1.
Scanian War
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The Scanian War was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish provinces along the border with Sweden, the war was prompted by Swedish involvement in the Franco-Dutch War. Sweden had allied with France against several European countries, the United Provinces, under attack by France, sought support from Denmark–Norway. After some hesitation, King Christian V started the invasion of Skåneland in 1675, the Danish objective was to retrieve the Scanian lands that had been ceded to Sweden in the Treaty of Roskilde, after the Northern Wars. Although the Danish offensive was initially a success, Swedish counter-offensives led by the 19-year-old Charles XI of Sweden nullified much of the gain. At the end of the war, the Swedish navy had lost at sea, the Danish army had defeated in Scania by the Swedes. Peace was made on behalf of France with the treaties of Fontainebleau and Lund and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the 1660s and early 1670s, the Swedish Empire experienced a financial crisis. Also, Sweden maintained good relations to the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp south of Denmark, another defensive alliance formed in September 1672 between Denmark, Emperor Leopold I, the Electorate of Brandenburg, and the duchies of Brunswick-Celle, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Hesse-Cassel. This alliance maintained an army of 21,000 foot and 10,500 horse, and since May 1673, Brandenburg was then the second most powerful German state, and maintained its own standing army of 23,000 men. The Netherlands had been attacked by the French army in 1672, known as the rampjaar, in December 1674, Louis XIV of France called upon Sweden to invade Brandenburg. Wrangel advanced into the Uckermark, a region on the Brandenburg-Pomeranian frontier, Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg received the news in the Rhine valley, and turned northeast to confront Wrangel. As a result of defeat, Sweden appeared vulnerable, encouraging neighbouring countries that had suffered invasion by Sweden in the prior Swedish campaigns to join in the Scanian War. Count Peder Griffenfeld, a royal adviser, advised against it. But when the numerically superior Swedes lost the Battle of Fehrbellin on June 28,1675, Christian V saw his chance, and overcoming Griffenfelds opposition, attacked. The second largest Swedish garrison in North Germany, after Swedish Pomerania, was the twin Duchy of Bremen-Verden, for political reasons, and to prevent the Swedes from advertising and recruiting mercenaries, the Allies decided to conquer these two duchies. Denmark and Brandenburg-Prussia were joined by allies from the neighboring imperial principalities of Münster, the campaign began on 15 September 1675 with an Allied advance into the two Swedish duchies. They rapidly captured one Swedish fortress after another, by the end of the year only the Swedish headquarters town of Stade and Carlsburg were still in Swedish hands. In November the Allies sent their troops into winter quarters with the result that the conquest of the last remaining Swedish strongholds had to wait until the following year, Stade did not surrender until 13 August 1676
2.
Franco-Dutch War
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The war ended with the Treaty of Nijmegen, by which Spain ceded the Franche-Comté and some cities in Flanders and Hainaut to France, while France returned some of its conquests to the Dutch. The year 1672, when an invasion of English, French. In the 1560s, the future Dutch Republicans formed an alliance with France, the alliance lasted for a century. Louis XIV of France considered the Dutch to be trading rivals, seditious republicans and Protestant heretics – and this was until the Dutch signed the Triple Alliance with England and Sweden in support of Spain, and countered French expansion in the Spanish Netherlands in the War of Devolution. To Louis, it seemed clear that France had to deal with the Republic before making another move on the Spanish Netherlands, Louis prepared for war against the Republic. His first and primary objective was to gain the support of England, England felt threatened by the Dutch naval power, it had therefore fought the first and second of the Anglo-Dutch Wars. Thus, the English did not need encouragement to leave the Triple Alliance. Sweden agreed to support the invasion of the Republic, by threatening Brandenburg-Prussia if that state should intervene. Measures taken by Louvois, Louis Secretary of War, allowed France to mobilise about 180,000 men, of these about 120,000 would be used directly against the Republic. The bulk of the French army was divided into two bodies, the body led by field marshal Turenne was stationed in Charleroi, then France. The body led by Condé waited in Sedan, both would march through the pro-France Prince-Bishopric of Liège, join near Maastricht and gain the Rhine. On the Rhine, a body would be waiting. It had been created from the armies of Münster and Cologne and was placed under the command of Luxembourg. The combined armies would attack the duchy of Cleves and the region of Nijmegen. A fourth body was to be an English expeditionary force, the alliances clashed when England declared war on the Republic, on 7 April 1672. Louis arrived in Charleroi on 5 May 1672, Turennes 50,000 men set off on 11 May. Arrived at Visé, Louis decided not to lay siege to Maastricht but only to occupy the forts of Tongeren, Maaseik. Moving along the Rhine, Rheinberg, Wesel, Burick and Orsoy were taken, Turenne then took Nijmegen, with 4,000 infantry and 400 cavalry, and from there Fort Crèvecœur near s-Hertogenbosch, which fell after only two days
3.
Fehrbellin
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Fehrbellin is a municipality in Germany, located 60 km NW of Berlin. It had 9,310 inhabitants as of 2005, but has declined to 8,606 inhabitants in 2012. In 1675, the Battle of Fehrbellin was fought there, in which the troops of Brandenburg defeated those of occupying Sweden, in 1758 during the Seven Years War Prussian and Swedish forces clashed at the Battle of Fehrbellin. One of the most important skydiving dropzones of Germany is located at the local airport, with 1221 residents, the combined municipal division is the largest in the municipality. Altfriesack lies between the Ruppiner See and the Bützsee and belonged to Alt Ruppin until 1872, by area, Fehrbellin is the second-largest rural municipality in Germany, trailing only Nuthe-Urstromtal. Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons, hakenberg Victory Column Zietenschloß in Wustrau Brandenburg-Preußen Museum Hans Joachim von Zieten, Prussian cavalry general, born and buried in Wustrau. Brandenburg Prussia Museum in Fehrbellin-Wustrau Fehrbellin
4.
Germany
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
5.
Brandenburg-Prussia
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Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Another consequence of the intermarriage was the incorporation of the lower Rhenish principalities of Cleves, Mark, the Thirty Years War was especially devastating. The Elector changed sides three times, and as a result Protestant and Catholic armies swept the land back and forth, killing, burning, seizing men, upwards of half the population was killed or dislocated. Berlin and the major cities were in ruins, and recovery took decades. By the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years War in 1648, Brandenburg gained Minden and Halberstadt, also the succession in Farther Pomerania and the Duchy of Magdeburg. With the Treaty of Bromberg, concluded during the Second Northern War, the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye expanded Brandenburgian Pomerania to the lower Oder. The second half of the 17th century laid the basis for Prussia to become one of the players in European politics later on. Brandenburg-Prussia also established a navy and German colonies in the Brandenburger Gold Coast, Frederick William also started to centralize Brandenburg-Prussias administration and reduce the influence of the estates. In 1701, Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg, succeeded in elevating his status to King in Prussia, from 1701 onward, the Hohenzollern domains were referred to as the Kingdom of Prussia, or simply Prussia. Legally, the union between Brandenburg and Prussia continued until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. However, by time the emperors overlordship over the empire had become a legal fiction. Hence, after 1701, Brandenburg was de facto treated as part of the Prussian kingdom, the Margraviate of Brandenburg had been the seat of the main branch of the Hohenzollerns, who were prince-electors in the Holy Roman Empire, since 1415. In 1525, by the Treaty of Krakow, the Duchy of Prussia was created through partial secularization of the State of the Teutonic Order. It was a vassal of the Kingdom of Poland and was governed by Duke Albert of Prussia, on behalf of her mother Elisabeth of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollern, Anna Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg became Alberts second wife in 1550, and bore him his successor Albert Frederick. In 1563, the Brandenburgian branch of the Hohenzollern was granted the right of succession by the Polish crown, Albert Frederick became duke of Prussia after Alberts death in 1568. His mother died in the year, and thereafter he showed signs of mental disorder. Because of the illness, Prussia was governed by Alberts nephew George Frederick of Hohenzollern-Ansbach-Jägersdorf. In 1573, Albert Frederick married Marie Eleonore of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, with whom he had several daughters, in 1594, Albert Fredericks then 14-year-old daughter Anna married the son of Joachim Frederick of Hohenzollern-Brandenburg, John Sigismund
6.
Sweden
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Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the east, at 450,295 square kilometres, Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of 10.0 million. Sweden consequently has a low density of 22 inhabitants per square kilometre. Approximately 85% of the lives in urban areas. Germanic peoples have inhabited Sweden since prehistoric times, emerging into history as the Geats/Götar and Swedes/Svear, Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, while the north is heavily forested. Sweden is part of the area of Fennoscandia. The climate is in very mild for its northerly latitude due to significant maritime influence. Today, Sweden is a monarchy and parliamentary democracy, with a monarch as head of state. The capital city is Stockholm, which is also the most populous city in the country, legislative power is vested in the 349-member unicameral Riksdag. Executive power is exercised by the government chaired by the prime minister, Sweden is a unitary state, currently divided into 21 counties and 290 municipalities. Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages, in the 17th century, it expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire, which became one of the great powers of Europe until the early 18th century. Swedish territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were gradually lost during the 18th and 19th centuries, the last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Norway was militarily forced into personal union. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, maintaining a policy of neutrality in foreign affairs. The union with Norway was peacefully dissolved in 1905, leading to Swedens current borders, though Sweden was formally neutral through both world wars, Sweden engaged in humanitarian efforts, such as taking in refugees from German-occupied Europe. After the end of the Cold War, Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995 and it is also a member of the United Nations, the Nordic Council, Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Sweden maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides health care. The modern name Sweden is derived through back-formation from Old English Swēoþēod and this word is derived from Sweon/Sweonas. The Swedish name Sverige literally means Realm of the Swedes, excluding the Geats in Götaland, the etymology of Swedes, and thus Sweden, is generally not agreed upon but may derive from Proto-Germanic Swihoniz meaning ones own, referring to ones own Germanic tribe
7.
Swedish Empire
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The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Swedens territorial control of much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries, a time when Sweden was one of the great European powers. The beginning of the Empire is usually taken as the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, who ascended the throne in 1611, in Swedish history, the period is referred to as stormaktstiden, literally meaning the Great Power era. The interests of the high nobility contrasted with the uniformity policy, in territories acquired during the periods of de facto noble rule, serfdom was not abolished, and there was also a trend to set up respective estates in Sweden proper. The Great Reduction of 1680 put an end to efforts of the nobility. However, in the course of this war as well as in the subsequent Scanian War, Sweden was able to maintain her empire only with support of her closest ally. Charles XI of Sweden consolidated the empire and ensured a period of peace, before Russia, Saxony and Denmark started an attack on his successor. Sweden emerged as a great European power under Axel Oxenstierna and King Gustavus Adolphus, during the Thirty Years War, Sweden managed to conquer approximately half of the member states of the Holy Roman Empire. After France had intervened on the side as Sweden, the fortunes would shift again. As the war continued, it turned more and more grim, although exact population estimates do not exist, historians estimate that as many as one-third of the people in the Holy Roman Empire may have died as a result of the war. At the same time, Sweden joined the other important northern European nations in founding overseas colonies, New Sweden was founded in the valley of the Delaware River in 1638, and Sweden later laid claim to a number of Caribbean islands. A string of Swedish forts and trading posts was constructed along the coast of West Africa as well, at the conclusion of the Thirty Years War, the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 granted Sweden territories as war reparations. Sweden demanded Silesia, Pomerania pay a sum of 200,000 Riksdaler out of the lands they would receive, or 2) surrender a fourth of the property itself. Against this, the over-taxed lower estates protested, and the Diet had to be suspended, the king intervened, not to quell the commons, as the senate insisted, but to compel the nobility to give way. He proposed a committee to investigate the matter before the meeting of the next Riksdag. Charles X Gustav had done his best to recover from the extravagance of Christina. However, his own desire for military glory may have caused problems for his country, in three days, he persuaded the Swedish estates of the potential of his attack on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. However, when he left Stockholm for Warsaw on July 10,1654, the Polish-Swedish War expanded into a general European war. He achieved passage over the Belts and emerged triumphant, only to die of sheer exhaustion, immediately after his death, a regency was appointed to govern Sweden during the minority of his only son and successor, Charles XI of Sweden, who was four years old
8.
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
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Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia – and thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia – from 1640 until his death. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is known as the Great Elector because of his military. Frederick William was a pillar of the Calvinist faith, associated with the rising commercial class. He saw the importance of trade and promoted it vigorously, Elector Frederick William was born in Berlin to George William, Elector of Brandenburg, and Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate. His inheritance consisted of the Margraviate of Brandenburg, the Duchy of Cleves, the County of Mark, and the Duchy of Prussia. During the Thirty Years War, George William strove to maintain, with a minimal army, out of these unpromising beginnings Frederick William managed to rebuild his war-ravaged territories. In contrast to the disputes that disrupted the internal affairs of other European states. With the help of French subsidies, he built up an army to defend the country, in the conflict for Pomerania inheritance, Frederick William had to accept two setbacks, one in the Northern War and one in the Scanian War. Though militarily successful in Swedish Pomerania, he had to bow to Frances demands, Frederick William was a military commander of wide renown, and his standing army would later become the model for the Prussian Army. He later destroyed another Swedish army that invaded the Duchy of Prussia during the Great Sleigh Drive in 1678, Frederick William is notable for raising an army of 40,000 soldiers by 1678, through the General War Commissariat presided over by Joachim Friedrich von Blumenthal. He was an advocate of mercantilism, monopolies, subsidies, tariffs, on Blumenthals advice he agreed to exempt the nobility from taxes and in return they agreed to dissolve the Estates-General. Dorothea, Christian Ludwig, recipient of Bachs Brandenburg Concertos, media related to Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons
9.
Georg von Derfflinger
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Georg von Derfflinger was a field marshal in the army of Brandenburg-Prussia during and after the Thirty Years War. Derfflinger was supposedly a notorious drunkard who constantly drank schnapps, and his marriage in 1646 to an heiress of the Brandenburg nobility had already secured him a number of possessions, which he was able to augment with estates granted to him for his military exploits. He had a stormy relationship with Frederick William and argued with him incessantly. In 1674, Derfflinger was elevated to a Reichsfreiherr by Emperor Leopold I and his last military campaign was in 1690 against King Louis XIV of France, when he was 84 years old. Derfflinger died at his estates in Gusow, the Imperial German Navys battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger was named after him. Gerd-Ulrich Herrmann, Freiherr von Derfflinger, Stapp-Verlag 1997, ISBN 3-87776-178-X, the German Way of War, From the Thirty Years War to the Third Reich
10.
Battle of Rathenow
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The Battle of Rathenow was the first engagement between the forces of Brandenburg-Prussia and Sweden in the Swedish-Brandenburg War. The battle took place on 256 and ended with the capture of the town of Rathenow, the front of which had been occupied by Sweden, by the Brandenburg troops. The Swedes, led by Colonel Wangelin, had about 500 men, in 1674, Brandenburg entered the Franco-Dutch War against France and dispatched an army to Alsace. As a result, France persuaded Sweden to attack the undefended Electorate of Brandenburg, in late 1674, Swedish troops advanced from Swedish Pomerania well into the Electorate, thanks to the absence of any significant contingents of Brandenburg troops. Meanwhile, the main Brandenburg Army was fighting the French in Bavaria, the town of Rathenow was also occupied by Swedish troops, because Wrangel wanted to launch a crossing of the River Elbe at Havelberg from Rathenow and join forces with Hanoverian troops. His objective was the capture of the important Brandenburg fortress of Magdeburg, to that end the Swedish advance party under Colonel Wangelin occupied Rathenow, initially to secure the Havel crossings and then push forward to Magdeburg. The town of Rathenow was located on the bank of the River Havel. Of its medieval fortifications, only elements had survived, but these still offered adequate protection against an army not set on a long siege, so the gates were fortified and equipped with drawbridges. The Brandenburg plan was to assault the town through its western gate and their troops advanced under Field Marshal Georg von Derfflinger just before 2 clock over the Havel bridge. This enabled the dragoons to break into the town, meanwhile, the Elector had Major General von Götze and 600 musketeers advance along the mill embankment to the Mill Gate. Here fighting broke out, the Swedes proving able to hold their ground for the time being, another unit that attempted to enter the south side of the town from the Havel in boats, was also initially repulsed. Not until the attack did the Brandenburgers succeed in entering the town. The assault on the Mill Gate also prevailed and General von Götze succeeded in capturing it, after vigorous fighting, the Swedish garrison was defeated and their commander, Swedish Colonel Wangelin, surrendered. Wangelin and his comrades are taken prisoner, as well as the lieutenant colonel and major,2 captains and some lieutenants and they had 600 in all, the rest were all killed. If God had wanted us to do more, had we had our infantry with us, we would have beaten the enemy soundly, adieu, I can write no more. I die your faithful husband and your servant, the fight cost Sweden 200 dead and 270 prisoners. The Brandenburg troops lost only 100 men killed or mortally wounded and they also captured 500 to 600 horses from the Swedes. The Swedes, hitherto perceived as invincible, had suffered their first defeat, as a consequence of this setback, the Swedes had to abandon their plan to cross the Elbe at Havelberg in the vicinity of Rathenow, in order to attack the key Brandenburg fortress of Magdeburg
11.
Battle of Nauen
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The Skirmish at Nauen, took place on 276 near the town of Nauen between the vanguard of the Brandenburg-Prussian army and Swedish rearguard units during the Swedish-Brandenburg War. The engagement ended with the capture of the town of Nauen by Brandenburg-Prussia, the decisive military victory in favour of Brandenburg, however, took place at the Battle of Fehrbellin on the following day. In December 1674 a Swedish army from Swedish Pomerania invaded the undefended March of Brandenburg, the Swedish field marshal dispatched a spearhead under the command of Colonel Wangelin to Rathenow, in order to secure the line of the river. The situation suddenly changed when the Brandenburg army succeed in recapturing this strategically important location at the Battle of Rathenow and this coup, which completely surprised the Swedes, meant that it was no longer possible for them to cross the Elbe at Havelberg. When the Elector learned of this, he took up their immediate pursuit, in the meantime, a 1,200 strong Brandenburg advance guard under Lieutenant Colonel Sydow had ridden at the gallop to a position covering Nauen. The lakeland in front of the town was only passable over a causeway, so the Swedes had thrown up protective fieldworks, including several cannon. In spite of that, they offered no resistance when they saw a number of enemy horsemen advancing on them. Instead, they tipped their cannon into the lake and beat a hasty retreat. The fleeing soldiers were pursued by Brandenburg cavalry to the edge of the town of Nauen, the largest element of the Swedish contingent withdrew behind a stream beyond the town. A smaller element, a battalion of musketeers, occupied Nauen, meeting the advancing Brandenburgers with a fire from their muskets. Nevertheless, even before they were reinforced by cannon and more dragoons in front of the town,200 Brandenburg troopers succeeded in driving back a Swedish rearguard of 1,000 cuirassiers, in response, the Swedes rapidly surrendered the town of Nauen to Brandenburg and fled. During this further retreat, the pursuing Brandenburg cavalry inflicted further casualties on the Swedes, despite that, the Brandenburg cavalry could not capture the crossing over the stream behind the town. At the end of the bridge, the Swedes had erected a defensive position with several cannon, the fire from these guns forced the Brandenburgers to pull back with losses. Meanwhile, behind the Swedish fortification, the main Swedish army had deployed in order of battle, nevertheless, the enemy was in a good position, as before, so that a frontal assault would have been too fraught with risk. In addition, the Brandenburg troops were exhausted by their forced march, so the order was issued to pull back into and behind the town of Nauen and to pitch camp for the night. By the evening of 276 the two faced one another at close proximity. The Brandenburg side expected to battle the next morning in front of the gates of Nauen. The Swedes however used the cover of night to withdraw towards Fehrbellin, the Elector and his army broke camp the next day at 5,30 a. m. in order to continue the pursuit
12.
Battle of Halmstad
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The Battle of Halmstad was fought on August 17,1676, at Fyllebro, approximately five kilometers south of the town Halmstad in southwest Sweden. It was the last battle in Halland between Denmark and Sweden, the Danish army that landed at Helsingborg in Scania in late June 1676 managed to conquer almost the whole province in less than a month. The Swedish army had to retreat north to Växjö, on August 11, King Charles XI and his small army headed west to intercept Duncan. At noon of August 17, the Swedish army reached the road from Scania to Halmstad. The Swedes destroyed the bridge leading south and headed north, after just a few kilometres the Swedish vanguard under command of Ascheberg encountered a small Danish unit that was routed back north. After a short chase Ascheberg found himself face-to-face with Duncan and his forces, the Danish army was about to cross the bridge over the creek Fylleån. Duncan, who thought that the enemy troops were the entire Swedish force. Unaware of the danger he let his troops assume battle formations on the bank with their backs against the creek. Meanwhile, the Swedes brought forward the rest of their cavalry and infantry, the battle started with a salvo from the few Swedish cannons, whereupon Charles XI and his Household cavalry charged down the hills to attack the Danish left wing. Soon the Swedes also charged on the wing and in the center. After 15 minutes the Danish left wing was scattered, in the center the Danish infantry put up a determined fight, with a powerful counter-attack from a cavalry unit that tried to break through the Swedish lines, but only one squadron made it through. At this point Duncan had realized his mistake and ordered his troops to retreat back across the bridge. But the Swedish cavalry on the right wing found a ford, understanding that the battle was lost, Duncan surrendered. The action had lasted for more than an hour. The defeat at Halmstad dealt a blow to the Danish plans to advance north. The day after the battle the Danish King Christian V broke his camp at Kristianstad, on September 5 he reached Halmstad and begun besieging the town with no result. Three weeks later he returned to Scania to find quarters for the winter, the battle at Fyllebro was also 20-year-old Charles XIs first major victory. It was an important morale boost for him, his generals, the army was still much too weak to confront the Danes in Scania and marched north to Varberg to await more troops
13.
Battle of Lund
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The Danish had an army of about 13,000 under the personal command of 31-year-old King Christian V of Denmark, aided by General Carl von Arensdorff. The Swedish army, which numbered about 8,000, was commanded by Field Marshal Simon Grundel-Helmfelt and it is one of the bloodiest battles in percent of casualties on both sides ever fought on European soil. After the Swedish defeat at the Battle of Fehrbellin and a number of Danish triumphs at sea, the Danes saw this as an opportunity to regain control over the Scanian lands, which had fallen to Sweden with the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde. The Danes invaded via Helsingborg in late June 1676 with an army of 14,000 men and this made it impossible for the outnumbered Swedish troops to effectively defend the recently acquired province. After a month, only the town of Malmö remained under Swedish control. In August, a Danish detachment tried to advance north, but Swedish King Charles XI had prepared a new army in the province of Småland, and the Danish advance was halted at the Battle of Halmstad. The Swedes had gathered 14,000 men by October, of which three-fourths were mounted and they slowly fought their way in an attempt to break the siege of Malmö. Swedish supply lines were thin due to frequent interceptions by local peasants under the command of Danish officers, in early November, the Danish king and his army had taken post at Lund, south of the Kävlinge River. The Danes controlled all the crossings, and the Swedish army was forced to camp on the north side. For one month this situation endured, but snow arrived in late November, on the morning of December 3, the Swedish General of Fortifications Erik Dahlberg reported to the king that the ice would hold their weight. The Danes assumed that the Swedes had gone into winter camp, before daybreak the Swedish army broke camp and made preparations to cross the river. The Swedes had 2,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry at their disposal, their Danish opponents had more than 5,000 infantry,6,000 cavalry, in addition to 1,300 Dutch marines—in all, about 13,000 men. Under the cover of a night, between 04,00 and 05,30, the entire Swedish force successfully crossed the river. The Swedish planned to attack the sleeping Danish camp with cavalry from the southeast, reconnaissance patrols reported that the ground between the two armies was unsuitable for mounted troops, so King Charles XI and his generals gathered to discuss the new situation. Most advisers pointed out that it would be foolish to attack by foot as the Danish army possessed much more infantry, additionally, the Swedes would likely lose the element of surprise during the long march towards the Danish camp. The king was eager to attack at once, but was swayed by his advisers and he ordered the troops to advance towards the hills just outside the north wall of Lund, to seize a tactical advantage. The hills would mean better terrain for the cavalry and the town itself would cover the Swedish southern flank, by then Danes had woken, and soon recognised the Swedish intentions. The Danes quickly broke camp and started to race the Swedes for control of the hills, the first skirmish was between the Swedish right wing and the Danish left wing, and ended in a draw
14.
Battle of Landskrona
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The Battle of Landskrona was fought on the Ylleshed moor, outside the town of Landskrona, in southern Sweden on July 14,1677, between Sweden and Denmark. On July 12 the Swedish army of 10,000 men had reinforced with 4,000 peasants from Småland. The Swedes planned to attack the Danish army that had weakened by losses at Malmö before reinforcements could arrive from Germany. The Danes however, had returned to Landskrona and camped on the hills west of the town. Early in the morning of July 14, Charles XI formed his army into four columns, but as soon as the Swedes got the enemy camp in sight they noticed that it was empty. This caused some confusion among the Swedish generals, most of them assumed that Christian V had retreated to Landskrona and that the Swedes should abort the operation. However Charles was determined to battle and kept his army marching towards the Danish camp. During the night Christian had moved his army down from the hills, the Swedish General Ascheberg spotted the Danish troops behind the wall. The Swedish army paused for one hour and at nine oclock formed itself into two lines at the north-east end of the moor. Although his generals advised against it, Christian decided to leave his position behind the wall. The two armies started advancing towards each other and were separated only by a small valley. The artillery exchanged fire but none of the sides were willing to attack across the dale, finally Charles XI and his guard on the right wing charged down the slope and up the other side. They were immediately surrounded and almost taken prisoner, but saved by the Household cavalry, the rest of the Swedish right wing followed and the battle began. After less than one hour the Danish left wing was routed, on the Danish right Christian V out-flanked the Swedes and when Field marshal Simon Grundel-Helmfelt was killed the Swedish left wing was scattered. However, backed up by the 4,000 peasants, the Swedes managed to escape, in the center the Danes took the initiative when General Russenstein attacked soon after both flanks were engaged. But as his left flank was unprotected it took a lot of punishment, at the same time Christian could not make the left flank of the Swedish center bulge. When the Swedish cavalry that had pursued the Danish left wing returned to the battle at the same time, by 18,00 all Danish troops had quit the field and the Swedes retired to the former Danish camp. Reasons for the Danish defeat are said to be rivalry between Danish generals and that the Danish units had been mixed up during the night, the Danes also failed to exploit their success on the right wing, which gave the Swedes time to reorganize their units
15.
Battle of Marstrand
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The battle of Marstrand was a successful Dano-Norwegian siege of the harbor town of Marstrand, Sweden which took place between 6–23 July 1677, during the Scanian War. In January 1677, a point in Strömstad was taken by a Swedish force. After doing this Løvenhielm proceeded to Uddevalla, simultaneously, Gyldenløve shipped out a considerable force in the direction of Marstrand. He landed on the island of Koön on 6 July. Marstrand was defended by the fortress of Carlsten and the three strong-points Malepert, Gustafsborg, and Hedvigsholm, the defenders tallied 600, led by commander Anders Sinclair. When demanded to evacuate the fortress, Sinclair replied. there was no fortress to yield, the Danes attacked Hedvigsholm first, after withstanding several attacks, the Swedes defending it were forced to abanadon it and retire to Carlsten on 20 July. Malepert had been already on 13 July and Gustafsberg was abandoned soon thereafter. Carlsten no longer had outposts, and after strong bombardment from all sides, finally surrendered on 23 July, after taking Carlsten, Gyldenløve installed a strong detachment of troops under Løvenhjelm to defend Marstrand before returning to Norway. Through the conquest of Marstrand Denmark obtained a safe, ice-free harbour and this in turn further enabled the Danish blockade of Gothenburg. However, Løvenhjelm soon found himself threatened by approaching Swedish forces, berättelser ur svenska historien, vol 6, p 685, Carl Georg Starbäck & Per Olof Bäckström Dansk biografisk lexikon, vol 10, p 597, Carl Frederik Bricka
16.
Battle of Warksow
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The Battle of Warksow was a battle that took place on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen on 8 January 1678 during the Swedish-Brandenburg War. In the battle Swedish forces defeated an army composed mainly of Danes supported by a smaller contingent of Brandenburg troops. The Swedes were able to muster some 3,500 men for the battle including 2,000 cavalry, the allied Danes and Brandenburg troops had about 4,670 men, including a few hundred Brandenburg soldiers and 1,770 cavalry, as well as 16 cannon. 170 Swedes lost their lives in the battle and subsequent pursuit, the Danish/Brandenburg side lost 400 killed and more than 3,600 captured. After the battle and in the days followed, the entire allied force were captured or forced to follow the Swedish flag. After a Swedish army had defeated in the Battle of Fehrbellin in 1675 in Brandenburg. Suddenly its possessions in northern Germany were threatened by the alliance of Denmark, in 1677 the Swedish fleet was almost completely destroyed in the Battle of Køge Bay by the Danish fleet under command of Admiral Niels Juel. For Swedish Rügen this defeat meant that the possession was now cut off from all assistance from Sweden. According to internal agreements between Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark, the island of Rügen would be given to Denmark after the treaty with Sweden. On 17 September 1677 Danish troops under the command of the Danish king landed on the eastern coast of the island near Prorer Wiek. Thus, the Danes were able to entrench themselves, unchallenged, the Swedes were beaten in the ensuing Battle of Bergen and withdrew to Altefähr and into the Prosnitzer Schanze. Shortly thereafter the Swedes under Königsmarck also had to leave Altefähr, only the Prosnitzer Schanze remained in Swedish hands. Due to ongoing looting and devastation by Swedish, Danish and Brandenburg troops, on 21 October the Danish king returned to Denmark. Part of the Brandenburg troops were withdrawn from the island, leaving only 970 men from Brandenburg-Prussia on the island, the Danish-Brandenburg troops were now under the command of Major General von Rumohr and Colonel Wilhelm Friedrich von Hülsen. These two had not to engage with the Swedes until the arrival of further reinforcements. However, any reinforcement from the Danish army, weakened by disease, the Swedish chose to land at Neufährschanze which was still in Swedish hands. Against orders, the allied Danish and Brandenburg force under Major General von Rumohr gave battle, at 9 in the morning the battle began with an exchange of artillery on the road between Poseritz and Gustow at Warksow Manor. When Detlef von Rumohr was felled by a shell, confusion arose in the ranks of the allies
17.
Siege of Stralsund (1678)
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The Siege of Stralsund was a battle between the Electorate of Brandenburg and the Swedish Empire on 10 and 11 October 1678, during the Scanian War. After two days of bombardment, the severely devastated Swedish fortress of Stralsund surrendered to the Brandenburgers, the Scanian War reached Swedish Pomerania when after the Battle of Fehrbellin the retreating Swedish forces were pursued by a Brandenburgian army under Great Elector Frederick William Is command. Stralsund was one of two major fortresses Sweden maintained in Pomerania, the other one being Stettin. After the Brandenburgian army had captured Stettin and Wolgast, Stralsund was seriously threatened, in addition, Danish forces had landed on Rügen in 1677, aided by a loyal Rugian noble. Thus, all buildings outside the fortifications were levelled in 1677 to strip an imminent Brandenburgian attack of cover, Stralsund then held a population of 8,500, including armed burghers, and close to 5,000 Swedish, German and Finnish foot and horse. Frederick William I positioned his artillery south of the town and started bombardment on 10 October 1678 and his aim was to force Swedish commander Otto Wilhelm von Königsmarck into surrender by abundantly firing incendiary bombs on the burghers mansions. The small, newly created Brandenburgian navy also took part in the siege, most of the southern half of the town was destroyed when the defendants surrendered the town on 11 October, namely 285 houses,476 huts, and 194 servant dwellings. Despite great efforts of Frederick William I to win the loyalty of the Swedish Pomeranian population, including generous aid programs to rebuilt Stralsund and Stettin, most remained loyal to Sweden. After the fall of Stralsund, there were only few Swedish-held areas left in Swedish Pomerania, Stralsund was returned to Sweden in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Due to the bombardment and another fire on 12 June 1680. After the 1680 fire destroyed an additional 48 houses,89 huts, and 82 servant dwellings, only 205 houses,408 huts, Pomerania during the Early Modern Age Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
18.
Siege of Groenlo (1672)
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For other sieges of the town see Siege of Groenlo. It ended in the towns surrender, Groenlo was well-supplied with food, garrisoned with 22 cannon on new gun-carriages and 600 troops and defended by bulwarks and a moat. The most important parts of Groenlos fortifications were demolished by the Bishop of Münster, J. W. van Sypesteyn, J. P. de Bordes, De Verdediging van Nederland in 1672 en 1673, Bijdragen tot de Staats- en Krijgeschiedenis van Nederland, s-Gravenhage, Van Langenhuysen
19.
Siege of Groningen
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The Siege of Groningen was a battle that took place in 1672 during the Franco-Dutch war. It was a Dutch victory that ended all hope of the Bishop of Münster to push deeper into the Netherlands, the Münster army was so weakened by the defeat that the Dutch army successfully reconquered much of the land that Münster had conquered just weeks earlier. Every year, the city of Groningen celebrates its victory as a holiday on 28 August. Israel, Jonathan, The Dutch Republic, Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477-1806, Oxford, Clarendon Press, ISBN 0-19-873072-1 Media related to Siege of Groningen at Wikimedia Commons
20.
Siege of Maastricht (1673)
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The Siege of Maastricht ended when Jacques de Fariaux, the governor of the Dutch garrison, surrendered to an army under the command of Louis XIV during the Franco-Dutch War. After making a feint for Ghent and Brussels, Louis marched his army past Maastricht, a condominium of the United Provinces, in 1673, when his supply lines became threatened he decided to capture Maastricht, the siege began on 11 June. The city would be the first major city to be attacked by Sebastien Vauban, the master of siegecraft in his time. In addition to firing upon the city walls with cannon, Vauban ordered the building of trenches, in a zigzag pattern, by 25 June the allies were ready to assault a hornwork and ravelin in front of the gate. 24 June was the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, the French, after some difficult fighting, crossed the moat and seized a crescent-shaped fortification which would become the scene of the toughest fighting of the siege. Most of the French were driven out by Spanish auxiliaries soon afterwards, the Duke of Monmouth, was colonel of The Blues, and trench general. The serving battalion officer, Sir Henry Jones, formerly a Catholic exile, was like the Anglicans enraged at having to fight fellow Protestants, moreover half their contingent were Dutchmen, pledged to go into battle against their countrymen. Unsurprisingly, they refused to fight, and resorted to rounding up deserters, Jones recruited his own regiment, yet was killed in the siege. Until that time, Monmouth was accompanied by a young Captain John Churchill, tried to take a covered road protecting the moat and it was Captain Churchill who planted a flag on the outwork. The next morning the allies awoke to the sound of a Frenchman in Dutch service and this was a half-moon shaped demi-lune, used to keep attackers out of the bastion. The hornwork or crownwork was a spiky plan covered every angle of approach, but Fariaux realized that Vauban siege artillery techniques were too overwhelming, and capitulated on terms on 30 June 1673. On 1 July the survivors of the march out of the city with full military honours. The unpopular war led to the disbandment of most regimental battalions raised, when the Treaty of Nijmegen ended the war between France and the Dutch, Maastricht was returned to the Dutch, though Louis kept a number of Habsburg cities. What is generally regarded as more significant about this battle were the advances in siegecraft engineered by Vauban
21.
Battle of Seneffe
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The Battle of Seneffe was fought on 11 August 1674 between French army under the command of Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé and the Dutch-German-Spanish army under William III of Orange. During the Franco-Dutch War, William III commanded a Dutch-German-Spanish army through the southern Netherlands into the territory of Northern France, France defended this area with an army under Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé. For five weeks the two armies manoeuvred without getting into combat with each other, on the 10th of August, William III decided to head for Paris in order to force the enemy into fighting. Condé sent a detachment of about 500 horsemen to keep the Dutch vanguard busy near the village of Seneffe, in the meantime, Condé tried to surround the 60,000 allied troops with the 45,000 men at his disposal. The horsemen managed to keep the Dutch vanguard busy, but the envelopment of the allied force failed. After ten hours Condé had 8,000 dead or wounded and William -11,000, the Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714. ISBN 0-582-05629-2 A New Military Dictionary, or, the Field of war, account of the most remarkable battles, sieges, bombardments, and expeditions, whether by sea, or land, such as relate to Great Britain. From the descent of Julius Cæsar to the present time, to which is added, an essay on fortification, and a table, explaining the military and naval terms of art
22.
Siege of Cambrai (1677)
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The Siege of Cambrai took place from 20 March to 19 April 1677 during the Franco-Dutch War. As a Principality dependent on the Holy Roman Empire and close to the border of the Kingdom of France, submitted to Spain since 1543, during the reign of Louis XIV, Cambrai was besieged unsuccessfully by the French in 1649 and again in 1657. During the summer of 1667 the French took Charleroi, Tournai, Douai and Lille, by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle Spain abandoned the cities of Charleroi, Binche, Ath, Douai, Tournai, Oudenarde, Lille, Armentieres, Courtrai, Bergues and Furnes. Cambrai was in effect a peninsula tied to the Spanish Netherlands by Bouchain and it is a beautiful and good thing to be able to hold owns ground with two hands. In 1672, hostilities resumed against the Republic of the Protestant Netherlands, with a professional army well paid and well organized which includes more than 279,000 men, boasting a powerful artillery, the French monarchy was then the best army in Europe. Facing it, the strongholds of the Spanish Netherlands were defended by a few men, often poorly paid mercenaries. In spring 1676 Bouchain and Condé-sur-lEscaut were occupied by the French, Louis XIV, ensuring forever the rest of his borders, decided to take Cambrai and attended in person the siege of the city, while his brother Philippe I, Duke of Orléans besieged Saint-Omer. The reputation of the place of Cambrai was great, boileau wrote in its praise, Cambray and St. Omer were the two strongest strongholds which the Spaniards had to defend. These cities, both situated on the borders of France, served as advanced positions and enabled them to make the law in the midst of their triumphs, the Kings of Spain considered this Place more important than all the rest of Flanders together. She was famous for the number of indignities she had inflicted upon the French, Omer and Cambrai, whose loss was likely to lead to the loss of the rest of the Netherlands. The defense of the city is supported by inundating the river Scheldt to the south and the west, the cold weather, rain and snow, makes the conditions even more difficult for the besiegers. On the other hand, Cambrai is isolated and can not expect any help, the Governor Don Pedro de Zavala, according to Paul Pellisson, is old and broken, and as they say, often dizzy. The Garrison is mainly Spanish, but believed to have forgotten the art of war, the Citadel, is small despite its reputation, and will be thunderstruck by lightening bombs and cannon fire as soon as it will have been approached. The secret services of Louvois informed him of the feelings of the citizens of Cambrai, furthermore, the rapid capture of Valenciennes does not encourage them to resist France. On 22 March the King, with the Marshal de la Feuillade, Marshal Luxembourg takes up position at Marlière, Marshal the Lorges at Escaudœuvres, and Marshal Schomberg at Ramillies. In the company of the King are also ministers Louvois and Pomponne and Father de la Chaise, the French army is composed of 38 infantry battalions and 48 cavalry squadrons, in total more than 40,000 men. The Spanish have only some 4,000 to defend Cambrai, Vauban, in control of the operations, began constructing lines of circumvallation and contravallation surrounding the city. The isolated town can not hope to be relieved, taking advantage of this weakness, the French opened a trench near the Notre Dame gate
23.
Siege of Ypres (1678)
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The Siege of Ypres in the Spanish Netherlands took place between March 18 and March 25,1678, as part of the Franco-Dutch War, and ended with the conquest of the city by the French. Louis XIV decided to invade the Spanish Netherlands to counter a possible English military intervention against him, the Dutch expected an attack against Namur-. But Louis XIV directed his troops towards Ghent, taking the city on March 9, on March 18, the French, led by Vauban, started digging approach trenches towards the citadel. The city was defended by a Spanish garrison under Dom Francisco de Pardo, but the French had already advanced too much to be stopped by this action. The city was pounded by 22 high caliber guns and 12 mortars, after one week, the works had advanced so far, that Louis XIV ordered an attack in the night of March 24–25. The city was conquered and the defenders capitulated by dawn. Only the citadel held out for one day, after which the surviving 1600 valid men and 600 wounded also surrendered. In April, Vauban started reconstructing and modernising Ypres fortifications, giving it the form that can still be seen today, Louis de Crevant, Duke of Humières became governor of the city. In England, Charles II raised some 20 regiments to be shipped to Ostend, in the meantime, negotiations started between France and the Dutch Republic, leading to the Treaty of Nijmegen on August 10. Abel Hugo, France historique et monumentale, Histoire générale de France depuis les temps les plus reculés jusquà nos jours,1843, camille Rousset, Histoire de Louvois et de son administration politique et militaire, Volume 2,1862. Luc-Normand Tellier, Face aux Colbert, les Le Tellier, Vauban, Turgot-- et lavènement du libéralisme, Édition presse de luniversité de Quebec,1987
24.
Battle of Sinsheim
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The Battle of Sinsheim was a victory of the Vicomte de Turenne, over forces from the Holy Roman Empire on 16 June 1674, during the Franco-Dutch War. The battle was fought in Sinsheim, not Sinzheim as it is often presumed, in 1674, while the bulk of French forces were mobilized in the Netherlands and Franche-Comté, Turenne was responsible for holding back the Imperial forces on the Rhine. He took up position in the Alsace with his limited forces. Disagreeing with the strategy of Louis XIV, he saw the Alsace as an important location. He therefore decided to rather than defend, to prevent the war coming to the Alsace. Departing from Haguenau, he crossed the Rhine near Philippsburg on a pontoon bridge and he covered 160 km in five days to catch up with the Lorraine force under Aeneas de Caprara and to prevent their union with the Imperial army under Alexander von Bournonville. In this way, Turenne forced Caprara to do battle on June 16 at Sinsheim, Caprara aligned his infantry along the hedgerows and gardens at the entrance of the village. Turenne deployed his infantry and his dragoons on foot and they forced the outposts, crossed the Elsanz and entered Sinsheim. The Imperials retreated through the village and fell back on the plateau behind the village, to reach the plateau, the French had to climb a narrow passage. Turenne positioned infantry and dragoons in the hedgerows flanking the passage, as well as in the castle. The French cavalry could then advance through the passage, an enemy counter-attack was stopped by the covering fire of the French infantry. The Imperials were repelled from the plateau and withdrew, Turenne immediately left Sinsheim to monitor the bulk of the Imperial army, stationed on the Moselle. There were 2,000 to 3,000 deaths, according to sources, the battle was only a limited success for Turenne, because both enemy forces succeeded in uniting near Heidelberg. On 1 July the Elector of Brandenburg also took up arms against France, Turenne again crossed the Rhine and ravaged the Palatinate, depriving the Imperials the resources to attack the Alsace. John Childs, La guerre au XVIIe siècle, Autrement, Atlas des Guerres,2004
25.
Battle of Turckheim
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The Battle of Turckheim was a confrontation during the Franco-Dutch War fought on 5 January 1675 between the towns of Colmar and Turckheim in Alsace. The French army, commanded by the Viscount of Turenne, fought against the armies of Austria and Brandenburg, led by Frederick William, the aggressive campaign of Louis XIV against the Netherlands, since 1672, had provoked a hostile reaction of other European states like Austria and Brandenburg. Their intervention had brought the war into the upper Rhine, creating a threat to French territory, in 1674 Marshal Turenne, French commander in that sector, failed to prevent the invasion of Alsace by a part of the imperial army. With the arrival of end in 1674, the Imperials went into their winter quarters in the region of Colmar. According to the conventions of war at the time, the military operations should have been halted during the winter until the return of the spring, Turenne, however, decided not to follow this custom. Using the Vosges mountains as a curtain of protection, he moved west and then south, reappearing in Belfort, south of his opponent, finding no resistance, he reached Mulhouse on the 29th. The highly surprised Imperials hastily fell back on Turckheim, however, the Imperial forces had not yet gelled completely so as to be ready for battle. The ensuing battle did not follow the standards of the 17th century, Marshal Turenne feigned an attack from the center and then another from his right. With Imperial eyes riveted on these two parts of the front, Turenne led a third of his army on a march around to his left flank and their movement skirted the mountains and was hidden from view of the enemy because of the terrain. Turenne captured the village of Turckheim. Frederick William attempted to retake the town but he was defeated by fire from French guns. Turenne, then, fell against the right of the enemy. This brief and but famous winter campaign by Marshal Turenne is considered one of the brightest of the 17th century, here the Vicomte de Turenne, through two indirect maneuvers saved France from invasion, suffering only negligible casualties. Eggenberger, David, An Encyclopedia of Battles, New York, Dover Publications Lynn, the Wars of Louis XIV, 1667-1714. Souza, Marcos da Cunha, et al, história Militar Geral I, Palhoça, UnisulVirtual Berenger, Jean, Turenne, Paris, Fayard
26.
Battle of Salzbach
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The Battle of Salzbach or Sasbach was fought July 27,1675, between the armies of France and the Holy Roman Empire, during the Franco-Dutch War. The term battle is something of a misnomer because the encounter consisted primarily of an artillery duel, however, it was costly for the French, the great French marshal, the Vicomte de Turenne, was killed by a cannonball. The Imperial army was commanded by the Italian Field Marshal Raimondo Montecuccoli, the Dutch had started that war as a French ally but, faced with Louiss growing territorial ambitions, had ended by allying with England and Sweden to curb French expansionism. Pressure from this new alliance forced Louis to accept a compromise end to the War of Devolution, Louis then paid off Sweden and England to abandon the alliance. In 1672, France invaded the Netherlands, but the Dutch managed to bog down the French advance, soon other powers, including the Holy Roman Empire, joined the war against France. In late 1674 and early 1675, Turennes Winter Campaign showed the French marshal at his best in a struggle to expel an Imperial army, under the command of Alexander von Bournonville, outnumbered, Turenne executed a daring march in the dead of winter around the enemy flank. A decisive French victory at the Battle of Turckheim on January 5,1675, after Bournonvilles defeat, Montecuccoli took over command of the Imperial forces in southern Germany. He hoped to make up for the recent disaster by crossing the Rhine River at Strasbourg, in the spring of 1675, he marched west through the Black Forest into the Rhine valley. There, he gathered in the remnants of Bournonvilles army, some 8,000 men, the Imperial army now numbered 18,000 foot and 14,000 horse. On May 20, Montecuccoli established his headquarters at Willstatt, at the same time, his scouts reached Kehl, the town on the east bank of the Rhine opposite Strasbourg. As Montecuccoli approached the east bank of the Rhine, Turenne, the French commander sent word to Strasbourg, then an independent city, demanding that the Imperial army not be allowed to use the citys bridge over the Rhine. However, unimpressed by Turennes recent victory, Strasbourg favored the Empire, not only did the city authorities permit Montecuccoli to cross on May 22, but they also supplied his headquarters with delicacies. For his part, the Imperial commander seemed intimidated by Turennes approach, although Montecuccoli crossed the Rhine, he did not bring his army with him. He made a pretense of moving troops to Kehl, but he, on May 31, Montecuccoli crossed to the west bank of the Rhine near Speyer. However, his move was nothing more than a feint designed to draw Turenne north, away from Strasbourg, Turenne was not taken in by the ruse. The French army began to build bridges across the Rhine at Ottenheim south of Strasbourg on June 6. Now both armies were on the east bank, as Montecuccoli had done, Turenne chose Willstatt for his headquarters. The Imperial army hurried south to confront the French who now blocked the way to Kehl, the Imperial advance guard,4,000 men under Charles of Lorraine, attacked the French lines but was repelled
27.
Siege of Philippsburg (1676)
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The Siege of Philippsburg was a siege of the fortress of Philippsburg during the Franco-Dutch War. In French hands since 1644 - with Breisach, it was then their only bridgehead on the east bank of the River Rhine and so Vauban had fortified it. The garrisons of its towns of Kißlau, Schwetzingen and Bruchsal were destroyed in spring 1676. Charles V, Duke of Lorraine began the siege with a 40,000 strong imperial force on 1 May, the French commander Trier du Fay had just under 2,800 men and a French relief effort failed, leading to du Fays surrender on 17 September. Only 1,500 French troops survived but these were allowed to march out with military honours. 3,000 imperial troops were put in place to garrison the fortress, which remained in Imperial hands until its French recapture in 1688
28.
Invasion of Martinique (1674)
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The Invasion of Martinique in 1674 was an unsuccessful attempt by the Dutch Republic to conquer the Caribbean island of Martinique from France. In spite of overwhelming Dutch superiority in men and ships, the French won a decisive, in 1672, the kingdoms of France and England had declared war on the Dutch Republic. However, Dutch naval victories in the North Sea forced the English to abandon their part in the war in early 1674. The Dutch could now direct all of their naval strength against the French, and they decided to attack Martinique. Martinique was defended by a semi-professional militia consisting of two companies of cavalry and a dozen companies, with a theoretical strength of roughly 2,000 men. However, most of these were uncertain military assets, the Fort-Royal militia company could only muster around 100 men, of whom a quarter quickly deserted, including their captain. Only one of the merchant ships, the Saint-Eustache, carried any notable armament, even with these reinforcements, his defending force consisted of barely 160 men. The Dutch attack began around 9 oclock, with a cannonade by the ships, the Dutch made an assault against the palisade on the landward side of the fort, where they were repulsed by the musket fire of the militiamen and seamen. This fight came down to combat, but the Dutch standard-bearer was killed and his flag was captured. The Dutch retreated in disarray, but in the afternoon. After several hours of attacks, Admiral de Ruyter gave the signal to retreat. The Dutch conceded 143 fatalities, and 378 seriously injured personnel, the remaining merchantmen were duly set alight, but Captain Renart decided to ignore the governors orders for as long as possible, waiting anxiously aboard Les Jeux all night. The defending force had won a dramatic and unexpected victory, French historians still describe Martinique as an astounding military success, the great de Ruyter and the all-conquering Dutch navy had been defeated by a single frigate. Captain Renart was rewarded with the noble title of Marquis dAmblimont. The humiliated Dutch fleet retreated back across the Atlantic, their combat losses compounded by the ravages of sickness and their ambitions to expand their colonial empire in the Americas were permanently stalled, leaving them with only Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. Modern historians of seventeenth-century Dutch naval power sometimes chose to avoid mentioning the campaign at all, charles Joseph Delahaut and Jean-Baptiste LÉcuy, Annales civiles et religieuses dYvois-Carinan et de Mouzon. Alain Demerliac, La marine de Louis XIV, nomenclature des vaisseaux du Roi-Soleil de 1661 à1715. Léo Elisabeth, La Société martiniquaise aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, david F. Marley, Wars of the Americas, A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere
29.
New Holland (Acadia)
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The Dutch imprisoned the Governor of Acadia Jacques de Chambly. The French and native allies under the command of St, the formal Dutch claim to Acadia was finally abandoned at the end of the war with the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678. In 1672 the Franco-Dutch War began, and England allied itself with the French, England and the Netherlands came to terms early in 1674 and then several months later the July day when Captain Jurriaen Aernoutsz sailed into New York harbor. Previously he had been sailing the North Atlantic Ocean looking for English, Rhoades went on to explain to Aernoutsz that the French colony in Acadia was barely defended and ripe for conquest. Aernoutsz took this suggestion to his a crew and they agreed unanimously, John Rhoades would be the crews guide. Aernoutsz with 110 soldiers immediately set sail for the capital of Acadia Fort Pentagouet in Penobscot Bay, on 10 Aug 1674, he attacked the capital. There were only 30 French soldiers in the fort and they were lightly armed, the Dutchmen took the fort easily. While they were there they took the French Military Headquarters. Following this, they sailed to Jemseg and captured another French fort there, at both places, Aernoutsz buried bottles at Fort Pentagouet with messages inside them proclaiming that Acadie was to be Dutch possession and henceforward known as Nova Hollandia. Some time in October 1674 he sailed for Curaçao, but left his prisoners, aernoutsz’s efforts were soon negated by the action of Massachusetts. Massachusetts apprehended Rhoades and his cohorts and tried them as pirates, ultimately they were all released or banished from Massachusetts. Although the territory was claimed by the Dutch, they had no sustained power over the area, later in 1676, the two forts were reoccupied by the French. On 20 May 1676, Governor of Acadia Jacques de Chambly was re-established as the governor of Acadia, the dispute over the colony was resolved by the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678, in which the Dutch withdrew their claim to the colony. The treaty, which did not mention the claim specifically, also ended the Franco-Dutch War, Acadia History of the Acadians Military history of Nova Scotia History of Maine New Netherland Texts L. -A. Vigneras, “Letters of an Acadian trader 1674–1676, ” N. Eng, History of Nova Scotia, p.154 Capt. Acadiensis Endnotes
30.
Battle of Solebay
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The naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style,7 June New Style 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The battle ended inconclusively, with both sides claiming victory, the Duke of York and Vice-Admiral Comte Jean II dEstrées planned to blockade the Dutch in their home ports and deny the North Sea to Dutch shipping. The Dutch main fleet came too late, mainly due to problems between the five Dutch admiralties, to prevent a joining of the English and French fleets. It followed the Allied fleet to the north, which, unaware of this, on 7 June the Allies were caught by surprise and got into disarray when the Dutch fleet, having the weather gauge, suddenly appeared on the horizon in the early morning. The French fleet, whether through accident or design, steered south followed by Banckerts fifteen ships, nevertheless, the Superbe was heavily damaged and des Rabesnières killed by fire from Enno Doedes Stars Groningen, total French casualties were about 450. This left the Dutch van and centre to fight it out with the English, the Duke of York had to move his flag twice, finally to London, as his flagships Prince and St Michael were taken out of action. The Prince was crippled by De Ruyters flagship De Zeven Provinciën in a two hours duel, Lieutenant-Admiral Aert Jansse van Nes on the Eendracht first duelled Vice-Admiral Edward Spragge on HMS London and then was attacked by HMS Royal Katherine. The flagship of Admiral Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, HMS Royal James, was first fiercely engaged by Lieutenant-Admiral Van Ghent, Van Ghent was however killed by shrapnel. The Royal James now drifted away, sinking, and was attacked by fire ships. She sank two, but a third, Vrede, commanded by Jan Daniëlszoon van den Rijn, its approach shielded by Vice-Admiral Isaac Sweerss Oliphant, during the battle the wind shifted, giving the English the weather gauge, and in the late afternoon the Dutch withdrew. The battle ended inconclusively at sunset, both sides claimed victory, the Dutch with the more justification as the English-French plan to blockade the Dutch was abandoned. The fleets met again at the Battle of Schooneveld in 1673, not all fireships are listed, there were about 24 of them on the Allied,36 on the Dutch side. Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Solebay after this battle, the Battle of Solebay at ship-wrecks. co. uk Lynn, John A. The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667-1714
31.
Battle of Schooneveld
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The Dutch victories in the two battles, and at the Battle of Texel that followed in August, saved their country from an Anglo-French invasion. The Franco-Dutch War of 1672–1678 resulted from the attempts of Louis XIV of France to annex the Spanish Netherlands, in 1672, troops from France, Münster and Cologne invaded the Netherlands by land, while Englands navy attacked Dutch shipping and threatened a seaborne invasion. The conflict between England and the Republic is commonly called the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Orangists themselves were in fact subsidised by the English. In fact, De Ruyter did not feel too sure about Tromp himself, Tromp cared for battle honours above all else. The Schooneveld basin, between two shoals, was so narrow the allies could not take advantage of their numerical superiority. There, De Ruyter was joined by Tromp, adding the squadrons of the admiralties of Amsterdam and the Northern Quarter to that of the Admiralty of de Maze, on 2 June 1673, the allies, deciding they had waited long enough, approached the Dutch fleet. Prince Rupert had a superiority in ships, men and cannon — indeed the Dutch admirals nicknamed their fleet the Little Hope. The Dutch fleet was smaller than usual because the Admiralty of Frisia was unable to assist, however a sudden storm prevented a battle. The Dutch van was commanded by Tromp, the centre by Lieutenant-Admiral Aert Jansse van Nes under direct supervision of De Ruyter himself and the rear by Lieutenant-Admiral Adriaen Banckert. Rupert, convinced that the smaller Dutch fleet would withdraw to Hellevoetsluis when pressed, detached a squadron at nine in the morning to cut off the retreating Dutch from the north. In this taskforce he concentrated all lighter ships from the regular squadrons so that it would be able to more easily over the shoals. However, De Ruyter did not budge, when however the squadron at last returned to the main allied line, joining Ruperts squadron, the Dutch started to move, but surprisingly in the direction of the enemy. This forced Rupert to attack immediately to prevent the Dutch from gaining the weather gauge, the battle began at noon and lasted for nine hours. Using his superior knowledge of the waters, De Ruyter was able to manoeuvre his fleet so close to the shoals that the allies found it difficult to engage without grounding. Rupert first made contact with the squadron of Cornelis Tromp and he had now about half of the allied fleet with him. Sailing slowly to the northeast after some time he reached the edge of the basin, the frigate squadron was now in complete disarray however and couldnt execute such a complicated manoeuvre. Nor did Rupert choose the direct attack and he was much criticised for this afterwards and defended himself by claiming his approach would have been blocked by shoals. This was simply not true and Rupert knew it and this greatly surprised the French fleet
Brandenburg-Prussia
Swedish Empire
