Great Northern War
Saxon surprise attack on Riga opens the Great Northern War
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The night of 11–12 February 1700
During the night of 11–12 February 1700 Julian — 21–22 February Gregorian — Saxon forces serving Augustus II crossed into Swedish Livonia and attempted to seize Riga by surprise. That attempt opened the Great Northern War.
The deception began near Olaine. Men posing as travellers bound for Moscow carried concealed soldiers or weapons in their wagons.
Swedish guards discovered the ruse, a skirmish followed, and Riga was alerted.
Riga holds
Erik Dahlberg, Swedish governor-general of Livonia and the fortress commander, retained control of the city. The intended coup de main failed, though the Saxon Livonian campaign continued around Riga.
Jacob Heinrich von Flemming led the Saxon advance. Charles XII, whose Baltic empire was under attack, was not personally at Riga that night.
Not a simultaneous three-power assault
The opening force was principally Saxon: Augustus II acted here in his capacity as elector of Saxony as much as king of Poland. Johann Reinhold Patkul, a Livonian noble opposed to Swedish rule, had helped arrange his anti-Swedish plans.
Denmark-Norway and Russia launched nothing that night. Denmark-Norway attacked Sweden's ally Holstein-Gottorp in March, and Russia entered the war months later.
Sources
Researched 24 Aug 2026 4 sources not yet audited Date corrected
How this was checked
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Date corrected. The research places this at 1700-02-22.
What the sources leave uncertain
- Some accounts date the border incursion to 11 February and the main attack or recognized outbreak to 12 February, because the operation unfolded overnight.
- The conventional 12 February date is Julian and equals 22 February Gregorian. Sweden had not yet created its one-day divergence from the Julian calendar; that change occurred when it omitted 29 February 1700.