Battle of Landskrona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Landskrona |
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| Part of the Scanian War | |||||||
 Battle of Landskrona: Painting by Johan Philip Lemke |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Swedish Empire |
 Denmark–Norway |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Charles XI Simon Grundel-Helmfelt † |
Christian V Joachim Rüdiger von Goltz |
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| Strength | |||||||
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13,000: 4,000 cavalry 4,000 peasants |
12,000: 7,000 cavalry |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1,800 killed, wounded and captured | 2,500 killed, wounded and captured | ||||||
The Battle of Landskrona was a big fight between Denmark and Sweden. It happened on July 14, 1677, on a moor called Ylleshed. This place is just outside the town of Landskrona in what is now southern Sweden. This battle was part of a larger conflict known as the Scanian War.
Contents
Getting Ready for Battle
On July 12, 1677, the Swedish army had about 10,000 soldiers. They got a boost when 4,000 farmers from Småland joined them. The Swedish army then left their camp near Klippan and started marching south.
The Swedes wanted to attack the Danish army. They knew the Danes had lost many soldiers in a recent fight at Malmö. The Swedes hoped to strike before the Danes could get more help from Germany and Austria. However, the Danish army had already gone back to Landskrona. They set up their camp on some hills west of the town.
The Big Fight Begins
Early on the morning of July 14, Charles XI, the King of Sweden, got his army ready. He split his soldiers into four groups and began moving towards the Danish camp. But when the Swedes finally saw the camp, it was empty!
This surprised the Swedish generals. Most of them thought the Danish King, Christian V, had gone into Landskrona. They believed the Swedes should stop their attack. But King Charles XI was determined to fight. He kept his army marching towards where the Danish camp had been.
During the night, King Christian V had secretly moved his army. He lined them up behind a low earth wall. His plan was to surprise the Swedes on the open moor. But a Swedish general named Rutger von Ascheberg spotted the Danish troops hiding behind the wall.
The Swedish army stopped for about an hour. At nine o'clock, they formed two long lines at one end of the moor. Even though his generals told him not to, King Christian V decided to leave his safe spot behind the wall. He chose to attack the Swedes instead.
The two armies started moving towards each other. Soon, only a small valley separated them. Both sides fired their cannons, but neither army wanted to cross the valley first.
The Battle Unfolds
Finally, King Charles XI and his special guards on the right side of the Swedish army charged forward. They ran down the slope and up the other side. They were quickly surrounded and almost captured! Luckily, the Swedish Household cavalry (special horse soldiers) saved them. The rest of the Swedish right side followed, and the battle truly began.
In less than an hour, the Danish left side was completely defeated. The Swedish soldiers took control of the Danish cannons.
On the Danish right side, King Christian V managed to get around the Swedish army. When the Swedish Field Marshal Simon Grundel-Helmfelt was killed, the Swedish left side scattered. But the 4,000 farmers who had joined the Swedes helped them. They managed to escape and get their left side organized again.
In the middle of the battle, the Danes took charge. General Russenstein attacked soon after the fighting started on both sides. But his left side was not protected well. It took a lot of damage, and the Danish middle slowly started to break apart.
The Swedish horse soldiers who had chased the defeated Danish left side came back to the battle. The reorganized Swedish left side was also ready to fight again. King Christian V could not defeat the Swedish middle. So, he left the battlefield around 4:00 PM. By 6:00 PM, all Danish soldiers had left the field. The Swedes then rested in the camp the Danes had used before.
What Happened Next
People say the Danes lost because their generals argued with each other. Also, their soldier groups got mixed up during the night. The Danes also didn't use their success on their right side very well. This gave the Swedes time to get their soldiers back in order.
Even though it was a clear Swedish victory, this battle didn't change the war much. As long as the Danes were winning at sea and held the strong town of Landskrona, they could easily bring more soldiers to Scania. The Swedish army now had about 7,000 men, but this was not enough to capture Landskrona.
After a few small fights around Kristianstad, most of the Swedish army marched north. They went back to Sweden proper to find places to stay for the winter. King Christian V sent some of his soldiers back to Zealand (a part of Denmark).
See also
