Siege of Stralsund (1678)

Last updated

Battle of Stralsund
Part of Scanian War
Stralsund 1678.JPG
Plan of Stralsund in 1678
Date20 September – 15 October 1678
Location
Stralsund, Swedish Pomerania (now in Germany)
Result

Brandenburg-Prussian victory

Belligerents
Flag of Brandenburg.svg Brandenburg-Prussia Flag of Sweden.svg Swedish Empire
Commanders and leaders
Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg Otto Wilhelm von Königsmarck
Strength
21,500
80 guns
6,000
154 guns

The siege of Stralsund was an armed engagement between the Electorate of Brandenburg and the Swedish Empire from 20 September to 15 October 1678, during the Scanian War. [1] After two days of bombardment on 10 and 11 October, the severely devastated Swedish fortress of Stralsund surrendered to the Brandenburgers. [1] The remainder of Swedish Pomerania was taken by the end of the year, [2] yet most of the province including Stralsund was returned to Sweden by the terms of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the Peace of Lund, both concluded in 1679.

Contents

Prelude

Invasion of Swedish Rugen by Brandenburg, 1678 Belagerung ruegen.jpg
Invasion of Swedish Rügen by Brandenburg, 1678

The Scanian War reached Swedish Pomerania when after the Battle of Fehrbellin (1675) the retreating Swedish forces were pursued by a Brandenburgian army under "Great Elector" Frederick William I's command. [1] Stralsund was one of only two major fortresses Sweden maintained in Pomerania, the other one being Stettin. [3] After the Brandenburgian army had captured Stettin and Wolgast, Stralsund was seriously threatened. [1] In addition, Danish forces had landed on Rügen in 1677, aided by a disloyal Rugian noble. [4]

Thus, all buildings outside the fortifications were levelled in 1677 to strip an imminent Brandenburgian attack of cover. [1] Stralsund then held a population of 8,500, including armed burghers, [5] and close to 5,000 Swedish, German and Finnish foot and horse. [6]

Siege

Frederick William I positioned his artillery south of the town and started bombardment on 10 October 1678. [1] His aim was to force Swedish commander Otto Wilhelm von Königsmarck [7] into surrender by abundantly firing incendiary bombs on the burghers' mansions. [1] The small, newly created Brandenburgian navy also took part in the siege. [8]

Most of the southern half of the town was destroyed when the defendants surrendered the town on 11 October, [1] namely 285 houses, 476 huts, and 194 servant dwellings. [9] [10]

Aftermath

Kurfurst Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg 3.jpeg
Otto Wilhelm von Konigsmarck.jpg
Frederick William I (left) and Königsmarck (right)

Despite great efforts of Frederick William I to win the loyalty of the Swedish Pomeranian population, [11] including generous aid programs to rebuild Stralsund and Stettin, [12] most remained loyal to Sweden. [11] After the fall of Stralsund, there were only few Swedish-held areas left in Swedish Pomerania, all of which Frederick William I had cleared by the end of 1678. [2]

Stralsund was returned to Sweden in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1679). [1] Due to the devastating bombardment of 1678, as well as another fire on 12 June [10] 1680, the population was reduced to about 6,000, with an additional 2,000 garrisoned Swedes. [5] After the 1680 fire destroyed an additional 48 houses, 89 huts, and 82 servant dwellings, only 205 houses, 408 huts, and 158 servant dwellings were still standing. [13]

See also

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stralsund</span> City in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Stralsund, officially the Hanseatic City of Stralsund, is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg and Greifswald, and the second-largest city in the Pomeranian part of the state. It is located at the southern coast of the Strelasund, a sound of the Baltic Sea separating the island of Rügen from the Pomeranian mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greifswald</span> City in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Greifswald, officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpassed Stralsund for the first time, and became the largest city in the Pomeranian part of the state. It sits on the River Ryck, at its mouth into the Danish Wiek, a sub-bay of the Bay of Greifswald, which is itself a sub-bay of the Bay of Pomerania of the Baltic Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anklam</span> Town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Anklam is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the Kleines Haff, the western part of the Stettin Lagoon. Anklam has a population of 12,177 (2021) and was the capital of the former Ostvorpommern district. Since September 2011, it has been part of the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demmin</span> Town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Demmin is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Demmin.

<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">Arvid Wittenberg</span> Field Marshal of Sweden (1606–1657)

Arvid Wittenberg or Arvid Wirtenberg von Debern, Swedish count, field marshal and privy councillor. Born in Porvoo, Finland, died in prison in Zamość, Poland, 7 September 1657. Arvid Wittenberg preferred call himself by the original Wittenberg family name, which was Wirtenberg von Debern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Stralsund (1628)</span> 1628 siege during the Thirty Years War

The siege of Stralsund was a siege laid on Stralsund by Albrecht von Wallenstein's Imperial Army during the Thirty Years' War, from 13 May 1628 to 4 August 1628. Stralsund was aided by Denmark and Sweden, with considerable Scottish participation. The lifting of the siege ended Wallenstein's series of victories, and contributed to his downfall. The Swedish garrison in Stralsund was the first on German soil in history. The battle marked the de facto entrance of Sweden into the war.

The Battle of Wolgast was an engagement in the Thirty Years' War, fought on 22 August (O.S.) or 2 September (N.S.) 1628 near Wolgast, Duchy of Pomerania, Germany.

The County of Gützkow was a county in the Duchy of Pomerania in the High Middle Ages. It was established in 1129 from the Castellany of Gützkow. Following the death of its last count in 1359, it was reestablished into the Vogtei Gützkow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Stettin (1630)</span> 1630 treaty between Sweden and Pomerania

The Treaty of Stettin or Alliance of Stettin was the legal framework for the occupation of the Duchy of Pomerania by the Swedish Empire during the Thirty Years' War. Concluded on 25 August (O.S.) or 4 September 1630 (N.S.), it was predated to 10 July (O.S.) or 20 July 1630 (N.S.), the date of the Swedish Landing. Sweden assumed military control, and used the Pomeranian bridgehead for campaigns into Central and Southern Germany. After the death of the last Pomeranian duke in 1637, forces of the Holy Roman Empire invaded Pomerania to enforce Brandenburg's claims on succession, but they were defeated by Sweden in the ensuing battles. Some of the Pomeranian nobility had changed sides and supported Brandenburg. By the end of the war, the treaty was superseded by the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and the subsequent Treaty of Stettin (1653), when Pomerania was partitioned into a western, Swedish part, and an eastern, Brandenburgian part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace of Lund</span> 1679 peace treaty between Denmark–Norway and the Swedish Empire

The Peace of Lund, signed on 16 September (O.S.) / 26 September 1679, was the final peace treaty between Denmark–Norway and the Swedish Empire in the Scanian War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philipp Julius, Duke of Pomerania</span> Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast

Philipp Julius was duke of Pomerania in the Teilherzogtum Pomerania-Wolgast from 1592 to 1625.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitulation of Franzburg</span> 1627 capitulation treaty of Pomerania to the Holy Roman Empire

The capitulation of Franzburg was a treaty providing for the capitulation of the Duchy of Pomerania to the forces of the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War. It was signed on 10 November (O.S.) or 20 November (N.S.) 1627 by Bogislaw XIV, Duke of Pomerania and Hans Georg von Arnim, commander in chief of an occupation force belonging to the army of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, led by Albrecht von Wallenstein. While the terms of the capitulation were unfavourable for the Duchy of Pomerania already, occupation became even more burdensome when the occupation force did not adhere to the restrictions outlined in Franzburg. Stralsund resisted with Danish, Swedish and Scottish support, another Danish intervention failed. Imperial occupation lasted until Swedish forces invaded in 1630, and subsequently cleared all of the Duchy of Pomerania of imperial forces until 1631.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinrich Holk</span>

Heinrich Holk was a Danish-German mercenary in both Christian IV of Denmark's and Albrecht von Wallenstein's service during the Thirty Years' War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sten Svantesson Bielke</span> Swedish politician

Sten Svantesson Bielke, also Steno Bielke, was a statesman of the Swedish Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1679)</span> 1679 peace treaty between France and Brandenburg

The Treaty or Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of 19 June (OS) or 29 June (NS) 1679 was a peace treaty between France and the Electorate of Brandenburg. It restored to France's ally Sweden her dominions Bremen-Verden and Swedish Pomerania, lost to Brandenburg in the Scanian War. Sweden ratified the treaty on 28 July 1679.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Stralsund (1807)</span> 1807 Siege during the Franco-Swedish War

The siege of Stralsund lasted from 24 July to 24 August, 1807, and saw troops from the First French Empire twice attempt to capture the port city from Lieutenant General Hans Henric von Essen's 15,000-man Swedish garrison. Early that year, Marshal Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier blockaded the city for two months before he was called elsewhere. In his absence, the Swedes drove back the inferior blockading force. After Mortier returned and pushed Essen's troops back in turn, the two sides quickly concluded an armistice. The truce was later repudiated by King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, and Marshal Guillaume Marie Anne Brune then led 40,000 French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch soldiers against the fortress. Fearfully outnumbered, the Swedes abandoned the Baltic Sea port of Stralsund to the Franco-Allies in the action during the War of the Fourth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a consequence, Sweden also lost the nearby island of Rügen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish wars on Bremen</span>

The Swedish wars on Bremen were fought between the Swedish Empire and the Hanseatic town of Bremen in 1654 and 1666. Bremen claimed to be subject to the Holy Roman Emperor, maintaining Imperial immediacy, while Sweden claimed Bremen to be a mediatised part of her dominions of Bremen-Verden, themselves territories immediately beneath the emperor. Sweden was able to gain some territory, but despite forcing a formal oath of allegiance on Bremen, did not gain control of the town.

<i>Dominium maris baltici</i>

The establishment of a dominium maris baltici was one of the primary political aims of the Danish and Swedish kingdoms in the late medieval and early modern eras. Throughout the Northern Wars the Danish and Swedish navies played a secondary role, as the dominium was contested through control of key coasts by land warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Gustaf Wrangel</span> Field Marshal of Sweden (1613–1676)

FältmarskalkCarl Gustaf Wrangel was a Swedish Statesman and Military Commander who commanded the Swedish forces in the Thirty Years' War, as well as the Torstenson, Bremen, Second Northern and Scanian Wars.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Grabinsky (2006), p.12
  2. 1 2 Bohmbach (2003), p.298
  3. Langer (2003), p. 397
  4. Meier (2008), p.18
  5. 1 2 Lorenz (2003), p.429
  6. Lorenz (2003), p.428
  7. Rystad (2001), p.333
  8. van der Heyden (2001), p.12
  9. Markfort (2006), p.181
  10. 1 2 Kroll (2003), p.107
  11. 1 2 Meier (2008), p.71
  12. Meier (2008), p.166
  13. Kroll (2003), p.108

Bibliography

  • Bohmbach, Jürgen (2003). "Zuviel Geld für Pommern". In Asmus, Ivo; Droste, Heiko; Olesen, Jens E. (eds.). Gemeinsame Bekannte: Schweden und Deutschland in der Frühen Neuzeit (in German). Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN   3-8258-7150-9.
  • Grabinsky, Anne (2006). "Die Stralsunder Doppelkatastrophe von 1678/80: Wiederaufbau nach zwei vernichtenden Stadtbränden". Kleine Stadtgeschichte (in German). Vol. II. Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN   3-8258-8994-7.
  • Langer, Herbert (2003). "Die Anfänge des Garnisionswesens in Pommern". In Asmus, Ivo; Droste, Heiko; Olesen, Jens E. (eds.). Gemeinsame Bekannte: Schweden und Deutschland in der Frühen Neuzeit (in German). Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN   3-8258-7150-9.
  • Lorenz, Maren (2003). "Schwedisches Militär und seine Justiz". In Asmus, Ivo; Droste, Heiko; Olesen, Jens E. (eds.). Gemeinsame Bekannte: Schweden und Deutschland in der Frühen Neuzeit (in German). Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN   3-8258-7150-9.
  • van der Heyden, Ulrich (2001). Rote Adler an Afrikas Küste: die brandenburgisch-preussische Kolonie Grossfriedrichsburg in Westafrika (in German) (2 ed.). Selignow. ISBN   3-933889-04-9.
  • Kroll, Stefan; Gyula Pápay (2003). "Wohnen und Wirtschaften in Stralsund um 1700". Stadtgeschichte und Historische Informationssysteme: der Ostseeraum im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert (in German) (2 ed.). Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN   3-8258-7103-7.
  • Markfort, Ursula (2006). Stefan Kroll, Kersten Krüger (ed.). Städtesystem und Urbanisierung im Ostseeraum in der Frühen Neuzeit: urbane Lebensräume und historische Informationssysteme (in German). Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN   3-8258-8778-2.
  • Meier, Martin (2008). Vorpommern nördlich der Peene unter dänischer Verwaltung 1715 bis 1721: Aufbau einer Verwaltung und Herrschaftssicherung in einem eroberten Gebiet (in German). Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. ISBN   978-3-486-58285-7.
  • Rystad, Göran (2001). Karl XI: en biografi (in Swedish). Historiska Media. ISBN   91-89442-27-X.