The Battle of Poltava is one of the crucial battles of the Northern War. It took place on June 27 (Julian calendar) 1709, a few kilometers from the city of Poltava. On the battlefield, the Russian army, led by Peter I, and the Swedish army, led by Charles XII, met.
After the transition to the "new style" in 1918, there was a confusion with many dates, including the day of the Battle of Poltava. From 1918 to 1990, it was believed to have occurred on July 8th. However, according to many historical sources dated at that time, the battle of Poltava took place on the day of remembrance of Sampson the stranger, that is, July 10. He was the heavenly patron of this battle. Later, a church was built in honor of the saint, which still stands today. 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 17th century, the Swedish state turned out to be one of the main military forces in Europe. But the young king continued to build up the power of his army, made an alliance with England, France and Holland, thereby ensuring himself support in case of war.
The rulers of many states were not satisfied with the domination of Sweden in the Baltic Sea. Fearing aggression on its part and hatching plans to get rid of the Swedish power in the Baltic States, Saxony, the Danish-Norwegian kingdom and Russia formed the Northern Alliance, which in 1700 declared war on the Swedish state. However, after several defeats, this coalition fell apart.
Having won a victory at Narva, where the Russian army suffered heavy losses and capitulated, Charles XII decides to conquer Russia. In the spring of 1709, his troops laid siege to Poltava in order to replenish their reserves of provisions and open the way for an attack on Moscow. But the heroic defense of the city's garrison, with the support of the Ukrainian Cossacks and the cavalry of A. D. Menshikov detained the Swedes and gave the Russian army an opportunity to prepare for the decisive battle.
It is worth noting that, despite Mazepa's betrayal, the number of the Swedish army was inferior in number to the Russian. However, neither this fact, nor the lack of ammunition and food did not make Charles XII abandon his plans.
On June 26, Peter I ordered the construction of six horizontal redoubts. And later he ordered to build four more, perpendicular to the first. Two of them had not yet been completed when the Swedes launched their offensive at dawn on June 27. A few hours later, Menshikov's cavalry vanguard threw back the Swedish cavalry. But the Russians still lost two of their fortifications. Peter I ordered the cavalry to retreat behind the redoubts. Carried away by the pursuit of the retreating, the Swedes were caught in the crossfire of artillery. During the fighting, several battalions of 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 consisted in the struggle of the main forces. Peter lined up his army in 2 lines, and the Swedish infantry lined up opposite. After the firearms, it was time for hand-to-hand combat. Soon the Swedes began to retreat, 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, predetermined the outcome of the Northern War and influenced the development of Russian military affairs.
