Peter the Great

Currently Playing: How Peter The Great Won The Great Northern War: The Battle of Poltava (Peter the Great Episode 5)

Watch the whole playlist on Peter the Great here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbAHi3fZpuEAY4V74bKJ1fe4BXElTm_4 Why was the greatest and most climactic battle of the Great Northern War, the Battle of Poltova, one of the most important in all European history? What drove Charles XII of Sweden to invade Russia in the Summer of 1707, in the lead up to that totemic clash? Exactly what happened on the day of the Battle? Would both Peter the Great and Charles survive it unscathed, if at all? And, who would triumph on that bloodsoaked battlefield? Join Dominic and Tom for one of the most dramatic events of their journey through the bombastic life and reign of Peter the Great so far, as they describe the Battle of Poltova, and the day that changed Europe forever. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYK0BJZF3yNb2fw1EdAXUQ/join 00:00 – Introduction: The Battle of Poltava as a decisive turning point 02:19 – Swedish and Russian figures as romantic heroes 03:11 – Overview of the stakes: decline of Sweden, rise of Russia 05:22 – Battle set-up: Swedish camp, redoubts, and Peter’s forces 06:45 – Russian fortifications and Peter's confidence 07:30 – Charles dismisses Mazepa’s forces 08:06 – Charles’s injury and inability to command directly 09:17 – Disunity among Swedish commanders 10:00 – Swedish plan of attack and movement toward redoubts 11:49 – Russians build unexpected new redoubts overnight 12:34 – Swedish plan changes again 13:38 – The battle 25:41 – Peter interrogates captured Field Marshal Rehnskjöld 26:39 – Charles escapes south across the Dnieper 28:30 – Charles enters the Ottoman Empire 29:02 – Aftermath: Russia’s rise and counterfactuals 30:50 – Sweden’s potential if Charles had won 31:52 – Peter’s Roman-style victory parade in St Petersburg 32:57 – Fate of Swedish prisoners 33:43 – Peter’s rise to European celebrity 34:49 – Allies return: Poland, Denmark, Augustus 36:26 – Charles’s bizarre exile in Ottoman territory 38:38 – Russia’s war with Ottomans; Peter’s Black Sea ambitions 40:49 – Russia’s claim to protect Orthodox Slavs 41:55 – Charles causes chaos in Ottoman territory 43:04 – Peter’s spa trip and visit to Luther’s grave 45:16 – Ottomans plot to expel Charles 46:00 – Battle of Bender (“Kalabalik”) 47:18 – Charles stays in exile 18 more months 47:56 – Charles’s insane 1,200-mile ride back to Germany 49:18 – Return to Sweden after 15 years 50:12 – Russia devastates Finland during the Great Wrath 51:00 – Charles refuses to give up, plots new campaign 52:04 – Final campaign in Norway: Charles’s death 53:15 – Aftermath of Charles’s death; Peter’s reaction 54:09 – Performative mourning and final campaigns 55:06 – Great Northern War ends due to South Sea Bubble 56:06 – Peter crowned Emperor of All Russia 57:01 – Peter’s speech and prophetic final note 57:36 – Tease for next episode: Peter’s troubled heir Alexis Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Social Producer: Harry Balden Video Editor: Jack Meek Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor