Norway during the Great Northern War
The
Setting the stage for war
Between 1561 and 1658,
In the late 1690s Russia, who had also lost territory to Sweden, allied with Denmark–Norway, together with the duke of Saxony, who expected a reconquest of territory lost by his kingdom, Poland, to strengthen his domestic position. When the young Charles XII ascended Sweden's throne in 1697, the opportunity appeared ripe for recapturing lost territory.
Battle of Narva
In 1700 the three powers attacked and for Sweden the difficulty of a three front war had to be faced. No one expected what followed. The early part of the war consisted of a continual string of Swedish victories under
In Norway
Frederick IV of Denmark distrusted the nobility and gentry and surrounded himself with ministers and advisers of humble origin. The one exception was the king's half-brother, Ulrich Christian Gyldenløve, who at the age of 24 was General-Admiral and Commander in Chief of the Navy. Frederick toured Norway in 1704 to assess the condition of his army and his second kingdom. In the morning, at the noon stop, and in the evenings the king held audiences with all who wanted to speak to him, from wealthy landowners to lowly peasants.[3][4]
Battle of Poltava
Charles XII was defeated by Peter in the Battle of Poltava (located in modern day Ukraine) in June 1709, and his army was virtually annihilated. He fled to the Ottoman Empire and spent five years in exile there.
On the Western Front
In November 1709 Denmark invaded
In Norway
During September 1709 Norwegian forces were ordered to mobilise, and by the end of October 6,000 men were assembled on the Swedish border at Svinesund while 1,500 were congregated near the border at Kongsvinger.
In August, 1710 Baron Waldemar Løvendal returned in Norway as Governor and commander of a country much drained in resources by the wars of the past century. The governor threw himself into building the civil and military leadership in the country just a short march from Sweden. When he left Norway in 1712, he had instituted reforms that served to create a civil service in Norway, and proceeded to document state activities to a degree never before seen in Norway, as well as being a strong military leader.[6]
Baron Løvendal raised and equipped a Norwegian Army to invade and recapture the former Norwegian province of Bohuslän under the leadership of General-Lieutenant Caspar Herman Hausmann. In parallel he proposed a strong fleet to provide protection and transportation to seaward, and Frederick IV committed to providing such a force under Vice Admiral Sehested in June 1711. In August, the Norwegian army marched into Bohuslän, warmly welcomed by their former countrymen[citation needed]. But by late summer the fleet Vice Admiral Sehested’s fleet had not appeared offshore, having been ordered by Frederick IV to return to Baltic waters. Without naval support, the Norwegian Army was forced to return to Norway.[7]
In the autumn of 1711 the plague struck Denmark, and Copenhagen alone lost 70,000 occupants.
1712 was a disappointing year in Norway, as Frederick IV directed Løvendal not to use the Norwegian Army in offensive actions, reserving it for defense and for supplementing Danish troops elsewhere. General Hausmann was named head of all Norway’s land and sea defenses.
Public rebellion
The taxations that followed from warfare and the forced mobilization of Norwegian farm boys led to uprising and riots in some parts of Norway. Among the most known cases are the farmer's tax rebellion in 1713 (Hallingdal), and a soldier's strike in 1720 (Telemark). In 1713, two leading farmers in Hallingdal spoke against the Danish authorities, demanding an end to war taxation, because the farmers could not bear the costs. Eventually, the tax collectors found doors shut all over the region, and had to call in a public meeting. The two leaders were tried and sentenced to labour in the fortress of Akershus. One of them, Elling Villand, who also was sentenced to give away his farm, was freed less than half a year later, and sat on his farm until he died.
In Telemark, Olav Olavsson Hovdejord a local sheriff and leading farmer stood up against the German
The Fall of Stralsund
Only the firmness of the Chancellor, Count Arvid Horn, held Sweden in the war until Charles finally returned from the Ottoman Empire, arriving in Swedish held Stralsund in November 1714 on the south shore of the Baltic. Charles was by now at war with most of Northern Europe, and Stralsund was doomed. Charles remained there until December, 1715, escaping only days before Stralsund fell. By this point, Charles was considered mad by many, as he would not consider peace and the price Sweden had paid was already dear, with no hope in sight. All of Sweden’s Baltic and German possessions were lost.
The Norwegian Campaigns
The 1716 Campaign in Norway
Not one to consider peace, upon his return to Sweden Charles began gathering materials and men for another campaign, this time against Copenhagen, attacking across the frozen
The Norwegian Army had been weakened in early 1716 by withdrawal of 5000 of the best troops to support the defense of Denmark; further Norwegian Commander-in-Chief
Upon hearing of this defeat, General Lützow withdrew his forward troops and established a defensive position at Christiania. The Swedish forces advanced and, leaving a greatly strengthened garrison in Akershus fortress at Christiania, on March 19 Lützow withdrew to Bragernes in Drammen. The Norwegian scorched earth policy and guerrilla raid interdiction of supply chains by the residents of Bohuslän denied Charles of supplies[citation needed]. Further, the Norwegian fortresses behind his lines threatened his retreat if he became seriously weakened in combat. Charles took the city of Christiania, but without heavy siege artillery was unable to take Akershus Fortress.
After a brief occupation of Christiania, Charles retraced his steps to the
Charles' troops attempted to take Fredriksten by storm on July 4. His troops took the town after fierce fighting, but the citizens set fire to their homes and Charles, unable to take the fortress, was forced to retreat and await the arrival of heavy guns in the aftermath of the Battle of Dynekilen.
Commodore
The 1717 Norwegian Hiatus
Even with his defeat, Charles still planned to redeem himself by a Norwegian invasion. 1717 became a year of rebuilding for both sides. Action was limited to unsuccessful attacks by Commodore Tordenskjold's squadron on Gothenburg and Strömstad. As a result of the failures, Commodore Tordenskjold was relieved of Command of the North Sea fleet.
The 1718 Campaign in Norway
Commodore
Conclusion
The war was finally concluded in 1721. Sweden had lost almost all of her overseas holdings gained in the 17th century, and was no longer a major power. Russia took the Baltic territories, and from then on was the major power in the east. The balance of power between Sweden and Denmark-Norway was restored.
References
- ^ "Norge i den store nordiske krig". University of Oslo. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Store nordiske krig". lokalhistoriewiki.no. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Magne Njåstad. "Den store nordiske krig". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Magne Njåstad. "Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve – dansk-norsk admiral". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Magne Njåstad. "Magnus, greve Stenbock". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Jon Gunnar Arntzen. "Løvendal". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Knut Sprauten. "Caspar Herman Hausmann". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Magne Njåstad. "Olav Olavsson Hovdejord". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Magne Njåstad. "Barthold Heinrich von Lützow". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Einar Sørensen. "Den store nordiske krig - 1709 til 1720". Terra Buskerud historieboka. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Andreas Rosenpalm". Den Store Danske. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
Other sources
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2015) |
- Sweden and the Baltic, 1523 - 1721, by Andrina Stiles, Hodder & Stoughton, 1992 ISBN 0-340-54644-1
- The Struggle for Supremacy in the Baltic: 1600-1725 by Jill Lisk; Funk & Wagnalls, New York, 1967
- The Northern Wars, 1558-1721 by ISBN 0-582-06429-5
- Norges festninger by ISBN 82-00-18430-7
- Admiral Thunderbolt by Hans Christian Adamson, Chilton Company, 1958
- East Norway and its Frontier by Frank Noel Stagg, George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. 1956