Chapter 6.2: The Russian Triumph

Peter the Great made a peace proposal to Sweden, offering to return Estonia in exchange of retaining control over Ingria, where he had started to build his new capital St. Petersburg. The Swedish king refused. He marched east of Poland to finally destroy Russia. The Czar retreated and left back burnt land. In 1709 the Swedish and Russian forces met at the battle of Poltava in modern day Ukraine. By that time, the Swedish forces had been weakened, they were without food or ammunition and lost the battle completely. The Swedish force was almost entirely wiped out and the King managed to barely escape to the Ottoman Empire.



The Battle of Poltava by Lous Varavaque


The destruction of the Swedish main army left Estonia completely under Russian control. In 1708, when Peter the Great did not yet believe that he could keep Estonia, he ordered the destruction of Tartu. Everything that was left in the city was blown up and all the citizens were deported to Russia. After the Battle of Poltava however, the Czar decided to conquer not just Ingria, but the provinces Estonia and Livonia as well. In October of 1709, the Russian forces started to siege Riga, which surrendered. Pärnu surrendered in August of 1710 and the last bastion of Swedish rule Tallinn, which had been part of Sweden for 149 years, surrendered in the September of the same year.

Peter the Great signed treaties of capitulation with the local nobles and towns, promising to retain their privileges in exchange for capitulation.

The war would continue for 11 more years elsewhere. Sweden continued to demand the return of the provinces of Estonia and Livonia, and only signed peace in 1721, where they gave Russia Ingria, Estonia and Livonia in exchange for retaining control of Finland. Nevertheless from 1710 onwards, a new era begins in the history of Estonia.

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