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Last edited by Gvssy (talk | contribs) 2 months ago. (Update) |
| Siege of Visborg | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Scanian War | |||||||||
 Depiction of Visborg as it was in 1679 in Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna by Erik Reitz, 1693 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Denmark–Norway |
 Swedish Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Niels Juel Morten Bærtelsen |
Michael Schultz Gabriel Oxenstierna | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
2nd Zealand Regiment |
Visborg garrison | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
1,500 men 18 ships | 600 men | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Placeholder | Placeholder | ||||||||
Background
editAs a result of the treaty of Brömesbro in 1645, which ended the Torstenson War between Denmark and Sweden, the island of Gotland was ceded to Sweden as "eternal and unchallengeable property".[1]
Beginning of the Scanian War
editOn 4 April 1672, France and Sweden entered into an alliance primarily targeted towards the Dutch Republic. According to the treaty, Sweden was to intervene against the German princes who tried to support the Dutch in the event of a French attack. In return, Sweden received extensive subsidies and a guarantee that France would not support a Danish attack on Sweden.[2]
Soon after signing the treaty, France declared war on the Dutch Republic, sparking the Franco-Dutch War. In 1674, Sweden intervened on the French side in the war by invading Brandenburg, which had entered the war in 1673.[2]
Prelude
edit
On February 28 1676, Christian V of Denmark declared war on Sweden, entering the conflict on the Dutch and Brandenburgian side. Earlier in September 1675, Denmark and Brandenburg entered into an alliance against Sweden. Denmark had also begun preparations for war. Despite this, Sweden had not strengthened Gotland except for organizing the peasantry into companies of infantry of cavalry, which lacked training.[3]
The officials on Gotland believed that the island would be capable of repelling a landing, and an order to transfer 500 soldiers from Kalmar to Gotland by the War College had been recalled.[3]
In order to make it seem like Gotland was "filled with soldiers", peasant companies would patrol along the shore, making a "great noise", though the Danes soon found out what the true origin of the noise was.[4]
Invasion of Gotland
edit.jpg)
Command of the Danish invasion of Gotland was entrusted to Niels Juel, who had also been given supreme command of the Danish fleet. Juel's fleet consisted of 11 ships and frigates, two "kreyerter", two galleys, two fireships, and one "snau". Of the 11 ships, seven were ships of the line. One Danish frigate, the "Svenske Falk" had captured a Lübeckian sailing ship, and its crew told them that there were no troops in Visby, but that they were expecting 500 cavalry. A Danish privateer in Klintehamn also told Juel about the conditions on Gotland.[5]
On 28 April, a boat sent by Juel to Klintehamn to obtain information about a possible Swedish presence. When two companies and several hundred peasants under the command of Governor-General Gabriel Oxenstierna and Michael Schultz, the commander of Visborg, spotted this, they fired on it with two guns at the local Tyskmerkerskansen fire at it. The Danish fleet fired all of its guns in return, causing the peasant troops to withdraw. On 29 April, the Danes landed using several sloops.[6]
After suffering heavy casualties in an attempt to resist the landing by Morten Bærtelsen, Oxenstierna was forced to withdraw back to Visby. After a Danish captain reassured the Gotlanders with the help of a local, Thomas Valgensteen, that everything the Danish troops required would be paid for with cash, the Gotlanders came in groups, expressing their joy and pledging to obey and be faithful to King Christian V.[7]
Siege
editOn the evening of 29 April, the Danes arrived at the royal farm of Visborg, marching east to Norderport to avoid being in range of Visborgs guns. On 30 April, the mayor of Visby and town council handed over the keys to Visby after meeting with the Danes, whereafter the Danes took up position in the town square. Bærtelsen ordered Visborg to surrender, but this was refused, with Michael Schultz replying that "powder and shot and nothing else were for him". In the evening, the Danish fleet arrived beneath the castle, and it began bombarding Visborg on 1 May. However, it had little effect, as most of the shots flew over the castle. Bærtelsen once again ordered Visborg to surrender, being refused again. Around 10 o'clock, however, Schultz began considering capitulating after he had been persuaded. He made this known to a Danish drummer, and the shooting ceased as Major Transeus and Captain Johan Malmenius were dispatched for negotiations.[8]
Aftermath
editSee also
edit- Invasion of Gotland (1676) – Danish invasion of Gotland in 1676
Citations
edit- ↑ Bergman 1893, pp. 4–5.
- 1 2 Sundberg 2010, p. 179.
- 1 2 Bergman 1893, p. 5.
- ↑ Bergman 1893, p. 6.
- ↑ Bergman 1893, pp. 8–9.
- ↑ Bergman 1893, p. 9.
- ↑ Bergman 1893, pp. 9–10.
- ↑ Bergman 1893, pp. 10–11.
References
edit- Bergman, Carl Johan [in Swedish] (1893). Danmarks sista affär på Gotland, 1676–1679 [Denmark’s last affair on Gotland, 1676–1679]. Kungl. Vitterhets historie och antiqvitets akademiens handlingar (in Swedish). Vol. 11. Stockholm: P.A. Norstedt & Söner.
- Lindbergh, Katarina Harrison [in Swedish] (2025-08-14). Skånska kriget 1675–1679 [Scanian War 1675–1679] (in Swedish). Lund: Historiska Media. ISBN 9789180506755.
- Bäck, Birgit Arfwidsson [in Swedish] (1985). "Gotland under dansk ockupation" [Gotland under Danish occupation]. In Askgaard, Finn; Stade, Arne (eds.). Kampen om Skåne [Fight for Scania] (PDF) (in Swedish). Copenhagen: Forlaget ZAC & Co. ApS. ISBN 8773480576.
- von Essen, Michael Fredholm (2019). Charles XI’s War: The Scanian War Between Sweden and Denmark, 1675-1679. Century of the Soldier. Helion & Company. ISBN 9781911628002.
- Bergman, Carl Johan; Säve, Pehr Arvid (1858). Gotland och Wisby i taflor [Gotland and Visby in plates] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Albert Bonniers.
- Jensen, Niels Peder [in Danish] (1900). Den Skaanske krig [Scanian War: 1675–1679] (PDF) (in Danish). Copenhagen: Det Nordiske forlag.
- Vaupell, Otto Frederik [in Danish] (1872). Den danske hærs historie til nutiden og den norske hærs historie, indtil 1814 (in Danish). Vol. 1. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
- Barfod, Jørgen H. (1977). Niels Juel: liv og gerning [Niels Juel: Life and work] (PDF) (in Danish). Viborg: Jysk Selskab for Historie & Aarhus University Press. ISBN 87-50403-86-9.
- Sundberg, Ulf (2010). Sveriges krig 1630-1814 [Sweden's wars 1630-1814] (in Swedish). Svenskt militärhistoriskt bibliotek. ISBN 9789185789634.