Great Northern War: Swedes Crushed at Poltava!

July 8, 1709 - Swedish forces are destroyed at the Battle of Poltava (right). Seeking to end the Great Northern War, Swedish King Charles XII attacked into Russia during the summer of 1709. Though his army was weakened from the previous winter, he advanced to Poltava in the Ukraine. As Charles laid siege to the city, Tsar Peter the Great raced to the city with 42,500 men. As battle loomed, command of the Swedish army devolved to Field Marshal Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld and General Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt when Charles was wounded. Despite being badly outnumbered, the Swedes assaulted the Russian position at dawn on July 8. As their attack bogged down the Russians struck their flanks inflicting heavy casualties. Regrouping, the Swedes advanced again and nearly broke through the Russian lines before being turned back. Flanking the Swedes, the Russians drove them from the field. With the battle lost, Charles ordered a retreat. Fleeing west, he sought refuge in Ottoman Moldavia along with 3,000 of his men.

Photograph Source: Public Domain