The Battle of Narva was the first serious test for the Russian army in the Northern War. In that year 1700, no one expected that the campaign would last two decades. Therefore, the "Narva Confusion" seemed to many a fatal failure.
Battle background
The Northern War began because Peter tried to get convenient harbors on the B altic Sea. These lands once belonged to the Russian kingdom, but were lost during the Troubles of the 17th century. In what year did the Narva Confusion take place? In 1700. At this time, the young Russian tsar made many plans to turn Russia into a real world power.
In 1698, Peter I was able to achieve diplomatic success. The King of Poland and the Elector of Saxony Augustus II entered into a secret alliance with him against Sweden. Later, the Danish monarch Frederick IV joined this agreement.
With such allies behind him, Peter hoped to act freely against Sweden. The king of this country, Charles XII, came to the throne at a very young age and seemed a weak opponent. Peter's initial goal was Ingermanland. This is the territory of the modern Leningrad region. The largest fortress in the regionwas Narva. That's where the Russian troops headed.
On February 22, 1700, Peter declared war on Sweden, immediately after he learned about the conclusion of a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire, which saved him from a conflict on two fronts. However, he did not yet know that the Narva Confusion awaited him.
The state of the Russian army
Preparing for the war with the northern neighbor in advance. However, this did not guarantee success at all. The Russian army still lived in the 17th century and lagged behind the European armed forces in technical terms. In total, there were about 200 thousand soldiers in its ranks, which was a lot. However, all of them lacked material support, training and reliable discipline.
Peter tried to organize the army according to the Western modern model. To do this, he invited various specialists from European countries - mainly Germans and Dutch. The vector was chosen correctly, but by 1700 only two regiments met all the standards and requirements. It took a long time to upgrade and retrain, and Peter was in a hurry to finish off his enemies, hoping that surprise would give him an advantage.
By the beginning of the Northern War, Russia still did not produce its own muskets. In addition, the army from the very beginning faced such a problem as an underdeveloped transport system. In bad weather, the roads in the northern regions became a real test for soldiers who had to overcome more than a thousand kilometers. These factors also contributed to the phenomenon that was called the Narvaembarrassment.
The state of the Swedish army
Russia's northern neighbor, on the contrary, was known throughout Europe for its well-organized army. Its reformer was the famous King Gustav II Adolf, who terrified his enemies during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).
The Swedish cavalry consisted of contract soldiers who received a large salary. The infantry was recruited by compulsory conscription from a particular province, however, the infantry also made good money. The army was divided into squadrons and battalions, which effectively interacted on the battlefield. Each soldier was taught to severe discipline, which helped him during the battle. Over the past century, the Swedish army has won only victories, and it was thanks to her that the country began its expansion into Northern Europe. It was a formidable opponent whose underestimation of the power turned into a fatal mistake.
Events on the eve of the battle
November 17 Boris Sheremetev informed the Tsar that the Swedes were advancing and were very close. No one was conducting normal reconnaissance, and the Russian camp near Narva did not know the exact size of the enemy troops. Peter I, having learned about the approach of the enemy, left for Novgorod together with Alexander Menshikov and Fyodor Golovin. Field Marshal Karl-Eugene Croix remained in command. The duke (such was his title) tried to resist this decision of the king, but he could not convince Peter.
Later, the sovereign explained his act by the fact that he needed to meet withthe Polish king, as well as replenish the carts and reserves. At the same time, the Swedes, after their victory, tried to interpret this episode as the cowardice of the king. The Narva embarrassment of the Russians prompted the issuance of commemorative medals depicting a weeping Peter.
Building the Russian army
The troops under the leadership of Croix did everything to strengthen themselves on the banks of the Narva River. For this, fortifications were built on the western side. The whole army was divided into three parts. The right flank was occupied by parts of Avtomon Golovin numbering about 14 thousand people. In the middle stood Prince Trubetskoy with his detachment. Under his command were 6 thousand people. On the left was the cavalry, which was subordinate to Sheremetev.
When it became clear that the Swedes were already very close, de Croix ordered the army to take up combat positions. Communications were stretched for seven kilometers. At the same time, the troops stood in a thin strip. There was no reserve or reserve regiment behind them.
Karl's strategy
On the morning of November 30, 1700, the Swedish army approached the Russian positions. The Narva confusion was approaching. The date of the battle is known from three sources. If we refer to the pre-reform calendar, then the battle took place on November 19, according to Swedish - November 20, according to the modern one - November 30.
The appearance of the Swedes was unexpected, despite all the previous preparations. At the military council, Sheremetev proposed to divide the army. Part of it was supposed to go to the blockade of Narva, and the other - to give a general battle to the Swedes in the field. The duke did not agree with such a proposal and decided to leave the initiative to the young Swedish monarch, who himself led his troops. De Croix believed that the Russian army would be more combat-ready if it remained in its old positions.
The Swedes were well aware of the situation of the enemy, so they were able to develop the most effective strategy. Charles XII decided to press the flanks of the Russians, since the center of the army was the most fortified and could defeat the king. This is how the Narva Confusion happened. The Great Northern War might have had different results if not for the best Swedish strategists - Karl Renschild and Arvid Gorn. They gave wise advice to the young monarch, who was brave, but without the support of the military leaders, he could make a mistake.
Attack of the Swedes
The Narva embarrassment is not only a poor preparation of the Russians for battle, but also a lightning strike by the enemy. The Swedes wanted to pin their enemy to the fortress. Thus, the space for retaliatory maneuver practically disappeared. The only escape route led to the cold river Narva.
The infantry was covered by artillery fire, which the Swedes set up on a nearby hill, from where a good view of the area opened up. Snowfall was another reason why the Narva embarrassment occurred. It was the luck of the Swedes. The wind blew in the face of the Russian soldiers. Visibility was less than a dozen paces, making it terribly difficult to return fire.
At 2 pm, two deep Swedish wedges hit the flanks of the outstretched Russian army. Very soon, gaps appeared in three places at once,where Karl's blows could not be repelled. The coherence of the Swedes was exemplary, the Narva embarrassment became inevitable. Its significance is difficult to overestimate, because after a couple of hours the enemy broke into the Russian camp.
Panic and desertion began. The fugitives had no choice but to try to ford Narva. About a thousand people drowned in the icy water. Prior to this, a small pontoon bridge was thrown across the river, which could not withstand the onslaught of the fugitives and collapsed, which only increased the number of victims. The Narva embarrassment, the date of which turned out to be a black day for national military history, was obvious.
Foreign generals, put by Peter at the head of the army, also began to retreat, which infuriated the Russian officers. Among them was de Croix himself, as well as Ludwig Allart. They surrendered to the Swedes to escape their own soldiers.
The greatest resistance was on the right flank. Here, Russian soldiers fenced off the enemy with slingshots and wagons. However, this could no longer change the outcome of the battle. As night fell, the situation worsened. An episode is known when two Swedish detachments mistook each other for Russians in the dark and opened fire on their own. The center was broken, and because of this, the two defending flanks could not contact each other.
Surrender
This was the start of the Great Northern War. The Narva embarrassment was an unpleasant but inevitable fact. With the onset of morning, the Russian detachments remaining in their positions decided to start negotiations on surrender. The main parliamentarian wasPrince Yakov Dolgorukov. He agreed with the Swedes on free passage to the opposite bank. At the same time, the Russian army lost its baggage train and artillery, but it still had banners and weapons.
The Swedes got significant trophies: 32 thousand rubles from the royal treasury, 20 thousand muskets. The losses were disproportionate. If the Swedes lost 670 people killed, then the Russians - 7 thousand. 700 soldiers remained in captivity, despite the terms of surrender.
Meaning
What did the Narva embarrassment turn out to be for the Russians? The historical significance of this event had long-term consequences. First of all, the reputation of Russia suffered. Her army was no longer taken seriously throughout Europe. Peter was openly mocked, and the glory of a brave commander stuck to Karl.
Nevertheless, time has shown that this was a Pyrrhic victory for the Swedes. Karl decided that Russia was not dangerous, and began to fight with Poland and Denmark. Peter took advantage of the respite provided. He engaged in military reforms in the state, transformed the army and invested a huge amount of resources in it.
It paid off. A few years later, the world learned about the Russian victories in the B altic. The main battle took place near Poltava in 1709. The Swedes were defeated, and Karl fled. It became clear that for the whole of Russia, oddly enough, the Narva embarrassment turned out to be useful. The Battle of Grengam finally deprived Sweden of its established status as the dominant power in the B altic Sea. In 1721, a peace treaty was signed, according to which Russiareceived many lands and ports in the region. Saint Petersburg, the new capital of the country, was founded here. The Battle of Poltava, the Confusion of Narva, the Battle of Grenham - all these events have become a symbol of the bright and complex Peter the Great era.
