Great Northern War

Historical eventOctober 91708

Great Northern War

Great Northern War: Russia defeated Sweden at the Battle of Lesnaya on the Russian–Polish border, in present-day Belarus.

Everything on October 9Original source

In context

When
Tuesday, October 9 1708318 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
18th century · 1700s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

The Gregorian calendar was in use in Catholic Europe from 1582, but Britain and its colonies kept the Julian calendar until 14 September 1752 — sources from those places may date this event 10–11 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: 1700-02-22 – 1721-09-10.

Place: Eastern Europe.

Type: war.

Key figures / parties: Swedish Empire, Tsardom of Russia, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, Ottoman Empire, Crimean Khanate, Principality of Moldavia, and Wallachia.

What came before

Part of: Russo-Swedish Wars.

Background Further information: Dominium maris baltici Between 1560 and 1658, Sweden created a Baltic empire centred on the Gulf of Finland and comprising the provinces of Karelia , Ingria , Estonia , and Livonia . During the Thirty Years' War , Sweden gained tracts in Germany as well, including Western Pomerania , Wismar , and the duchies of Bremen and Verden . During the same period, Sweden conquered Danish and Norwegian provinces north of the Sound (1645; 1658).

What happened

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,

October 9 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1708Great Northern War
  2. 1992Peekskill meteorite
  3. 1995Amtrak
  4. 20062006 North Korean nuclear test
  5. 2007Dow Jones Industrial Average
  6. 2009Lunar Precursor Robotic Program
  7. 2012Malala Yousafzai
  8. 2016Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
  9. 2019Syrian civil war
  10. 20192019 Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria
  11. 2024Hurricane Milton

Also in 1708

  • March 11Anne, Queen of Great BritainQueen Anne withheld royal assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, in the most recent veto by a British monarch of a bill that had been pas…
  • March 25JacobitismJacobite risings: A French fleet anchored near Fife Ness as part of a planned French invasion of Britain.

Everything we record for 1708 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Great Northern War”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/great-northern-war-1708-october-9, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Great Northern War happen?

October 9 1708 — 318 years ago, on a Tuesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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