Battle of Narva
Part of the Great Northern War
The Swedish Victory at Narva by Gustaf Cederström, painted 1910
Date November 20, 1700 Location Narva, Estonia Result Swedish victory
Combatants
Sweden	Russia
Commanders
Charles XII	Charles Eugène de Croÿ
Strength
10,640	about 37,000
Casualties
667 killed	15,000 killed or drowned 12,000 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 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. Combatants Sweden Ottoman Empire (1710–1714) Ukrainian Cossacks Russia Denmark-Norway Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Saxony after 1718 Prussia Hanover Commanders Charles XII of Sweden Ahmed III Ivan Mazepa Peter the Great Frederick IV of Denmark Augustus II the Strong Strength 77,000 in the beginning of the war. ... Image:Victory at Narva. ... The funeral transport of Charles XII (1884), Gustaf Cederströms own copy of his most famous painting. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 1 - Russia accepts Julian calendar. ... The reconstructed fortress of Narva (to the left) overlooking the Russian fortress of Ivangorod (to the right). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Carl XII, Karl XII or Carolus Rex, (June 17, 1682 – November 30, 1718), the Alexander of the North, nicknamed in Turkish as DemirbaÅŸ Åžarl (Charles the Habitué), was King of Sweden from 1697 until his death in 1718. ... Field Marshal Charles Eugène de Croy, (Russian: ) (1651 - 1703), Duke, military officer from the House of Croÿ. He participated in the Battle of Lund 1676 on the Dano-Norwegian side. ... Combatants Sweden Ottoman Empire (1710–1714) Ukrainian Cossacks Russia Denmark-Norway Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Saxony after 1718 Prussia Hanover Commanders Charles XII of Sweden Ahmed III Ivan Mazepa Peter the Great Frederick IV of Denmark Augustus II the Strong Strength 77,000 in the beginning of the war. ... Combatants Sweden Saxony/Russia Commanders Charles XII August II Adam Heinrich von Steinau Strength 7,000 in the first wave of attack Russians 10,000 Saxons 9,000 Casualties 100 wounded - 400 KIA 2,000 KIA The Crossing of the Daugava on July 9, 1701 was the Swedish push into... Combatants Sweden Poland,Saxony Commanders Charles XII August II the Strong Strength 20 000, 20 000, Casualties 1000 2000 {{{notes}}} Battle of Kliszów took place on July 19 1702 in MaÅ‚opolska during Great Northern War. ... Combatants Sweden Saxony Commanders Charles XII Adam Heinrich von Steinau Strength 3000 3500 Casualties 18 dead 200 dead 800 captured The Battle of PuÅ‚tusk took place on April 21, 1703 in PuÅ‚tusk during Great Northern War. ... Combatants Sweden Russia Commanders Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt unknown Strength 6,000 15,000 Casualties 52 killed, 187 wounded unknown Battle of Jakobstadt was a battle in the Great Nordic War. ... Combatants Sweden Russia Commanders Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt Boris Sheremetyev Strength about 5,500 about 10,000 Casualties 800 killed, 1000 wounded 2000-6000 killed Battle of Gemauerthof was a battle in the Great Nordic War. ... The battle of Fraustadt was fought on February 3, 1706 between Swedish and Russians. ... The Battle of Holowczyn was fought between the Russian army, led by Field Marshal Sheremetyev, and the Swedish army, led by Charles XII of Sweden. ... The Battle of Lesnaya was one of the decisive battles of the Great Northern War. ... Combatants Swedish Empire Russian Empire Commanders Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld # Peter the Great Strength 17,000 troops attacking, 8,000 besieging Poltava, 42,000–45,000 troops, 72 cannons 3,000 Kalmyks arrived at the end of battle Casualties 6,900 killed or wounded, 2,800 prisoners 1,345 killed... Combatants Sweden Denmark Commanders Magnus Stenbock Jørgen Rantzau Strength 14,000 14,000 Casualties 800 dead, 2,000 wounded 5,000 dead 2,500 captured In the Battle of Helsingborg (February 28, 1710) 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau was decisively defeated by an equally large Swedish... The Battle of Gadebusch was Swedens final great victory in the Great Northern War. ... Combatants Sweden Russia Commanders Carl Gustaf Armfeldt Mikhail Golitsyn Strength 4,500 9,000 Casualties 1,600 dead 900 wounded 1,800-2,000 dead or wounded The battle of Storkyro was fought on February 19, 1714 near the village Napue, Finland between a Swedish and a Russian army, as... The naval Battle of Gangut took place on July 27, 1714 during the Great Northern War, in the waters north of the Hanko Peninsula, near the site of the modern-day city of Hanko, Finland, between the Swedish Navy and Imperial Russian Navy. ... Combatants Denmark Prussia Sweden Commanders Frederick IV Frederick William III Charles XII Strength 36,000 soldiers Unknown Casualties Unknown Charles XII was wounded. ... The naval Battle of Dynekilen took place on 8 July 1716 during the Great Northern War, when a light Danish-Norwegian force under Tordenskjold trapped and defeated a similar Swedish force in Dynekilen fjord (just north of Strömstad), on the west coast of Sweden. ... This battle took place 4 June 1719, during the Great Northern War. ... Combatants Sweden Russia Commanders Frederick of Hessen-Kassel Carl Gustaf Dücker Rutger Fuchs Count Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin Strength about 1,200 3,000 Casualties 100 killed or wounded about 500 killed or wounded The Battle of Stäket was a minor battle during the Great Northern War. ... The Battle of Grengam of 1720 was a major battle in the Great Northern War that marked the end of Swedish supremacy in the Baltic waters. ... Three famous battles took place around Narva. ... Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... Combatants Sweden Ottoman Empire (1710–1714) Ukrainian Cossacks Russia Denmark-Norway Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Saxony after 1718 Prussia Hanover Commanders Charles XII of Sweden Ahmed III Ivan Mazepa Peter the Great Frederick IV of Denmark Augustus II the Strong Strength 77,000 in the beginning of the war. ... Carl XII, Karl XII or Carolus Rex, (June 17, 1682 – November 30, 1718), the Alexander of the North, nicknamed in Turkish as DemirbaÅŸ Åžarl (Charles the Habitué), was King of Sweden from 1697 until his death in 1718. ... Peter the Great or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov (Russian: Пётр I Алексеевич Pyotr I Alekse`yevich, Пётр Великий Pyotr Veli`kiy) (9 June 1672 – 8 February 1725 [30 May 1672–28 January 1725 O.S.][1]) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his...

Prelude

During the 17th century, Russia were backward and primitive compared to the rest of Europe. 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. Peter I Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia Peter I (Pyotr Alekseyvich) (9 June 1672–8 February 1725 [30 May 1672–28 January 1725 O.S.1]) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death. ...

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, were at the height of their 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]. Charles XII is: Charles XII, or Karl XII, (1682 - 1718), King of Sweden - see Charles XII of Sweden a 19th_century racehorse _ see Charles XII (horse) a pub in the Yorkshire village of Heslington, named after the racehorse - see Heslington This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which...

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. Events January 1 - Russia accepts Julian calendar. ...

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]. Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld was a Swedish field marshall under the command of Charles XII. He lived from 1651-1722. ... Field Marshal Charles Eugène de Croy, (1651 - 1703), Duke, military officer from Holland of French origin. ...

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. 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]. Narva river is a river which flows at the border of Estonia and Russia. ...

All the remaining Russians surrendered to Charles XII's army, along with all of Peters cannons, muskets and military supplies. This left Russia's remaining armed forces with literally 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 crush the Swedes at the Battle of Poltava, ending the dominance of the Swedish Empire and marking the rise of the Russian Empire^[11]. Combatants Swedish Empire Russian Empire Commanders Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld # Peter the Great Strength 17,000 troops attacking, 8,000 besieging Poltava, 42,000–45,000 troops, 72 cannons 3,000 Kalmyks arrived at the end of battle Casualties 6,900 killed or wounded, 2,800 prisoners 1,345 killed... Sweden between the years 1611 and 1718 is known as the Swedish Empire. ... The subject of this article was previously also known as Russia. ...

References