Niels Juel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Niels Juel
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Portrait of Niels Juel by Jacob Coning
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| Born | 8 May 1629 Christiania, Denmark–Norway |
| Died | 8 April 1697 (aged 67) Copenhagen, Denmark–Norway |
| Buried |
Holmen Church
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| Allegiance |  Denmark–Norway Dutch Republic Republic of Venice |
| Service/ |
 Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy  Royal Netherlands Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars |
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| Awards |  Order of the Elephant Order of Dannebrog |
| Relations | Erik Juel (Father) |
Niels Juel (born May 8, 1629 – died April 8, 1697) was a famous Danish admiral and a hero of the navy. He was the main leader of the Dano-Norwegian Navy in the late 1600s. He also helped make the Danish-Norwegian Navy much stronger.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Niels Juel was born to Erik Juel and Sophie Sehested. Both of his parents came from important Danish noble families. His father worked as a local official and judge in Jutland. Niels also had a brother named Jens Juel, who became a diplomat.
Niels was born in Christiania, which is now in Norway. His family had moved there to find safety during a war. This was when Jutland was invaded in 1627, during the Thirty Years' War. His father stayed behind to help defend their home country. The family got back together in Jutland the next year, after the war was over. From 1635 to 1642, Niels was raised by his aunt, Karen Sehested, at the Stenalt estate.
In 1647, Niels Juel started studying at the Sorø Academy. In 1652, he joined the Dutch navy. He learned how to be a naval officer from famous Dutch admirals. These included Maarten Tromp and Michiel de Ruyter. He took part in many big battles during the First Anglo-Dutch War. This was a fight between England and the Dutch Republic.
From 1654 to 1656, he sailed with Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. They went on two trips to the Mediterranean Sea. They fought against pirates from North Africa. While recovering from an illness in Amsterdam, he learned a lot about how to build ships. In 1656, he returned to Copenhagen and joined the Danish navy. The next year, in 1657, he was made an admiral. He fought well during the Dano-Swedish War (1658–60). He played a big part in defending Copenhagen from the Swedish King Charles X of Sweden.
For 15 years of peace, Juel worked hard to improve the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He was the fleet admiral during this time. In 1675, the Scanian War began. Juel first served under Admiral Cort Adeler. But when Adeler died in November 1675, Juel became the main commander.
Juel became very famous in Europe. He made Denmark's navy very powerful. He used a special way of fighting at sea. This was to cut off part of the enemy's ships and attack them all at once. He first used this plan at the Battle of Jasmund in 1676. He broke through the enemy's line and cut off five of their ships.
A few days after this battle, another Dutch admiral, Cornelis Tromp, took over as the main commander. Juel still played a key role in Tromp's big win at the Battle of Öland in 1676. This victory allowed the Danes to invade Scania easily.
On June 1, 1677, Juel defeated the Swedish admiral Erik Carlsson Sjöblad at the Battle of Møn. On June 30, 1677, he won his greatest victory. This was the Battle of Køge Bay, near Copenhagen. Juel had 25 ships and 1,267 cannons. He completely defeated the Swedish admiral Henrik Horn, who had 36 ships and 1,800 cannons. Juel knew the wind would change direction during the day. He took smart risks because of this.
For this great win, Juel was made a lieutenant admiral general. He also became a special advisor to the king. This victory badly hurt the Swedish navy. It also made the Danes feel more confident and less reliant on their Dutch allies.
In 1678, King Christian V put Juel in charge of the navy. In the spring of 1678, Juel sailed with 84 ships and 2,400 cannons. But the Swedes were no longer strong enough to fight such a big fleet. So, Juel mostly blocked Swedish ports and moved troops to Rügen. After the Treaty of Lund in 1679, Juel became a great leader in managing and improving the navy. Under his strong leadership, the Danish navy grew very large. He became the head of the admiralty in 1683.
Personal Life
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Juel married Margrethe Ulfeldt in 1661. She was the daughter of a nobleman named Knud Ulfeldt. Margrethe was 20 years old and Niels was 30 when they got married. They had four children between 1664 and 1672.
In 1674, Juel was made a Danish knight. In 1678, he was given the title to Valdemar's Castle on the island of Tåsinge. He passed away in 1697 when he was 68 years old. He and his wife are buried in the Niels Juel chapel at the Holmen Church in Copenhagen.
See also
- Statue of Niels Juel
- HDMS Niels Juel
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