The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I of Russia, Frederick IV of Denmark–Norway and Augustus II the Strong of Saxony–Poland–Lithuania. Frederick IV and Augustus II were defeated by Sweden, under Charles XII, and forced out of the alliance in 1700 and 1706 respectively, but rejoined it in 1709 after the defeat of Charles XII at the Battle of Poltava. George I of Great Britain and the Electorate of Hanover joined the coalition in 1714 for Hanover and in 1717 for Britain, and Frederick William I of Brandenburg-Prussia joined it in 1715.
Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII or Carolus Rex, was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of Wittelsbach. Charles was the only surviving son of Charles XI and Ulrika Eleonora the Elder. He assumed power, after a seven-month caretaker government, at the age of fifteen.
Fredriksten is a fortress in the city of Halden in Norway.
Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold, commonly referred to as Tordenskjold, was a Norwegian nobleman and flag officer who spent his career in the service of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the rank of vice-admiral for his services in the Great Northern War. Born in the Norwegian city of Trondheim, Peter Wessel travelled to Copenhagen in 1704, and eventually enlisted in the navy.
The naval Battle of Dynekilen took place on 8 July 1716 during the Great Northern War between a Dano-Norwegian fleet under Peter Tordenskjold and a Swedish fleet under Olof Strömstierna. The battle resulted in a Dano-Norwegian victory.
Cort Sivertsen Adeler, known in Denmark as Coort Sifvertsen Adelaer, in the Netherlands as Koert Sievertsen Adelaer and in Italy as Curzio Suffrido Adelborst, was the name of honour given to Kurt Sivertsen, a Norwegian seaman, who rendered distinguished service to the Danish and Dutch navies, and also to the Republic of Venice against the Turks.
Niels Juel was a Danish admiral and a Danish naval hero. He served as supreme command of the Dano-Norwegian Navy during the late 17th century and oversaw development of the Danish-Norwegian Navy.
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.
Fredrikstad fortress was a fortification in Fredrikstad, Norway. It was the base of the Østfold Regiment, with defence related responsibilities for the east side of Oslofjord.
New Älvsborg, so-called to distinguish it from the earlier fortress at Old Älvsborg, is a sea fort on the island of Kyrkogårdsholmen within the urban area of modern Gothenburg, Sweden. Situated near the mouth of the Göta River, it protected what was at the time of its construction Sweden's only access to the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Construction began in 1653, and the fortress remained in service until 1869, though it only saw significant action in one conflict, the Great Northern War.
Olof Strömstierna (1664–1730) was a Swedish naval officer and admiral. He was born as Olof Knape but became ennobled under the name Strömstierna in 1715.
Henrik Ruben Genz is a Danish film director.
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.
Events in the year 1720 in Norway.
The Battle of Kolding on January 9, 1644 was the opening engagement of the Torstenson War between the Swedish Empire and Denmark-Norway. The battle was primarily a cavalry engagement between Swedish and Danish cavalry near the Danish seaport of Kolding. The encounter was part of the wider Thirty Years' War, which saw heavy fighting in Central Europe. The Danish army made a defensive stand only to be overrun by the advancing Swedes. It was a decisive victory for the Swedish forces and by the end of January the Jutland peninsula was a Swedish possession.
The Battle of Strömstad took place on July 19, 1717 at Strömstad during the Great Northern War. The Swedish army of about 1,800 men under the command of Johan Giertta defeated the Danish fleet of several larger vessels and perhaps 4,000 men under Peder Tordenskjold. Peter tried to destroy the stocks of supplies Sweden had gathered for the upcoming invasion of Norway. In the battle about 200 Swedes were either dead or wounded and about 350 Norwegians.
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.
Axel Hjalmar Ender was a Norwegian painter and sculptor, remembered primarily for his genre painting.
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.
Michael Bille (1680–1756) was an officer in the Danish Royal Navy during the Great Northern War. He was commissioned as a junior lieutenant in 1699, advancing steadily to become Vice admiral when he retired in 1737.
