Simon Grundel-Helmfelt facts for kids
Baron Simon Grundel-Helmfelt (born 1617, died 1677) was a brave Swedish military leader. He became a field marshal, which is a very high rank in the army. He was also a governor, meaning he managed important areas. Simon is most famous for winning a huge battle called the Battle of Lund. He won even though his army was much smaller than the Danish army.
Simon's Military Journey
Simon started his army career in 1641 during the Thirty Years' War. He showed great skill at the Battle of Breitenfeld. This battle helped him get his first important job in the army.
In 1646, he was honored and became a knight. This is when he changed his name from Grundel to Grundel-Helmfelt. Later that year, he was hurt by a musket bullet near a place called Rain am Lech.
He kept moving up in the army. In 1649, he became a Colonel of the Artillery. This meant he was in charge of cannons and other big guns. By 1655, he was promoted to General of the Infantry, leading many foot soldiers.
A year later, in 1656, Simon became the Governor of Riga. Riga was an important city. He did an amazing job defending Riga against Tsar Alexej and his huge army of 90,000 soldiers. Simon successfully protected the city!
In 1658, he became the Governor-General of Ingria. This was another very important role, overseeing a large region.
Simon Helmfelt came back to Stockholm in 1676. He became the Commander-in-chief of the Swedish army during the Scanian War. This meant he was the top leader of the entire army. Sadly, he was killed the next year at the Battle of Landskrona.
