Battle of Narva (1700)
| Battle of Narva | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Great Northern War | |||||||
 The Swedish Victory at Narva by Gustaf Cederström, painted 1910 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Sweden |
 Russia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Charles XII | Charles Eugène de Croÿ | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 10,640 | about 37,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 667 killed | 16,000 killed - about 20,000 captured | ||||||
- For other Battles of Narva, see Battle of Narva (disambiguation).
The Battle of Narva was an early battle in the Great Northern War fought in November of 1700. The Swedish army under Charles XII of Sweden defeated the four times larger Russian force of Peter the Great. Narva marked the peak of Swedish power on the continent, with Russia eventually finding decisive victories to end the conflict.
Prelude
During the 17th century, Russia was backward and primitive compared to the rest of Europe[citation needed]. This extended to their armed forces, making raids and attacks from their neighbors commonplace[1]. Peter the Great was keen to give his newly inherited nation security, and so organised an expedition against his Swedish rivals in the West.
The new Tsar would drastically modernise Russia in the coming years, but the army with which he traveled in 1700 was still unequipped and poorly drilled[2]. Peter had employed foreign generals to improve his armed forces[3], but they were still far from seasoned. Sweden, on the other hand, was at the height of its powers. Charles XII of Sweden had the most complete military force in northern Europe, even if it wasn't the biggest, and Peter envied their capabilities[4].
During November, Russian troops surrounded the Swedish-held city of Narva, attempting to secure its surrender via siege. King Charles moved to relieve the city and push Peter's forces back into Russia.
The battle
On November 20 1700, Charles XII positioned his 8,140 man force opposite the besieging Russian army. The Swedish troops were joined by approximately 2,500 men from the city, which is in modern day Estonia. The Russian army had great numerical superiority, numbering about 37,000 troops.
The Swedish army was commanded personally by Charles XII, assisted by General Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld. The Russian forces were commanded by Tsar Peter and Charles Eugène de Croy. Due to domestic events in Russia, Peter had left Narva just days before and so wasn't present during the fighting[5].
For much of the day a blizzard engulfed both armies, making attacks impossible. However, at midday, the winds changed and the snow-storm blew directly into the eyes of the Russians. Charles XII saw his opportunity and advanced on Peter's troops under the cover of the weather[6]. The Swedes quickly broke through the Russian lines, scattering their opponents, whom could offer little resistance. In the chaos, many of the Russian soldiers killed their foreign generals, whom they hated[7].
The numerically superior Russian forces were decimated and the Swedes retained Narva.
Aftermath
Sweden lost 667 men in the fighting, while the Russian army lost about 15,000 men in battle, and the most of the remaining army were captured. Many were killed by the assault under snow-cover, which caught the Russian troops off guard. Just as many of Peter's men perished as they retreated, trying to flee across the freezing waters of the Narva River [8]. The Swedes also seized a lot of Russian muskets.
The surrender of the remaining Russian forces brought to Charles XII's army all of Peter's cannons, muskets and military supplies. This left Russia's remaining armed forces with essentially no equipment[9]. If Sweden, or any other aggressor, had invaded Russia immediately after Narva, Peter would have been almost powerless to stop them[10].
Narva was a crushing defeat for Russia, but Sweden's decision not to press home this advantage meant it wasn't a decisive one. As Charles XII became embroiled in conflicts closer to home, Peter was able to advance his military capabilities in the way he had always wished. These improved Russian troops would eventually defeat the Swedes at the Battle of Poltava, ending the dominance of the Swedish Empire and marking the rise of the Russian Empire[11].