Medal "Za vzyatie Narvy"

“For the Capture of Narva” (За взятие Нарвы) was a medal issued in 1704 to commemorate the capture of the Swedish fortress of Narva in the war with Sweden. The medal was struck in silver and measured about 46 mm in diameter. The obverse depicts a portrait of Peter I and bears the inscription “RULER OF ALL RUSSIA, TSAR PETER ALEXEEVICH.” The reverse depicts Narva and bears the inscriptions “NOT BY CUNNING, BUT BY ARMS, WITH THE HELP OF THE MOST HIGH, IT IS TAKEN” and “NARVA.1704.” Ivangorod was depicted on the left of the reverse.

There is evidence that gold medals with this image also existed, but no examples have yet been found. A. S. Pushkin’s notes state that after the capture of Narva in 1704, medals were distributed to officials who had been present at its siege. The original die was made in Germany by the German medallist F. G. Müller in 1713–1714 (as part of a commission together with other medals commemorating the outcomes of the Great Northern War); the medal was made by Russian craftsmen Fyodor Alexeyev and Osip Kalashnikov. In addition to the Russian version, versions in Latin and with a different depiction of the fortress were issued.