Siege of Riga (1709)

Siege of Riga (1709)

Part of: Great Northern War

Siege of Riga

date	November 14, 1709 - July 4, 1710
place	Riga , today's Latvia
output	Russian victory

Parties to the conflict
Sweden	Russia
Commander
Niels Stromberg	Boris Sheremetew Anikita Repnin
Troop strength
13,400 men 563 cannons 66 mortars 12 howitzers	40,000 men 32 guns from November 1709 another 18 guns
losses
20,000 deaths from the plague	9,800 plague deaths

The siege of Riga by the tsarist army was a military intervention in the Great Northern War . It lasted from November 14, 1709 to July 4, 1710. It ended with the surrender of the Swedish occupation of Riga .

The parties

After the success in Poltava , the Russian sent Tsar Peter I. his Field Marshal Sheremetev in the Baltic countries to the fortress Riga take. In this way the supremacy in the Baltic States should be strengthened. In addition, the supply of the Swedes should be weakened. Riga Fortress was one of the strongest fortresses in Europe in the 18th century. Their commanding officer was General Stromberg. The garrison located in Riga consisted of 13,400 men, with 563 cannons , 66 mortars and 12 howitzers .

prehistory

In the previous year the tsarist army had won a decisive victory over the Swedes. In Poltava, the Swedish army was under the command of Charles XII. devastatingly beaten. The wounded Swedish king withdrew and asked the Pasha von Ochakov for his permission to enter the Ottoman Empire , which was granted to him. With that Karl XII. no longer able to contact his troops in the Baltic States. The Tsar saw this as an opportunity to gain control of the Baltic States.

The transfer of the Russian army from Poltava to Riga was fraught with considerable difficulties. Whole areas were muddy due to heavy rains. At the beginning of October the Russian troops reached Daugavpils . On October 15, Russian troops crossed the border with Swedish Livonia and marched along the Daugava to Riga. The main forces and four dragoon regiments under General Baur (1667-1717) were on the left bank of the river,. On the right bank of the Daugava marching Don Cossacks under Ataman Mitrophan Lobanov.

On October 27th, the Russian army began to blockade Riga from the land side.

Course of the siege

When the Russian troops were deployed, General Stromberg ordered the demolition of a floating bridge over the Daugava and had Kobron's hill cleared and razed. The Russian troops began to encircle the fortress, but no resistance was offered by the Swedes. The artillery pieces were distributed around the fortress. To prevent the Swedes from being supplied with supplies from the seaside, the Russians set up a sea ​​blockade seven miles from Riga . It stretched on both sides of the river from Riga to Dünamünde.

On November 9th, Peter I came to the gates of Riga and demanded surrender . Despite the hopelessness of his situation, the commander refused to surrender Riga. The Russian artillery then bombed the city for several days.

The approaching winter forced Sheremetev to send most of his army to the winter quarters at the end of November. The cavalry stayed in Livonia . The infantry was distributed to Courland and Lithuania . There remained only a 6,000-strong siege army under the command of Prince Anikita Repnin.

At the beginning of November an artillery unit with 60 heavy cannons and 24 mortars arrived at the Daugava from Smolensk . They started the permanent bombing of the city. Around 8,600 artillery rounds were fired at Riga during the entire siege.

On December 13, a bomb hit the ammunition cellar of the fortress. It contained 1,200 tons of black powder and 1,800 cannon balls. In addition to the ammunition depot standing citadel was completely blown away. The massive explosion and the raining cannonballs killed about 800 people.

In March 1710 the remainder of the army returned under the command of Field Marshal Sheremetev. On April 15, Field Marshal Alexander D. Menshikov joined the siege army. He had also been made field marshal after the Battle of Poltava. He should see to it that no ships reached Riga. At the mouth of the Daugava, new fortifications with 32 cannons were built and manned by 700 soldiers and 300 Don Cossacks. These were also equipped with boats. In addition, a new ski jump was built on the river below Riga . It was named Alexandre-Schanze in honor of Field Marshal Menshikov . Here an iron chain was stretched through the Düna, which could only be lowered by the jump crew. The looped ski jump in Korbon was also partially rebuilt. These two entrenchments were torn down after the capture of Riga.

On April 28, a Swedish fleet of nine ships attempted to break through to Riga. She was stopped by the strong Russian artillery fire from the direction of Dünamünde and had to turn off again.

The plague broke out in Riga as early as 1709 . With the city full of people and the scarcity of food, 60,000 people died from the disease. In May 1710 the disease broke out among the Russian besiegers. By the end of the epidemic , 9,800 Russian soldiers had died of the plague.

At the end of May the Russians made decisive progress. They broke through the palisade line of the suburb on the Daugava and immediately entrenched themselves so that they could no longer push back a failure of the Swedes. The batteries now erected from this side could fire directly at the fortifications of the city. Correspondence between Sheremetev and Stromberg began on June 11th. The Russian field marshal made it clear in his letters that the fortress would be shot ready for storm and the attack was imminent. Stromberg replied that he would not hand over Riga without a fight. He also hopes for the Swedish Navy to break through and for supplies from Sweden. On June 14th, the artillery fire began again and even more violently than before. By June 24th, 3,389 bullets had fallen on Riga. There were several burns in the city. The residents of Riga asked for the city to be surrendered.

On June 20, the Russians stormed the city, but had to retreat under heavy defensive fire from the Swedes. On June 24th, Stromberg agreed to enter into surrender negotiations. The surrender agreement comprised 65 points regarding the surrender of the city as well as dealing with the population, the nobility and the Swedish occupation.

On July 4th, the surrender was signed by Sheremetev and Stromberg. The first Russian grenadier regiments entered Riga immediately. On July 12th, the winners entered the festival. Field Marshal Sheremetev and his general staff moved in to the applause of the citizens of Riga .

The consequences

Field Marshal Sheremetev was known for his philanthropy and kindness and that is why the surrender stipulated that the city should not be plundered and that the citizens of the city should not be touched. For this, the field marshal received two specially made golden keys of the city.

When the Field Marshal asked what to do with the keys, the Tsar replied that, because of his kindness, these keys should remain in the Sheremetev's family forever. They were divided between his two sons after the death of Boris Sheremetev.

The Livonian nobility regained all the rights that had been taken from them by the Swedish king. In addition, dispossessed families got their old goods back. In gratitude for this kindness, Field Marshal Sheremetev was awarded a Livonian nobility title.

The Swedish garrison, which had melted down to 5132 men, 2905 of whom were sick, was given safe conduct from the city. With the exception of the Livlanders, she embarked in Dünamünde and returned to Sweden. Many of the Livonian soldiers and officers went into Russian military service .

The surrender negotiations had hardly begun when Sheremetev sent Lieutenant General Baur and his regiments to Pernau to take the city.

literature

• Wilhelm Christian Friebe: Handbook of the history of Lief, Ehst and Kurlands for use by everyone , Vol. 5: 9th period from 1660 to 1710 . Christian Friedrich Hartknoch, Riga 1794.
• Justus Philipp Adolf Wilhelm Ludwig Freiherr von Wolhaben and Neuhaus : Memoirs of the Royal Prussian General of the Infantry Ludwig Freiherrn von Wolhaben. From his estate with the addition of official military memoranda . Wigand, Leipzig 1851; therein: Third annex: Memorandum on the Riga Fortress , pp. XXXIII – XLIII.
• Gerhard Friedrich Müller : Biography of General Field Marshal Count Boris' Petrowitschj Sheremetew . Saint Petersburg, Riga, Leipzig 1789.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Friebe, p. 181.
2. ^ Ludwig von Wolzüge: Memorandum on the Riga Fortress , p. XXXIX.
3. ↑ Müller, p. 70.
4. ↑ Müller, p. 71.
5. ↑ Friebe, p. 185.
6. ↑ Müller, p. 75.
7. ^ Ludwig von Wolzüge: Memorandum on the Riga Fortress , p. XL.
8. ↑ Friebe, p. 187.