Sweden is the largest state in Northern Europe. In the past, it dominated its region and in certain 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 a former French marshal and founder of the now ruling Swedish royal dynasty Bernadotov 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 the 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 to obtain 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. In a special section of the website, the site contains articles and editorials dedicated to the rich military history of Sweden and the present day of its armed forces.

COURSE OF EVENTS

The plan for the attack on Russia was to concentrate ground forces 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 at Pardakoski and Kernikoski, at 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 (23 battleships, 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 Hogland 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 Åland 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 having received 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 for the landing of troops and the capture of 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 Verela 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 Neishlot. 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 two days of shooting at Nyslot, the Swedes went to plunder the Nyshloth district. I ask you, what can you plunder there? ... (Gustav) told his troops in Finland and the Swedes to say that he intends to excel 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 collapsed in a number of places. The artillery armament consisted of Swedish guns captured during the war of 1741-1743. 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 was 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

Admiral Prince von Nassau-Siegen, who commanded the rowing Russian fleet, divided his forces: the greater part, under his command, was supposed 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 heavy ships, 29 in number 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 to reinforce, 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, which 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 personnel were expressed in numbers of 46 officers and 1300 lower ranks; among them there were 500 patients who remained on the islands. The loss of sailing ships was 35%, the loss of rowing ships was only 3%.

The Russians lost only 3 ships; personnel losses were 53 officers and 960 people; according to some sources, 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 confirmed the provisions of the Nystadt Peace Treaty of 1721. The Swedes were allowed to buy bread in the ports of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea in the amount of 50 thousand rubles annually duty-free. 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.

Northern War (1700-1721)

If you say that war is the cause of evil, then peace will be their healing.

Quintilian

The Northern War between Russia and Sweden lasted 21 long years from 1700 to 1721. Its results were very positive for our country, because as a result of the war, Peter managed to "cut a window to Europe." Russia has achieved its main goal - to gain a foothold in the Baltic Sea. However, the course of the war was very ambiguous and the country had a hard time, but the result was worth all the suffering.

Causes of the Northern War

The formal reason for the start of the Northern War was the strengthening of Sweden's positions in the Baltic Sea. By 1699, a situation had developed in which virtually the entire coastline of the sea was under Swedish control. This could not but cause concern for her neighbors. As a result, in 1699, the Northern Alliance was concluded between the countries concerned about the strengthening of Sweden, which was directed against the rule of Sweden in the Baltic. The members of the Union were: Russia, Denmark and Saxony (whose king was at the same time the ruler of Poland).

Narva confusion

The Great Northern War for Russia began on August 19, 1700, but the beginning of it for the allies was simply terrible. Taking into account that Sweden was still ruled by the child Karl 12, who was barely 18 years old, it was expected that the Swedish army did not pose a threat and would be easily defeated. In fact, it turned out that Charles 12 was a strong enough commander. Realizing the absurdity of a war on 3 fronts, he decides to defeat the opponents one by one. Within a few days, he inflicted a crushing defeat on Denmark, which effectively withdrew from the war. After that, it was the turn of Saxony. August 2 at this time besieged Riga, which belonged to Sweden. Charles II inflicted a terrible defeat on his opponent, forcing him to retreat.

Russia actually remained in the war one on one with the enemy. Peter 1 decided to defeat the enemy on his territory, but in no way took into account that Karl 12 became not only a talented, but also an experienced commander. Peter sends troops to Narva, a Swedish fortress. The total number of Russian troops is 32 thousand people and 145 artillery pieces. Charles 12 sent an additional 18,000 soldiers to help his garrison. The battle turned out to be fleeting. The Swedes hit the joints between the Russian units and broke through the defenses. Moreover, many foreigners, whom Peter valued so much in the Russian army, fled to the side of the enemy. Modern historians call this defeat "Narva confusion".

As a result of the Narva battle, Russia lost 8 thousand people killed and all the artillery. It was a nightmare result of the confrontation. At this moment, Karl 12 showed nobility, or made a mistake. He did not pursue the retreating Russians, believing that without artillery and with such losses, the war for Peter's army was over. But he was wrong. The Russian tsar announced a new recruitment to the army and began to restore the artillery at a hasty pace. For this, the bells of churches were even melted down. Also, Peter began to reorganize the army, because he clearly saw that at the moment his soldiers could not fight on equal terms with the opponents of the country.

Battle of Poltava

In this material, we will not dwell in detail on the course of the Poltava battle. since this historical event is detailed in the corresponding article. It should only be noted that the Swedes were stuck for a long time in the war with Saxony and Poland. In 1708, the young Swedish king actually won this war, inflicting a defeat on August 2, after which there was no doubt that the war was over for the latter.

These events sent Karl back to Russia, since it was necessary to finish off the last enemy. Here he met worthy resistance, which resulted in the Battle of Poltava. There Karl 12 was literally defeated and fled to Turkey, hoping to persuade her to war with Russia. These events have made a turning point in the situation of the countries.

Prut campaign

After Poltava, the Northern Union was again relevant. After all, Peter had inflicted a defeat that gave a chance for overall success. As a result, the Northern War continued with the Russian troops taking possession of the cities of Riga, Revel, Korel, Pernov and Vyborg. Thus, Russia actually conquered the entire eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.

Charles 12, who was in Turkey, even more actively began to persuade the Sultan to oppose Russia, because he understood that a great danger was hanging over his country. As a result, Turkey entered the war in 1711, which forced Peter's army to loosen its grip in the North, since now the Northern War forced him to fight on two fronts.

Peter personally decided to carry out a Prut campaign in order to defeat the enemy. Not far from the Prut River, Peter's army (28 thousand people) was surrounded by the Turkish army (180 thousand people). The situation was simply disastrous. The tsar himself was surrounded, as well as all his entourage and the Russian army in full force. Turkey could have ended the Northern War, but did not do it ... This should not be considered as a miscalculation of the Sultan. In the murky waters of political life, everyone catches soybeans. To smash Russia meant to strengthen Sweden, and to strengthen it very strongly, making it the strongest power on the continent. For Turkey, it was more beneficial for Russia and Sweden to continue to fight, weakening each other.

Let's go back to the events that the Prut campaign brought. Peter was so shocked by what was happening that when sending his ambassador to negotiate for peace, he told him to agree to any conditions except the loss of Petrograd. A huge ransom was also collected. As a result, the Sultan agreed to a peace, under which Turkey would get Azov back, Russia destroys the Black Sea fleet and does not prevent King Charles 12 from returning to Sweden. In response, Turkey completely released the Russian troops, in full gear and with banners.

As a result, the Northern War, the outcome of which after the Battle of Poltava seemed a foregone conclusion, received a new round. This made the war more difficult and took much longer to win.

Naval battles of the Northern War

Simultaneously with the land battles, the Northern War was fought at sea. Naval battles were also quite massive and bloody. An important battle of that war took place on July 27, 1714 at Cape Gangut. In this battle, the Swedish squadron was almost completely destroyed. The entire fleet of this country, which took part in the battle at Gangut, was destroyed. It was a terrible defeat for the Swedes and a splendid triumph for the Russians. As a result of these events, Stockholm was almost completely evacuated, since everyone feared an invasion of Russia deep into Sweden. In fact, the victory at Gangut was the first major naval victory for Russia!

The next significant battle also took place on July 27, but already in 1720. It happened not far from Grengam Island. This naval battle also ended in an unconditional victory for the Russian fleet. It should be noted that British ships were represented in the Swedish flotilla. This was due to the fact that England decided to support the Swedes, since it was clear that the latter could not hold out for a long time alone. Naturally, England's support was not official and she did not enter the war, but she “kindly” presented her ships to Charles 12.

Nishtad peace

Russia's victories at sea and on land forced the Swedish government to agree to peace negotiations, agreeing to virtually all the demands of the winner, since Sweden was on the verge of complete defeat. As a result, in 1721 an agreement was concluded between the countries - the Peace of Nishtad. The Northern War after 21 years of hostilities was over. As a result, Russia received:

• the territory of Finland to Vyborg
• the territories of Estland, Livonia and Ingermanland

In fact, Peter 1 with this victory secured the right of his country to enter the Baltic Sea. The long years of war paid off in full. Russia won an outstanding victory, as a result of which many political tasks of the state were solved, which faced Russia since the time of Ivan 3. Below is a detailed map of the Northern War.

The Great Northern War allowed Peter to "cut a window to Europe," and the Nishtad peace secured this "window" for Russia officially. In fact, Russia confirmed its status as a great power, creating the preconditions for all European countries to actively listen to the opinion of Russia, which by that time had already become an Empire.

Russian claims on the territory, lost under the Stolbovo peace treaty after the Russian-Swedish war of 1610-1617. (Ivangorod, Ostrov, Koporye, Oreshek, Korela, Ingria), as well as the spread of Swedish influence in Poland, conquered by Russian troops during the military campaigns of 1654-1655. (The Swedes swore an oath to King Karl X Gustav a number of cities in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and offered the same oath for Little Russia). Denmark's attempt to take revenge for its unsuccessful war with Sweden in 1643-1645. Austria's diplomatic efforts aimed at Russia and Denmark, concerned about the growing influence of Sweden in Eastern Europe in connection with its victory over Poland during the military campaign of 1655 (Polish-Swedish war of 1655-1660).

Preparing for war in Russia

In November 1655, Russia suspended hostilities with Poland, and in February 1656 concluded an armistice with her.

The state of the Russian army

Russian troops combined two forms of military organization: "national", based on various kinds of militias, and European - with permanent regular formations: soldiers, reitars, dragoons. In the Russian army, numerous cavalry detachments of Cossacks, Kalmyks, Tatars were used, and, just like in the Swedish, a significant number of European mercenaries were present. For the war in Livonia, the Russians used the necessary supplies, well-established communications and military contingents, which had recently been involved in the western and northwestern directions of the Russian-Polish war. In Livonia, the troops, assembled in Polotsk, based on Vitebsk, Nevel and Druya \u200b\u200bwere supposed to operate. In Estland - the troops gathered in Pskov. In Karelia - in Novgorod and Olonets.

The state of the Swedish army

The main part of the regular Swedish army operated in Poland and Pomerania. In the Baltics, garrison soldiers and dragoons were stationed, as well as various types of militias - mainly from local German nobles and townspeople. Swedish fortresses were reliably protected by all the laws of European fortification of the time, including a sufficient amount of artillery.

Reason for war

The mistake of Swedish diplomats in the royal title during the 3rd ratification of the Stolbovo peace in 1655.

Russia's goals

Preservation of its influence in the territories taken from Poland during the military campaigns of 1654 - 1655; the return of lost lands after the Russian-Swedish war of 1610 - 1617; seizure of Swedish territories in the Baltic states - Livonia and Estonia.

Command of the Russian army

Tsar Alexei I Mikhailovich, Prince Yakov Kudenetovich Cherkassky, Prince Alexei Nikitich Trubetskoy, Prince Ivan Andreevich Khovansky, Vasily Borisovich Sheremetev, Peter Ivanovich Potemkin.

Command of the Swedish army

Gustav Adolph Leuvenhaupt, Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, Gustav Evertson Horn.

War zone

The territory of Poland (the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) in the middle reaches of the Western Dvina (Latgale). The territory of Sweden - Livonia (south and northeast), Estland, Ingria, Karelia. The territory of Russia is the Pskov district.

Periodization of the Russian-Swedish War 1656-1658

Campaign of 1656

During the campaign, Russian troops operated in three directions: in Livonia, Estonia and Ingria. In Polish Livonia (Latgale) Dinaburg was taken, in Swedish Livonia - Kokenhausen, Riga was besieged, in Estland - Derpt, in Ingria - Noteburg and Nyenskans. The siege of Riga was lifted.

Campaign of 1657

During the campaign, Swedish troops invaded the Pskov district, but were defeated at Gdov. In Livonia, Russian troops were defeated at Valka.

Campaign of 1658

During the campaign in Ingria, Russian troops captured Yamburg and laid siege to Narva. Swedish troops, having gone on the offensive, unblocked the narva and took Yamburg and Nyenskans.

The end of the Russian-Swedish war 1656-1658

Poland in June 1658 renewed the war with Russia. On August 22, 1658, Russian-Swedish peace negotiations began and a temporary truce was concluded. In the same year, Denmark was defeated in the war with Sweden, having lost Skone (the southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula). On December 20, 1658, the Valiesar truce was concluded with Sweden for a period of three years, according to which Russia retained a part of the conquered Livonia and Estonia (Kokenhausen, Dorpat, Anzl, Neuhausen, Marnauz, Dinaburg, Lyutin and Marienburg). According to the Peace Treaty of Kardis in 1661, Russia returned to Sweden all the conquered during the war of 1656-1658. cities and territories, having received the right to keep their trade missions in Stockholm, Riga, Revel and Narva.

Golitsyn N. S. Russian military history. SPb., 1878. Part II. S. 616 - 622.

After the Peace of Tilsit in 1807, two huge gaps remained in Europe in the Napoleonic Continental Blockade of England. In the south of Europe, Spain and Portugal did not participate in the blockade of the British Isles, in the north - Sweden. If Napoleon could cope with Spain and Portugal himself, then with Sweden things were more complicated. The Swedish king Gustav IV had a great dislike for Napoleonic France, and no amount of admonition could force him to break the alliance with England. To defeat Sweden, lying across the Baltic Sea, the French needed to conduct a major landing operation against it. With the supremacy of the British fleet at sea, this operation could have ended in disaster for them.
To persuade Gustav IV to the Continental blockade, the French emperor needed the help of Russia, which had a land border with Sweden. This position of Napoleon provided Alexander I with the opportunity to seize Finland from Sweden and thereby eliminate the centuries-old threat to Russia's northern borders. The reason for the outbreak of hostilities against the Swedes was the refusal of their king to enter into an alliance with Russia against England. Hoping for help from Britain, Gustav behaved defiantly. For example, he returned the highest order of St. Andrew the First-Called to the Russian emperor, writing that he could not wear the order that Bonaparte had. Sweden, meanwhile, was not ready for war. Its forces, scattered across the expanses of Finland, numbered only 19 thousand people. The Russian emperor took advantage of this.

Campaign of 1808. On February 9, 1808, Russian troops under the command of General Buxgewden (24 thousand people) crossed the Swedish border in Finland and began military operations. Thanks to the surprise attack and the lack of Swedish forces, the Russians managed by April to occupy most of the Finnish territory (up to the Uleaborg region) and block about a third of the Swedish army (7.5 thousand people) in Sveaborg. On April 26, Sveaborg (Sweden's largest naval base in the Gulf of Finland) capitulated. At sea, Russian landings occupied the Aland Islands and the island of Gotland.
The rest of the Swedish troops, led by General Klingspor, managed to avoid encirclement and retreat without significant losses in position to Uleaborg. In Finland, a partisan movement broke out against the Russian troops. The large territory and the actions of the partisans demanded from the Russians to allocate significant forces for the organization of garrisons and logistic support. This war was fought mainly by small detachments (from 2 to 5 thousand people), and there were no major battles in it.
In April, after the dispersal of forces over vast wooded and swampy areas, only 4-5 thousand fighters approached the Uleabog positions of the Swedes. This allowed General Klingspor to create a numerical superiority here and launch a counteroffensive. Due to a lack of strength and poor knowledge of the terrain, the Russians suffered defeats in April at Revolax and Pulkkila. The remnants of the broken parts with difficulty broke free from the encirclement and retreated to the south. These failures caused an increase in the activity of the Finnish partisans against the Russian troops, which had to withdraw to the southern part of Finland, to the Tammersfors - St. Michel line. The poor work of the commissariat forced the troops to switch to practically grazing. For example, in the summer, due to delays in the delivery of food, soldiers and officers often had to eat mushrooms and berries.
At the same time, the Anglo-Swedish fleet became more active at sea. In early May, the Russians lost the Aland Islands and the island of Gotland. The Baltic Fleet could not seriously oppose the Anglo-Swedish forces. Returning from the Mediterranean Sea to the Baltic, Senyavin's squadron was blocked and then captured by the British in the Lisbon port in August 1808. Under the terms of surrender, Senyavin gave them his ships for storage until the end of the war.
The situation for the Russians in Finland in May took on a threatening character, as the 14,000-strong British corps under the command of General Moore arrived to help the Swedes. With the support of the fleet, the Swedes could begin active offensive operations. But the English corps was soon deployed to fight the French forces in Spain, where England had more substantial interests. As a result, equilibrium was established on land. At sea, the Anglo-Swedish fleet undividedly dominated, which blocked the Russian fleet on the coast of Estonia. However, the sabotage of the British against the port of Revel and the attempt of the Anglo-Swedish fleet to land a 9-thousandth landing in southern Finland were repelled.
By August, Russian troops in the Finnish theater of operations had been brought up to 55 thousand people. against 36 thousand people. from the Swedes. On August 2, the 11-thousandth corps of General Nikolai Kamensky II went on the offensive, which defeated Klingspor's troops in the battles at Kuortane, Salmi (August 20-21) and Orovais (September 2). These victories made a turning point in the course of the war. In September, at the request of the Swedish side, an armistice was concluded. But Alexander I did not approve it, demanding from the Russian command to clear all of Finland from the Swedes. In October, Russian troops launched a general offensive. Coming to Tornio (Tornio), in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Finnish-Swedish border, they occupied the main part of Finland. In December, instead of Buxgewden, General Knorring was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian troops.

Campaign of 1809. Alexander I strove for a peace with Sweden that would force her to recognize Finland's entry into the Russian Empire. The Russians could only persuade Gustav IV to accept such conditions on Swedish territory. Therefore, Alexander I ordered to start a winter campaign with the aim of invading Sweden across the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia. In the winter, the English fleet was powerless to prevent this operation.
Her plan was drawn up by General Kamensky 2nd. It provided for the movement of three corps to Sweden. One of them, under the command of General Shuvalov, moved along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, through Torneo. The other two were walking on the ice of the bay. The corps, under the command of General Barclay de Tolly, was heading across the ice from Vasa to Umeå. To the south (from Abo through the Aland Islands to the area north of Stockholm), the corps of General Bagration advanced. Knorring, skeptical about this enterprise, in every possible way delayed its implementation. Only the arrival of the tsar's representative, General Arakcheev, made it possible to accelerate the Ice campaign, which glorified this war.

Aland expedition (1809). The greatest impression on the Swedes was made by the actions of Bagration's corps (17 thousand people), which crossed the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia to the Aland Islands and the shores of Sweden on March 1-7, 1809. First, the Russians moved to the Aland Islands, which were defended by the Swedish corps (6 thousand people). people) and local residents (4 thousand people). The ice campaign of the Russian army took place in difficult conditions. Not wanting to find themselves, the soldiers did not make fires and slept right in the snow. Having reached the Aland Islands on the ice, Bagration's detachment captured them in battle, taking 3 thousand prisoners.
After that, the vanguard was sent to the shores of Sweden under the command of General Yakov Kulnev. Before the speech, the general told his soldiers: "The march to the Swedish coast crowns all your efforts. Have two glasses of vodka per person, a piece of meat and bread and two garnets of oats with you. The sea is not scary, who trusts in God!" On March 7, Kulnev's detachment reached the Swedish coast and occupied the city of Grislehamn, 70 km from Stockholm. Soon, with great difficulty, he overcame the icy expanses and the Barclay de Tolly corps, which reached the Swedish coast on March 12 and occupied Umeå.
The entry of the Russians into the territory of Sweden caused a political crisis there. A coup d'etat took place in Stockholm. Gustav IV, who opposed peace with Russia, was overthrown. The Duke of Südermanland (later Charles XIII) became regent. The new Swedish government has come up with proposals for a truce. Fearing the breaking of the ice, General Knorring concluded a truce and withdrew parts of Barclay de Tolly and Kulnev from Swedish territory.
However, Alexander I did not want to hear about the truce. He needed peace, confirming the consolidation of Finland for Russia. The emperor removed Knorring from command and ordered General Barclay de Tolly to lead the troops. But by that time the spring melting of snow had begun, and there could be no talk of any new invasions of Sweden over the ice. Now all hopes were pinned on the northern corps of General Shuvalov (5,000 men), who was moving along the coast. It was he who eventually managed to end this war victoriously.

The surrender of the Swedes at Kalix and Skellefteå (1809). While the glorious corps of Bagration and Barclay were overcoming the icy expanses, Shuvalov operated on the northern coast of the Gulf of Bothnia against the Swedish detachment of General Grippenberg (7,000 men). Shuvalov's units occupied Torneo and moved after the retreating Swedes to Kalix, Meanwhile, on March 12, Barclay de Tolly's corps went to Umeå, in the rear of Grippenberg. Learning that his escape route was cut off, Grippenberg laid down his arms in Kalix.
After the armistice was canceled, Shuvalov's corps, which was now the only one in Sweden, again launched an offensive along the coast. At Skellefteå, his path was blocked by the Swedish corps under the command of General Furumark (5 thousand people). Shuvalov decided on a bold roundabout maneuver. To enter the Swedes in the rear, a group of General Alekseev moved across the ice of the gulf, which bypassed Furumark's positions and cut off his escape route.
The operation was fraught with tremendous risk, since by that time the breaking of the ice had already begun. The troops were literally knee-deep in water. They crossed the openings by footbridges, or even by boats. The guns were transported disassembled on a sled. At Skellefteå itself, the ice had by that time moved away from the coast for almost a kilometer, and the Russians had to make a significant detour, risking being carried out to sea on the cracked ice floes. Slightly hesitate Alekseev, his detachment was in for a disaster, because two days after the Russians landed on the coast, the sea was completely cleared of ice. The risk was justified. Upon learning of the appearance of the Russians in his rear, Furumark capitulated on May 3.

Battle of Ratan (1809). In the summer, the Shuvalov corps was led by General Kamensky, who continued the offensive along the coast. Slowly but surely, a small detachment of Russians moved towards Stockholm. The Swedish lands lay around for hundreds of kilometers, and one blow that cut the thin coastal highway was enough to encircle the Russian troops. Moreover, the Swedish fleet dominated the Gulf of Bothnia, and Kamensky could not expect any help from the sea.
Trying to encircle Kamensky's detachment (5 thousand people), the Swedes in August landed a naval assault in his rear under the command of General Vakhtmeister (6 thousand people). Kamensky turned to meet the Wachtmeister detachment and on August 8 decisively attacked it near Ratan. In the course of the battle, the Swedish detachment was utterly defeated. Having lost 2 thousand people. (a third of the composition), he retreated in disarray. This was the last battle of the last Russian-Swedish war.

Peace of Friedrichsgam (5 (17) September 1809). In August, peace negotiations began between Russia and Sweden, culminating in the signing of the Friedrichsgam Peace Treaty (now Hamina, Finland). Under its terms, all of Finland and the Aland Islands passed to Russia. Finland was part of the Russian Empire as a Grand Duchy with broad internal autonomy. Sweden terminated the alliance with England and joined the Continental Blockade. Both Napoleon and Alexander achieved their goals with this war.
In general, thanks to the alliance with Napoleonic France, Russia strengthened the security of its northwestern and southwestern borders, displacing the Swedish and Ottoman possessions outside the East European Plain. At the same time, it should be noted that this war with the Swedes was not popular in Russian society. An attack on a weak neighbor, albeit a formidable enemy in the past, was condemned in every way and considered inglorious. Losses of the Russian army in the war of 1808-1809 amounted to approximately 8 thousand people.

Shefov N.A. The most famous wars and battles of Russia M. "Veche", 2000.