Battle of Wesenberg (1704)
| date | June 15th jul. / June 26th 1704 greg. |
|---|---|
| place | Rakvere , today's Estonia |
| output | Russian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 1400 | 8000 |
| losses | |
|
400 killed, 600 prisoners |
unknown |
1st phase: Swedish dominance (1700–1709)
Riga I • Jungfernhof • Varja • Pühhajoggi • Narva • Pechora • Düna • Rauge • Erastfer • Hummelshof • Embach • Tartu • Narva II • Wesenberg I • Wesenberg II
Arkhangelsk • Lake Ladoga • Nöteborg • Nyenschanz • Neva • Systerbäck • Petersburg • Vyborg I • Porvoo • Neva II • Koporje II • Kolkanpää
Vilnius • Salads • Jacobstadt • Walled Courtyard • Mitau • Grodno I • Olkieniki • Nyaswisch • Klezk • Ljachavichy
Klissow • Pułtusk • Thorn • Lemberg • Warsaw • Posen • Punitz • Tillendorf • Rakowitz • Praga • Fraustadt • Kalisch
Grodno II • Golovchin • Moljatitschi • Rajowka • Lesnaja • Desna • Baturyn • Koniecpol • Weprik • Opischnja • Krasnokutsk • Sokolki • Poltava I • Poltava II
2nd phase: Sweden on the defensive (1710–1721)
Riga II • Vyborg II • Pernau • Kexholm • Reval • Hogland • Pälkäne • Storkyro • Nyslott • Hanko
Helsingborg • Køge Bay • Gulf of Bothnia • Frederikshald I • Dynekilen Fjord • Gothenburg I • Strömstad • Trondheim • Frederikshald II • Marstrand • Ösel • Gothenburg II • Södra Stäket • Grönham • Sundsvall
Elbing • Wismar I • Lübow • Stralsund I • Greifswalder Bodden I • Stade • Rügen • Gadebusch • Altona • Tönning II • Stettin • Fehmarn • Wismar II • Stralsund II • Jasmund • Peenemünde • Greifswalder Bodden II • Stresow
In the battle of Wesenberg ( Estonian Rakvere ) in the Great Northern War on June 26, 1704, a Russian force under Carl von Rönne defeated a Swedish division under the command of Wolmar von Schlippenbach .
prehistory
 
| |
Since 1702 there was no longer a Swedish army outside the fixed places in Swedish Livonia and Swedish Estonia . Explorations and operations outside the fortresses by the Swedes took place on a smaller and limited scale. After the devastating defeats at Erastfer and Hummelshof , the Swedes stopped fighting . The headquarters of the Swedish troops in the Baltic States had been Reval since 1702. Wesenberg lies exactly in the center between Reval (100 kilometers) and the threatened Narva (115 kilometers) and could be reached from both places on the same road.
In 1704 superior Russian troops attacked and besieged the Swedish fortresses of Narva and Dorpat . Major General von Rönne and his approximately 8,000 strong Russian troops were sent from Narva in the direction of Rakvere (Wesenberg) to stop General von Schlippenbach's troops, who had marched on from Reval and were posted at Wesenberg. There is no reference to the motives of the Swedes in the literature. It can be assumed that the 1400-strong Swedish detachment wanted to come to the rescue of the besieged city of Narva , which is further east of Wesenberg.
Course of the battle
The battle took place near the town of Rakvere. Von Schlippenbach marched with his troops in such a hurry that the Swedes were drawn far apart. The dragoon regiments of Major General Roenne attacked the vanguard of the Swedes and put them to flight. They made about 50 prisoners and captured several flags and two light cannons.
The Swedish cavalry force threatened to be completely wiped out in the battle. General von Schlippenbach withdrew with the rest of the troops under the cannons of the fortress of Reval (Tallinn) before the overwhelming power of the Russians. Only 400 Swedes escaped, the rest were captured or killed in action.
Consequences of the battle
After conquering the city of Narva , the Swedish Governor General of Estonia withdrew all troops to Reval and surrendered the rest of the province to the Russian patrol units. The Russians subsequently devastated large parts of Livonia and Estonia. The town of Rakvere was also plundered and then burned down. For their part, the Swedish forces in the Baltic States were too weak to maintain an effective defense of the country. With the withdrawal of the von Schlippenbachs army, the Russians were able to consolidate their supremacy in Estonia and parts of Livonia.
literature
- Hartwig Ludwig Christian Bacmeister: Contributions to the history of Peter the Great, Volume 1 , Riga 1774
- Anton Friedrich Büsching: New description of the earth, first part , Hamburg 1770