Battle of Poltava: Peter the Great Crushes Charles XII, Russia Becomes a Power
Charles XII had already won nine battles against larger armies. Then at Poltava, on June 27th, 1709, he attacked with 24,000 Swedes against Peter's 45,000 Russians—while nursing a foot wound so severe he commanded from a stretcher. Eight hours later, 9,000 Swedes lay dead. Charles fled to Ottoman territory with just 1,500 men. Sweden's Baltic empire, built over a century, collapsed in a single morning. The teenager who'd terrified Europe became a footnote, while Russia became the power nobody had seen coming.
July 8, 1709
317 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Sweden
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Europe
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Peter the Great
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Charles XII of Sweden
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Peter I of Russia
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Great Northern War
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Battle of Poltava
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Poltava
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Sweden
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Tsardom of Russia
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Peter the Great
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Charles XII of Sweden
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Great Northern War
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Europe
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Battle of Poltava
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