Battle of Nyborg
Battle of Nyborg | |||||||
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Part of the Second Northern War | |||||||
Battle of Nyborg depicted by Willem Swidde | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Swedish Empire | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Philip Florinus of Sulzbach Gustaf Otto Stenbock |
Hans Schack Ernst Albrecht von Eberstein Stefan Czarniecki Michiel de Ruyter | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
5,000[1]–7,000[2] | 9,000[3]–11,200[4] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2,000 killed, 3,000 or more captured the day after[1] | 1,900 killed and wounded[3] |
The Battle of Nyborg took place between Sweden and the combined forces of Denmark, Dutch naval forces under Michiel de Ruyter, troops of Brandenburg-Prussia, and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth forces under Stefan Czarniecki. The battle was engaged on 14 November 1659 at Nyborg on the Danish island of Funen. Nyborg was the final major battle of the Dano-Swedish War of 1658 to 1660.
Swedish Imperial field marshal Philip Florinus of Sulzbach, leading the vanquished Swedish forces, was forced to save his own life by fleeing under cover of night. The battle is considered one of the most important Danish victories of the war.[5]
Background
After the disastrous
Prelude
Schack attempted first on 28 October to initiate a direct landing at Nyborg. However it failed, due to bad weather. Instead he completed a landing at
Eberstein suggested that a war council would be held, but this was denied by Schack. There were disputes between the two commanders regarding the command of the allied forces. The two eventually decided to lead their own troops, and would switch the main command of the forces with each other in the coming days. The Swedes under the command of Sulzbach knew of the allied movement, and decided to engage the allied forces near the city.
Battle
Early in the morning of 14 November, Eberstein reached the Swedes 3-4 km northwest from Nyborg. Sulzbach had positioned his forces between the Hjulby Sø, a small lake on his left flank and a big forest on the right near the hamlet of Skaboshuse. Sulzbach would use the forest as cover, if retreating was necessary. For the allies, it was agreed that Eberstein would lead the northern left flank, while Schack would lead the southern right. The Swedes had a force of 5,000 experienced but battle-weary men against the allied combined force of 9,000. The allied force was divided into two, and consisted mostly of Danish troops, but also Prussian and Polish troops, led by famed Polish general and nobleman Stefan Czarniecki.
At 11 a.m the battle began. Schack saw the manoeuvre of Eberstein and went into a similar battle formation. Before Schack could advance, Eberstein launched three attacks against the Swedes, but they were repelled. Sulzbach ordered a cavalry counterattack against Eberstein’s flank. Eberstein himself was almost captured but managed to escape. Schack saw the importance of preventing Eberstein’s forces from breaking, and mounted an attack on the Swedish left flank and center.
Unbeknownst to the Swedes, allied Lieutenant General Hans Ahlefeldt[6] had intended to move through the Hjulby Sø with his cavalry, and attack the Swedish left flank from there. He reached the lake and began the crossing. Once it was done, he ordered the cavalry to charge. This caught the Swedes off guard, and caused them to retreat back to Nyborg. During the retreat, many of the fleeing Swedes were cut down by the allied cavalry.
On the 15 November the allies had reached Nyborg, where they began bombarding the city with artillery. After a Dutch naval landing by Michiel de Ruyter, the remaining 3,000 Swedish troops had no choice but to surrender. The battle had lasted for 5 hours.
Aftermath
The Swedish king
See also
References
- ^ a b Fredrik Ferdinand Carlson, Carl Fredrik Ernst Carlson. Carl X Gustaf. P.A. Norstedt, 1855. p. 420
- ^ Bruijn 2011, p. 158.
- ^ a b Claes–Göran Isacsson. Karl X Gustavs krig: Fälttågen i Polen, Tyskland, Baltikum, Danmark och Sverige 1655-1660. Svenska Historiska Media Förlag AB, 2015. pp. 252–253
- ^ Tersmeden 1964, p. 111.
- ^ "Karl 10. Gustav" (in Danish). Europas stormaget - historie og krige. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ Rockstroh 2011.
Sources
- ISBN 978-9-49025-8030.
- Tersmeden, Lars (1964). Aktuellt och historiskt : Karl X Gustav, pfalzgreven Filip av Sulzbach och slaget om Fyn 1659. Malmö: Beyronds A.B. OCLC 1089945445.
- Rockstroh, Knud Christian (17 July 2011), Hans Ahlefeldt (officer), Dansk biografisk leksikon, retrieved 16 April 2024