Russian Swedish army. Russian-Swedish wars

Clashes between states began in the middle of the XII century, when the First Swedish Crusade was declared. But then the Novgorodians held out. From then until the early 19th century, Sweden and Russia fought countless times. There are about two dozen major confrontations alone.

Novgorod takes a hit

The first Swedish crusade had a very specific goal - to recapture Ladoga from Novgorod. This confrontation lasted from 1142 to 1164, and the Novgorodians emerged victorious from it.
A little twenty years later, the united Karelo-Novgorod troops managed to capture the capital of Sweden, Sigtuna. The Archbishop of Uppsala was killed and the city plundered. Among the war booty were the famous bronze church gates, which later "settled" in Novgorod.
Towards the middle of the 13th century, the Swedes announced the Second Crusade.

In 1240, the famous battle of Jarl Birger with Alexander Yaroslavich took place. The Novgorodians turned out to be stronger, and thanks to the victory, the prince received the nickname Nevsky.

But the Swedes did not even think to calm down. Beginning in 1283, they actively tried to gain a foothold on the banks of the Neva. But they did not dare to get involved in open confrontation. The Swedes used the tactics of "petty foul", regularly attacking Novgorod merchants. But the Scandinavians were not able to extract any particular benefit from this.
At the beginning of the XIV century, the struggle continued with varying success. Once even the Swedes managed to capture and burn Ladoga, but they failed to consolidate or develop their success.

Swedes against the Russian kingdom

The Scandinavians did not abandon their claims to the northern lands even after Novgorod became part of the Moscow principality. At the very end of the 15th century under Ivan III, Russia itself attacked Sweden for the first time in a long time. Enlisting the support of the Danish king, Russian troops set off to capture Vyborg.
The war went on with varying degrees of success. Either the Russian governors succeeded in plundering enemy settlements, or the Swedes did the same. Only the Danish king, who took over the Swedish throne, benefited from the opposition.

A truly large-scale and bloody war between the Russian kingdom and Sweden unfolded under Ivan the Terrible. The reason was traditional - border disputes. The Scandinavians were the first to attack, and the Oreshek fortress fell under the "distribution". In retaliation, Russian troops besieged Vyborg. But both the former and the latter failed.

Then the Swedes invaded the Izhora and Korel lands, staging a pogrom there. During the capture of Korela, the Scandinavians cut out all the Russian inhabitants (about two thousand). Then they exterminated another seven thousand in Gapsala and Narva.

The end of the bloodshed was put by Prince Khvorostinin, who managed to defeat the Scandinavians in the battles in Votskaya pyatina and near Oreshk.

True, the peace treaty between the states was unprofitable for Russia: it lost Yam, Ivangorod and Koporye.

The Swedes tried to use the turmoil that began in Russia to their advantage. And, as they say, "on the sly" took Ladoga. Further more. The Novgorodians themselves called the Swedish king to rule over them, so they surrendered the city without a fight. When Mikhail Fedorovich ascended the Russian throne, the Scandinavians already owned Ingermanland and most of the Novgorod lands.
On a swoop, the Russian troops failed to return Novgorod, the war was reduced, for the most part, to fights on the borders. Since the governors did not dare to go out into open battle with the troops of Gustav-Adolf. Soon the Swedes captured Gdov. But near Pskov they were in for a failure. Only in 1617 was the Stolbovsk peace concluded between the countries, according to which Russia called on the rights of Sweden to Ingermanland and Karelia.

In the middle of the 17th century, hostilities continued. But neither side managed to achieve significant results.

Wars under Peter the Great

Under Peter the Great, the largest war in history took place between Russia and Sweden - the Northern War, which lasted from 1700 to 1721.
Initially, the Scandinavians were opposed by an alliance of European states that wanted to snatch parts of the Baltic territories. The Northern Alliance, which appeared thanks to the initiative of the Elector of Saxony and the Polish King August II, also included the Danes and Russia. But very quickly the alliance collapsed due to several Swedish victories.

Until 1709, Russia fought alone against a formidable enemy. After the capture of Noteburg, Peter founded St. Petersburg in 1703. A year later, Russian troops were able to take Dorpat and Narva.

Four years later, the Swedish king Karl XII went all-in and lost. First, his troops were defeated at Lesnaya. And then - and in the decisive battle near Poltava.
The new king of Sweden, Fredrik I, had no choice, he asked for peace. The defeat in the Northern War hit the Scandinavian state hard, forever knocking it out of the rank of great powers.

Wars in the 18th and 19th centuries

The Swedes wanted to regain the status of a great power, and for this they had to defeat the Russian Empire.

Under Elizaveta Petrovna, the Swedes declared war. It lasted only two years: from 1741 to 1743. The Scandinavian army was so weak that it could even hardly defend itself, not to mention any offensive action.
The result of the war was the loss of the Kymenegorsk province by Sweden with Neishlot, Vilmanstrand and Friedrichsgam. And the border between the states began to pass along the Kyumen River.
Once again, the Swedes tried their military happiness already under Catherine II, succumbing to the instigations of England. King of the Scandinavians Gustav III hoped that he would not meet serious resistance in Finland, since the Russian troops were pulled south. But this war, which lasted from 1788 to 1790, did not produce any results. According to the Verel peace treaty, Russia and Sweden simply returned the occupied territories to each other.
It fell to Emperor Alexander I to put an end to the centuries-old confrontation between Russia and Sweden. The war lasted only a year (from 1808 to 1809), but it was very eventful.
Alexander decided to put an end to his old enemy once and for all, so the Russian troops set off to conquer Finland. The Swedes hoped to the last that bloodshed would be avoided, and the king did not believe in the presence of an enemy army on the border. But on February 9, Russian troops (the armies were commanded by Barclay, Bagration and Tuchkov) invaded the neighboring state without an official declaration of war.
Due to the weakness of the monarch and the impending disaster, a coup d'etat took place in Sweden "in time". Gustav IV Adolf was deposed, and power passed into the hands of his uncle, the Duke of Südermanland. He received the name Charles XIII.
After these events, the Swedes roused themselves and decided to expel the enemy armies from Estherbothnia. But all attempts failed. At the same time, which is typical, the Swedes refused to agree to peace, giving Russia the Aland Islands.

The hostilities continued, and the Scandinavians decided on the last, decisive blow. But this venture also failed, the Swedes had to sign a peace treaty. According to it, they ceded to the Russian Empire all of Finland, the Aland Islands and the eastern part of Westro-Botnia.

On this, the confrontation between states, which lasted almost seven centuries, was over. Russia emerged from it as the sole winner.

COURSE OF EVENTS

The plan for the attack on Russia was to concentrate land resources in Finland in order to pull the Russian army away from St. Petersburg and liberate the coast; defeat the Russian fleet in a general battle on moraine, blockade Kronstadt; hike to St. Petersburg.

Taking advantage of the war with Turkey on June 21, 1788, a detachment of Swedish troops crossed the Russian border. The Swedes, possessing a milch superiority of forces, put forward demands: to punish the Russian ambassador, Count Razumovsky; to cede Finland to Sweden; accept the mediation of Sweden to conclude peace with Turkey; to disarm the Russian fleet in the Baltic Sea.

The Swedes won the battles near Pardakoski and Kernikoski, near Valkiala (April 18-19, 1790). Russian losses: killed - 6 officers and 195 soldiers; wounded - 16 officers and 285 soldiers. The losses of the Swedes: 41 killed and 173 wounded.

The Russian fleet in the Baltic Sea (49 ships and 25 frigates) outnumbered the Swedish one (23 ships of the line, 11 frigates, up to 140 rowing ships) in number, not quality. Almost all ships fit for battle were sent to the Russian-Turkish theater of operations. In the Battle of Hogland on July 6 (17), 1788 near the island of Gogland in the Gulf of Finland, the Russians defeated the enemy, after which the remnants of the Swedish fleet were forced to take refuge in Sveaborg. In the battle of Öland on July 15 (26), 1789, near the island of Öland, 36 Swedish ships were defeated by the squadron of Admiral V. Ya. Chichagov.

In the First Battle of Rochensalm on August 13 (24), 1789, the Swedes were defeated, having lost 39 ships (including the admiral's one captured). Russian losses - 2 ships. The strategic result of the naval battle of Revel on May 2 (13), 1790 on the roadstead of the port of Revel (Baltic Sea) was the collapse of the entire Swedish campaign plan - it was not possible to defeat the Russian forces in parts.

In the Krasnogorsk battle on May 23-24 (June 3-4), 1790 north-west of Krasnaya Gorka, the battle lasted two days without an obvious preponderance of the sides, but upon receiving news of the approach of the Russian Revel squadron, the Swedes retreated and took refuge in the Vyborg Bay. The Vyborg naval battle on June 22 (July 3), 1790, finally thwarted the Swedish plan to land troops and capture St. Petersburg.

The Second Battle of Rochensalm on June 28 (July 9), 1790, which took place in the same place where the First brought success to the Swedes - 52 Russian ships were killed in this battle.

The Russian-Swedish war of 1788–1790 ended. the signing of the Verel Peace Treaty on August 3 (14), 1790 (Verel, now Värälä in Finland) on the condition of maintaining the pre-war borders. In early August 1788, Swedish troops left the territory of Russia.

THE START OF THE WAR

In early July 1788, a 36,000-strong Swedish army led by the king himself crossed the Russian border into Finland. The Swedes laid siege to the small Russian fortress of Neyshlot. Gustav III sent an ultimatum to the commandant of the fortress, one-armed Major Kuzmin, in which he demanded to immediately open the fortress gates and let the Swedes in. To this the major replied to the king: "I am without a hand and I cannot open the gate, let his majesty work himself." We add that the garrison of Neishlot was only 230 people. However, during the whole war, the Swedes did not manage to open the gates of Neishlot, they only tried to plunder the surroundings. Catherine wrote to Potemkin in this regard:

"After a two-day shooting at Nyshlot, the Swedes went to plunder the Nyshlot district. I ask you, what can you plunder there? ... (Gustav) ordered his troops in Finland and the Swedes to say that he intends to excel in deeds and darken Gustav Adolf and end Karl's enterprises XII. The latter may come true, before this began the ruin of Sweden. "

On July 22, 1788, the Swedish army approached the Friedrichsgam fortress and blocked it. The fortress was in a deplorable state, there were no stone bastions, the earthen rampart had collapsed in a number of places. The artillery armament consisted of Swedish guns captured during the 1741-1743 war. The garrison of the fortress was 2539 people. However, the Swedes stayed at Friedrichsgam for two days and then retreated.

Shirokorad A.B. Northern Wars of Russia. - M., 2001. Section VI. Russian-Swedish war of 1788-1790 Chapter 2. Land war in Finland http://militera.lib.ru/h/shirokorad1/6_02.html

FIGHT AT PARDAKOSKI AND KERNIKOSKI

Reconnaissance reported that the enemy had strongly fortified at Pardakoski and Kernikoski, and his right flank was reliably covered from the front by the fast, ice-free river Kerni. The lakes, in spite of the month of April, were completely covered with ice. […]

The first column, approaching the village of Pardakoski at dawn, boldly launched an attack on the enemy battery, but the enemy met the Russians with murderous fire, and then energetically launched an offensive in the flank and rear of the Russian column. Despite their stubborn resistance, the detachment of V.S. Baikova was forced to retreat to Salkis with heavy losses.

At the same time, the troops of General P.K. Sukhtelena, but, approaching the Kerni river, stopped in front of the dismantled bridge. After the retreat of the column of Brigadier Baikov, the Swedes focused all their attention on Sukhtelen, and his attack was also repulsed with great damage.

The battle obviously went according to a scenario that was unsuccessful for the Russians, and soon all our troops began to retreat to Savitaipol. "However, the Russians were not defeated in this battle, as they say, utterly: they retreated in such an order that the enemy did not dare to pursue them."

The losses of the Russians that day were significant: about two hundred killed and more than three hundred wounded, two guns were lost. The damage suffered by the enemy is difficult to determine, but, according to the conclusion of the Russian commanders, it was approximately equal to ours - although according to Swedish sources, only 41 killed and 173 wounded were indicated.

Nechaev S.Yu. Barclay de Tolly. M., 2011.http: //bookmate.com/r#d\u003deuZ9ra0T

The commander of the Russian rowing fleet, Admiral Prince von Nassau-Siegen, divided his forces: the majority, under his command, was to attack from the east and consisted of 78 ships with 260 heavy guns, including 5 frigates and 22 galleys, 48 \u200b\u200bhalf-galleys and gunboats, etc .; he entrusted the command of another squadron of sailing ships to Admiral Cruz; it consisted mainly of 29 heavy ships with 380 heavy guns: 10 frigates and shebeks, 11 half-galleries, 6 brigs and 2 bombardment ships. With this squadron, Cruz was to attack the Swedes from the southwest and cut off their retreat; already on 23 August he passed Kirkommasari.

On August 24, after 9 o'clock in the morning, Cruz, with a westerly wind, approached the Swedish line within a cannon shot, but general fire was opened only an hour later; 380 Russians stood against 250 heavy Swedish guns. The shooting continued until 4 pm; by this time, Major General Balle, to whom the command had passed instead of Cruise, had to retreat under concentrated enemy fire, and lost two ships; the Swedes continued their pursuit until 8 pm.

Meanwhile, Prince von Nassau approached from the east, but only in the afternoon began to clear the obstructions from the channel; at the northern tip of the island of Kutsale, he landed 400 men with cannons. Ehrensverd sent two large ships there for reinforcement, but by 7 o'clock in the evening the Russians managed to pass the bottleneck and attack the main forces of the Swedes. By that time, the Swedes had shot almost all their shells and soon had to retreat in front of the overwhelming superiority of the enemy, who from 9 pm began a hot pursuit and continued it until 2 am, until the very fortress of Svartholm, which lies 20 nautical miles to the west.

The Swedes lost 7 ships; 5 of them were taken prisoner, 1 drowned, 1 flew into the air; in addition, 16 transports were burned. Losses in people were expressed in numbers of 46 officers and 1300 lower ranks; among them there were 500 patients who remained on the islands. Losses of sailing vessels amounted to 35%, losses of rowing ships - only 3%.

The Russians lost only 3 ships; personnel losses were 53 officers and 960 people; according to some information, the losses of the Russians were more than twice as significant; in any case, their losses in the battle were much greater.

Shtenzel A. History of wars at sea. In 2 volumes. M., 2002. Volume 2. Chapter XII. Swedish-Russian war of 1788–1790 http://militera.lib.ru/h/stenzel/2_12.html

Verelsky Peace Treaty of 1790

The Verela Peace Treaty of 1790 between Russia and Sweden, signed on August 3 (14) in Verela (Finland), summed up the results of the Russian-Swedish war of 1788–1790. According to the treaty, peaceful relations and previously existing borders were restored between the two states. Both sides renounced territorial claims to each other and reaffirmed the provisions of the Nystadt Peace Treaty of 1721. The Swedes were allowed annually duty-free to buy bread in the ports of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea in the amount of 50 thousand rubles. Sweden's attempts to weaken the role and influence of Russia in the Baltic in the context of its serious war with Turkey ended in complete failure. The Verelsky peace treaty strengthened the international position of Russia, contributed to the disruption of the plan for the formation of an anti-Russian coalition by Britain and Prussia, confirmed the conditions of the Abo peace treaty of 1743. The urgent conclusion of the Verelsky peace was a complete surprise for Sweden's allied England and Prussia.

Sweden is the largest state in Northern Europe. In the past, it dominated its region and in some periods of its history could well be considered one of the great European powers. Among the kings of Sweden there were many great commanders - such as, for example, the "Lion of the North" Gustav II Adolf, Peter the Great's rival Charles XII, as well as the former French marshal and founder of the now ruling Swedish royal dynasty of Bernadottes, Karl XIV Johan. The victorious wars of Sweden, which the state waged for several centuries, allowed it to create a rather vast empire in the Baltic Sea basin. However, in addition to major interstate conflicts, Swedish military history knows several internal ones - for example, at the end of the 16th century, a civil war broke out in Sweden between supporters of two monarchs: Sigismund III and Charles IX.

An important event uniting Swedish and Russian history was the Great Northern War, which lasted from 1700 to 1721. The underlying reasons for this 20-year conflict lay in Russia's desire for a strategic outlet to the Baltic Sea. The start of the war against Russia and its allies, which was quite successful for the Swedes, still could not ensure a final victory for this northern power. The final results were disappointing for Sweden: with the defeat in this war, the country's gradual decline as a great power began. With a certain degree of convention, we can assume that the military history of Sweden ended in 1814, when the country waged its last war.
However, even today the Scandinavian kingdom has a highly developed defense industry and, albeit a small, but superbly equipped and trained army. A special section of the website contains articles and editorials dedicated to the rich military history of Sweden and the present day of its armed forces.

After a long struggle for Finnish and Karelian lands, which began in the middle of the 12th century, Veliky Novgorod and Sweden in 1323 concluded the Orekhovets peace treaty, according to which Finland was recognized as a zone of Swedish influence and Karelia - Novgorodian influence. The border went along the Sestra, Saya, Vuoksa rivers and the basin of the lake. Saimaa to the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia and the mouth of the Pyhäjoki River. In 1377, the Swedes subjugated Western Karelia (Esterbotten), previously dependent on Novgorod. In 1478 the Novgorod Republic became part of the Russian state, which continued its struggle with Sweden for dominance in the Eastern Baltic.

War 1495-1497.

In 1495, the great Moscow prince Ivan III (1462–1505) began a war with Sweden for Western Karelia. In September 1495 Russian troops besieged Vyborg, but in December they were forced to lift the siege; in January-March 1496 they made a deep raid into southern Finland up to Neishlot (modern Savonlinna) and Tavasthus (modern Hamenlinna). In June-August 1496, the Russians embarked on a campaign to Esterbotten, Kajan land (northern Finland) and Lapland (a country between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Barents Sea). At the end of 1495 - in the fall of 1496, the Swedes invaded Izhora land several times (between the rivers Neva and Narova); in August 1496 they captured Ivangorod.

After the election to the Swedish throne of the Danish king Hans (1481-1513) and the restoration of the Kalmar Union of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, in March 1497 the First Novgorod truce was concluded for six years, which confirmed the 1323 border and the principle of free trade between the two countries. In March 1510 it was extended for another sixty years.

War 1554-1557.

By the middle of the 16th century. Russian-Swedish relations worsened: cases of border violations on the Karelian Isthmus and conflicts over fishing and seal hunting grounds became more frequent. Swedish king Gustav I Vasa (1523-1560), offended by the refusal of Ivan IV (1533-1584) to have direct diplomatic relations with him (contacts were carried out through the Novgorod governor), began in 1554 the war with the Moscow state. Open hostilities began only in June 1555 after an unsuccessful attempt by the Swedish fleet to capture Oreshek (Noteburg; present-day Petrokrepost). In January 1556, Russian troops launched an offensive on the Karelian Isthmus, in early February defeated the Swedes at Kivinebba and laid siege to Vyborg, but could not take it. They then raided Nyslot and destroyed it. In July, Gustav I made a proposal for peace, which was accepted by Ivan IV, who was in a hurry to free his hands for a war with the Livonian Order. From the summer of 1556, hostilities virtually ceased. On March 25, 1557, the Second Novgorod truce was concluded for forty years, which confirmed the territorial status quo and the custom of diplomatic relations through the Novgorod governor.

War 1570-1582.

War 1590-1595.

The reason for the new round of confrontation was the Swedes' refusal to return the fortresses of Narva, Ivangorod, Yam (Yamburg; present-day Kingisepp), Kopor'e and Korela (Kexholm; present-day Priozersk) to the Moscow state captured by them during the Livonian War. In January 1590, Russian troops led by Tsar Theodore I (1584-1598) entered the Izhora land, took Yam and defeated the Swedes near Ivangorod. In February they besieged Ivangorod and Narva and forced the Narva commandant K. Gorne to sign an armistice for one year on the condition of recognizing Yam, Ivangorod and Koporye for the Muscovite state, but the Swedish king Johan III (1568-1592) refused to approve it. In November, the Swedes made an unsuccessful attempt to capture Ivangorod; in December they devastated the Izhora land and the border areas of the Pskov region; in January-February 1591, their attack on Koporye was repelled. In the winter of 1590–1591, a Swedish detachment raided the Kola Peninsula; having overcome the Lapland Mountains, he went to the coast of the Barents Sea, captured the Pechenga Monastery, but could not take possession of the Kola prison.

In the summer of 1591, the Swedes launched a new offensive in the south and north. Taking advantage of the raid of the Crimean Tatars to Moscow in June-July 1591, K. Fleming's army entered the Pskov and Novgorod lands and defeated V.T.Dolgoruky's regiment near Gdov. Having eliminated the Tatar threat, the Russian command deployed large forces against K. Fleming and forced him to retreat. In Eastern Karelia, the Swedes invaded the Kemskaya volost in August and the Sumy volost in September, but did not achieve significant success.

In January 1592 Russian troops devastated the border areas of Swedish Karelia, in February - Korel volost; however, they again failed to take Vyborg. At the end of the summer, they repulsed an attempt by the Swedes to seize the Sumy prison, and in October-November launched an offensive in southern Finland, reaching Helsingfors (modern Helsinki) and Abo (modern Turku). Under these conditions, Sweden was forced to sign a two-year Ivangorod armistice in January 1593, leaving in the hands of the Russians all the fortresses they had conquered. But in March 1594, violating the armistice, the Swedes attacked the Novgorod region, in April - on the Lopsky pogosts (between the Kem and Syamozero rivers). The threat of Poland's entry into the war forced Moscow to agree to the signing of the Tyavzin peace on May 18 (27), which was unprofitable for it: although Korela with the district was returned to the Moscow state and the transfer of Izhora land with Koporye, Ivangorod and Yam to its rule was confirmed, he had to recognize Sweden the principality of Estland (northern Estonia) together with Narva and cede part of Eastern Karelia from Topozero to Vygozero to it; the Russians pledged not to build ports in the southern Baltic and to trade with the West only through Narva. The demarcation of the northern possessions was also carried out: in the sphere of Swedish influence was the territory from Esterbotten to Varanger Fjord, in the Russian sphere - the land from the Kola Peninsula to the Northern Dvina. The Tyavzin peace meant a rejection of the territorial provisions of the Orekhovets treaty, which remained in force for 272 years. The new Russian-Swedish border passed along the line of Kotlin Island, Sestra, Saya and Vuoksa rivers, Neishlot district, Puruvesi, Orivesi and Rikavesi lakes, Pisavuori (Pisenmäki) Upland, Lake. Enare, the coast of the Barents Sea between the Varanger and Neiden fjords.

Undeclared War 1610-1613.

The "three-year" war of 1614-1617.

War 1656-1658.

Taking advantage of the weakening of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which suffered a series of serious defeats in the war with Russia that began in 1654, the Swedish king Karl X Gustav (1654-1660) attacked it in the summer of 1655 and captured most of the Polish territory. He also tried to win over the allied Russian Ukrainian hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky. To stop the Swedish expansion and return the Russian lands captured by the Swedes during the Time of Troubles (Izhora land, the Neva valley and Korelsky district), Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1645-1676) declared war on Karl H. in May 1656. Russian troops attacked in four directions. On the Karelian Isthmus in June, they defeated the Swedes near Korela, but they failed to take the city. In the valley of the Neva in July they captured Oreshk and Nyenshants (now the Okhtinsky district of St. Petersburg). In Northern Livonia, Marienburg and Neuhausen (present-day Vastselinna) were captured in August, and Dorpat (present-day Tartu) in October. The main forces led by the tsar invaded South Livonia: in July-August they captured Dinaburg (modern Daugavpils), Kokenhausen (modern Koknese) and besieged Riga, but retreated from it in October with heavy losses.

In January 1657, the Swedes launched an offensive in Karelia, but could not take Olonets and confined themselves to the devastation of the Ladoga area. The Swedish attack on Pskov also ended in failure. At the same time in Livonia they succeeded in pushing the Moscow regiments back to Dinaburg; in August they thwarted an attempt by the Russians to capture Korela. In September, M. Delagardi's army laid siege to Gdov, but was defeated by I.A. Khovansky on the Cherma River.

The expulsion of the Swedes from most of Polish territory and the sharp weakening of Moscow's position in Ukraine prompted the belligerents to seek ways to reconciliation. In the spring of 1658, Aleksey Mikhailovich withdrew his troops from the Baltic states and on December 20 (30) concluded a three-year Valiesar truce with Sweden, according to which Russia held the fortresses captured by it during the war in Livonia, Izhora land and the Neva valley.

The signing in May 1660 of the Peace of Oliwa between Sweden and Poland worsened the foreign policy position of the Moscow state. Under the royal court, the anti-Polish party triumphed, offering to make concessions to Sweden in order to concentrate all forces for the struggle for Ukraine. June 21 (July 1) 1661 the Peace of Kardis was signed, which confirmed the border established by the Treaty of Stolbovskiy in 1617; Russia returned Dinaburg and Kokenhausen to the Swedes. Marienburg, Neuhausen, Dorpat, Oreshek and Nienschanz and remained cut off from the Baltic Sea.

Russian-Swedish War 1700-1721.

Russian-Swedish war 1741-1743.

Sweden, striving to return the territories lost as a result of the Northern War (Estonia, Livonia, Izhora land, the Karelian Isthmus), decided to take advantage of the precarious position of the regent Anna Leopoldovna (1740-1741) and on July 24 (August 4), 1741 declared war on Russia. But already at the end of August, the Russian army crossed the border, captured Vilmanstrand (modern Lappeenranta) and launched an offensive in southern Finland. After the accession to the throne of Elizabeth Petrovna (1741-1761), Russia ceased hostilities and entered into peace negotiations, but the Swedes' demands for a revision of the Nystadt Peace of 1721 led to their failure. In June 1742 Russian troops renewed their offensive and captured Fredrikshamn (present-day Hamina); in August they took Borgo (present-day Porvo) and forced the Swedish army to surrender at Helsingfors, and in September they occupied Abo. By November, the Swedes had lost most of Finland. After the defeat of the Swedish rowing fleet at about. Korpo in May 1743 Sweden agreed to the preliminary Abo peace on June 16 (27) (finally agreed on August 7 (18)), according to which it ceded southeastern Finland to Russia and pledged to elect Adolf, the childless king of Sweden, Fredrik I (1720-1751) Friedrich Holstein-Gottorp, a relative of Elizabeth Petrovna.

War of 1788-1790.

The successes of Russian weapons in the war with Turkey 1787-1791 aroused fears in Great Britain, Holland and Prussia, which prompted the Swedish king Gustav III to enter into an alliance with the Sultan. On June 1 (12), 1788, the king demanded that Catherine II (1762-1796) return all the lands lost by Sweden in the first half of the 18th century. Having received a refusal, Gustav III, without the consent of the Riksdag (parliament), moved the land army to Fredrikshamn and Neishlot, and the fleet to Kronstadt and Petersburg. However, on July 6 (17), S.K. Greig's squadron defeated the Swedish fleet at Hochland Island in the Gulf of Finland, and then blocked it in the Sveaborga Bay (modern Suomenlinna); in August, the Swedes were completely driven out of Russian territory. The position of Sweden was complicated by the fact that Denmark entered the war with her, and the anti-war Anjala Union of Finnish officers arose in the army, which began secret negotiations with Catherine II on the annexation of Finland to Russia. But in the fall of 1788, Gustav III managed to suppress the opposition movement, and Great Britain and Holland forced Denmark to conclude peace with Sweden on September 28 (October 9).

In 1789, the Russian land army captured part of Swedish Finland, and the Swedish fleet, which managed to break through from Sveaborg to Karlskrona (Southern Sweden) in July, was defeated at Rochensalm (Kotka Island) in August. In May 1790, a Russian squadron repelled an attack by the Swedish fleet on Revel and Krasnaya Gorka and locked it in Vyborg, from where it barely escaped in June. The unsuccessful course of the war and its unpopularity in the country forced Gustav III to conclude the Peace of Verela on August 3 (14), 1790, which confirmed the conditions of the Nishtadt and Abo treaties; Sweden had to break the alliance with Turkey.

War 1808-1809.

Russia's rapprochement with Napoleonic France (Peace of Tilsit 1807) sharply worsened its relations with Great Britain, which entered into an anti-Russian alliance with Sweden and provided it with a military subsidy of 1 million pounds. Encouraged by the English government, the Swedish king Gustav IV Adolf (1792-1809) demanded on February 1 (13) 1808 from Alexander I (1801-1825) the return of eastern Finland. In response, the king on February 9 (21) declared war on Sweden. The Russian army (F.F.Buksgewden) invaded southern Finland and in February-April captured all of southern, southwestern and western Finland. On March 16 (28), 1808, Alexander I issued a manifesto on the annexation of Finland to the Russian Empire.

At the end of April 1808, the Swedes launched a counteroffensive from the area of \u200b\u200bUleaborg (present-day Oule) and defeated the Russian troops at Revolak and Pulkkila. In June FF Buksgewden had to withdraw his army to southern Finland to the line Bjerneborg (modern Pori) - Tammerfors - St. Michel (modern Mikkeli). N.M. Kamensky, who replaced him, went on the offensive at the beginning of August and on August 20 (September 2) defeated the Swedes at the lake. Kuortane, and on September 2 (14) at Oroways (modern Oravainen). On October 7 (19), he signed the Pattiok truce with the Swedish command, under which the Swedes left Esterbotten and went beyond the river. Kemiyoki, and the Russians occupied Uleaborg.

On March 1 (13), 1809, Gustav IV Adolf was deposed. Without waiting for the end of the truce, Russian troops launched a new offensive in early March. The corps of P.I.Bagration and M.B.Barklay de Tolly made the transition on the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia from Finland to Sweden; the first occupied the Aland Islands, reached the Swedish coast and captured Grislehamn 80 km north-east of Stockholm; the second, reaching the shores of Västerbotten, took Umeå. P. A. Shuvalov's corps forced Kemijoki, took Tornio, crossed the Swedish-Finnish border and forced the Kalik (northern) enemy grouping to surrender. On March 7 (19), the new commander B.F. Knorring concluded the Aland armistice, agreeing to withdraw Russian troops from Swedish territory, but on March 19 (31) it was canceled by Alexander I. In April, the Russians launched an offensive in Northern Sweden, in May they occupied Umeå again , and in June defeated the Swedish troops covering the approaches to Stockholm. This forced the new Swedish king Charles XIII (1809-1818) to enter into negotiations and on September 5 (17) to sign the Fredriksham Peace, according to which Sweden ceded the Aland Islands, Finland, Lapland to Russia to the Torniooki and Muonioelle rivers and broke the alliance with Great Britain.

As a result of the Russian-Swedish wars, Russia established itself in the Eastern Baltic and turned into one of the leading states of Northern Europe. Sweden, having lost more than a third of its territory, lost its status as a great power.

Ivan Krivushin

Literature:

Ulyanovskiy V.I. Russian-Swedish relations at the beginning of the 17th century and the struggle for the Baltic... - Scandinavian collection. Vol. 33, Tallinn, 1990
Swedes on the banks of the Neva... Stockholm, 1998.
Zhukov Yu.A. The problem of the border in Russian-Swedish diplomatic relations in 1617-1621. // Humanitarian research in Karelia. Petrozavodsk, 2000.
P. P. Cherkasov Russian-Swedish war of 1788-1790 and French diplomacy // New and recent history. No. 5. 2001.
Koltsov V.V. Russian-Swedish war of 1788-1790 Chronicle of military operations... - Warrior. 2002, No. 7
Blood. Powder. Laurel. Russian wars during the Baroque era (1700-1762)... Vol. 2.SPb., 2002.
Fomin A.A. Sweden in the system of European politics on the eve and during the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809... M., 2003



Scheme for the exam.

In 1808, Russian troops invaded Finland, this was the beginning of the Russian-Swedish war, which ended in 1809. As a result, Russia annexed Finland and the Aland Islands. The military plans were implemented in a short time.

In the course of history, there are 18 wars that, since the time of the Crusades, were waged by the Russian principalities, and then Russia, against Sweden. The struggle was fought for the territory of Ladoga, the Karelian Isthmus, Finland, access to the Baltic. The last was the war of 1808-1809, largely provoked by France, with which Russia signed. However, Alexander II also had his own interest - Finland, which completely ceded to the Russian Empire under the terms of the Peace of Friedrichsgam, putting an end to the centuries-old confrontation between the two states.

Preconditions for the war

The Tilsit Peace of 1807 made Russia and Napoleonic France allies. Alexander I was forced to join the continental blockade of England, which Denmark was ready to support. In response, Hyde-Parker, admiral of the British fleet, attacked Copenhagen and captured the Danish fleet.

A confrontation began between Russia and England, in fact, turned into a sluggish war. Alexander I counted on the support of Gustav IV, the Swedish king. However, he leaned towards Great Britain, because he had his own interest - Norway, which he hoped to win from Denmark. This allowed the Russian Empire to continue its territorial claims against Sweden.

Causes of hostilities

There are three groups of reasons:

Sweden's reluctance to join Napoleon's economic and political sanctions against England, with which allied relations were built. Gustav IV refused to close his ports to the ships of the British fleet. Russia sought to get Sweden to comply with the treaties of 1790 and 1800, according to which European ships could not freely use the Baltic Sea, and to make it an ally in the fight against Great Britain.

The desire of the Russian Empire to secure its northern borders, moving them away from St. Petersburg, with the aim of capturing Finland, the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.

Pushing Russia towards aggression by Napoleon, who wanted to weaken his main enemy in Europe - Great Britain. He actually authorized the seizure of Swedish territory by Russia.

War goals

Reason for war

Alexander I considered the return of the highest state award by Gustav IV insulting. Earlier, the Swedish monarch was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, but returned it when it became known that Russia had awarded a similar award to Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as representatives of his entourage.

In addition, in February, the UK pledged to pay Sweden 1 million pounds sterling annually in the event of the start of a military campaign against Russia, by signing an agreement.

The course of hostilities

Russian troops crossed the border with Finland on February 9, but only on March 16, 1808, the war against Sweden was officially declared ... This is due to the order of Gustav IV to arrest representatives of the Russian embassy.

Commanders

The balance of forces, the actual start of the war

Before the outbreak of hostilities russian army located between Neishlot and Friedrichsgam. Dispersed along the border 24 thousand people... Sweden, counting on the support of England, in every possible way delayed the moment of the armed conflict. In Finland, the Swedish army numbered 19 thousand people and received no instructions to be transferred to martial law. After the Russian troops crossed the Finnish border, the task was set before it - not to get involved in hostilities, holding Sveaborg.

This allowed the Russian troops to fortify in Svartholm in March, occupy the Aland Islands and Cape Gangut. 20.03. the manifesto of the Russian emperor on the annexation of Finland was issued. In April 1808 Sveaborg fell. 7,500 Swedish soldiers and 110 ships were captured by the victors.

Failures of the tsarist army

The Russian army was unable to consolidate its success at the first stage for a number of reasons:

In northern Finland, the enemy had a superiority of forces, which led to the defeat at Siikayoki, Revolax and Pulkila. Russian troops withdrew to Kuopio.

The Finns launched a partisan struggle against the Russian army.

In May, the English corps arrived in Gothenburg and only the lack of coordination with the monarch of Sweden did not allow it to play a decisive role in the military campaign. However, thanks to the efforts of the Anglo-Swedish fleet, the Russians lost Gotland and the Aland Islands.

Fracture

By the summer, Russia had managed to assemble an army of 34 thousand people while V. M. Klingspor was inactive. This led to a number of victories in August - early September: at Quortan, Salmi, Oravais. In mid-September, the Anglo-Swedish fleet attempted to land an assault force in southern Finland in the amount of 9 thousand people, but after the defeat of one of the detachments at Gelsinga, concluded an armistice. Alexander I did not approve of him, but at the end of November a new agreement, according to which Sweden was obliged to leave Finland, was approved.

The successes of the Russian army

Before Knorring, the emperor in 1809 set the task of transferring the theater of military operations to Swedish territory with the aim of persuading Gustav IV to peace. The army crossed the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia in three columns. After capturing the Aland Islands, Umeå, Torneo and reaching Grisselgam (Kulnev's vanguard), Russian troops panicked the Swedish capital. In March, there was a coup in the country, as a result of which GustavIV was deposed, and his uncle (Charles XIII) ascended the throne, who concluded a truce with Russia.

Dissatisfied with the suspension of hostilities, Alexander I appointed Barclay de Tolly at the head of the army. The last clash, where the Swedes suffered a crushing defeat, was the battle of Ratan (August 1809).

Peace treaty

All military actions on the part of Sweden against Russia and the allies ceased.

All of Finland up to the Torneo River passed into the possession of the Russian Empire in the status of the Grand Duchy. She was granted broad autonomy.

Sweden closed harbors for the British, joining the continental blockade.

Results and historical significance of the war

This war was the last in the confrontation between Russia and Sweden, which ceased to claim territories lost during the Northern War. Its military result was the unprecedented "Ice Campaign", during which for the first time in history the Gulf of Bothnia was overcome on ice.

Finally, the fate of Finland was decided in 1815, which secured the decision of the Friedrichsgam Peace Treaty.

After the Sejm in Finland, at which autonomy within Russia was proclaimed and the system of internal self-government was preserved, the Finns welcomed the changes. The abolition of individual taxes, the disbandment of the army and the right to dispose of one's own budget without transferring it to the income of the empire contributed to the formation of friendly, good-neighborly relations with the Russian Empire. During the war of 1812, a Finnish regiment fought against Napoleon from among the recruited volunteers.

National identity was growing in the country, which would play its role when the tsarist autocracy took a course towards reducing the rights of autonomy of the Grand Duchy.

Used Books:

1. Butakov Yaroslav. Finland with us and without us. [Electronic resource] / "Century" Copyright © Stoletie.RU 2004-2019. - Access mode: http://www.stoletie.ru/territoriya_istorii/finlyandiya_s_nami_i_bez_nas_2009-03-19.htm
2. Russian-Swedish wars. [Electronic resource] / Great Russian Encyclopedia. - Electron. text data. - BDT 2005-2019. - Access mode: https://bigenc.ru/military_science/text/3522658