Russian philology
construction of the new city. Between 1713 and 1728 and in 17321918, Saint Petersburg was
the capital of imperial Russia.
Peter the Great Meditating the Idea of Building St Petersburg at the Shore of the Baltic Sea,
by Alexandre Benois, 1916
Following several defeats, Polish King Augustus II the Strong abdicated in 1706. Swedish
king Charles XII turned his attention to Russia, invading it in 1708. After crossing into
Russia, Charles defeated Peter at Golovchin in July. In the Battle of Lesnaya, Charles suffered
his first loss after Peter crushed a group of Swedish reinforcements marching from Riga.
Deprived of this aid, Charles was forced to abandon his proposed march on Moscow.
Charles XII refused to retreat to Poland or back to Sweden and instead invaded Ukraine. Peter
withdrew his army southward, employing scorched earth, destroying along the way anything
that could assist the Swedes. Deprived of local supplies, the Swedish army was forced to halt
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