Russia Bronze Medal 1704 (2nd half 18th c.) - Capture of Narva, 9 August 1704

36.58g. 46mm. UNC/UNC. 

Medalier: T. Ivanov (signature on obverse in truncation •T•I•). 

Diakov 21.18 Ar R1. 

Rare. 

Obv.: Laureate and draped bust of Peter I facing right, armor decorated with arabesques. 

Inscription around: 

PETRVS . ALEXII . FIL . D . G . RVSS . IMP . М . DVXMOSCOVIÆ 

(Peter, son of Alexis, by the Grace of God, Russian Emperor, Grand Duke of Moscow). 

Rev.: Schematic plan of the siege and assault of Narva; Latin chronogram above, city and date below. 

Inscription above: 

ToʀMᴇɴᴛo ᴘoɴDᴇʀIs ᴀCᴛI ᴘʀᴄIᴘIᴛᴀᴛ • vıʀɢ • 

(The siege, when executed with due weight, brings swift results). 

Inscription below: 

NARVA EXPVGNATA | D • 9 • AVG • S • V 

(Narva captured, 9 August, Old Style). 

After the defeat of the Russian army at Narva in 1700, Peter I began a thorough reorganization of his military forces, introducing new tactics, training, and artillery. In the summer of 1704, Russian troops once again advanced to Narva, a strategically important fortress then under Swedish control in present-day Estonia. The siege commenced in late June, with Russian forces surrounding the city and conducting sustained bombardment. Swedish defenders, commanded by Colonel Henning Rudolf Horn, resisted for several weeks despite shortages of provisions and mounting damage to the fortifications. 

The final assault began on 9 August 1704. Russian troops attacked from multiple directions and, after intense fighting, broke through the defenses and entered the city. The fall of Narva resulted in the surrender of the Swedish garrison, while much of the city suffered significant destruction. The capture of Narva marked an important episode in the struggle between Russia and Sweden for dominance in the Baltic region, and it played a key role in the history of Estonia as control of the territory shifted during the Great Northern War.