The turning point in the Northern War (1700–21) between Sweden and Russia. When Hetman Ivan Mazepa learned that Tsar Peter I intended to abolish the autonomy of the Hetman state, he began secret negotiations with Charles XII of Sweden to ensure that Ukraine would not be annexed by Poland in the event of a Swedish [...]
When the battle opened, Charles had about 14,000 men, while Peter commanded about 45,000. To make matters worse for the Swedes, Charles was wounded during the siege on June 17, when he was hit in the foot while taking part in a small engagement during an inspection of the Swedish outposts on the banks of [...]
During 11-17 centuries Poltava lied between Rus and ‘Wild Field’ of nomads, later – between Grand Duchy Lithuania and Golden Horde, Rech Pospolyta (nowadays Poland) and Moscow Empire. During numerous wars the city was destroyed many times, but always revived. In historic document dated back 1641, Poltava was mentioned as the city center for the [...]