Siege of Nöteborg (1702)
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Nöteborg was one of the first sieges of the Great Northern War
, when Russian forces captured the Swedish fortress of Nöteborg, later renamed Shlisselburg
, in October 1702. With the aim of capturing the Swedish fortress of Nöteborg, Peter the Great assembled a force of 35,000 and marched for ten days to his destination. About 12,000 of these men were positioned on the banks of the Neva river, where they camped until 25 September. On that day, after giving command of the main force to Boris Sheremetev, he moved toward Nöteborg. After an initial refusal by the Swedish commander, Wilhelm von Schlippenbach, to give up the fort immediately, the Russians began bombarding it. A final Russian assault on the fort was tactically unsuccessful, resulting in heavy casualties, but forced the fort's defenders to surrender on 11 October 1702. After taking control, Peter immediately began reconstructing the fort for his own purposes, renaming it Shlisselburg
.
.
The defences in the fortress at that time consisted of a stone wall 28 feet high and 14 feet thick, with seven towers. Near the northeastern part of the fortress was a castle, which itself consisted of a stone wall and three towers. The main defence of the fortress was the Neva river
itself, along with Lake Ladoga
, which together encircled the entire fort. On the right bank of the Neva, about 3,000 yards (1.5 miles) from the main fort, there was a separate fortification, consisting of a sconce
-type outwork
. In the outwork, a regiment was garrisoned in order to assist with communication and transportation with the main fort, across the river.
. The island was in shape like a hazel-nut, whence both the Russian and Swedish names. It served for a long time as a barrier against the incursions of the Swedes and Danes, and protected the commerce of Novgorod as well as of Ladoga.
A few days after arriving at Nöteborg, Peter sent a detachment of 400 men of the Preobrazhensky Regiment
to take up positions closer to the fort and prepare for the arrival of a greater force. The troops destroyed two Swedish boats sent out for reconnaissance, but were fired upon from the fort. This did not stop them from performing their field preparations, and they lost only one man. The next day, the rest of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and Semenovsky Regiment
arrived.
The remainder of the Russians took up positions on both sides of the River Neva by 26 September, and during the next several days were busy constructing artillery batteries, which were completed by 1 October. The difficult job of securing the outwork
on the Neva's bank was handed over to the Preobrazhensky Regiment
, which, at four o'clock in the morning of 1 October, embarked towards the far coast of the river. Under the leadership of the Czar himself, the Russians were successful in capturing the sconce
, encountering little resistance. Upon its capture, further construction work began, and eventually the town was besieged from all sides. Using a fleet of small boats, which they brought down from the river Svir through Lake Ladoga, they succeeded in completely blockading the fort. Once the blockade was in place, a letter was sent to the Swedish commandant, Wilhelm von Schlippenbach, requesting he give up the fort. Schlippenbach replied with a request for a four-day wait, during which he was to consult with General Arvid Horn
, his superior, who was in Narva
. On 11 October, in response to Schlippenbach's refusal to immediately surrender, Russian forces opened fire.
On 3 October, the wife of the commandant had sent a letter to the Russian field-marshal, in the name of the wives of the officers, asking that they be permitted to depart. Peter, wishing to lose no time, had himself replied to the letter that he could not consent to put Swedish ladies to the discomfort of a separation from their husbands, and if they desired to leave the fort, they could do so if they took their husbands with them.
On 4 October, 300 Russian soldiers occupied some small islands which were closer to the enemy fort, with the help of earthworks
.
, two miles away from the fort. At half-past three, mortar shots were fired, which was the signal to commence the attack.
However, the initial assault was beaten back, and the Russians intensified it, sending many more troops to attack. Men from the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Regiments landed on the fort island and proceeded to erect escalades to scale the walls. The ladders turned out to be too short, but the attack continued. Fissures in the fortress wall formed choke points, and Russian troops took heavy casualties in their attempts to scale the fortress walls. Major Andrei Karpov was severely injured during the attack, and Peter, upon receiving news of this and the other casualties, decided to call off the assault on the fort. However, the orders never arrived to the front lines. There are stories that Mikhail Golitsyn did, in fact, receive the orders, but refused to carry them out, telling the messenger to "tell the Czar that now I am not his, but God's," implying that is was too late to pull out. However, it is unlikely that this ever happened, as this would have been an extraordinary act, considering the discipline and respect for the Czar among the ranks of the military.
Whatever may have occurred, in the end, Golitsyn not only continued the attacks, but also ordered the landing ships to depart, putting his troops in the position to choose either death or victory.
(from German Schlüsselburg - "key-city"), and fastened up in the western bastion the key given him by the commandant, as a symbol that this fort was the key to the whole of the Neva. Ever afterwards, when he was at St. Petersburg, he went to Schlisselburg on 22 October and feasted the capitulation. Menshikof, who had shown great military ability, was appointed governor of the newly named fort, and from this time dates his intimate friendship with Peter and his prominence in public life.
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
, when Russian forces captured the Swedish fortress of Nöteborg, later renamed Shlisselburg
Shlisselburg
Shlisselburg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated at the head of the Neva River on Lake Ladoga, east of St. Petersburg. From 1944 to 1992, it was known as Petrokrepost...
, in October 1702. With the aim of capturing the Swedish fortress of Nöteborg, Peter the Great assembled a force of 35,000 and marched for ten days to his destination. About 12,000 of these men were positioned on the banks of the Neva river, where they camped until 25 September. On that day, after giving command of the main force to Boris Sheremetev, he moved toward Nöteborg. After an initial refusal by the Swedish commander, Wilhelm von Schlippenbach, to give up the fort immediately, the Russians began bombarding it. A final Russian assault on the fort was tactically unsuccessful, resulting in heavy casualties, but forced the fort's defenders to surrender on 11 October 1702. After taking control, Peter immediately began reconstructing the fort for his own purposes, renaming it Shlisselburg
Shlisselburg
Shlisselburg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated at the head of the Neva River on Lake Ladoga, east of St. Petersburg. From 1944 to 1992, it was known as Petrokrepost...
.
Swedish defences
Nöteborg was defended by a small garrison of four hundred and fifty men, with one hundred and forty-two cannon of small caliber. The defenders were under the command of the old colonel Wilhelm von Schlippenbach, the brother of the Swedish general commanding in Livonia, Wolmar Anton von SchlippenbachWolmar Anton von Schlippenbach
Wolmar Anton von Schlippenbach was Governor General of Swedish Estonia from 1704 to 1706.-Biography:Born in Livonia, Schlippenbach participated as a captain in the Swedish army Scanian War under Charles XI and served later as a major in Swedish Pomerania and Prussia...
.
The defences in the fortress at that time consisted of a stone wall 28 feet high and 14 feet thick, with seven towers. Near the northeastern part of the fortress was a castle, which itself consisted of a stone wall and three towers. The main defence of the fortress was the Neva river
Neva River
The Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length , it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge .The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake...
itself, along with Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...
, which together encircled the entire fort. On the right bank of the Neva, about 3,000 yards (1.5 miles) from the main fort, there was a separate fortification, consisting of a sconce
Sconce (fortification)
A Sconce is a small protective fortification, such as an earthwork often placed on a mound as a defensive work for artillery. It was used primarily in Northern Europe from the late Middle Ages until the 19th century. This type of fortification was common during the English Civil War, and the...
-type outwork
Outwork
An outwork is a minor defense, fortification, built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks were developed in the 16th century, such as ravelins, lunettes , caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains from direct battery...
. In the outwork, a regiment was garrisoned in order to assist with communication and transportation with the main fort, across the river.
Siege
With a force then of about twelve thousand men, Peter the Great and his army advanced to lay siege to the fortress of Nöteborg. Nöteborg had originally been built by the people of Novgorod four centuries earlier, under the name of Orekhovo or Oreshek, on a small island of the river Neva, just where it flows out from Lake LadogaLake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...
. The island was in shape like a hazel-nut, whence both the Russian and Swedish names. It served for a long time as a barrier against the incursions of the Swedes and Danes, and protected the commerce of Novgorod as well as of Ladoga.
A few days after arriving at Nöteborg, Peter sent a detachment of 400 men of the Preobrazhensky Regiment
Preobrazhensky regiment
The Preobrazhensky Regiment was one of the oldest and elite regiments of the Russian army. Along with the Semenovsky regiment also served as a gendarmie unit for the state Secret Chancellery in the 18th century, headed by the Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky.It was formed by Peter the Great in the late...
to take up positions closer to the fort and prepare for the arrival of a greater force. The troops destroyed two Swedish boats sent out for reconnaissance, but were fired upon from the fort. This did not stop them from performing their field preparations, and they lost only one man. The next day, the rest of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and Semenovsky Regiment
Semenovsky Regiment
Semenovsky Life-Guards Regiment was one of the two oldest guards regiments of the Imperial Russian Army.- History :...
arrived.
The remainder of the Russians took up positions on both sides of the River Neva by 26 September, and during the next several days were busy constructing artillery batteries, which were completed by 1 October. The difficult job of securing the outwork
Outwork
An outwork is a minor defense, fortification, built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks were developed in the 16th century, such as ravelins, lunettes , caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains from direct battery...
on the Neva's bank was handed over to the Preobrazhensky Regiment
Preobrazhensky regiment
The Preobrazhensky Regiment was one of the oldest and elite regiments of the Russian army. Along with the Semenovsky regiment also served as a gendarmie unit for the state Secret Chancellery in the 18th century, headed by the Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky.It was formed by Peter the Great in the late...
, which, at four o'clock in the morning of 1 October, embarked towards the far coast of the river. Under the leadership of the Czar himself, the Russians were successful in capturing the sconce
Sconce (fortification)
A Sconce is a small protective fortification, such as an earthwork often placed on a mound as a defensive work for artillery. It was used primarily in Northern Europe from the late Middle Ages until the 19th century. This type of fortification was common during the English Civil War, and the...
, encountering little resistance. Upon its capture, further construction work began, and eventually the town was besieged from all sides. Using a fleet of small boats, which they brought down from the river Svir through Lake Ladoga, they succeeded in completely blockading the fort. Once the blockade was in place, a letter was sent to the Swedish commandant, Wilhelm von Schlippenbach, requesting he give up the fort. Schlippenbach replied with a request for a four-day wait, during which he was to consult with General Arvid Horn
Arvid Horn
Count Arvid Bernhard Horn of Ekebyholm was a Swedish soldier, diplomat and politician. He served twice as President of the Privy Council Chancellery and was one of the leading figures of the Swedish Age of Liberty.- Soldier and diplomat :He was born Arvid Bernhard Horn in Vuorentaka ,...
, his superior, who was in Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
. On 11 October, in response to Schlippenbach's refusal to immediately surrender, Russian forces opened fire.
On 3 October, the wife of the commandant had sent a letter to the Russian field-marshal, in the name of the wives of the officers, asking that they be permitted to depart. Peter, wishing to lose no time, had himself replied to the letter that he could not consent to put Swedish ladies to the discomfort of a separation from their husbands, and if they desired to leave the fort, they could do so if they took their husbands with them.
On 4 October, 300 Russian soldiers occupied some small islands which were closer to the enemy fort, with the help of earthworks
Earthworks (engineering)
Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
.
Assault on the fort
Preparations to perform a final assault on the fort began on 9 October; siege ladders were distributed, and officers were told where they would strike the fort. Finally, on the eleventh, Peter decided to perform the assault. At two o'clock in the morning, a fire broke out in the fort. Local hunters and men from the Preobrazhensky Regiment, among others, waited at the ready in landing boatsLanding craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
, two miles away from the fort. At half-past three, mortar shots were fired, which was the signal to commence the attack.
However, the initial assault was beaten back, and the Russians intensified it, sending many more troops to attack. Men from the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Regiments landed on the fort island and proceeded to erect escalades to scale the walls. The ladders turned out to be too short, but the attack continued. Fissures in the fortress wall formed choke points, and Russian troops took heavy casualties in their attempts to scale the fortress walls. Major Andrei Karpov was severely injured during the attack, and Peter, upon receiving news of this and the other casualties, decided to call off the assault on the fort. However, the orders never arrived to the front lines. There are stories that Mikhail Golitsyn did, in fact, receive the orders, but refused to carry them out, telling the messenger to "tell the Czar that now I am not his, but God's," implying that is was too late to pull out. However, it is unlikely that this ever happened, as this would have been an extraordinary act, considering the discipline and respect for the Czar among the ranks of the military.
Whatever may have occurred, in the end, Golitsyn not only continued the attacks, but also ordered the landing ships to depart, putting his troops in the position to choose either death or victory.
Swedish surrender
Following the unrelenting but relatively fruitless assault on the fort by Russian forces, which lasted for 13 hours, the Swedish commandant accepted to capitulate on honorable conditions, realizing he could not defend the fortress for much longer. His whole garrison, with all their property, were allowed to depart to the next Swedish fort. According to Pleyer, only forty-one Swedes remained to take advantage of the capitulation. The Russians, however, lost more than the whole Swedish garrison, in all five hundred and thirty-eight men, as well as nine hundred and twenty-five wounded. Peter immediately proceeded to repair the damages done to the fort, renamed it ShlisselburgShlisselburg
Shlisselburg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated at the head of the Neva River on Lake Ladoga, east of St. Petersburg. From 1944 to 1992, it was known as Petrokrepost...
(from German Schlüsselburg - "key-city"), and fastened up in the western bastion the key given him by the commandant, as a symbol that this fort was the key to the whole of the Neva. Ever afterwards, when he was at St. Petersburg, he went to Schlisselburg on 22 October and feasted the capitulation. Menshikof, who had shown great military ability, was appointed governor of the newly named fort, and from this time dates his intimate friendship with Peter and his prominence in public life.