Greater Wrath - Background

Background

See also: Siege of Vyborg (1710) and Battle of Gangut

Finland was left largely to fend for itself after the disaster of Poltava in 1709. Russia captured Viborg (Russian: Выборг (Vyborg), Finnish: Viipuri) in 1710 and already in 1712 started first campaign to capture Finland which ended in failure. More organized campaign starting in 1713 managed to capture Helsinki/Helsingfors and drive defending Swedes away from the coast. The Swedish army in Finland was defeated in Storkyro (Isokyrö) in February 1714 where Russians won a decisive victory. Swedish efforts to hinder Russian advance by blockading the coastal sea route at Hangö ended in failure in late July in battle of Gangut. Presence of Russian galley fleet in the Gulf of Bothnia forced in the end both Swedish fleet and army to largely abandon Finland already in late 1714. Even the Swedish areas on the western side of the Gulf of Bothnia was ravaged by the Russians. The city of Umeå was burned to the ground by the Russians on 18 September 1714, and after struggling to rebuild was razed again in 1719, 1720, and 1721.

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