Siege of Lindholmen explained

Conflict:Siege of Lindholmen
Place:Lindholmen Castle, Scania, (then Denmark
Combatant1: Hanseatic League
Commander1: Bruno Warendorp
Albert I
Commander2: Peder Nilsen
Units2: Lindholmen garrison
Strength2:Unknown
Strength1: 1100 men
Casualties1:Great losses
Casualties2:Unknown
Units1:Unknown
Partof:the Danish-Hanseatic War (1361–1370)
Territory:Swedish and Hanseatic retreat
Result:Danish victory
Date:Spring 1368 – 24 August 1369

The Siege of Lindholmen was a siege of the former Danish castle of Lindholmen in Scania during the Danish-Hanseatic War of 1361 – 1370 between SuecoHanseatic and Danish forces. The siege ended in a Danish victory: the Hanseatic leader Bruno Warendorp was killed, and the siege was subsequently lifted.

Background

See also: Battle of Helsingborg (1362) and Confederation of Cologne. In 1362 the Hanseatic League suffered a total military disaster at Helsingborg, leaving Valdemar IV of Denmark stronger than ever. In November 1367, 77 members of the Hanseatic diet held in Cologne, decided to form a confederation to attack Denmark. The confederation was supported by Count Adolf of Holstein and Albert, King of Sweden. The war began when King Albert invaded Scania, quickly taking cities like Falsterbo, Ystad, and Lund.

Siege

On 14 August 1369, a troop of 1,000 men under the command of Bruno von Warendorp arrived in Höllviken. The next day the troops moved to the castle of Lindholmen to reinforce Albert of Sweden, who had been besieging the town since Spring 1368. When Bruno reached Lindholmen he acquainted himself with the tactical situation. He found out that the siege had so far been managed well, and that the castle could surrender quickly.

Small-scale attacks may have been initiated before the main attack, nevertheless, the main attack on the castle came on 24 August. However, the attack was repulsed and Bruno was killed during the attack. The Hanseatic soldiers ended the siege after the attack and withdrew from Lindholmen, as did Albert and the Swedish troops.

Aftermath

The Hanseatic and Swedish defeat at Lindholmen did though not have any significance for the outcome of the war. At the Peace of Stralsund in 1371 the Hanseatid were able to dictate their control over the market area, though the Danish crown still controlled Lindholmen and could thus cause unease with the new rulers of the area.

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