When the Great Northern War broke out after the prince was crowned as Charles XII, Schlippenbach raised a regiment of dragoons in Livonia, of which he became the colonel. When Charles broke winter camp at Dorpat (present-day Tartu) and headed towards Riga in early 1701, Schlippenbach was left behind to defend the Livonian border. He won the battle of Rauge on 5 September 1701 and was subsequently promoted to major general, but was then defeated by a large Russian force under Boris Sheremetev at Erastfer on 30 December the same year and at Sagnitz and Hummelshof on 19 July 1702. In 1703 he had to transfer a good part of his forces to reinforce Lewenhaupt's in Kurland. This left him powerless to prevent Narva and Dorpat from falling into Russian hands in 1704, the same year he was named Governor General in Reval (present-day Tallinn).