Battle of Uddevalla

Last updated
Battle of Uddevalla
Part of the Scanian War
Suecia 3-116 ; Uddevalla.jpg
Uddevalla around 1700
DateAugust 28, 1677
Location
Result Danish-Norwegian victory
Belligerents
Flag of Sweden.svg Swedish Empire Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark-Norway
Commanders and leaders
Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve
Strength
3,000 5,600
Casualties and losses
500 Unknown, similar to the Swedes

The Battle of Uddevalla took place at Uddevalla on August 28, 1677 as part of the Scanian War.

Contents

Prelude

After the fall of Marstrand to the Norwegians, Gothenburg had become vulnerably exposed. Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie assembled a force of 3,000 Swedes of which 1,200 were fresh cavalry recruits and 1,500 were impressed Dalecarlians. The force camped at Vänersborg on August 10, and moved from there to Uddevalla. However, a strong Danish-Norwegian force of 5,600 men led by Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve was approaching from Norway and caught up with the Swedish force.

The battle

De la Gardie deployed his troops for a set-piece defence, but the Gyldenløve began flanking the Swedes, attempting to cut off their escape route to the river Göta älv. De la Gardie had to order his cavalry to cover the Swedish infantry's retreat to the river, but when the superior Danish cavalry charged the Swedish cavalry, it ran away without firing a shot. De la Gardie himself was almost captured, and the battle devolved into a disorganized rout (a Danish source described the Swedes "scampering like hares among the rocks"). Only at Kuru Bro, 5 km east of Uddevalla, did the fleeing Swedes make a stand. The Dalecarlians held their positions, their pikes defending the bridge from the attacking cavalry until the Swedish force had crossed, after which the bridge was demolished.

Aftermath

The Swedish army reached safety behind Göta Älv, but its losses amounted to 500 men and 9 cannons. The outcome of the battle was blamed on the poorly trained Swedish troops and the incompetence of de la Gardie as a military leader. After the battle, he requested and was relieved of his command, with sharp reprimands from the king.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Lesnaya</span> 1708 battle of the Great Northern War

The Battle of Lesnaya was one of the major battles of the Great Northern War. It took place on October 9 [O.S. September 28] 1708 between a Russian army of between 26,500 and 29,000 men commanded by Peter I of Russia, Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn, Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov, Christian Felix Bauer and Nikolai Grigorovitj von Werden and a Swedish army of about 12,500 men commanded by Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt and Berndt Otto Stackelberg, at the village of Lesnaya, located close to the border between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia. The Swedes were escorting a supply column of more than 4,500 wagons for their main army in Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fredriksten</span> Historic fortress in Halden, Viken, Norway

Fredriksten is a fortress in the city of Halden in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Lund</span> 1676 battle of the Scanian War

The Battle of Lund, part of the Scanian War, was fought on December 4, 1676, in an area north of the city of Lund in Scania in southern Sweden, between the invading Danish army and the army of Charles XI of Sweden. 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 the 21-year-old Swedish king Charles XI. It is one of the bloodiest battles in percent of casualties on both sides ever fought in Scandinavia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scanian War</span> 1675–79 conflict between the Swedish Empire and Denmark–Norway

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 and Norway provinces along the border with Sweden, and in Northern Germany. While the latter battles are regarded as a theater of the Scanian war in English, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish historiography, they are seen as a separate war in German historiography, called the Swedish-Brandenburgian War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Halmstad</span> Battle during the Scanian War

The Battle of Halmstad, also known as the Battle at Fyllebro, was fought on August 17, 1676, at Fyllebro, approximately five kilometres south of the town of Halmstad in the province of Halland in southwest Sweden. It was the last battle in Halland between Denmark and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld</span> Swedish field marshal

Count Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld was a Swedish Field Marshal (Fältmarskalk) and Royal Councillor. He was mentor and chief military advisor to King Charles XII of Sweden, and served as deputy commander-in-chief of the Carolean Army, an army he assisted both in its education and development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Gothenburg</span> Aspect of history

The history ofGothenburg begins with the foundation of the city in 1621, although by that time people had already been living in the area for thousands of years, since the Neolithic Period, and moreover there had already been a series of earlier settlements on the lower Göta Älv, including one which also bore the name Gothenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Marstrand</span> 1677 battle of the Scanian War

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.

The Conquest of Jemtland refers to the Norwegian (re-)conquest of the province of Jämtland in the summer of 1677 during the Scanian War. The conquest was short-lived; Sweden was able to regain control of the province in November the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dano-Swedish War (1658–1660)</span> War between Denmark–Norway and Sweden that took place between 1658-60

The Dano-Swedish War of 1658–1660 was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden, with the former backed by the Dutch Republic and Poland. It is known in Denmark as the Second Karl Gustav War, in Norway as Bjelkes Feud in Sweden as Karl Gustav's Second Danish War, and in the Netherlands as the Swedish-Dutch War.

The military history of Norway commences before the Viking Age with the internal wars fought between regional kings to obtain the supreme kingship of the whole of Norway. The most famous period of Norwegian history and thus military history is the Viking Age, but the early Middle Ages was the era when Norwegian military power in Europe reached its peak. Since then the Norwegian military has experienced long periods of neglect, but also rearmament and victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dano-Swedish War of 1808–1809</span> War

The Dano–Swedish War of 1808–1809 was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden due to Denmark–Norway's alliance with France and Sweden's alliance with the United Kingdom during the Napoleonic Wars. Neither Sweden nor Denmark-Norway had wanted war to begin with but once pushed into it through their respective alliances, Sweden made a bid to acquire Norway by way of invasion while Denmark-Norway made ill-fated attempts to reconquer territories lost to Sweden in the 17th century. Peace was concluded on grounds of status quo ante bellum on 10 December 1809.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kletsk (1706)</span> Battle of the Great Northern War

The Battle of Kletsk took place on 30 April 1706, in- and outside the city of Kletsk, Belarus during Charles XII's Polish campaign of 1701–1706, in the Great Northern War. The Swedish forces were led by Carl Gustaf Creutz who defeated a larger Russian–Cossack force under the command of Semjon Nepljujev and Danylo Apostol. Many of the Russian and Cossack regiments participating in the battle were wiped out and ceased to exist as fighting units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Wenden (1626)</span>

Battle of Wenden was a battle fought during the Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629), between Sweden and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on December 3, 1626 at Wenden in present-day Latvia. Swedish forces were led by Gustav Horn and Hans Wrangel. Lithuanian forces were led by Aleksander Gosiewski. The Swedes won the battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Krasnokutsk–Gorodnoye</span> 1709 battle of the Great Northern War

The Battle of Krasnokutsk–Gorodnoye took place on February 20–22, 1709, in the Swedish campaign of Russia during the Great Northern War. The Swedish troops were directly led by Charles XII King of Sweden who persecuted a force of Russians commanded by Karl Evald von Rönne from the minor battle of Krasnokutsk to the town Gorodnoye where a new battle took place. The Swedes were victorious but cancelled their offensive when the night fell.

The Battle of Selburg was fought during the Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629), between Sweden and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in September 1626. The Polish forces under Aleksander Gosiewski managed to recapture Selburg from the Swedes earlier in 1626 and stationed their troops in the castle. In response the Swedish general Jacob De la Gardie gathered his force to once again capture the town for the Swedes.

The Battle of Wismar took place on December 5, 1711 close to Wismar, Swedish Empire during the Great Northern War. A 3,000 strong Danish force under the command of Jørgen Rantzau blocked the Swedish city of Wismar. The Swedes under Martin von Schoultz, sent out 2,500 men from their garrison in an attempt to surprise the Danish forces camping a distance away. However, the Danish commander got words of the approaching Swedes and countered them, resulting in 478 Swedes dead, with another 1,500 captured to only 300 Danes killed and wounded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attack on Marstrand</span> Dano-Norwegian siege of the town of Marstrand and Carlsten fortress

The Attack on Marstrand was a successful Dano-Norwegian siege of the Swedish town of Marstrand and Carlsten fortress which took place between July 10 and July 16, 1719 during the end of the Great Northern War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battles at Göta Älv</span> Battle during the Great Northern War

The battles at Göta älv were a series of battles and sieges which took place in and around the Gothenburg area between 1717 and 1719, between the Swedish Empire and Denmark–Norway, during the Great Northern War.

References