# Canonical recap data for Battle of Poltava (1709)
# Source: https://recap.at/1709/battle-poltava
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: battle-poltava
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1709/battle-poltava"
title: Battle of Poltava
aliases:
- Poltava
- Battle of Poltava 1709
- Great Northern War decisive battle
subtitle: Peter the Great's decisive victory over Charles XII of Sweden established Russia as a European great power and shifted the continental balance.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1709-06-27
datePrecision: day
year: 1709
decade: 1700
country:
name: Russia
slug: russia
summaryShort: The Battle of Poltava fought on 8 July 1709, was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. A Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeated a Swedish army commanded by Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld. The battle would lead to the Swedish Empire losing its status as a European great power and also marke
summaryLong: The Battle of Poltava fought on 8 July 1709, was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. A Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeated a Swedish army commanded by Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld. The battle would lead to the Swedish Empire losing its status as a European great power and also marked the beginning of Russian supremacy in eastern Europe.
lede: On 8 July 1709, Russian forces under Peter I crushed the Swedish army at Poltava in Ukraine, ending Sweden's two-decade dominance of Eastern Europe. The victory secured Russia's emergence as a major power and marked the beginning of Sweden's long decline from great power status.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Marten%27s_Poltava.jpg/1280px-Marten%27s_Poltava.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Battle of Poltava"
importance: 79
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date
  value: 8 July 1709
- label: Location
  value: Poltava, Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate
- label: Russian commander
  value: Tsar Peter I
- label: Swedish commander
  value: Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld
- label: Russian forces
  value: Approximately 60,000
- label: Swedish forces
  value: Approximately 19,000
- label: War duration
  value: 1700–1721 (Great Northern War)
- label: Swedish casualties
  value: Over 6,000 killed and wounded; 2,700 captured
timeline:
- date: 1700-08-19
  title: Great Northern War begins
  description: Peter I declares war on Sweden, initiating a conflict that will last two decades and reshape Northern Europe.
- date: 1708-01-01
  title: Swedish invasion of Russia
  description: King Charles XII launches a major invasion of Russia with approximately 45,000 troops, aiming to force Peter to negotiate.
- date: 1708-10-09
  title: Battle of Lesnaya
  description: Russian forces under Peter I defeat a Swedish supply column, weakening Charles XII's position before the decisive confrontation.
- date: 1709-07-08
  title: Battle of Poltava
  description: Peter's 60,000-strong army defeats Charles XII's weakened force of 19,000. Swedish losses exceed 6,000; the remainder scatters or is captured.
- date: 1709-07-11
  title: Charles XII flees to Ottoman territory
  description: The Swedish king escapes southward with fewer than 2,000 troops, seeking refuge in the Ottoman Empire rather than face capture.
- date: 1721-09-10
  title: Treaty of Nystad ends Great Northern War
  description: Sweden formally cedes Baltic territories to Russia, confirming Russia's new status as a dominant regional power.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poltava"
  title: Battle of Poltava (1708)
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Poltava rewrote the political map of Northern Europe. Peter's victory confirmed Russia as the region's dominant military force, shifted the balance of power decisively away from Sweden, and established the foundations for Russian imperial expansion that would define the next two centuries.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: regional
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: The 1709 Battle of Poltava ended Swedish dominance and established Russia as a European great power.
wikidataQid: Q152486
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260525164001/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poltava"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-25
  label: Battle of Poltava (1708)
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poltava"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: Mercure Galant
  publisherSlug: mercure-galant
  headline: Victoire decisive du Tsar Pierre contre les Suedois a Poltava
  publishedAt: 1709-08-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival records
  excerpt: "FR: 'Le Tsar Pierre remporte une victoire decisive sur l'armee suedoise du Roi Charles XII' / EN: 'Tsar Peter achieves decisive victory over King Charles XII's Swedish forces.' The Russian sovereign's triumph marks a turning point in the Northern struggle for supremacy."
  significance: 88
  type: magazine
  region: France
- publisher: Relation aller Gedenkwurdigen und Neuen Historien
  publisherSlug: relation-aller-gedenkwurdigen
  headline: Grosser Sieg der Moscowiter bey Poltava uber die Schweden
  publishedAt: 1709-07-22
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival records
  excerpt: "DE: 'Die Heere des Zaren Peter haben den schwedischen General Rehnskiold geschlagen' / EN: 'The armies of Tsar Peter have defeated Swedish General Rehnskiold.' This engagement promises to reshape the balance of power in Northern Europe."
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: German States
- publisher: The London Gazette
  publisherSlug: london-gazette
  headline: "Advices from Muscovy: The Czar's Army Defeats Swedish Forces Near Poltava"
  publishedAt: 1709-08-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - British Library archives
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Dispatches confirm that Russian forces under Peter have routed the Swedish army commanded by General Rehnskiold in a battle of considerable magnitude near the town of Poltava. The Swedish King's military supremacy in the North appears gravely compromised.
  significance: 87
  type: newspaper
  region: England
- publisher: Diario di Roma
  publisherSlug: diario-di-roma
  headline: Vittoria del Czar Pietro contro i Svedesi presso Poltava
  publishedAt: 1709-08-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - Vatican archival records
  excerpt: "IT: 'Le forze moscovite hanno conseguito una vittoria decisiva' / EN: 'Muscovite forces have achieved a decisive victory.' Reports from Eastern Europe indicate the Russian Tsar has fundamentally altered the military equilibrium of the continent."
  significance: 82
  type: newspaper
  region: Papal States
