Select Page

By Unknown author – National Archives of Sweden, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=112777804

The Battle of Poltava occurred in what is modern-day Ukraine, although in 1709 it was part of mainland Russia under Peter the Great.

I found an excellent lecture on the Battle of Poltava from the Great Courses, which I was able to watch for free on Hoopla with my library card. Dr. Aldrete discusses the mystique of King Christian XII. He was said to carry a book about Alexander the Great on his person.

I recall studying Alexander the Great’s siege of Tyre in 332 BC, which he accomplished in a mere seven months, while it had taken his military predecessor Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon thirteen years to besiege the same city beginning in 586 BC, and he still failed to capture it. Alexander succeeded by simply filling the channel that separated Tyre from the mainland with rubble to. Logistics were everything in ancient warfare.

Dr. Andrete asserts that Christian XII’s downfall was the same as that of Alexander the Great and other military leaders of history–ambition. By 1709, Christian XII had already captured the entire Baltic Sea coastline for Sweden, which would have ensured prosperity for Sweden, but he insisted on going after Russia. Leading his army deep in Russia meant losing 25,000 of his 40000 men, and even injuring his own foot. Carried on a litter himself, the Russians trounced the Swedes at Poltava, Christian fled to Turkey, and Sweden was never the same on the world stage again. 

Dr. Andrete makes an interesting comparison of Christian XII to Napoleon, who also tried to claim Russia a century later, which led to his downfall. The Battle of Poltava marks the beginning of Russia as a major player on the world stage.

Source:  Gregory S. Andrete, PhD, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, “1709 Poltava–Sweden’s Fall, Russia’s Rise,” in Decisive Battles of World History, The Great Courses, volume 22, 2014.