The Unfamous Russian-Swedish War of Catherine II and Gustav III
Gustav III in the portrait of Per Krafft the Elder (1786) and Catherine II in the portrait of M. Shibanov (April 1787)
Over the centuries, Russians and Swedes have repeatedly fought among themselves. The number of wars given varies because there is no agreement on the starting point. Should we take into account clashes dating back to the times of the Novgorod Republic? Or keep records, starting with the wars of Sweden and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and then the Russian Empire? And should episodic and not very significant clashes like the Battle of the Neva in 1240 be considered wars?
The first military conflicts were recorded back in the 1475th century - the Novgorod Republic then acted as an enemy of Sweden. In 1476-1554 For the first time, the Grand Duchy of Moscow fought with Sweden. In 1557-1700. marked the first military clash with Sweden of the Russian kingdom. The most famous, long-lasting and difficult conflict for both sides is the Great Northern War, which lasted from 1721 to 1808. It was after it that Russia regained access to the Baltic Sea. The last time Sweden and Russia fought was in 1809-1788; as a result of this war, Finland became part of the Russian Empire. But today we will talk about the unknown war of 1790-1787, which traditionally remains in the shadow of the victorious Russian-Turkish War of 1791-XNUMX, in which Ushakov and Suvorov won their resounding victories, and at its end Crimea became Russian. This war with Sweden was of a defensive nature for our country and ended in a draw, but it was very difficult and very costly for the treasury. Over the course of three years of hostilities, they had to endure five naval battles, and one of them, the Second Rochensalm, is still considered by the Swedes to be revenge for the defeat at Poltava. The actions on land were also not very successful, where the Russians managed to defend Neishlot, but the Swedes “recorded as their asset” not very significant clashes at Kernikoski, Pardakoski, Valkiala and Parkumäki. But in the conditions of a big war with Turkey, a “draw” outcome in the war with Sweden can be considered a positive result.
On the way to another Russian-Swedish war
In February 1771, Gustav III, the husband of the younger sister of the Prussian King Frederick II, came to power in Sweden. Gustav was the cousin of Catherine II, who in her letters easily called him “fat Gu.” She was also the cousin-niece of “Old Fritz”, who at one time recommended her, the penniless Anhalt-Zerbst “Cinderella”, as the bride of a rich Russian prince. But in this “game” the Prussian king “played” on the side of his Swedish son-in-law. Everyone was relatives, but this circumstance did not bother anyone: as they say, it was nothing personal, it was just work.
In 1772, Gustav III forced the Riksdag to recognize a new constitution, which effectively restored absolute power in Sweden and ended the “Era of Freedoms” (1718-1772). Meanwhile, Russia has been considered the guarantor of the Swedish constitution since the Peace of Nystadt.
For some reason, the events in the neighboring country at first did not worry the Russian authorities too much, but revanchist sentiments were rapidly growing in Sweden; among his circle of associates, Gustav III spoke of his intentions to start a war with Russia and occupy St. Petersburg already in 1775. Since Sweden also had territorial claims to Denmark, this country signed an alliance treaty with the Russian Empire in 1773. This caused great annoyance to the Swedish king, who planned to take Norway from the Danes.
Sweden's closest foreign policy partner was France, which traditionally considered this state and Turkey a zone of its influence and a kind of “Eastern barrier”. The French government provided Gustav III with significant subsidies to prepare for war. Many researchers believe that active subsidies from Sweden became one of the reasons for the severe financial crisis in France, which pushed Louis XVI to the fatal decision to convene the Estates General.
One way or another, thanks to French money, in 1782, under the leadership of Frederick Heinrich Chapman, the construction of ten 64-gun ships began at the shipyard in Karlskrona, as well as the construction of new frigates and the modernization of old ones. Now Swedish frigates could carry up to 50 guns and, if necessary, could replace a battleship that was out of action.
Despite all these preparations, Catherine II and her dignitaries considered Sweden too weak a rival and did not prepare at all for the war in the Baltic. There were practically no Russian troops on the border with Finland, and those that were available were garrisons of a few fortresses. And after the start of the Russian-Turkish War in 1787, all the forces and resources of the empire were directed exclusively to the southern front. In the summer of 1788, Gustav III restored the Swedish-Turkish alliance of 1739. And Gustav III declared the equipment of the Russian squadron for a trip to the Mediterranean Sea as preparation for an attack on Karlskrona. It was no longer possible not to attach significance to what was happening, and the Russian envoy A.K. Razumovsky on June 18, 1788, by order of Catherine II, demanded an explanation. The Swedes responded with war, which began 3 days later.
The outbreak of war
First, on June 21 (July 2), 1788, the Swedes staged a provocation. Presenting a staged shootout in the border town of Puumala as a “treacherous attack by the Russians,” Gustav III convinced the Riksdag to start a “defensive war” - and immediately the 38-strong Swedish army crossed the borders of the Russian Empire.
On June 25, Gustav III issued an ultimatum. He demanded the punishment of Ambassador Razumovsky, who was allegedly responsible for the outbreak of the war, the return of Finnish lands that had been ceded to Russia under the treaties of 1721 and 1743, the restoration of Turkish sovereignty over the Crimea (which the Turks were forced to recognize as independent) and the conclusion of peace with the Ottoman Empire, as well as disarmament of the Baltic fleet. These demands were clearly unrealistic, but Gustav did not expect Russia to agree to their implementation. He wanted to fight, hoping to pin down Russian troops in combat operations in southern Finland and capture St. Petersburg, landing a 20-strong landing corps near the Russian capital. The ships of the Baltic Fleet were supposed to be destroyed or blocked in Kronstadt. Great Britain, Holland and Prussia were to be allies. The British then wanted to repay St. Petersburg for the Declaration of Armed Neutrality of 1780; Prussia wanted to weaken Russian influence in Poland. The Danes took the side of Russia, however, they did not have much choice: in Copenhagen they understood that if Sweden won, they would be next in line.
As we have already noted, there were very few troops on the border with Sweden, and therefore recruits began to be urgently recruited - and not of the highest “grade”; even vagabonds were called up. Somehow the size of the army was increased to 14 thousand people. General-in-Chief V.P. Musin-Pushkin was entrusted with the command of the ground units.
V. P. Musin-Pushkin in the portrait of D. Levitsky, late 1780s.
At the end of May 1788, the squadron “to guard the Baltic Sea” began to hastily prepare and arm itself. Admiral Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov was appointed commander.
V. Ya. Chichagov in a portrait of an unknown artist
It was this admiral who became a hero historical "anecdote" according to which, while telling Catherine II about one of the battles, he became so carried away that he began to use "unparliamentary" expressions. The Empress, noticing his embarrassment, said:
“Nothing, Vasily Yakovlevich, continue; I don’t understand your nautical terms.”
His son, Pavel Chichagov, during this war commanded the ship “Rostislav”, participated in the naval battles of Öland, Revel and Vyborg and was awarded the Order of St. George IV class and the golden sword “For Bravery”. Later, he was unjustly declared guilty of the fact that Bonaparte and part of his army managed to cross the Berezina in November 1812 - and became the hero of I. Krylov’s offensive fable “The Pike and the Cat.”
On June 17, the Baltic squadron was reinforced by five ships of Admiral Greig, which did not have time to leave for the Mediterranean Sea. Chichagov was now at his disposal.
Samuel Karlovich Greig in a portrait by an unknown artist, after 1788: a Scotsman in Russian service, who distinguished himself in the Battle of Chesma in 1770, father of Admiral A.S. Greig
In the fall, five more ships were supposed to arrive from Arkhangelsk.
Admiral intrigues immediately began: the offended Chichagov “said he was ill” and throughout 1788, despite Catherine’s personal decrees coming to him, he remained in Kronstadt.
1788 Campaign
For the Swedes, the war began with a failure at the Neishlot fortress, which was defended by no more than 230 soldiers. In response to the demand for surrender, the one-armed commandant of Neishlot, Major Kuzmin, gave a mocking answer:
“I am without a hand and cannot open the gate, let His Majesty do the work himself.”
Soon the Swedes were forced to retreat.
On this occasion, Catherine II wrote the libretto of the satirical opera “Gorebogatyr Kosometovich” (composer - Vicente Martin y Solera), the hero of which was unable to enter the hut defended by a one-armed old man with a poker. The opera was staged at the Hermitage in January 1789, and the ambassadors of England and Prussia, powers allied with Sweden, were invited to the premiere. Interestingly, this opera was later officially banned.
On July 8, the Swedish squadron captured the 32-gun Russian frigate Yaroslavets and the 24-gun Hector. But on July 6 (17), 1788, Admiral Greig attacked the Swedish squadron off the island of Gogland, commanded by Gustav III’s brother Karl of Südermanland. The balance of forces was as follows: 15 battleships and 12 frigates placed in a line (total firepower - 1414 guns) on the Swedish side, 17 ships carrying 1220 guns on the Russian side. The five-hour battle ended in victory for Greig's squadron, the enemy flagship lowered its flag and surrendered, and Vice Admiral Wachtmeister and 539 crew members were captured.
Louis Jean Despres. Battle of Hogland
The Russian fleet lost the battleship Vladislav, which, having lost control, was carried into the line of Swedish ships and forced to surrender. The Swedes retreated to Sveaborg, which was blocked by Russian ships.
At the beginning of August 1788, the Swedes tried to organize an amphibious operation near Friedrichsgam. The first attempt was unsuccessful, during the second it was possible to land about 300 soldiers ashore, who had to be evacuated the very next day. After this, the Swedes retreated to the border. The only “success” of the land army was the destruction of the surrounding area of Neyshlot.
At the end of August, Russian ships under the command of James Travenen cut off the sea route near the Hanko Peninsula, which caused serious problems with the supply of the Swedish fleet and army.
The course of the war caused discontent among the officers, some even demanded the restoration of the previous constitution.
Meanwhile, on October 15, 1788, Admiral Greig died “of a cold,” and the immediately “recovered” Chichagov was appointed new commander.
1789 Campaign
Over the past winter, the Swedes built fortifications on the Hanko Peninsula and nearby islands. In mid-June, the troops of generals Musin-Pushkin and Mikhelson entered the Finnish province of Savolaks and defeated the Swedes near the village of Parassalmi. However, already on June 28, the Swedes under the command of Gustav III won a victory at Uttismalm, but this success was not further developed. Moreover, the Swedes were defeated at Kaipias and again retreated to the border. But the Russians also retreated, which allowed von Stedingk’s brigade to move forward and win several battles - at Parkuinmäki Hill and at Laitaatsilt.
In August-October of that year, the Russians tried to capture the poorly fortified Cape Porkkala on the Hanko Peninsula, but were unsuccessful.
At sea, hostilities began in May with reconnaissance off the island of Hanko. Subsequently, Admiral Chichagov acted extremely cautiously and indecisively, without fulfilling the order to join the squadron of Rear Admiral T. G. Kozlyaninov. Finally, on July 14, 1789, off the island of Öland, he met the Swedish fleet, but took a wait-and-see attitude, giving the initiative to the enemy. In the battle that took place, his 100-gun ship "Rostislav" was at a distance from the enemy ships, firing only 20 salvos, while other ships of his squadron - from 500 to 2300, and the ship "Fight" - 2892. The battle ended in a "draw" , in this case, the captain of the ship “Mstislav” G. Mulovsky, who was planned to be placed at the head of the first Russian round-the-world expedition (as a result, it was headed by I. Kruzenshtern), died. A.V. Khrapovitsky (secretary of Catherine II) wrote in his diary:
“It was noticed that Chichagov himself did not want to fight, wanting to better protect the shores of Livland, although he was specifically ordered to search for and attack the enemy.”
Catherine was also outraged and said:
“From the reports received from Admiral Chichagov, it is clear that the Swedes attacked him, and not he attacked them. That he had a skirmish with them, that a captain of brigadier rank and several hundred other soldiers were lost in it, without any benefit to the empire. That he finally returned to the local waters, as if to cover the Gulf of Finland. I demand that the behavior of Admiral Chichagov be compared with the instructions given to him and that it be reported to me whether the above-mentioned admiral followed the instructions given to him with My signature or not, so that I could take the appropriate measures.”
However, executive discipline in the empire under Catherine II was at an extremely low level: Chichagov not only did not bear any responsibility, but did not even deign to give any explanations to “Mother Empress.”
The Russian coastal (galley) fleet of Karl Heinrich von Nassau-Siegen operated more successfully, which on August 24 attacked Svensksund (Ruotsinsalmi) from two sides. Nassau-Siegen received the title of Russian vice admiral for his joint victory with Rear Admiral John Paul Jones over the Turkish fleet near Ochakov on June 17-18, 1788. In Russian he knew only two commands - “forward” and “row”, which he pronounced like "pie" and "mushrooms". For this reason, the sailors called it “Mushroom Pie.”
Karl Nassau-Siegen, nicknamed "Invulnerable" in a portrait by an unknown artist
Having passed through the Rochensalm Strait, the Russian galleys destroyed 39 enemy ships, losing two of their own. This battle went down in history as the First Battle of Rochensalm. Among those who distinguished themselves in that battle was Lieutenant Alexei Kornilov, the father of the famous Admiral V. A. Kornilov, who died in Sevastopol on Malakhov Kurgan on October 5 (17), 1854. And the Prince of Nassau received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called from Catherine II for this victory.
1790 Campaign
Dissatisfied with the course of hostilities, Catherine II ordered a new recruitment and replaced the commander of the ground army operating in Finland: instead of Musin-Pushkin, it was now headed by I.P. Saltykov, who had recently participated in the Rumyantsev army in the Battle of Kagul and the capture of the Ottoman fortress of Khotyn.
I. P. Saltykov in a portrait of an unknown artist
Saltykov had only 23 thousand people under his command, and the theater of military operations turned out to be very large. The battles of Kernikoski, Pardakoski and Valkiala were unsuccessful. At the same time, the commander of the fleet, V. Chichagov, who already had 60 ships at his disposal (including 27 battleships, nine sailing frigates and eight sailing-rowing frigates), continued to behave passively. In March 1790, a relatively small Swedish squadron launched a surprise attack on the Russian Baltic Port base, destroying all warehouses. On May 31, 1790, Count Saltykov wrote to A. A. Bezborodko:
“The fleets stand against each other without action, and every minute ships come to the royal flotilla, and the enemy on the ground establishes himself, which we cannot prevent him from doing from land, but we must do all this from the water. My concern now is how to keep it from the capital from the ground. The circumstances are difficult, Your Excellency. By God, everyone's strength is depleted. My regiments marched 130 versts in three days, and immediately either went into a fight or went to work, but it was as if we had no naval forces.”
However, by that time (May 13, 1790), Russian ships entered the battle - albeit forcedly: the Swedish fleet attacked them in the roadstead near the port of Revel. The accuracy of the gunners of the Russian ships anchored was higher, and therefore the Swedes, not achieving success, were forced to retreat, losing 2 ships (one was captured by the Russians, the other sank). One of the Swedish ships ran aground, and in order to get off it, the sailors had to throw 42 guns into the water.
Revel naval battle in the painting by I. Aivazovsky
Chichagov did not pursue the retreating Swedes, and a squadron under the command of Vice Admiral A. I. Cruz tried to block their path - 17 battleships and 12 frigates against 29 Swedish battleships. Cruise entered the battle on May 23 at Cape Steersudden (Krasnogorsk naval battle). Through a telescope, Chichagov saw the masts of the fighting ships and the smoke of gun shots, but he led his fleet to help only the next day. Seeing the approaching Russian ships, the Swedes retreated to the Vyborg Bay, where their galleys were stationed. About 400 ships were soon assembled here, which were planned to be used to attack St. Petersburg. They were commanded by Gustav III himself. However, Russian ships and galleys (130 ships) managed to block the exit from the bay. Experiencing supply difficulties, on July 3, 1790, the Swedes tried to break out into the open sea - and in the ensuing naval battle, their fleet suffered heavy losses: 64 ships (including 7 battleships and 3 frigates) and about seven thousand people killed and captured. Catherine II wrote to Potemkin:
“The king is said differently: some say that he left on a longboat between two supply ships; others that he was on his yacht “Amphion”, which was sunk, and seemed to have descended onto the galley. This galley has been taken. From it he jumped into the boat, and this boat was also taken, and from the boat he jumped into the boat, and this boat left. His breakfast was taken: it consisted of six crackers, smoked goose and two bottles of vodka.”
British historian Fred Jane called this battle "Trafalgar of the Baltic".
I. Aivazovsky. Naval battle of Vyborg
11 Russian battleships were damaged, among the dead was the captain of the 66-gun ship “Touch Me Not,” James Trevenen, a participant in Cook’s third voyage, a former midshipman of the ship “Resolution,” which was supposed to sail around the world with Mulovsky, who died off Eland.
But many Swedish ships still escaped from the bay. Sailing ships went to Sveaborg, rowing ships to Rochensalm. And the Swedish historian K. Gillengranat wrote:
“There is no doubt that the surviving Swedish fleet owes its salvation solely to the strange indecision with which the Russian admiral (Chichagov) acted and set sail. Many were sure that he was bribed by us so as not to carry out an attack. But this opinion is unfounded and unprovable, but it is difficult to explain the reasons for such slowness and indecisiveness of the Russian admiral.”
The staff of the Nikolaev Maritime Academy came to a similar conclusion:
“This was not a victory, as the majority believes, but on the contrary, it was a great defeat for us, because we let go of the huge Swedish fleet, which, if Chichagov had acted properly, would have all fallen into our hands.”
However, there was still a victory, and Vasily Chichagov became the first sailor to be awarded the Order of St. George, 1st degree.
On July 9, Vice Admiral Karl Nassau-Siegen launched his galleys into a poorly prepared attack on the Swedish rowing fleet stationed in the Rochensalm roadstead: they say that with his victory he wanted to “congratulate” Catherine II on the anniversary of her accession to the throne. We remember that he already won here - on August 24, 1789. However, now, finding itself under crossfire from Swedish ships and coastal batteries, the Russian squadron suffered a heavy defeat, losing 22 ships (including the flagship) and up to 12 thousand people killed and wounded. In addition, 1412 guns became trophies of the Swedes. Swedish losses amounted to only 6 ships and about 300 people. We have already noted that the Swedes still consider this victory to be revenge for the Poltava defeat. Karl Nassau-Siegen sent Catherine II his resignation and all the orders, but the Empress returned them, writing:
“One failure cannot erase from my memory that you were the conqueror of my enemies in the south and north 7 times.”
Verel Peace
By August 1790, Russian losses amounted to 6 thousand people, Swedish losses - about 18 thousand - and only less than three thousand on each side died in battle, the rest died from various diseases. The Swedes were exhausted by this unsuccessful war, however, the Russian Empire, which continued to fight the Ottomans, needed peace in the north. The desire to end the war was mutual. The peace treaty was signed on August 3 (14), 1790 in Verel and ratified by the parties on August 9 (20). He confirmed a return to pre-war borders. The Russian government recognized the Swedish constitution of 1772 and agreed to grant Sweden the right to annual duty-free purchases of grain and flour in the amount of 50 thousand rubles. And already in 1791, Russia and Sweden entered into a defensive anti-French alliance.
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