Battle of Kringen

Detail of Battle of Kringen, a nineteenth century national romantic depiction of the battle by Georg Nielsen Strømdal (1856-1914)

Date	26 August 1612
Location	Otta, Norway
Result	Decisive Dano-Norwegian victory

Belligerents

Scottish mercenaries, under Swedish allegiance

Denmark-Norway

Commanders and leaders

Alexander Ramsay
George Sinclair †

Lars Gunnarson Hågå

Strength

Over 300 soldiers and conscripts

Around 400 militia

Casualties and losses

About 280

6 killed
12 wounded

The Battle of Kringen (Norwegian: Slaget i Kringom) involved an ambush by Norwegian peasant militia of Scottish mercenary soldiers who were on their way to enlist in the Swedish army for the Kalmar War.

The battle has since become a part of folklore in Norway, giving names to local places in the Ottadalen valley. A longstanding misconception was that George Sinclair, a nephew of the George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness was the commander of the forces; in fact, he was subordinate to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Ramsay.

The Scottish forces (Skottetoget) were partly recruited, partly pressed into service by Sir James Spens, apparently against the preferences of James VI, who favored the Danish side in the war. Two ships sailed from Dundee and Caithness in early August, met up on the Orkney Islands and sailed for Norway.

Because sea routes had been blocked by Danish forces in the Kalmar War, the Scottish forces decided to follow a land route to Sweden that other Scottish and Dutch forces had successfully used. On 20 August the ships landed in Isfjorden in Romsdal, though the pilot apparently put the forces on shore in rough terrain. The soldiers proceeded to march up the valley of Romsdalen and down the valley of Gudbrandsdalen.

Having been warned of the incursion, and probably inflamed by a massacre of Norwegian conscripts at Nya Lödöse and the events of (Mönnichhoven-marsjen) earlier in July, the farmers and peasants of the Vågå, Lesja, Dovre, Fron, and Ringebu mobilized to meet the enemy. Legend has it that the sheriff of the area, Lars Gunnarson Hågå (c. 1570 – c. 1650), came into the church in Dovre with a battle axe, struck it on the floor, and shouted "Let it be known - the enemy has come to our land!" (Gjev ljod - fienden har kome til landet!).

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Wikipedia