| The Battle of Narva | |
|---|---|
 Swedish cavalry charging the Russians during the battle | |
|
Date and location |
30 November 1700, Narva in present-day Estonia |
|
Victorious faction |
|
|
Defeated faction |
Tsardom of Russia |
|
Swedish commanders |
Karl XII, Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld, Otto Vellink, Magnus Stenbock |
|
Russian commanders |
Charles Eugène de Croy (P.O.W), Avtomon Golovin (P.O.W), Ivan Trubetskoy (P.O.W), Adam Veyde (P.O.W), Ivan Buturlin (P.O.W), Jakov Dolgorukov (P.O.W), Alexander Imeretinski (P.O.W), Boris Sjeremetev |
|
Swedish numbers |
10,203 men (5,889 infantry, 4,314 cavalry), 37 guns |
|
Russian numbers |
40,000 men (Russian sources) to 100,000 men (Swedish sources), 195 guns |
|
Swedish casualties |
667 killed, 1,247 wounded |
|
Russian casualties |
12,000-18,000 killed, 20,000 captured, 10,000 deserted, 180 guns captured |
The Battle of Narva is one of the most famous battles in Swedish military history, being the first battle fought against Russia in the Great Northern War. Approximately 10,000 Caroleans led by the then only seventeen-years old king Karl XII made a successful attempt to lift the siege of the Swedish city of Narva. The Russians are described to have been ten times the Swedish numbers, well dug in and had superior artillery power. However, "with the aid of God", the Swedes easily killed, routed or captured the entire Russian army, taking 20,000 prisoners and killing at least 12,000 men (18,000 according to some sources). Added to that, as many as 10,000 Russians deserted during the battle, losing faith in victory when seeing the Swedish advance. Karl XII boasted the loss of merely 667 men - a remarkable military feat matched by few. The Battle of Narva is considered to be one of Sweden's greatest military victories in history.