Glimpse of European History Thread #189

You may start with a failure but end as a success.

So it is with wars, what may look like a failure today may end with success decades later.

A king stands his ground in his capital to foreign invaders and rises back stronger, despite many failures.

Story in the evening … https://t.co/go5Kq75yQL

— Ranjith Kollannur (@Arby_K) April 14, 2022

You may start with a failure but end as a success.

So it is with wars, what may look like a failure today may end with success decades later.

A king stands his ground in his capital to foreign invaders and rises back stronger, despite many failures.

Frederik was born in 1609 to Christian, King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, and Anna Katharina von Brandenburg. Early in life, he became the Prince (Arch)Bishop of the imperial states of Bremen, Verden and Halberstadt. 1/10

In 1643, Sweden invaded Denmark. Frederik played a role in the Danish defences in Schleswig-Holstein but was defeated. The war proved to be disastrous for Denmark as it lost territory in Scandinavia and in the Baltic Sea (Gotland and Ösel). 2/10

Bremen and Verden were also lost and were acquired by the Swedish monarch. In 1647, Frederik's elder brother died and a year later, his father. But since Denmark was not a hereditary monarchy, Frederik had to give up some of his father's royal prerogatives to become king. 3/10

In 1657, Frederik sought to recover his losses from Sweden. Sweden at the time was busy at war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, who also had to battle with Cossack rebels and Russians. But Sweden retaliated in strength and in speed, seizing Jutland and Zealand. 4/10

The war was resolved with the Treaty of Roskilde, but Sweden wasn't done yet. They pressed on to Copenhagen laying siege for months, but the city resisted the attacks. Meanwhile, the Dutch came to support Denmark with their fleet. 5/10

With the treaty, Denmark had lost their control over the Øresund, which connected the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. But with Sweden pushing into Copenhagen, they could gain control of both shores. The Dutch defeated the Swedes at sea partly to prevent that from happening. 6/10

Meanwhile, Copenhagen was still under siege. King Frederik bravely resisted the siege along with his compatriots forming a local militia, despite calls for him to flee. The brave stand proved crucial after Swedish finally retreated, without victory. 7/10

The Swedes were now on the back foot. In addition to Dutch support, King Frederik also received support from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Brandenburg-Prussia. The Swedes were defeated at Nyborg and finally sued for peace with the Treaty of Copenhagen. 8/10

With this victory, King Frederik managed to recover Denmark. Norway also fought to recover some of their lost territory from Sweden. Despite the overall loss, the king gained popularity among the people and was in a position to reform the government. 9/10

In 1660, Denmark became a hereditary monarchy with an absolute ruler. King Frederik was able to reorganize land holding and make governance more inclusive than limited to the nobility. In 1667, he inherited the German County of Oldenburg as well. 10/10

Originally tweeted by Ranjith Kollannur (@Arby_K) on April 14, 2022.

Frederik, King of Denmark (1648-1670), King of Norway (1648-1670), Duke of Schleswig (1648-1670), Duke of Holstein (1648-1670), Count of Oldenburg (1667-1670), Prince Bishop of Verden (1623-1629, 1635-1644), Prince Archbishop of Bremen (1635-1645), Prince Bishop of Halberstadt – The shaping of present day boundaries of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, including the end of Danish presence in the Scandinavian peninsula with the loss of Skåneland to Sweden.