The Battle Of Poltava 1709 English Version

Made by Stefan Lång for Hoshi Music

The Battle of Poltava took place on June 28, 1709, and became the turning point of the Great Northern War. The Swedish army, led by King Charles XII, had marched deep into Ukraine after years of brilliant campaigns. Exhausted, outnumbered, and weakened by hunger and disease, the Carolean troops prepared to face a revitalized Russian army commanded directly by Tsar Peter I.

The Russians had constructed strong defensive redoubts blocking the Swedish advance toward Poltava. Charles XII had been wounded shortly before the battle and could not personally lead the assault; command fell largely to Field Marshal Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld. Despite their legendary discipline, the Swedish soldiers attacked without sufficient artillery support and became trapped between Russian fieldworks and massed infantry.

The Russian army, now modernized and well-trained, counterattacked with artillery and cavalry. Surrounded and under heavy fire, the Swedish formations began to break. The elite Carolean units fought stubbornly, but ammunition ran low, casualties rose, and retreat became inevitable.

After the defeat, the remnants of the Swedish army withdrew toward the Dnieper River. Many were captured; others followed Charles XII into exile in the Ottoman Empire. Poltava ended Sweden’s era as a great European power and marked the rise of Imperial Russia as a dominant force in the region.

Poltava stands as a symbol of bravery in the face of impossible odds, shattered dreams of empire, and the tragic fall of a once-invincible army.

“POLTAVA 1709”
Lyrics:

June sky fading into gray
On the field where giants lay
From Narva’s snow we carried scars
Chased our fate beneath the stars
King is wounded, wrapped in band
Still he will not turn away
“Forward, forward! For our land!”
Hear his voice – it cuts the day


Russian redoubts, earth and wood
Cannons thunder where we stood
Peter calls: “Let fire rain!”
Smoke and iron, tear and pain


POLTAVA – marching into fire
POLTAVA – steel and burning sky
Caroleans – broken, never bowed
1709 – we fell but still we’re proud
POLTAVA – last stand of the crown
POLTAVA – where the sun went down
But the oath still lives within
The Carolean heart won’t give in


Lewenhaupt in thinning lines
Winter took our men and mines
Hunger biting, frozen breath
Every step a dance with death
Mazepa’s promise turned to dust
No more hope on open plain
Blue and yellow, grit and trust
We stand tall through fear and pain


Volley-fire, grapeshot rain
Every heartbeat counts again
Redoubt by redoubt ahead
We walk straight to iron and lead


POLTAVA – marching into fire
POLTAVA – steel and burning sky
Caroleans – broken, never bowed
1709 – we fell but still we’re proud
POLTAVA – last stand of the crown
POLTAVA – where the sun went down
But the oath still lives within
The Carolean heart won’t give in


Perevolotjna – lay down arms
Captured flags and shattered charms
King to Bender, empire fades
History’s turning, broken blades


We were fewer, cold and worn
Yet our will was iron-born
Chronicles said: “They lost”
But they never counted cost
From Narva’s white to Poltava’s ground
We bore blue-and-yellow sound
Through the centuries it calls
A fallen field – but not our souls


MARCH FORWARD – blue in line
ICE AND FIRE – oath divine
WE FELL – but rose again
Carolean pride remains


POLTAVA – marching into fire
POLTAVA – hearts that won’t expire
History turned the page that day
But our spirit didn’t fade away
1709 – the final call
POLTAVA – where empires fall
Yet deep beneath the skin
The Carolean heart won’t give in