The Battle of Poltava is one of the crucial battles of the Northern War. It took place on June 27 (according to the Julian calendar) in 1709 a few kilometers from the city of Poltava. On the battlefield met the Russian army, led by Peter I, and the Swedish army led by Charles XII.
After the transition to the "new style" in 1918, there was confusion with many dates, including the day of the Poltava battle. From 1918 to 1990, it was believed that it occurred on July 8. However, according to many historical sources dated in the meantime, the battle of Poltava took place on the day of remembrance of Sampsonius as a stranger, that is, July 10th. He was the patron saint of this battle. Later, in honor of the saint, a church was built, standing to this day. Therefore, it is more correct to consider the date July 10, 1709 as the day of the victory of the Russian army over the Swedes near Poltava.
At the end of the XVII century, the Swedish power was one of the main military forces in Europe. But the young king continued to build up the power of his army, concluded an alliance with England, France and Holland, thereby securing his support in the event of war.
The rulers of many states did not like Sweden’s dominance in the Baltic Sea. Fearing aggression on her part and harboring plans to rid the Swedes of power in the Baltic states, Saxony, the Danish-Norwegian kingdom and Russia formed the Northern Union, which declared war on the Swedish power in 1700. However, after several defeats, this coalition broke up.
Having won near Narva, where the Russian army suffered heavy losses and surrendered, Charles XII decides to conquer Russia. In the spring of 1709, his troops besieged Poltava to replenish their provisions and open the way for an attack on Moscow. But the heroic defense of the garrison of the city, with the support of Ukrainian Cossacks and cavalry A.D. Menshikov was detained by the Swedes and made it possible for the Russian army to prepare for a decisive battle.
It is worth noting that, despite Mazepa's betrayal, the number of Swedish troops was inferior in number to the Russian. However, neither this fact nor the lack of ammunition and food forced Charles XII to abandon his plans.
On June 26, Peter I ordered the construction of six horizontal redoubts. And later ordered to build four more, perpendicular to the first. Two of them were not yet completed when the Swedes at dawn on June 27 began their offensive. A few hours later, the cavalry vanguard Menshikov threw back the Swedish cavalry. But the Russians still lost two of their fortifications. Peter I ordered the cavalry to retreat beyond the redoubts. Carried away by the pursuit of the retreating, the Swedes fell under the crossfire of artillery. During the fighting, several battalions of the Swedish infantry and cavalry squadrons were cut off from their own and captured in the Poltava forest by Menshikov's cavalry.
The second stage of the battle was the struggle of the main forces. Peter built his army in 2 lines, and the Swedish infantry lined up opposite. After a gunshot battle, it was time for hand-to-hand combat. The retreat of the Swedes soon began, turning into a stampede. King Charles XII and the traitor Mazepa managed to escape, and the rest of the army surrendered.
The battle of Poltava undermined the military power of Sweden, determined the outcome of the Northern War and influenced the development of Russian military affairs.
