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Battle of Axtorna | |||||||
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Part of Northern Seven Years' War | |||||||
Old danish propaganda image of the battle | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Sweden | Denmark–Norway | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Jakob Henriksson | Daniel Rantzau | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
11,100 [lower-alpha 1] –20,000 [1] men | 7,400 [lower-alpha 2] –9,000 [1] men 21 artillery pieces | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,200–1,700 | 300–2,500 | ||||||
4,000 men from both sides [2] |
The Battle of Axtorna or simply Axtorna, was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and Denmark-Norway 20 October 1565 at Axtorna, a small village in what is today Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County in south-western Sweden.
The Danish commander Daniel Rantzau had been forced to yield the fortress Varberghus to the Swedes on 15 September 1565, [3] after they had taken Ny Varberg, then Halland's largest city. Rantzau received the news that a Swedish army of superior strength led by Jacob Henriksson Hästesko was approaching from the east, forcing him to move his forces toward Falkenberg. Rantzau had decided to commit to combat since the Swedish force had just arrived from its march and hadn't rearranged into a militarily cohesive unit.
The Danes won as a consequence of their superior cavalry tactic [4] and Rantzau became a renowned general after the battle and throughout the war. [3] Despite the victory and the capture of the Swedish artillery, the Danish had suffered great losses and stayed near the battlefield for a week, while large portions of the Swedish army were intact.
Halland is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (landskap), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro, it was part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Its name means Land of Rocky Slabs referring to the coastal cliffs of especially the northern part of the region.
The Battle of Gadebusch or Wakenstädt was Sweden's final great victory in the Great Northern War. It was fought by the Swedes to prevent the loss of the city of Stralsund to Danish and Saxon forces.
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Daniel Rantzau was a Danish-German general. He was known for his leadership during the Northern Seven Years' War. For some years, he fought in Germany and Italy, and also took part in the Danish conquest of Dithmarschen in western Holstein during 1559. Rantzau also seems to have been a clear pro-war spokesman before the outbreak of the Northern Seven Years' War with Sweden in 1563.
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Events from the 1560s in Denmark.
Events from the year 1565 in Sweden
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Scanian Regiment, was a Danish national infantry regiment 1615–1658. It was raised among the peasantry in Skåneland to augment the mercenary army, and fought against Habsburg during the Thirty Years' War and against Sweden in 1657–1658. When Skåne was ceded to Sweden in 1658, it was disbanded.
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The Siege of Älvsborg, also known as the Siege of Elfsborg, was a siege of the Swedish fortress of Älfsborg by the Danish army under King Frederick II at the start of the Northern Seven Years' War. The siege ended in a quick Danish victory, and the Swedish commander would surrender the fort before any direct assault would be initiated.