A SWEDISH PARCEL-GILT SILVER TANKARD

On 30 November 1700 King Charles XII of Sweden, with a contingent of just over 8,100 troops, faced off against the besieging Russian army of some 37,000 men. Charles XII personally commanded the Swedish forces while the Russians were under the commany of Charles Eugne de Croy, Tsar Peter having left days before the battle, assuming that the Swedes, so heavily outnumbered, would not attack his forces.

Fierce blizzards on the day of the battle made attacks impossible until a change of winds presented the Swedes an opportunity to attact using the snow as cover, now blowing in the direction of the Russian forces. The surprise attack saw the Swedes break through the Russian lines, scattering their opponents. The turning point in the battle came when a bridge over the Narva river collapsed under retreating Russian troops, trapping much of the Russian army on the Estonian side of the river. The victory was clear and added to the Swedish armoury all of Tsar Peter's cannons, muskets and military supplies.