The Battle of Poltava was a major battle of the Great Northern War which was fought on 8 July 1709 between the Swedish army of King Charles XII of Sweden and Czar Peter the Great of Russia. The Swedish invasion of Russia met with disaster at Poltava, after which King Charles' army disintegrated and the king was stranded in the Ottoman Empire; the Russians capitalized on their victory to drive the Swedes out of Poland-Lithuania.
History[]
The defeat at Narva had shown the urgent need for Russian military reforms. Central organization was improved; while new regiments and military schools were established. In 1705 the system of recruiting infantry was extended; from then on, one soldier was provided by every 20 peasant households. In 1705-09 up to 168,000 men were recruited in this way. Guard regiments were established and training provided for all (including the nobles). Following a victory at Jolowczyn in July 1708, Charles XII of Sweden invaded Ukraine, hoping to deliver a decisive blow to the Russian army. His decision was to prove catastrophic to the Swedish cause. The winter of 1708-1709 was extremely harsh. A Russian scorched-earth policy was partially successful. In January, near Hadyach, hundreds of Swedish troops froze to death. Attacking the little fortress of Veprik, Charles' men found that the walls had frozen solid. Charles' ally, the Cossack hetman Ivan Mazepa, meanwhile, provided little assistance, and Baturin, the Cossack capital, was sacked by the Russians. More cautious advisers suggested to the Swedish king a tactical withdrawal to Poland. Peter the Great enticed the Swedes to attack his fortified position at Poltava. With Charles injured and unable to oversee in person the battle, his generals proved inadequate. The Swedish attack was badly coordinated, hampered by inadequate reconnaissance and poor communications. Russian infantry and artillery inflicted heavy losses on the Swedes. At 10,000 men, however, Charles' losses paled beside the surrender of 15,000 Swedes at Perevolochna on 11 July. Charles took refuge in the Ottoman Empire, where he was to remain until 1714. During this period, the Russian czar was able to reconquer Poland and Sweden's Baltic provinces. The war ended only in 1721, but Swedish power was broken.