BATTLES FROM SWEDISH HISTORY

 

 

 

"BET KINDCHEN BET, MORGEN KOMMT DER SCHWED."

"PRAY LITTLE CHILD PRAY, TOMORROW COMES THE SWEDE."

German lullaby from the thirty year war.

NOW MORE THAN ONE BATTLE AT A TIME IS AVAILABLE!

At this location a number of wars and battles from Swedish history will have their stories told. They will be changed regularly so come back often.  They will be told in a chronoligical order. There are indeed many of them so all of them can of course not be included. The earliest will be from the end of the dark ages when Sweden struggled to get out of the Kalmarunion that bound Scandinavia into one royalunion. Sweden had entered the union volontarily but not all agreed that so should be the case. The majority of battles are from the period 1600 to 1660 when Sweden established herself as a great power in Europe and from 1660 to 1721 when she defended this status and her very existance from old bitter enemies and new growing powers.  Get a cup of coffee and some sandwiches and dive into a glorious as well as chaotic and in many cases tragic history.

musketor_klipp.jpg (9892 bytes)

Swedish musketeer from around 1630.

Sweden is today a peaceful country and has been so for the last 180 years (not counting the 350 year old and still "raging" war with San marino since that country never signed the Westfalian peace that ended the thirty year war). But in the past Sweden was all but peaceful. Denmark, Poland, Germany and Russia are some of the nations that has crossed swords with Sweden. Mind you that when talking about Sweden I also include Finland that was a part of the heartland Sweden between the early dark ages and 1809. Finland and Swedens history are thus much the same. The finns were as Swedish as the men from Västergötland or Dalarna. They contibuted a great deal in both glory and defeat.

karolin-ryttare2.gif (14238 bytes)

Swedish dragoon from around 1700-1720

The table below shows which battles or wars that have had there stories told at this site before at roughly the reasons and outcome for those who missed it and still want to understand roughly whats going on. The battle or war currently on display has its name in blue.

The battle at Brunkeberg 1471 In todays Stockholm. Swedes vs swedish, danish-german army. Sten Sture the older leads a peasant army in rebellion to the danish unionking.  Swedes are on both sides depending on their economical interest. The danish are defeated and Sweden rules itself within the royalunion. In Swedens ruling classes the union dies a valid idea except for a short term tool to counter powerhungry chansellors
The Stockholm bloodbath 1520 In todays Stockholm. Really not a battle. The danish king rids himself of those who opposed him during his "reconquest" of his birthright, the crown of Sweden. A war ends. A war starts. Gustaf Eriksson Vasa leads a huge peasant rebellion that ultimatly tears Sweden out of the union permanently in 1523.
The war of liberation 1520-1523 Sweden 1520-1523 Gustaf Eriksson Vasa leads a peasant rebellion against the newly crowned danish unionking. When Gustaf Eriksson Vasa is crowned as king of Sweden in 1523 Sweden has cut the last ties to the old royal union of Kalmar from the late 14th century.
The sons of Gustaf Vasa and the battle of Stångebro 1598 Sweden and Estonia. Erik XIV: The first serious Swedish ambitions into the baltic states and the nordic seven-yearwar.

Johan III: War with czar Ivan the terrible.

Sigismund: Civil war and the battle of Stångebro.

 Sweden commits to the fateful decision to expand to the east. "Everlasting peace" with Denmark means 100 years of uninterrupted war.

Estonia becomes Swedish.

The royal union with Poland is dissolved and Sweden remains lutheran.
Karl IX and the wars with Poland and Denmark. The disaster at Kirkholm 1605. Sweden and the baltic states. The continued ambitions in the baltic states leads to war with Poland. A superior Swedish army is decicivly beaten at Kirkholm. Denmark attacks when Sweden is engaged in the east. The disaster at Kirkholm  leads to little since the polish are unable to exploit the victory. The reasons for the defeat are studied and 25 years later the conclusions will wreac havoc among the imperial forces in the thirty year war.
Gustaf II Adolf and the Kalmarwar of 1611-1613 Todays Sweden. Sweden is overextended and faces potential disaster when Denmark attacks with the swedes at war in the east. A costly peace is signed with Denmark and the only good thing in it is that the war ends.
Gustaf II Adolf and the russian war 1614-1617 Todays Russia. Gustaf personally commands sieges and experiences success and defeat. A very successful peace is signed that shuts Russia from the Baltic sea. Sweden envelops the Northern Baltic sea as far south as Estonia.
Gustaf II Adolf and the polish war. The siege of Riga 1621 Todays Latvia With a new army Poland is attacked when engaged in war with Turkey. Riga is taken by the swedes. The war continues.
Gustaf II Adolf and the polish war. The battle of Wallhof 1626 Todays Latvia The first test of Gustaf new army. A great victory is won, but the war drags on
Gustaf II Adolf and the polish war. The prussian campaign. Todays Poland Gustaf moves the war to Prussia and comes close to the european religiouswar. A very succesful peace is signed at Altmark. Poland is at last beaten. But a new war waits beyond the corner.
Gustaf II Adolf.. Sweden intervenes in the thirty year war. Todays Germany The reasons behind the intervention. An ultimatly succesful war but at inhuman costs to Sweden and particularly Germany.
Gustaf II Adolf. The thirty year war. The campaign of 1630-1631 Todays Germany The campaign and political events as well as the story of the terrible human disaster at Magdeburg The battle of Breitenfeldt is fought on the 7th of October.
Gustaf II Adolf. The thirty year war. The battle of Breitenfeldt Todays Germany Finally the army of Gustaf meets the imperials on the field of battle. A huge victory that could have ended the war.
Gustaf II Adolf. The thirty year war. The campaign of 1632 and the crossing of the Lech. Todays Germany The campaign into southern Germany and the daring crossing of the Lech. The fall sees hard opposition and setbacks. The battle of Luetzen is fought on the 6th of November.
Gustaf II Adolf. The thirty year war. The battle of Luetzen. Todays Germany Gustaf attempts to surprise the imperial army under Wallenstein A swedish victory at the price of the warrior kings life.
The thirty year war. The campaigns of 1633 and 1634. The debacle at Nördlingen Todays Germany The campaigns of 1633-1634 and the horrible debacle at Nördlingen. Swedens intervention in the war faces disaster as most allies defect to the emperor.

musketor_klipp.jpg (9892 bytes)

CLICK ON THE MUSKETEER TO GET TO BACK TO CONTENTS OF MECHANIZED VIKINGS!