The Battle of Narva (30 November 1700 NS) Was a Key Battle Early in the Great Northern

The battle of Narva (30 November 1700 NS) was a key battle early in the Great Northern War (1700-1721).

Peter the Great had led an army that was probably around 35,000 strong into Ingria, besieging Narva. The Russian bombardment began on 31 October.

Charles responded with an aggressive counterattack that was to become something of a trademark. With an army only 8,000 strong he advanced towards Narva, brushing aside small Russian detachments on the way. Faced with the advance of the Swedish army, Peter decided to leave Narva, leaving Charles Eugène de Croy to command the army.

Despite Peter’s disappearance the Russians were still in a strong position. At least 26,000 of them were able to fit into the contravallations around Narva, meaning that Charles would have to attack an entrenched enemy who outnumbered him three to one.

Charles responded with a typically aggressive move. Under the cover of a sudden blizzard he launched an attack on the Russian lines, breaking through in two places. The 5,000 strong force of old style Russian cavalry fled at the first charge, while de Croy was caught out by the small size of the Swedish army, thinking it could only be an advance guard.

With the Russian line split in three, and the snow blocking visibility, the Russian army collapsed. Charles was able to deal with the three parts of the Russian line in detail. Large numbers of soldiers fled, many drowning in the Dvina River. At least 20,000 infantry were captured by the Swedes, then released after they had surrendered their muskets. The Russians suffered 10,000 dead, the Swedes as few as 600.

Arriving at Narva in early November, Russian forces began laying siege to the Swedish garrison. Though possessing a core of well-drilled infantry, the Russian army had not yet been fully modernized by the tsar. Numbering between 30,000 and 37,000 men, the Russian force was arrayed from south of the city in a curved line running to the northwest, with their left flank anchored on the Narva River. Though aware of Charles' approach, Peter departed the army on November 28 leaving Duke Charles Eugène de Croy in command. Pressing east through bad weather, the Swedes arrived outside the city on November 29.

Forming for battle atop Hermansberg hill a bit more than a mile from the city, Charles and his chief field commander, General Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld, prepared to assault the Russian lines the next day. Opposite, Croy, who had been alerted to the Swedish approach and relatively small size of Charles' force, dismissed the idea that the enemy would attack. On the morning of November 30, a blizzard descended across the battlefield. Despite the foul weather, the Swedes still prepared for battle, while Croy instead invited the majority of his senior officers to dinner.

Around midday, the wind shifted to the south, blowing the snow directly into the Russians' eyes. Spotting the advantage, Charles and Rehnskiöld began advancing against the Russian center. Using the weather as cover, the Swedes were able to approach to within fifty yards of the Russian lines without being spotted. Surging forward in two columns, they shattered the troops of General Adam Weyde and Prince Ivan Trubetskoy and broke Croy's line in three. Pressing home the assault, the Swedes forced the surrender of the Russian center and captured Croy.

On the Russian left, Croy's cavalry mounted a spirited defense but was driven back. In this part of the field, the retreat of Russian forces led to the collapse of a pontoon bridge over the Narva River which trapped the bulk of the army on the west bank. Having gained the upper hand, the Swedes defeated the remnants of Croy's army in detail through the rest of the day. Looting the Russian camps, Swedish discipline wavered but the officers were able to maintain control of the army. By morning, the fighting had ended with the destruction of the Russian army.

A stunning victory against overwhelming odds, the Battle of Narva was one of Sweden's greatest military triumphs. In the fighting, Charles lost 667 killed and around 1,200 wounded. Russian losses were approximately 10,000 killed and 20,000 captured. Unable to care for such a large number of prisoners, Charles had the enlisted Russian soldiers disarmed and sent east while only the officers were kept as prisoners of war. In addition to the captured arms, the Swedes captured nearly all of Croy's artillery, supplies, and equipment.

Having effectively eliminated the Russians as a threat, Charles controversially elected to turn south into Poland-Lithuania rather than attack into Russia. Though he won several notable victories, the young king missed a key opportunity to take Russia out of the war. This failure would come to haunt him as Peter rebuilt his army along modern lines and eventually crushed Charles at Poltava in 1709.

Battle of Narva Julian: November 30th, 1700

- second battle of the Great Northern War

- Swedes defeated Russian siege forces

On 19 (OS) or 30 (NS) November 1700 (20 November in the Swedish transitional calendar), Charles XII positioned his 10,500 men opposite the besieging Russian army of about 33,000 to 35,000 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. Claiming important domestic events in Russia to which he was required to attend; Peter had left Narva just days before and was therefore not present during the actual fighting. He trusted that his commanders would draw success from the battle, and presumed that Charles would not immediately attack his well fortified forces of superior number. Some interpretations view his flight from Narva days before the battle an act of cowardice; most of Europe mocked the Tsar after the battle for his departure. However, some scholars believe this accusation has little merit, as reportedly the Tsar had placed himself in physical danger too many times previously for his flight to be out of cowardice.

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 saw his opportunity and advanced on the Russian army under cover of the weather. The Swedes attacked in two columns, quickly broke through the Russian lines cutting them in three, and rounded them up. At one crucial point, a bridge over the Narova river collapsed under retreating Russian troops. The stampede led to the death of 8,000 men and the loss of 145 guns. The Russians remaining in Narva surrendered.

The Russian surrender brought to Charles XII's army all of Peter's cannons, muskets and military supplies. This left Russia's remaining armed forces with essentially no equipment. If Sweden, or any other aggressor, had invaded Russia immediately after Narva, Peter would have been almost powerless to stop them.

The Battle of Narva: