Peter the Great keeps possession of all Ingria, while Charles XII.
is triumphant in other places.--Rise of Menzikoff.--Petersburg
secured.--The czar executes his designs notwithstanding the
victories of the king of Sweden.[69]
[Sidenote: 1704.]
Peter being now master of all Ingria, conferred the government of that
province upon Menzikoff; and at the same time gave him the title of
prince, and the rank of major-general. Pride and prejudice might, in
other countries, find means to gainsay, that a pastry cook's boy should
be raised to be a general and governor, and to princely dignity; but
Peter had already accustomed his subjects to see, without surprise,
every thing given to merit, and nothing to mere nobility. Menzikoff, by
a lucky accident, had, while a boy, been taken from his original
obscurity, and placed in the czar's family,[70] where he learnt several
languages, and acquired a knowledge of public affairs, both in the
cabinet and field; and having found means to ingratiate himself with his
master, he afterwards knew how to render himself necessary. He greatly
forwarded the works at Petersburg, of which he had the direction;
several brick and stone houses were already built, with an arsenal and
magazines; the fortifications were completed, but the palaces were not
built till some time afterwards.
Peter was scarcely settled in Narva, when he offered fresh succours to
the dethroned king of Poland; he promised him a body of troops over and
above the twelve thousand men he had already sent him, and actually
dispatched general Repnin (Aug. 19.) from the frontiers of Lithuania,
with six thousand horse, and the same number of foot. All this while he
did not lose sight of his colony of Petersburg: the buildings went on
very fast; his navy encreased daily; several ships and frigates were on
the stocks at Olmutz; these he took care to see finished, and brought
them himself into the harbour of Petersburg.
Oct. 11.] Each time he returned to Moscow, was distinguished by
triumphal entries. In this manner did he revisit it this year, from
whence he made only one excursion, to be present at the launching of his
first ship of eighty guns upon the Woronitz, (Dec. 30.) of which ship he
himself had drawn the dimensions the preceding year.
May, 1705.] As soon as the campaign could be opened in Poland, he
hastened to the army, which he had sent to the assistance of Augustus,
on the frontiers of that kingdom; but, while he was thus supporting his
ally, a Swedish fleet put to sea, to destroy Petersburg, and the
fortress of Cronslot, as yet hardly finished. This fleet consisted of
twenty-two ships of war, from fifty-four to sixty-four guns each,
besides six frigates, two bomb-ketches, and two fire-ships. The troops
that were sent on this expedition, made a descent on the little island
of Kotin; but a Russian colonel, named Tolbogwin, who commanded a
regiment there, ordered his soldiers to lie down flat on their bellies,
while the Swedes were coming on shore, and then suddenly rising up, they
threw in so brisk and well directed a fire, that the Swedes were put
into confusion, and forced to retreat with the utmost precipitation to
their ships, leaving behind them all their dead, and upwards of three
hundred prisoners. (June 7.)
However, their fleet still continued hovering about the coast, and
threatened Petersburg. They made another descent, and were repulsed as
before (June 25.): a body of land-forces were also advancing from
Wiburn,[71] under the command of the Swedish general Meidel, and took
their route by Shlusselburg: this was the most considerable attempt that
Charles had yet made upon those territories, which Peter had either
conquered or new formed. The Swedes were every where repulsed, and
Petersburg remained in security.
Peter, on the other hand, advanced towards Courland, with a design to
penetrate as far as Riga. His plan was to make himself master of
Livonia, while Charles XII. was busied in reducing the Poles entirely
under the obedience of the new king he had given them. The czar was
still at Wilnaw in Lithuania, and his general Sheremeto was approaching
towards Mittau, the capital of Courland; but there he was met by general
Levenhaupt, already famous by several victories, and a pitched battle
was fought between the two armies at a place called Gemavershoff, or
Gemavers.
In all those actions where experience and discipline decide the day, the
Swedes, though inferior in number, had the advantage. The Russians were
totally defeated, (June 28.) and lost their artillery. Peter,
notwithstanding the loss of three battles, viz. at Gemavers, at
Jacobstadt, and at Narva, always retrieved his losses, and even
converted them to his advantage.
After the battle of Gemavers, he marched his army into Courland; came
before Mittau, made himself master of the town, and afterwards laid
siege to the citadel, which he took by capitulation.
Sept. 14, 1705.] The Russian troops at that time had the character of
distinguishing their successes by rapine and pillage; a custom of too
great antiquity in all nations. But Peter, at the taking of Narva, had
made such alterations in this custom, that the Russian soldiers
appointed to guard the vaults where the grand dukes of Courland were
buried, in the castle of Mittau, perceiving that the bodies had been
taken out of their tombs, and stripped of their ornaments, refused to
take possession of their post, till a Swedish colonel had been first
sent for to inspect the condition of the place; who gave them a
certificate that this outrage had been committed by the Swedes
themselves.
A rumour which was spread throughout the whole empire, that the czar had
been totally defeated at the battle of Gemavers, proved of greater
prejudice to his affairs, than even the loss of that battle. The
remainder of the ancient strelitzes in garrison at Astracan, emboldened
by this false report, mutinied, and murdered the governor of the town.
Peter was obliged to send marshal Sheremeto with a body of forces to
quell the insurrection, and punish the mutineers.
Every thing seemed now to conspire against the czar; the success and
valour of Charles XII.; the misfortunes of Augustus; the forced
neutrality of Denmark; the insurrection of the ancient strelitzes; the
murmurs of a people, sensible of the restraint, but not of the utility
of the late reform; the discontent of the grandees, who found themselves
subjected to military discipline; and, lastly, the exhausted state of
the finances, were sufficient to have discouraged any prince except
Peter: but he did not despond, even for an instant. He soon quelled the
revolt, and having provided for the safety of Ingria, and secured the
possession of the citadel of Mittau, in spite of the victorious
Levenhaupt, who had not troops enough to oppose him; he found himself at
liberty to march an army through Samojitia and Lithuania.
He now shared with Charles XII. the glory of giving laws to Poland. He
advanced as far as Tikoczin: where he had an interview for the second
time with king Augustus; when he endeavoured to comfort him under his
misfortunes, promising to revenge his cause, and, at the same time, made
him a present of some colours, which Menzikoff had taken from the troops
of his rival. The two monarchs afterwards went together to Grodno, the
capital of Lithuania, where they staid till the 15th of December. At
their parting, Peter presented him both men and money, and then,
according to his usual custom, went to pass some part of the winter at
Moscow, (30 Dec.) to encourage the arts and sciences there, and to
enforce his new laws there, after having made a very difficult and
laborious campaign.