On 30 November 1700 (New Style) Sweden won a decisive victory at Narva. The eighteen-year-old King Charles XII attacked through a blinding snowstorm and shattered a Russian army roughly three times the size of his own.
Narva
The battle was fought outside the fortress of Narva, in Swedish Estonia, early in the Great Northern War. It was one of the most lopsided victories of the age and announced the young king as a daring commander. Our article on the Battle of Narva covers the campaign.1› Battle of Narva, 1700
Somosierra, 1808
On the same date in 1808 Napoleon's Polish light cavalry charged straight up the Somosierra pass north of Madrid and rode down the Spanish guns that blocked the road to the capital. The charge is one of the most celebrated feats of Polish arms. Our article on the Battle of Somosierra tells the story. › Battle of Somosierra, 1808
Also on this day
1853: Battle of Sinop. A Russian squadron under Pavel Nakhimov attacked Ottoman ships anchored at Sinop on the Black Sea early in the Crimean War.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was the Battle of Narva?
It was fought on 30 November 1700 (New Style) outside the fortress of Narva, in Swedish Estonia, early in the Great Northern War.
Who won the Battle of Narva?
Sweden, under the young king Charles XII, won a decisive victory over a much larger Russian army besieging the fortress.
When and where was the Battle of Somosierra?
It was fought on 30 November 1808 at the Somosierra pass in the mountains north of Madrid, during the Peninsular War.
Notes
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