Poltava

The Battle of Poltava: June 27, 1709

By the summer of 1709, Russia and Sweden had been at war over lands along the Baltic coast for nine years. The battle would rage for another twelve.

This endless Northern War completely changed the face of Russia, since it drove Peter the Great to build countless factories, enlist hordes of soldiers (placing a crushing burden on the entire country), revamp taxation (to increase revenues, of course), change the way the country was administered, and create a new educational system.