Stamps on the Russian cannons captured at Narva on 20 Nov, 1700

Stamp & inscription,
proposed by the State Council on 30 Aug, 1701
(Historiska Handlingar, v. II, 1862, 110) 

Swedes took 195 Russian cannons, howitzers & mortars at Narva (I will describe number & calibers of the captured cannons later). The most of them were dispatched in Spring 1701 to Stockholm were became a part of the Trophy collection. In Aug 1701 State Council suggested to mark captured canons with a stamp/cartouche with inscription “Med Guds hielps af Kon. Carl d’XII tagit med Narven d 20 Nov 1700” (By the Grace of God taken by Carl XII at Narva on Nov 20, 1700). This proposal was agreed by Carl XII but exact date is unknown. Evidently all captured cannons were decorated with the insignia. Below is an image of the Russian 38-pdr canon called “Medved” (Bear). It was made in 1590 & in 1700 was taken to Narva where it was lost to Swedes. The cannon is decorated with cartouche with the insignia: “Med Guds hielps af Kon. Carl d’XII tagit med Narven d 20 Nov 1700”. Now it’s in S-Peterburg in Artillery Museum. When & how it returned to Russia – I don’t know. The most of the trophy canons were sold by 1780s as a scrap. Some of them were drawn by P. Thelott (his hand-made album is never published).

For additional details see: “In hog signo vinces” (Presentation of The Swedish State Trophy Collection). Halmstadt, 2006, pp. 168-173. Many thanks to Benght Nilsson for his help & materials.  

38-pdr canon "Medved" with Narva's cartouche