in Grodno.

Throughout 1708, enemy forces were slowly moving in the direction of Moscow. The expeditionary force consisted of approximately 24,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry. In the initial plans of the aggressor was a campaign against Moscow through the territory of the modern Smolensk region.

At the same time, an additional threat to Russia from the north was created by a Swedish group of 25,000 people, which at any moment could attack Petersburg. In addition, the threat was created by the vassal Commonwealth, as well as the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire from the south.

In order to strengthen his positions, in April 1709, Charles XII entered into a secret alliance with Hetman Mazepa and Kosh ataman of the Zaporizhia Nizovy Army, Kost Gordienko. The agreement theoretically allowed Charles XII to solve the problem of food supply and ammunition, as well as to receive reinforcements of 30-40 thousand Cossacks.

The enemy forces were planned to be reinforced by a grouping of 16,000 men under the command of Lewenhaupt, moving from Riga with a huge convoy of about 7,000 carts. But Charles XII, instead of going towards this grouping, went south.

On September 28, 1708, as a result of the defeat of the Lewenhaupt group in the battle near the village of Lesnoy, logistical support was cut off and hopes for replenishment of food and ammunition were dashed.

Under these conditions, the Swedish king decided to make a detour to Moscow through the territory of modern Ukraine. On October 29, 1708, Mazepa openly went over to the side of Sweden, offering them the capital of the Hetmanate, Baturyn, as a camp.

Mazepa was not supported by the Ukrainian people. According to historians, Mazepa appeared to the Swedes not as an ally, but as a fugitive in need of help. Real help from Mazepa turned out to be negligible. Most of the Cossacks, having learned about Mazepa's secret treaty, left him. The detachment that remained loyal to the hetman numbered no more than two thousand people.

On November 2, 1708, Russian forces under the command of Menshikov destroyed Baturin, depriving the invaders of hopes of receiving help.

During the winter-spring of 1709, Charles XII, together with a small detachment of Mazepa's supporters, was engaged in the devastation of various settlements of Sloboda. The content of the group became more and more problematic, and its numbers fell from disease and sabotage by local partisan detachments. From the beginning of April 1709, the enemy military began the siege of Poltava.

Participants of the Battle of Poltava

On the eve of the battle, the number of occupying troops and the Cossacks supporting them was constantly decreasing.

The largest detachment that left Mazepa was Galagan's detachment, numbering approximately 1000 people, who captured 68 Swedish officers and soldiers. In addition, a large number of soldiers from Saxony deserted from the enemy ranks. Among the Cossacks of the Zaporizhian Grassroots Army, who formally supported the invaders, there was also no unity, as a result of which Gordienko was removed from power.

The repressions of the foreign military led to the burning of several Ukrainian towns, which further turned the local population against them. During the siege of the city, the local garrison repulsed about 20 attacks and destroyed up to 6,000 enemy soldiers and officers.

The enemy forces on the eve of the battle numbered approximately 37,000 people, of which:

• the troops of Charles XII - 30,000, among which 11,000 are infantry and 15,000 are cavalry;
• hussars of Wallachia - 1000;
• Cossacks-Cossacks and Cossacks-Mazepins - up to 6 thousand;
• artillery - 41 units.

On the eve of the battle, 67 thousand people were concentrated on the Russian side, of which:

• infantry - 37 thousand;
• cavalry - 23,700, of which Zaporozhye Cossacks led by Skoropadsky - up to 8,000 people;
• the garrison of the city of Poltava and the armed militia - up to 4200 people;
• artillery - more than 100 units.

The local population was resolutely opposed to foreigners and with all its might supported the small Poltava garrison under the command of commandant Kelin.

Various historical sources interpret the forces of the parties on the eve of the battle in different ways. We can say with confidence that the numerical advantage in terms of the number of manpower and artillery was on the Russian side.

The Swedish expeditionary force was on the decline throughout the Russian campaign of 1708-1709. Charles XII could only count on the skill of his military leaders and the vast military experience accumulated over the long years of the Northern War, as well as on the help of the Cossacks who supported Mazepa.

The Swedes' plan was based on using the element of surprise and the belief that the Russian army was poorly prepared, and also incapable of quick offensive and counter-offensive actions.

On Sunday, July 8, 1709, in the early morning, it was planned to carry out a surprise attack in the gap between the Russian redoubts in the area between the settlements of Yakovtsy and Small Budyshchi. Then it was planned to introduce cavalry into the gap in the defense and break up the Russian cavalry units.

After that, the Swedes planned to complete the assault on the Russian stronghold with a simultaneous frontal attack of the infantry and a sweeping maneuver of the cavalry from the north. Subsequently, the date of the Poltava battle will be fatal for the Swedes.

The Swedes left in reserve 1 cavalry regiment, 4 dragoon units and 2 units of adelsfan (noble cavalry) with a total of 2000 people. Three regiments remained in the besiege, the Life Guards and the regimental reserve with a total number of 1330 military personnel. The Swedes allocated 1 regiment of dragoons and two cavalry detachments, about 1800 people in total, to protect the river crossings.

Of the artillery available to the Swedes, 4 units were ready by the start of the battle. It is believed that the rest of the artillery was either lost during the siege, or did not have stocks of gunpowder and warheads. According to individual Swedish sources, their guns were practically not used purposefully in order to achieve the element of surprise.

On the Russian side, about 25,000 infantry and 21,000 cavalry took part in the battle, including 1,200 Skoropadsky's Cossacks. In addition, the Russian side during the battle was reinforced by 8,000 Kalmyk cavalrymen.

Peter I paid great attention to the availability of a sufficient amount of artillery, so the fire superiority of the Russian side was overwhelming. Various sources indicate the number of artillery pieces that took part in the battle in different ways, but there were at least 102 of them.

Description of the Poltava battle

On the day preceding the battle, Peter the Great traveled around the troops gathered for the battle and gave them a speech that became legendary. The essence of the speech was that the soldiers would fight for Russia and for her piety, and not for him personally.

Charles XII, speaking to his soldiers, inspired them with the promise of big booty and dinner in the Russian convoy.

On the night of July 8 (June 27, old style), enemy infantrymen secretly lined up in four columns. The cavalrymen created a battle order of six columns. The troops were commanded by Field Marshal Rehnschild. The collection was announced at 23.00 on July 7, and the nomination began at 02.00 on July 8. The beginning of preparations was revealed by Russian intelligence, which made it possible to adequately meet the enemy.

The Swedish forces began to attack the redoubts and the Russian cavalry behind them before dawn. Under the onslaught of the attackers, two incompletely completed redoubts were captured, all the defenders of which were killed. At the third redoubt, the offensive was suspended and Menshikov's dragoons counterattacked.

A cavalry battle began near the redoubts, which helped to maintain a common line of defense. All attacks of the Swedish cavalry were repulsed. 14 banners and standards of the destroyed cavalry units were captured. After that, Charles XII sent foot soldiers to help the cavalry.

Peter I gave the order to withdraw the cavalry to previously prepared positions near the equipped camp, but Menshikov continued the battle, realizing that deploying cavalry units at the time of the Swedes' attack meant exposing them to great danger.

Because of this, Peter I handed over command to Baur, who began to deploy cavalry units. The enemy decided that the cavalry was fleeing and began to pursue it. But the commander of the Swedish troops, Rehnschild, returned the cavalry to cover the infantry, which by that time had reached the Russian fortified camp.

At this moment, there was an operational pause in the battle, associated with the expectation by the Swedes of pulling up the lagging behind infantry and the return of the cavalry. Part of their infantry was busy storming the third redoubt, which they could not take due to lack of sufficient assault equipment.

A large number of Swedish infantry, including command personnel, had already been destroyed by that time. Because of this, their units, which stormed the third redoubt, began to retreat to the forest near Yakovtsy.

Peter I threw infantry and dragoons at the retreating Swedes, as a result of which part of the forces under the command of Ross was defeated. After that, the parties began to regroup their forces for a decisive battle.

The Russian side, unexpectedly for the Swedes, prepared for a counterattack. They prepared for battle and lined up under the command of General Lewenhaupt. At the same time, two Swedish battalions were searching for the Ross group, which they did not yet know about the defeat. Later, these two battalions will also join the battle.

The Swedes decided to overturn the Russian battle formation with a swift attack by the Carolines and Reiters. At 09.00 Swedish troops launched an attack. They were met with small arms and artillery fire, after which the battle turned into hand-to-hand combat. At the same time, Menshikov's cavalry hit the Swedes from the flank. At that time they began to break through the Russian left flank. Peter I personally led the command of the 2nd Battalion of the Novgorod Regiment and restored the broken line of defense.

On the other flank, the Swedes did not even come into combat contact with the Russian line of defense. They were attacked by experienced Russian infantry regiments under the command of Golitsyn. The Swedish cavalry reserves were not brought into action in time, and soon their left flank ran. What happened next was a disaster for the Swedes.

As a result of Golitsyn's attack, the center of the Swedish battle order was exposed, and their grouping began to be subjected to flank attacks. The Swedes were surrounded and started a stampede.

During the battle, 137 banners and standards were captured, more than 9,000 servicemen were killed, and about 3,000 were captured. The losses of the Russian side totaled 1345 killed and 3290 wounded.

The pursuit of the retreating enemy was launched that same evening by the forces of Baur's dragoons and the Life Guards of Golitsyn. On July 9, Menshikov joined the pursuit.

On the evening of the same day, Peter I arranged a celebration, to which the captured Swedish generals were invited, to whom the swords were returned. During the event, Tsar Peter noted the loyalty and courage of the Swedes, who were his teachers in military affairs.

The surviving Swedish forces, led by the king, began to regroup in the Pushkarevka area. The siege regiments from near Poltava also returned here. By the evening of July 8, 1709, the Swedes headed south, to the crossing over the Dnieper.

The Swedes tried to increase the time for withdrawal by sending General Meyerfeldt for negotiations, but soon their grouping was finally defeated in the area of ​​​​the settlement of Perevolochny. About 16,000 Swedes capitulated here.

The Swedish king and Mazepa fled and found shelter in the Ottoman Empire near the city of Bendery.

In total, about 23,000 Swedes were taken prisoner during the battle. Some of them agreed to serve Russia. 2 infantry regiments were formed from the Swedes and one dragoon regiment, which subsequently fought for Russia.

Map and scheme of the Battle of Poltava

Reasons for the victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Poltava

Russia won thanks to the significant development of the army and state achieved under Peter I, the military talent of Russian military leaders.

The cardinal reforms that he carried out brought the country out of the Byzantine way of life, in which Russia was considered a minor backward country, into the modern world. In this new order, Russia has established itself as a force to be reckoned with throughout the world. This is confirmed by the fact that in Western countries Peter I is called the Great.

Battle of Poltava - meaning, results and results

The most important outcome of the Battle of Poltava was a significant change in the strategic position in the Eastern European theater of operations. The Swedish army, until then the dominant military force in the region, was defeated, the regional leadership of Stockholm ended, and Russia became one of the world leaders.

Saxony and Denmark took the side of Russia in the further war. As a result of the Northern War of 1700-1721, Sweden left the club of the world's greatest powers, and Russia triumphantly entered the world stage. The victory at Poltava contributed to the security of seaports in the Baltic. Further annexation of the territory of the Baltic States and Eastern Finland would have been impossible without this victory.

Stories about the triumph of Russian weapons near Poltava have remained in popular rumor for hundreds of years. This is well illustrated by the popular expression "like a Swede near Poltava" to denote a failed event.

Victory Day near Poltava was sung by many writers, poets and musicians, including Pushkin, who wrote the poem "Poltava". Many films have been made, including abroad.

This historical event will always remain in the memory of people as an important milestone in the development of the Russian state.

At the end of the autumn of 1708, after a grueling march that lasted more than three months, the Swedish troops needed a serious rest. Charles XII decides to move to Poltava. The Poltava garrison was small. It consisted of about 4,000 regular soldiers and about 2,500 adult residents capable of defending the city. Therefore, it seemed to the Swedes that it would be an easy victory.

At the end of April, the Swedish army approached the city and began the siege. However, the calculations were not justified. For more than two months, the defenders of the city, under the command of Colonel Kelin, bravely repulsed the attacks. They made it possible to buy time. By the end of June, the Russian army approached the left bank of the Vorskla.

The Swedish king was seriously preparing for the battle with the Russians. They built powerful field fortifications. Peter I made a roundabout maneuver. He sent his troops up the river. A crossing was built outside the village of Chernyakhovo. This made it possible to be in the rear of the Swedish army. By decision of Peter I, a place near the village of Yakovtsy was chosen as the field of the future general battle. The most convenient way for the attack passed between two dense forests Budishchi and Yakovetskoe. To organize a decent meeting, the Russians built eight redoubts with an interval of 300 meters between them. They became a serious obstacle in the way of the Swedish troops. The Belgorod Infantry Regiment was stationed under cover of the redoubt. His task was to steadfastly defend the redoubt, destroy and wear down the Swedes.

Peter placed 17 of the best cavalry regiments behind the redoubts. These regiments consisted of dragoons under the command of Menshikov. The main forces, which included 56 battalions, were located in the camp, heavily fortified on all sides. In front of him was the main artillery.

The Swedes did not expect the Russian army to appear so unexpectedly in the rear. They had to urgently rebuild. Intelligence was sent by the Russians to clarify the enemy positions. She ran into a Swedish detachment. It was the vanguard that always accompanied the king. As a result of the skirmish, the king was wounded in the leg.

June 27 (July 8), 1709 early in the morning the Swedish army went on the offensive. At the cost of huge losses, the Swedes captured all the redoubts. 6 battalions of Swedish infantry and 10 squadrons were cut off. The fire of the Russian artillery was so strong that the Swedes began to hastily retreat to their positions. Five infantry regiments, supported by five dragoons, completely destroyed this army group. They managed to capture the commander of this group, General Schlippenbach.

The main body of the enemy troops sent their attack through the redoubts. They were counterattacked by Russian artillery. Peter built his main forces sequentially in two lines. The camp was covered by 9 reserve battalions. The decisive attack began at 9 am. Both advancing armies drew closer. The fight turned into deadly hand-to-hand combat. A separate battalion of the Novgorod regiment was led by Tsar Peter himself. He personally led them on the attack. The offensive was so successful that the Swedes could not resist. The Russian cavalry outflanked the Swedes. She stabbed them in the rear. It was the decisive moment of the whole battle. Soon the whole army fled from the battlefield.

King Charles suffered the most serious defeat. The Russians managed to capture 15,000 people. 9234 people were killed.

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Sweden was the main opponent of Russia in the struggle for supremacy in the Baltic Sea. After the signing of a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire in August 1700, the thirty-five thousandth Russian army led by Peter I advanced to Narva. Despite a fourfold superiority, on September 30, the Russian army was utterly defeated by the Swedes and was forced to retreat.

The Russian emperor drew the right conclusions from this shameful defeat and began a military reform according to European canons. The results were not long in coming. Two years later, the fortresses of Noteburg and Nienschanz were conquered, and in the autumn of 1704, the cities of Narva and Derpt. Thus, Russia has achieved the long-awaited access to the Baltic Sea.

Peter I proposed to end the Great Northern War by signing a peace treaty, but this state of affairs did not suit the Swedish king Charles XII. Charles undertook a campaign against Russia in 1706, trying to regain lost positions, and succeeded a lot in this, capturing the cities of Minsk and Mogilev and entering Ukraine in October 1708. It was at this time that Peter received an unexpected stab in the back from his former associate, the hetman of the Zaporozhian Army, Ivan Mazepa. Despite the previous exceptional merits (Mazepa was a holder of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called - the highest state award in Russia), he openly went over to the side of the Swedish king. For betrayal of the military oath and betrayal, Ivan Mazepa was deprived of titles and awards, anathematized by the church, and a civil execution was carried out on him.

Peter I, government leaders and top military leaders took a bold and creative move: launched the so-called "war of manifestos". In a short time, Peter issued several manifestos to the Ukrainian people, in which he informed about the betrayal of Mazepa, his plans to transfer Little Russia to Poland, and also about the election of a new hetman. In addition, in order to win the support of all segments of the population, the Russian Tsar canceled some of the taxes established by Mazepa, which positioned him as a father and protector of the Ukrainian people. Let us note that Peter did not forget to "kindle" the higher clergy, to whom the "highest mercy" was promised.

Ukraine was divided: a smaller part was under the occupation of the Swedes, a large part - under the rule of Moscow. Prepared by Peter's manifestos, the public met the Swedish army with hostility. The population resisted the demands of the invaders to provide them with housing, food and fodder, which was followed by mass repressions. The Swedes ruthlessly destroyed cities and villages, such as Krasnokutsk, Kolomak, Kolontaev. The answer was predictable: a guerrilla war had begun, as a result of which the invaders had to expend a lot of strength for the war with the people, on whose support they so counted.

The position of Charles XII was also complicated due to the lack of military assistance from Poland, Turkey and the Crimea. Nevertheless, he decided to advance on Moscow. Charles XII decided to move through the cities of Kharkov, Belgorod and Kursk. The main stumbling block was Poltava, a small town with a population of about 2,600 people. In the spring of 1709, Poltava was besieged by thirty-five thousand Swedish soldiers. The city was defended by a Russian garrison of 4.5 thousand people under the command of Colonel Alexei Kelin, the cavalry of General Alexander Menshikov and Ukrainian Cossacks. Having beaten off several enemy assaults, the defenders of Poltava managed to pin down the forces of the Swedish army, preventing it from moving further to Moscow. During this time, the main Russian forces managed to approach Poltava and prepare for the main battle.

The course of the battle of Poltava

The date of the general battle was appointed by Peter on June 27, 1709. Two days before the deadline, 42 thousand Russian soldiers settled in a fortified camp six miles from Poltava near the village of Yakovtsy. There was a wide field in front of the camp, which was covered from the flanks by dense thickets, and was fortified with a system of redoubts - engineering structures designed for all-round defense. Two battalions of soldiers were located in the redoubts, followed by seventeen cavalry regiments under the command of Alexander Menshikov. Peter's tactical move is to wear down the enemy forces on the line of redoubts, and then finally finish off with the help of cavalry.

Instead of Charles XII, who was wounded during reconnaissance, the Swedish army was commanded by Field Marshal Renschild. The number of Swedes was approximately 30 thousand soldiers (of which about 10 thousand were in reserve).

The battle began at 3 o'clock in the morning with a clash at the redoubts of Russian and Swedish cavalry. Two hours later, the attack of the Swedish cavalry bogged down, but the infantrymen occupied the first two Russian redoubts. Peter, following the chosen tactics, ordered Menshikov to retreat. The Swedes, rushing after the Russians, fell into a set trap: their right flank was fired upon by rifle and cannon fire from a fortified camp. They, having suffered significant losses, retreated to the village of Small Budishchi. At the same time, the Swedish troops on the right flank under the command of Generals Ross and Schlippenbach were carried away by the battle for the redoubts and were cut off from their main forces. Peter immediately took advantage of this circumstance: the Swedes were completely defeated by Menshikov's cavalry.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, Peter built his army in a linear order of battle, placing it in two lines. In the first were infantrymen and artillerymen, commanded by Field Marshal Count Boris Sheremetev and General Yakov Bruce. The flanks were covered by the cavalry of Generals Menshikov and Bour. Nine reserve battalions were left in the camp. Part of Peter's troops reinforced the garrison of Poltava, on the one hand, so that the Swedes could not capture the fortress, and on the other, in order to cut off the enemy's retreat.

At 9 o'clock in the morning the battle entered its climax. The Swedes, also lined up in a linear order, went on the offensive, and, met by Russian artillery, rushed into a bayonet attack. At the first moment they managed to break the center of the Russian first line. Then Peter I, having shown courage and courage, personally led the counterattack. The Swedes were driven back to their original positions, and soon further by Russian infantry and cavalry. By 11 o'clock they began to retreat in panic. Charles XII and Mazepa fled to Turkey. The remnants of the Swedish troops retreated to Perevolochna, where they were forced to capitulate. The Swedish army was completely defeated, losing more than 9 thousand people killed and over 18 thousand prisoners. The losses of the Russian troops amounted to about 1400 people killed and 3300 wounded.

Results and consequences of the Poltava battle

The Battle of Poltava became a turning point in the Northern War and international politics in general. G.A. Sanin, Doctor of Historical Sciences, head of the Russia in International Relations Center, compares the news of the Russian victory in this battle with a bomb explosion and calls even the idea that the army of Charles XII could be destroyed absurd for Europeans.

The Battle of Poltava radically changed the balance of power in the Northern War. Peter I successfully restored, and subsequently was able to expand the Northern Union by signing new agreements with Augustus II, Elector of Saxony, and a Russian-Danish agreement on favorable terms for Russia.

The defeat of Charles XII near Poltava significantly influenced the course of the war in the Baltics. In June 1710, the ten thousandth corps of the Russian army, with the help of the fleet under the command of General Admiral Fyodor Apraksin, captured Vyborg, in July - Riga, in August - Pernov, and in September - Revel. Thus, the liberation of the Baltic states from the Swedes was completed.

The largest historian of pre-revolutionary Russia S.M. Solovyov called the victory of the Russians near Poltava the greatest historical event, as a result of which "a new great people was born" in Europe.

If at the beginning of the Northern War there was a question about the national self-preservation of the Russian people as a result of a possible conquest by the Swedes, then after the Poltava victory, the prestige of Russia soared upward that many European powers began to recognize it as a valuable ally, to adopt its diplomatic and military experience. From now on, not a single political issue was resolved in Europe without a weighty voice from Russia.

The Battle of Poltava had a positive impact on the development of Russian military art. Russian warriors, led by their emperor, showed a departure from the patterns of strategy and tactics: building a battle order, preparing engineering structures, allocating the optimal amount of reserve, using the features of a closed area. Near Poltava, the great importance of the morale of the troops, the patriotic attitude to victory was demonstrated. The lessons learned from the Battle of Poltava proved invaluable for Russia in all subsequent times.