The Battle of Narva is one of the most remarkable in the chronicle of the battles of Peter I. In fact, it was the first major battle of the young Russian state. And although it ended rather unsuccessfully for both Russia and Peter I, the significance of this battle can hardly be overestimated. It showed all the weaknesses of the Russian army and raised many unpleasant questions about weapons and logistics. The subsequent solution of these problems strengthened the army, making it one of the most victorious at that time. And the battle of Narva laid the foundation for this. Let's try to tell briefly about this event in our article.
Backstory
The beginning of the Russian-Swedish confrontation can be considered a conflict that flared up over the conclusion of a thirty-year Turkish peace. The process of concluding this agreement could be thwarted due to strong Swedish resistance. Having learned about such opposition, the tsar ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador Kniper-Krona from Moscow, and ordered his representative in Sweden to declare war on thiskingdom. At the same time, Peter I agreed to end the matter amicably on the condition that the Swedes cede the Narva fortress to him.
Charles XII found this treatment outrageous and took countermeasures. By his order, all the property of the Russian embassy was confiscated, and all representatives were arrested. In addition, the king of Sweden ordered that the property of Russian merchants be arrested, and they themselves be used for hard work. Almost all of them died in captivity and poverty. Karl agreed to go to war.
Peter I found this situation unacceptable. However, he allowed all Swedes to leave Russia and did not seize their property. Thus began the Northern War. The Battle of Narva was one of the first episodes of this conflict.
Beginning of confrontation
Trying to break through to the shores of the B altic, Russian troops from August 1700 besieged Narva. Under the Swedish fortress, six regiments of the Novgorod governor, Prince Trubetskoy, were sent, in addition, the cavalry of Count Golovin and the rest of the regiments of his division were redeployed directly under Narva to strengthen the positions of the Russian troops. The fortress was subjected to numerous bombardments. which have caused serious fires on several occasions. The Russians were in no hurry to storm the well-defended walls, hoping for a speedy surrender of Narva.
But soon they felt a lack of gunpowder, shells, the supply of provisions worsened, there was a smell of treason. One of the captains, who had Swedish roots, broke the oath and went over to the side of the enemy. The tsar, in order to avoid the repetition of such cases, dismissed all the foreigners who occupied the commandposts, and sent them deep into Russia, rewarding them with ranks. On November 18, Peter I personally went to Novgorod to oversee the delivery of military supplies and provisions. The continuation of the siege was entrusted to the Duke de Croix and Prince Ya. F. Dolgorukov.
Dislocation of Russian troops
It should be noted that the battle of Narva in 1700 was designed for active offensive operations - Russian troops occupied positions suitable only for active retreat, but not for defense. The advanced units of the Petrine divisions were stretched out along a thin line almost seven kilometers long. Artillery was not in its place either - due to an acute shortage of shells, she was in no hurry to take up her positions near the bastions of Narva.
So the Russian army met the dawn on November 19, 1700. The battle near Narva began.
Attack of the Swedes
Taking advantage of the absence of the king, the Swedish troops, hiding behind a snowstorm and fog, went on the offensive. Charles XII created two shock groups that managed to break through the Russian defenses in the center and on one of the flanks. The decisive offensive confused the Russians: many foreign officers of the Petrine troops, led by de Croix, went over to the enemy side.
The Battle of Narva showed all the weaknesses of the Russian troops. Poor military training and betrayal of the command completed the rout - the Russian troops fled.
Retreat from positions
The Russians retreated… A large number of people and military equipmentrandomly flowed to the dilapidated bridge on the river Narva. Under the unreasonable weight, the bridge collapsed, drowning many people under its rubble. Seeing the general flight, the cavalry of the boyar Sheremetev, who occupied the rearguards of the Russian positions, succumbed to the general panic and began to cross the Narva by swimming.
The Battle of Narva was actually lost.
Counterattack
Only thanks to the stamina and courage of two separate regiments - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky - the offensive of the Swedes was blocked. They stopped the panic and successfully repulsed the onslaught of the royal troops. The remnants of other Russian units gradually joined the surviving regiments. Several times Charles XII personally led the Swedes on the attack, but each time he had to retreat. With the onset of night, hostilities subsided. Negotiations have begun.
Narva Agreement
The Battle of Narva ended with the defeat of the Russians, but the backbone of the army survived. Despite the difficult situation of the Peter's troops, Charles XII was not sure of the unconditional victory of the Swedes, so he accepted the terms of the peace treaty. The opponents concluded an agreement according to which the Russian troops were allowed to retreat.
When sailing to the other side of the Narva, the Swedes captured several officers and took away all the weapons. The shameful peace, which was initiated by the Narva embarrassment, lasted about four years. Only the next battle near Narva, in 1704, made it possible for the Russian army to even the score in this war. But it's completelyanother story.
Results of the Narva Confusion
The Battle of Narva showed the backwardness of the Russian army, its poor experience even in front of a small enemy army. In the battle of 1700, only about 18 thousand people fought on the side of the Swedes against the thirty-five thousandth Russian army. Lack of coordination, poor logistics, poor training and outdated weapons are the main reasons for the defeat at Narva. After analyzing the reasons, Peter I concentrated his efforts on combined arms training, and sent the best of his generals to study military affairs abroad. One of the priority tasks was the rearmament of the army with the latest models of military equipment. A few years later, the military reforms of Peter I led to the fact that the Russian army became one of the strongest in Europe.
