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 (Karl XII in Swedish) crushed a Russian force four times its size, commanded by Peter the Great. Narva marked the peak of Swedish power on the continent, with Russia eventually finding decisive victories to end the conflict. The fight at Narva was a massive defeat for Russia.

Prelude

During the 17th century, Russia was less advanced than 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.

The new Tsar would drastically modernize Russia in the coming years, but the army with which he traveled in 1700 was still poorly drilled. Peter had employed foreign generals to improve his armed forces, 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 its capabilities.^[1]

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 30, 1700 (November 20 in the Swedish transitional calendar), Charles XII positioned his 8,140 men opposite the besieging Russian army of 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 in fear just days before and wasn't present during the fighting.^[1]

For much of the day, a blizzard engulfed both armies, making attacks impossible. However, at midday, the winds changed and the snowstorm 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. The Swedes quickly broke through the Russian lines, scattering their opponents, who could offer little resistance. In the chaos, many of the Russian soldiers killed their foreign generals, whom they hated.^[1]

The Russian forces were decimated and the Swedes retained Narva.

Second battle

Four years after the first battle of Narva, Tsar Peter marched again in an attempt to capture Narva. Peter marched with 45,000 men. The garrisson of Narva was under the Commandant Major-General H. R. Horn af Ranzien and consisted of 3,800 infantry and 1,300 cavalry. The Russians made a three-fronted attack and after a long battle they took Narva. General Horn, several officers and a large number of Swedish soldiers were captured, with about 3,200 casualties. The Russians, though successful, also suffered heavy losses ? 13,000 men during the siege and final attack.

References

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