Battle of Warksow
| Battle of Warksow | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Scanian War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Swedish Empire
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 Denmark-Norway Brandenburg-Prussia
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Otto Wilhelm von Königsmarck
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Detlef von Rumohr † Colonel von Hülsen |
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| Strength | |||||||
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3,500: 2,000 cavalry |
4,670: 1,770 cavalry |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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about 170 killed and wounded |
4,000: 3,600 captured |
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3,500:
4,670:
about 170 killed and wounded
4,000:
The Battle of Warksow was a battle that took place on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen on 8 January [O.S. 18 January] 1678 during the Swedish-Brandenburg War. In the battle Swedish forces defeated an allied army composed mainly of Danes supported by a smaller contingent of Brandenburg troops.
The Swedes were able to muster some 3,500 men for the battle including 2,000 cavalry. The allied Danes and Brandenburg troops had about 4,670 men, including a few hundred Brandenburg soldiers and 1,770 cavalry, as well as 16 cannon.
170 Swedes lost their lives in the battle and subsequent pursuit. The Danish/Brandenburg side lost 400 killed and more than 3,600 captured. After the battle and in the days that followed, the entire allied force were captured or forced to follow the Swedish flag.
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.
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Wikipedia