Russia Bronze Medal 1710 (2nd half 18th c.) - Capture of Kexholm, 8 September 1710 - Peter I (1682–1725)

46.95g. 46mm. UNC/UNC. 

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

Diakov 36.6 (Ar - R1). 

Obv.: Bust of Peter I right, in laurel wreath with bow; cuirass decorated with arabesques. 

Inscription around: 

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

(Peter, son of Alexis, by the grace of God Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Moscow). 

Rev.: Chronogram 1703. Against the background of the fortress plan on the River Vuoksa, Mars is seated to the right beside a loaded mortar, holding a mural crown in his right hand. Above the plan the legend CARELA AT KEXHOLM (Karelia and Kexholm).

Inscription around: 

IMPERIO LAETI PARET CARELA GRADIVI 

(Karelia rejoices to obey Mars’s empire). 

In exergue: 

САРТА • 8 • SEPT | ST • V • 

(Taken on 8 September [Old Style]). 

The medal commemorates the capture of Kexholm (Käkisalmi, Finland) by Russian forces during the Great Northern War. The Swedish garrison capitulated on 8 September 1710 after a brief siege conducted by General Fyodor Apraksin. The fall of this key fortress on the River Vuoksa marked the end of Sweden’s control over eastern Finland (Karelia) and opened the way for Russian advances toward Vyborg and the Gulf of Finland. The victory further weakened Sweden’s defensive line in the north and strengthened Peter the Great’s strategic position in his campaign to secure permanent access to the Baltic Sea.