3ROWDYD²6ZHGHQ¶V)DOO5XVVLD¶V5LVH

Lecture 22

T

he Battle of Poltava in 1709 marked a turning point in military
KLVWRU\²WKH PRPHQW ZKHQ WKH GRPLQDQW IRUFH RQ WKH EDWWOH¿HOG
shifted from edged weapons driven by human muscle, such as swords,
spears, and arrows, to cannons and guns using gunpowder to propel bullets,
shells, or cannonballs. One of the main agents for this transformation came
from a perhaps unexpected quarter: the rather obscure kingdom of Sweden.

Military Innovations in Sweden
x In 1611, 17-year-old Gustavus Adolphus ascended to the throne of
Sweden. He proved to be a far-sighted military genius, radically
UHVWUXFWXULQJWKH6ZHGLVKDUP\DURXQGWKHSULQFLSOHVRI¿UHSRZHU
and mobility. He introduced a new, much lighter musket and
reversed the percentage of his infantry who carried guns versus
WKRVHZKRZLHOGHGSLNHVIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHPDNLQJJXQVWKHSULPDU\
weapon of an army.

x Gustavus equipped the Swedish army with three standard-size

cannons, emphasizing light cannons that could be drawn by a few

horses and deployed in accordance with troop movements on the

EDWWOH¿HOG&DYDOU\ZHUHXVHGDVVKRFNWURRSVDQGVROGLHUVZHUH

organized into regiments.

x Using his new, modern army, Gustavus embarked on a series of

spectacularly successful campaigns and turned Sweden into the

most powerful state in northern Europe. By the late 1600s, Sweden

dominated Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea and had acquired

footholds in Germany that allowed it to control commerce on three

of Germany’s major rivers.

The Opponents
x In 1697, 15-year-old Charles XII came to the throne. Sweden’s chief
victims over the previous century—Denmark, Poland, and Russia—