Russia (Estonia / Sweden) Tin-Alloy Medal 1704 (2nd half 18th c.) - Capture of Narva, 9 August 1704 - Peter I (1682–1725)

35.14g. 47mm. UNC/UNC. Marvelous brilliant icy mint frost specimen with mirror shine. 

St. Petersburg mint.

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

Diakov 21.11 (Ar - R1). 

Tin-lead alloy medals are rarely found in excellent condition, as the metal is prone to oxidation and easily susceptible to mechanical damage.

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 1704. Panorama of Narva under bombardment by Russian artillery; in the distance, the fortress of Ivangorod.

Inscription around:

CᴇCIDᴇʀᴇ ᴇx oʀIɢIɴᴇ ᴘʀIMᴀ. ʟvcᴇʀᴛ 

(They fell at the very beginning — Lucret.).

In exergue:

NARVA VI САРТА | 9 AVG • ST •

(Narva taken by assault on 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.