Blaker skanse | |
---|---|
Blaker, Norway | |
Site history | |
Built | 1675 |
Materials | wood |
Battles/wars | Swedish invasion 1718 |
Blaker Fortress (Blaker skanse) is a former defense facility located at the village of Blaker in Viken county, Norway. [1]
It was one of the Norwegian fortresses which were constructed in the period of intense competition among the Baltic powers (Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland and the German states) for northern supremacy. In 1675 Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, Governor-general of Norway, indicated an intent to construct a fortress in the Glomma river where Blaker lies as part of his general program of Norwegian fortification upgrades. His objective was a stronghold available both to serve as a safe defensive position when necessary and a location to station troops who could take the offensive against invaders when the opportunity availed itself. Blaker Fortress saw action in 1718, when it was surrounded by the invading Swedish army, but the siege collapsed upon the death of King Charles XII of Sweden in front of Fredriksten Fortress.
The 17th and beginning of the 18th century was a period of virtually continuous war or preparation for war, as follows:
Blaker Fortress was de-commissioned as a fortress in 1820, but remained a military area until 1893. From 1917 to 2003, Statens Husflidsskole (now University College of Akershus conducted classes on site. [2] [3] [4]
Akershus is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county that included most of Eastern Norway, and from the 17th century until 2020, Akershus also had a more narrow meaning as a (sub) county that included most of the Greater Oslo Region. After 2020 the former county of Akershus was merged into Viken along with the former counties of Østfold and Buskerud. In 2022 the Storting voted to dissolve Viken and reestablish Akershus county.
Fredriksten is a fortress in the city of Halden in Norway.
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress has been the namesake and centre of the main fief and later main county of Akershus, which was originally one of Norway's four main regions and which included most of Eastern Norway. The fortress itself was located within the Akershus main county until 1919, and also within the smaller Akershus sub county until 1842.
Fredriksvern was an important Norwegian naval base, just south of Larvik in Vestfold. It is named after Fredrik V Denmark-Norway. The town of Stavern has in many ways come to be because of this naval base.
Staverns Fortress was a military facility located on the island of Citadelløya at Stavern in Vestfold, Norway.
Fortification Upgrades (1673–1675) was a re-organization of military forces and strengthening of the defenses of Norway. The Norwegian army in this period became much better prepared for conflict with Sweden than in any previous period. It numbered 12,000 men in five regiments of infantry, 6 companies of cavalry, and an artillery division with 76 field pieces. An additional Norwegian regiment was serving in Denmark.
Bohus Fortress lies along the old Norwegian–Swedish border in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches. It commands the surrounding area from a cliff 40 m (130 ft) high, with the river forming a natural moat around it.
The Great Northern War was the war fought between a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Russia and Saxony-Poland on one side and Sweden on the other side from 1700 to 1721. It started by a coordinated attack on Sweden by the coalition in 1700, and ended 1721 with the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystad, and the Stockholm Treaties. As a result of the war, Russia supplanted Sweden as the dominant power on the shores of the Baltic Sea, becoming a major player in European politics.
Kristiansten Fortress is located on a hill east of the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway, named after Christian V of Denmark-Norway. It was built after the city fire of Trondheim in 1681 to protect the city against attack from the east. Construction was finished in 1685. It fulfilled its purpose in 1718 when Swedish forces laid siege against Trondheim. The fortress was decommissioned in 1816 by King Charles XIV John.
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–Norwegian 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.
Blaker is a village and a former municipality of Akershus county, Norway.
Kongsvinger Fortress is located in the city and municipality of Kongsvinger in the county of Hedmark, Norway. It is situated on a hill west and north of the Glomma river, standing astride the ancient Vinger Royal Road, which connected Norway and Värmland, Sweden as well as on the north-south Norwegian route along the Glomma. As Kongsvinger formed a key junction point for these routes, fortifications were constructed there to protect against invasion from the east.
Anthony Coucheron was an engineering officer. Coucheron played an important role in the history of Norwegian and Danish fortifications. As Sweden grew to be a great power in the 17th century, there were frequent wars in the Baltic region, and conflict was common along the borders between Sweden & Denmark-Norway. Easy invasions routes from Sweden were fortified on the Danish-Norwegian border with new or upgraded fortresses during this period, effectively establishing the modern borders between Norway & Sweden. Anthony Coucheron played a major role in fortification of the border, both in Norway and Denmark in addition, he participated with honor in combat during the Gyldenløve War.
The siege of Fredriksten was an attack on the Norwegian fortress of Fredriksten in the city of Fredrikshald by King Charles XII of Sweden. While inspecting his troops' lines, Charles XII was killed by a projectile. The Swedes broke off the siege, and the Norwegians held the fortress. Along with the Treaty of Nystad three years later, the death of Charles XII marked the end of the imperial era in Sweden, and the beginning of the Age of Liberty in that country.
Reinhold von Hoven was a Danish-German Military Officer in Norwegian service.
Elverum (help·info) is a town in Elverum Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality. It is located in the western part of the municipality along the river Glomma, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of the town of Hamar. The town is the regional centre for commerce and industry for the middle Østerdalen valley and the northern part of Solør. The old village of Elverum has grown over the years and in 1996, the municipal council granted Elverum town status.
60°00′13″N11°18′22″E / 60.00361°N 11.30611°E