ABSTRACT
In the history of eighteenth-century Russia perhaps no other military victory yielded such rich fruits as Poltava. Peter managed to exploit the victory in the Ukraine optimally, seizing the initiative in both diplomacy and war. In the first days after Poltava he formulated and began to resolve several of the most important problems, one of which was the restoration of the Northern Alliance. Above all, it was necessary to restore the Polish throne to Augustus and to expel Stanislaus from Poland. On 6 July 1709 Peter sent Augustus a letter in which he urged him to begin active operations “without losing time” and promised as early as mid-July to enter Poland “for the completion of our common interests.” 1 Astounding efficiency! It was based on a clear appraisal of the context and also on the fact that the army had really not been drained of blood by the Poltava engagement and after a rest might enter Poland, which indeed was done.
