Great Northern War
Coalition war that ended Swedish dominance in the Baltic and confirmed Russia's rise as a European power.
Historical overview
Overview adapted from a Wikipedia summary and stored locally on May 11, 2026.
In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by Russia successfully contested the supremacy of Sweden in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I of Russia, Frederick IV of Denmark–Norway and Augustus II the Strong of Saxony-Poland-Lithuania. Frederick IV and Augustus II were defeated by Sweden, under Charles XII, and forced out of the alliance in 1700 and 1706, respectively, but rejoined it in 1709 after the defeat of Charles XII at the Battle of Poltava. George I of Great Britain and the Electorate of Hanover joined the coalition in 1714 for Hanover and in 1717 for Britain, and Frederick William I of Brandenburg-Prussia joined it in 1715.
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Border context
Balance of power and colonial war
European great powers fight succession and colonial wars while Russia rises and Sweden declines in the Baltic.
The Spanish succession settlement reshapes European dynastic geography. The Seven Years' War changes colonial control in North America and India.