Assault on Copenhagen (1659)
02/11/1659 AD defeated
After the Copenhageners had withstood about six months of siege, bombardments and attacks, the Swedes attempted to take the city by a grand assault, as a prolonged siege no longer offered any hope of success, now that the sea lanes had been opened by the Dutch.
The Copenhageners had been forewarned by spies, so they had planned their defences well and stockpiled weapons and ammunition.
The walls of Copenhagen bristled with about 300 pieces of cannon, mortars and other artillery, while a diverse mixture of weapons, ranging from muskets and arquebuses to morningstars, scythes, boiling water and tar had been readied for action. Craftsmen, students and other civilians were divided into nine companies, and each of these companies was allocated a part of the wall to defend. The professional soldiers were stationed at the outer field works, Kastellet (the Citadel) and Slotsholmen (the Castle Islet).
The Swedish army consisted of about 9,000 professional soldiers, while the Danish defenders, a mixture of professionals, militia and raw civilians, were of an equal number.
Subjects Who or What defeated?
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Norway (Kingdom of Norway) Nation -
Frederick III of Denmark Person
Objects To Whom or What was defeated?
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Sweden Nordic country in Northe... -
Charles X Gustav of Sweden (Karl X) King of Sweden, Du...
Events in 1659 MORE
