Battle of Axtorna explained

Partof:Northern Seven Years' War
Date:20 October 1565
Place:Axtorna, close to Falkenberg, Sweden
Coordinates:57.04°N 12.643°W
Result:Danish victory
Commander1: Jakob Henriksson
Commander2: Daniel Rantzau
Strength1:11,100–20,000[1] men
Strength2:7,400–9,000 men
21 artillery pieces
Casualties1:1,200–1,700
Casualties2:300–2,500
Conflict:Battle of Axtorna
Casualties3:4,000 men from both sides[2]

The Battle of Axtorna or simply Axtorna, was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and Denmark-Norway 20 October 1565 at Axtorna, a small village in what is today Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County in south-western Sweden.

Battle

The Danish commander Daniel Rantzau had been forced to yield the fortress Varberghus to the Swedes on 15 September 1565,[3] after they had taken Ny Varberg, then Halland's largest city. Rantzau received the news that a Swedish army of superior strength led by Jacob Henriksson Hästesko was approaching from the east, forcing him to move his forces toward Falkenberg. Rantzau had decided to commit to combat since the Swedish force had just arrived from its march and hadn't rearranged into a militarily cohesive unit.

Aftermath

The Danes won as a consequence of their superior cavalry tactic[4] and Rantzau became a renowned general after the battle and throughout the war. Despite the victory and the capture of the Swedish artillery, the Danish had suffered great losses and stayed near the battlefield for a week, while large portions of the Swedish army were intact.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Vaupell, Otto . [{{google books |plainurl=y |id=Rn0hoLcAVUcC}} Den nordiske Syvaarskrig 1563-1570 ]. 1891 . Reitzel . 93 . da.
  2. Web site: 2006-07-19 . Axtorna 1565 . 2024-06-06 . web.archive.org.
  3. Book: Vaupell, Otto . [{{google books |plainurl=y |id=Rn0hoLcAVUcC}} Den nordiske Syvaarskrig 1563-1570 ]. 1891 . Reitzel . 47–48 . da.
  4. Svenska Slagfält: "Axtorna 1565: En fråga om kavalleritaktik" (2003) pp. 69-76