Battle of Warksow

In 1675, the Kingdom of Sweden, which, at that time, was recognized as a major military power, declared war against Brandenburg-Prussia, following pressure by the French king, Louis XIV, because Brandenburg-Prussia was at war with France (in the Dutch War). After a Swedish army had been defeated in the Battle of Fehrbellin in 1675 in Brandenburg, Sweden went onto the defensive in the next phase of the war. Suddenly its possessions in northern Germany (Swedish Pomerania) were threatened by the alliance of Denmark and Brandenburg-Prussia.

In 1677 the Swedish fleet was almost completely destroyed in the Battle of Køge Bay by the Danish fleet under command of Admiral Niels Juel. For Swedish Rügen this defeat meant that the island possession was now cut off from all assistance from Sweden, as the Danes exercised naval supremacy of the Baltic Sea.

After winning the battle the King of Denmark, Christian V, decided to capture the island of Rügen as a necessary prerequisite to the allies conquering the fort of Stralsund on the opposite mainland shore. According to internal agreements between Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark, the island of Rügen would be given to Denmark after the peace treaty with Sweden.

On 17 September 1677 Danish troops under the overall command of the Danish king landed on the eastern coast of the island near Prorer Wiek. The roughly 4,200 man^[6] strong Danish force met no resistance, however, because the Swedish general, Otto Wilhelm von Königsmarck, had not suspected a Danish invasion at that time and most of his troops had therefore moved into the besieged town of Stralsund.

Thus, the Danes were able to entrench themselves, unchallenged, in the wooded hills in front of the village. After the Danes had provided further support to the Brandenburg cavalry regiment of Colonel Hülsen (2,110 troopers) in October,^[6] they advanced on the Swedish troops that had meanwhile transferred to Rügen, and had taken up positions near Bergen. The Swedes were beaten in the ensuing Battle of Bergen and withdrew to Altefähr and into the Prosnitzer Schanze. Shortly thereafter the Swedes under Königsmarck also had to leave Altefähr and march all troops to Stralsund. Only the Prosnitzer Schanze (Neue Fährschanze) remained in Swedish hands.

Due to ongoing looting and devastation by Swedish, Danish and Brandenburg troops, the island in the meantime been completely plundered, so that the deployed troops there could no longer be supplied. On 21 October the Danish king returned to Denmark. Part of the Brandenburg troops were withdrawn from the island, leaving only 970 men from Brandenburg-Prussia on the island.^[6]

The Danish-Brandenburg troops were now under the command of Major General von Rumohr and Colonel Wilhelm Friedrich von Hülsen. These two had instructions not to engage with the Swedes until the arrival of further reinforcements. However, any reinforcement from the Danish army, weakened by disease, came to nothing. So the Swedish commander, Field Marshal Otto Wilhelm von Konigsmark, viewed that it was a good time to recapture the island and transferred his 3,500 strong^[6] force in January 1678 from Brandshagen to the island. The Swedish chose to land at Neufährschanze which was still in Swedish hands.

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Louis XIV

Louis XIV

Louis XIV, also known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any sovereign in history whose date is verifiable. Although Louis XIV's France was emblematic of the Age of Absolutism in Europe, the King surrounded himself with a variety of significant political, military, and cultural figures, such as Bossuet, Colbert, Le Brun, Le Nôtre, Lully, Mazarin, Molière, Racine, Turenne, and Vauban.

Franco-Dutch War

Franco-Dutch War

The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War, was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Norway. In its early stages, France was allied with Münster and Cologne, as well as England. The 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and 1675 to 1679 Scanian War are considered related conflicts.

Battle of Fehrbellin

Battle of Fehrbellin

The Battle of Fehrbellin was fought on June 18, 1675, between Swedish and Brandenburg-Prussian troops. The Swedes, under Count Waldemar von Wrangel, had invaded and occupied parts of Brandenburg from their possessions in Pomerania, but were repelled by the forces of Frederick William, the Great Elector, under his Feldmarschall Georg von Derfflinger near the town of Fehrbellin. Along with the Battle of Warsaw (1656), Fehrbellin was crucial in establishing the prestige of Frederick William and Brandenburg-Prussia's army.

Swedish Pomerania

Swedish Pomerania

Swedish Pomerania was a dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts of Livonia and Prussia.

Battle of Køge Bay (1677)

Battle of Køge Bay (1677)

The Battle of Køge Bay was a naval battle between Denmark-Norway and Sweden that took place in bay off Køge 1–2 July 1677 during the Scanian War. The battle was a major success for admiral Niels Juel and is regarded as the greatest naval victory in Danish naval history.

Niels Juel

Niels Juel

Niels Juel was a Danish admiral and a naval hero. He served as supreme command of the Dano-Norwegian Navy during the late 17th century and oversaw development of the Danish-Norwegian Navy.

Stralsund

Stralsund

Stralsund, officially the Hanseatic City of Stralsund, is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg and Greifswald, and the second-largest city in the Pomeranian part of the state. It is located at the southern coast of the Strelasund, a sound of the Baltic Sea separating the island of Rügen from the Pomeranian mainland.

Prorer Wiek

Prorer Wiek

The Prorer Wiek is a bay on Germany's Baltic Sea coast off the bar of Schmale Heide that runs between the peninsula of Jasmund and the Granitz, the region southeast of Binz on the island of Rügen. The resort of Prora lies on the shore of the bay with its former "Strength Through Joy" spa and the seaside resort of Binz. In the northern part of the bay is the Sassnitz Ferry Port near the Sassnitz village of Mukran.

Bergen auf Rügen

Bergen auf Rügen

Bergen auf Rügen is the capital of the former district of Rügen in the middle of the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Since 1 January 2005, Bergen has moreover been the administrative seat of the Amt of Bergen auf Rügen, which with a population of over 23,000 is Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's most populous Amt.

Altefähr

Altefähr

Altefähr is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Brandshagen

Brandshagen

Brandshagen is a village and a former municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is located on the Pomeranian mainland opposite the island of Rügen.

Maj Gen Königsmarck, the Swedish commander

Against orders, the allied Danish and Brandenburg force under Major General von Rumohr gave battle. At 9 in the morning the battle began with an exchange of artillery on the road between Poseritz and Gustow at Warksow Manor.

When Detlef von Rumohr was felled by an artillery shell, confusion arose in the ranks of the allies. In response, the Swedish general, Konigsmark attacked with his troops. The attack was launched by the Swedish right wing against the Brandenburg cavalry. They managed to disperse the Swedish cavalry, but were in turn thrown back, once the Swedish cavalry had reorganised and been reinforced by reserves. The Brandenburg troops rallied again, but received no effective support from the Danes, with the result that they were thrown back by superior numbers again. Swedish forces then attacked the Danish flank and rear. Demoralized, they were routed and put to flight in all directions. The Swedes succeeded in capturing almost the entire Danish infantry.^[7] After four hours of battle, the Swedish victory was assured.

Renewed invasion by the allies on 23 September 1678, 8 months after the battle

The next day, the Swedes occupied Bergen, pursued their fleeing enemy towards Jasmund and Wittow and captured there the last remnants of the allies. The captured soldiers were integrated into the Swedish army and used on Rügen. So Rügen became Swedish again for a short while. However, the Danish and Brandenburg allies quickly recovered from this setback. In the course of the summer 1678 the Danes raided Rügen several times. In addition, the Danes and Brandenburgians were planning a new expedition to recapture Rügen. The invasion of Rügen began on 23 September 1678, when Brandenburg troops again landed on the island of Rügen; within two days they had recaptured it. The prisoners pressed into Swedish service from the Battle of Warksow handed over the fort of Neuefähr without a fight to Brandenburg's invasion forces.