On This Day

Great Northern War: Prussian troops occupy Swedish controlled German port of Wismar

In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by Russia successfully contested the supremacy of Sweden in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.

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.

Historical Significance

In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by Russia successfully contested the supremacy of Sweden in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.

Events Before

  1. King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years, the longest of any major European monarch

    Louis XIV (5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand [lwi lə ɡʁɑ̃]) or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil [lə ʁwa sɔlɛj]), was King of France from 1643 until his...

  2. Pocotaligo Massacre of four South Carolina representatives triggers the start of the Yamasee War in colonial South Carol

    Pocotaligo Massacre of four South Carolina representatives triggers the start of the Yamasee War in colonial South Carolina

  3. English Astronomer John Flamsteed observes Uranus for 6th time

    English Astronomer John Flamsteed observes Uranus for 6th time

  4. Brandenburg-Prussia joins the Russian-led anti Swedish alliance by declaring war on Sweden during the Great Northern War

    In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by Russia successfully contested the supremacy of Sweden in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.

  5. King Philip V, unifies the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon into a single state - the Kingdom of Spain.

    The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which, at its territorial zenith, occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Events After

  1. George Frideric Handel's "Water Music" premieres repeatedly on a barge cruising the River Thames in London

    George Frideric Handel's "Water Music" premieres repeatedly on a barge cruising the River Thames in London

  2. Netherlands, Great Britain & France sign Triple Alliance

    The Triple Alliance was a defence pact signed on 4 January 1717 in The Hague between the Dutch Republic, France and Great Britain, against Bourbon Spain in an attempt to maintain the agreements of...

  3. Prussian King Frederik Willem I buys conscript for nobles

    Prussian King Frederik Willem I buys conscript for nobles

  4. German mob leader and thief "Sjako" sentenced to death in Amsterdam

    German mob leader and thief "Sjako" sentenced to death in Amsterdam

  5. Henri d'Aguesseau is first appointed Chancellor of France

    Henri François d'Aguesseau, seigneur de Fresnes was Chancellor of France three times between 1717 and 1750 and was pronounced by Voltaire to be "the most learned magistrate France ever possessed".

More from the 1710s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on April 15, 1716?
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.
Why is Great Northern War: Prussian troops occupy Swedish controlled German port of ... significant?
In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by Russia successfully contested the supremacy of Sweden in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.

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