Great Northern War

In this episode, we focus on the Great Northern War, the twenty-year struggle that transformed the balance of power in Northern Europe as Russia, Denmark-Norway, and Saxony-Poland challenged the Swedish Empire’s long-held dominance. We trace Sweden’s early battlefield successes under King Charles XII, whose bold campaigns forced key rivals out of the conflict, before examining the dramatic turning point at the Battle of Poltava in 1709, where Sweden’s main army was shattered and its king driven into exile. We also explore how new powers such as Prussia and Hanover entered the war to divide Sweden’s remaining continental possessions, and how the conflict ultimately ended with the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. Along the way, we highlight the major belligerents, decisive military campaigns, and the lasting territorial and political consequences that ended Sweden’s era as a great power and established the Russian Empire as the dominant force in the Baltic region.