Outstanding battle near the island of Grangam

Throughout its history, the Russian Empire sought to gain access to the Baltic Sea and because of this, it often entered a war with neighboring states. The 18th century was no exception.

North War

Since the beginning of the 18th century, the Russian Empire was at war with Sweden (the date of the Northern War: February 22, 1700 - September 10, 1721). On the eve of the end of the war, after the first grandiose naval victory of Russia in the battle of Gangut, the British intensified their forces and sent diplomacy to rapprochement with the Swedes. The English naval alliance with Sweden became a response to the noticeably increased Russian fleet.

Participants in the war

In the Northern War, Russia joined the coalition with Rzeczpospolita, Denmark and Saxony against Sweden (in the north) and the Ottoman Empire (in the south), to which England joined with its fleet during the war. The Russian commander-in-chief was Peter the First, generals who led the fighting in all directions - Golitsyn, Sheremetev and Apraksin. On the part of the Allies - August II, George I and Friedrich Wilhelm. They were opposed by Swedish King Charles XII and Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III.

Ambiguous assessment of historians give the participation in the Northern War of Ukrainian Cossacks, since first the Cossacks led by Ivan Mazepa came out on the side of Peter the Great, and after Charles XII promised to liberate the Ukrainian lands, went over to the side of the Swedes.

The first victories at sea

In the summer of 1714, the Russian fleet at the head of the vanguard, under the command of Peter the First, defeated the Swedish fleet off Cape Gangut. The Russian command took advantage of the moment when the Swedes were forced to divide their fleet in two directions. As a result, the Russian forces blocked the ships of the Swedish Rear Admiral Ehrenkold. They refused to surrender, and Peter ordered to attack.

The victory at Gangut dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Swedes and marked the beginning of a series of successful military battles. July 27, 1714 - the date of the Northern War, which determined its further course and allowed to strengthen its position in Finland.

Fixing results

Six years later, the Russian fleet succeeded in repeating its brilliant naval maneuver of 1714. At the end of July 1720, according to the order of Peter the Great, the commander of the Russian fleet, General Golitsyn, advanced ships against the Swedish Vice-Admiral Sheblat, who commanded the squadron. The Russian rowing fleet, collected in the Gulf of Bothnia, numbered more than 50 galleys and a little more than a dozen boats. In general, Russian ships were equipped with fifty-two guns and eleven thousand armed soldiers ready to enter the battle both on water and on land.

Despite the numerical superiority of the Swedish ships (but the landing force was only about a thousand), General Golitsyn occupied a favorable location in the impenetrable strait of Fliessund. The Russian fleet is located in a semicircle, ready to meet enemy ships. A little earlier in the open sea, the Russian detachment was released as a bait. The Swedes rushed after the detachment and were ambushed. Two frigates, participating in the pursuit, ran aground, while blocking the further movement of two more frigates and a linear Swedish ship. Russian rowing galleys were much more maneuverable and easily passed the shallows, determining the further alignment of forces at the time when the sea battle took place near the island of Grangam.

During the battle, Russian paratroopers took aboard at once four frigates. Such an active and unexpected offensive turned the Swedish fleet into a flight. According to general estimates, the losses of the Swedes amounted to more than a hundred killed four hundred soldiers were captured. At the same time, the battle of the island of Grengam took 82 lives among Russian soldiers, and two hundred people were captured in Swedish captivity.

Results of the Northern War and the signing of the Nystadt Peace

July 27, 1720, the Russian-Swedish naval battle off the island of Grengham entered the military history as a battle, accelerating the conclusion of the Nystad peace, which ended the Northern War. The concluded peace treaty ended a long Northern war with a positive result for the Russian Empire and negative for Sweden.

According to the agreement, Russia was transferred to "perpetual possession" part of Karelia, the seaside from Vyborg from Riga, that is, the entire Gulf of Finland, and the country got the coveted way out to the Baltic Sea. Sweden, Russia had to return Finland and pay a public debt of two million rubles. After the Nystadt Treaty in 1721, Sweden lost its former power. In 1723, Sweden went on rapprochement with Russia in the hope of regaining the Baltic coast by sacrificing an alliance with England.

In Russia, the conclusion of peace was marked by the issuance of a commemorative medal and rich feasts. The Battle of Grangam Island brought the power of the Russian army and navy to a new level, and the battles were awarded gold and silver medals. The Nystadt Treaty guaranteed a mutual amnesty to all, except for the Cossacks who had betrayed Peter and who had crossed over to Karl's side. There was even raised the question of religion, since in former territories of Sweden, which crossed Russia, freedom of religion was introduced.