Armies Battles and Sieges Colours and Standards
 

 

 




 


 

 
 

 




 


 
 

 
 

 
 

 



 
 

 



 

 

Örjan Martinsson

At the outbreak of the Great Northern War the Danish-Norwegian army consisted of 36 000 men. Although it was actually two separate armies with very distinct characters. The 23 000 men strong Danish army consisted at this time almost exclusively of enlisted men, mostly Germans. The 13 000 men strong Norwegian army was on the other hand, with the exception of a few regiments, recruited by conscription and consisted of ethnic Norwegians.

Denmark invaded Sweden's ally Holstein-Gottorp in the spring of 1700 but was forced already in August to sue for peace after a Swedish army had landed on Zealand. The now idle Danish troops were then hired out in great numbers to Austria and the Maritime powers (1702-1709 respectively 1701-1714) for participation in the War of the Spanish Succession. In total almost 20 000 men were sent to foreign service. Parts of that sum were new regiments raised specifically for that purpose. The shortage of troops to defend Denmark against possible Swedish attacks were however so great that a 17 000 men strong national militia was raised by conscription. Several of these national regiments, together with troops returning from Austrian service in 1709, were then fielded when Denmark resumed the war against Sweden. But the national militia, which consisted of ethnic Danes, was also used as a manpower reserve to fill vacancies in the enlisted regiments, which meant that the Danish army had a more mixed composition during the latter part of Great Northern War than the year 1700.

Denmark-Norway's second participation in the Great Northern War (1709-1720) was more successful than the first. But the Danes still suffered humiliating defeats in the battles of Helsingborg 1710 and Gadebusch 1712. Together with their allies they managed however to capture Stenbock's Swedish army in Tönningen and occupy Sweden's German possessions as well as annexing the Schleswig part of Holstein-Gottorp. The Norwegian army was not involved in any major battles but it saw action in sieges and campaigns on both sides of the Swedish-Norwegian border. The most famous was Charles XII's Norwegian campaign of 1718 which ended with his death. Eventually a peace treaty was signed 1720 with no border changes.

The table below records which campaigns the various Danish-Norwegian regiments participated in. The letters mark battles (normal style) and sieges (italic style), and the colours show which theatre of war the regiment was deployed in each year according to the following system:

In the Maritime Power's Service Denmark Norway Sweden In Saxon service ?
In the Emperor's Service Schleswig-Holstein, Oldenburg Bremen-Verden, Mecklenburg, Pomerania
B = Blenheim
D = Dynekilen
F = Fredrikssten
G = Gadebusch
H = Humlebæk (1700), Helsingborg (1710)
M = Malplaquet (1709), Marstrand (1719)
O = Oudenaarde
R = Ramillies
S = Stade (1712), Stralsund (1715)
Se
= Stresow
T = Tönning
W = Wismar
= Danish men, = Norwegian men, = more than 60 % Germans, = even distribution of Germans & Scandinavians (1720-1726)

  Enlisted Infantry

1700

1702 1704 1706 1708 1710 1712 1714 1716 1718 1720
 Livgarden til Fods

T

     

B

 

R

 

O

M H   G    

Se

         
 Grenadier Corps        

 

 

 

      H   G    

Se

         
 Dronningen's Livregiment T                   H  

G

    S Se W  

F

   
 Prince Christian T                   H  

G

               
 Prince Georg T      

B

      O

M

         

S Se

         
 Prince Carl         B  

R

  O M          

Se

         
 Sjællandske         B  

R

  O M                      
 Jyske T                   H        

S Se

         
 Fynske T      

B

 

R

 

O

M

H

       

Se

         
 Oldenborgske        

 

 

R

 

O

M

         

Se

         
 Marine Regiment                    

H

  G                
   "Copenhagen Garrison reg."

T

                 

H

  G T              
 First Danish                    

H

 

G

   

S

         
 Second Danish                        

G

               
 Third Danish                        

G

     

W

       
 Fourth Danish                        

G

     

W

       
 Maltzhans battalion                                          
 Württemberg-Oels        

B

 

R

 

O

 

                     
 Hansen                                          
 Callenberg's battalion                                          
 Klepping's battalion                                          
 Baartig (1717 = POWs)                                          
  National Militia (conscripted infantry) 1700 1702 1704 1706 1708 1710 1712 1714 1716 1718 1720
 East Sjællandske                    

H

         

D

   

M

 
 West Sjællandske                    

H

                   
 Fynske                                          
 Ålborgske                        

S

               
 Århusiske                        

G

               
 Riberske                                          
 Viborg-Lollandske                    

H

 

G

               
 Oldenborgske                                          
  Garrison Units 1700 1702 1704 1706 1708 1710 1712 1714 1716 1718 1720
 Bornholm Militia                                          
   Christiansö Free Company                                          
   Fladstrand Free Company                                          
   Hitlers skanse Free Company                                          
   Korsör Free Company                                          
 



 

  Enlisted Cavalry 1700 1702 1704 1706 1708 1710 1712 1714 1716 1718 1720
 Livgarden til Hest                    

H

 

G

               
 Livregiment til Hest        

B

 

R

 

O

M

                     
 Holstein        

B

 

R

  O            

S

         
 Württemberg        

B

 

R

  O            

 

         
 "Hungarian"                        

G

               
 Brockdorff's                        

G

               
  National Cavalry ("indelt") 1700 1702 1704 1706 1708 1710 1712 1714 1716 1718 1720
 1st Sjællandske

H

                 

H

W

S G    

S

         
   2nd Sjællandske        

B

 

R

 

O

M

                     
 3rd Sjællandske

H

                 

H

 

G

               
   1st Fynske                    

H

 

G

               
   2nd Fynske                    

H

 

G

               
 1st Jyske T                  

H

 

G

               
 2nd Jyske T      

B

 

R

 

O

M

                     
 3rd Jyske         B   R   O M                      
   4th Jyske

T

      B   R   O M                      
   5th Jyske        

B

 

R

 

O

                       
  Dragoons (enlisted) 1700 1702 1704 1706 1708 1710 1712 1714 1716 1718 1720
 Livregiment Dragoons                    

H

 

G

               
 Holstein                                          
 "Hungarian"                    

H

 

G

               
 Württemberg        

B

 

R

 

O

                       
  National Militia (conscripted dragoons) 1700 1702 1704 1706 1708 1710 1712 1714 1716 1718 1720
 Sjælland-Fynske (enlisted cuirassiers from 1711)                

H

         

W

       
 Jyske (enlisted cuirassiers from 1710)                      

W

G                
 East Sjællandske                                          
 West Sjællandske                                          
 Jyske                                          
 



 

  Infantry 1700 1702 1704 1706 1708 1710 1712 1714 1716 1718 1720
 Enlisted Regiment                          

T

 

Se

         
 Akershusiske 1st                                    

F

   
2nd    
 Smaalenske 1st                                    

F

   
2nd    
 Oplandske 1st                                          
2nd    
 Vesterlenske 1st                                          
2nd    
 Bergenhusiske 1st                                    

F

   
2nd    
 Trondhjemske North
1st
2nd
3rd
                                     
   
   
   
South      

T

 

S Se

     
 Ski Corps (Skiløperkorpset)                                          
  Dragoons 1700 1702 1704 1706 1708 1710 1712 1714 1716 1718 1720
 1st Søndenfjeldske                                          
 2nd Søndenfjeldske                                          
 Nordenfjeldske                                          
 
*  Norway also had a home guard made of land dragoons organised in independent companies. In 1711 there were 20 of these in the south
 (3 576 man) and 9 in the north (2 131 man). Additional units of home guard character were Röros Mountain Jeger Corps recruited from
 miners, and Kragh's Regiment (which recruited former soldiers 1710 and was disbanded the same year). The first three years of the 18th
 century there were also a marine regiment consisting of three battalions (Bergenshusiske, Trondhjemske and Vesterlenske).
 

In the case of Livgarden til Fods and Fynske Regiment the table above give a too simplified picture of their deployment 1701-1714. Both regiments had three battalions, but only one each were in Anglo-Dutch service. The others remained in the homeland and participated in the campaigns against Sweden. The battalions in Anglo-Dutch took no part in these campaigns since they did not return to Denmark until 1714. In other word it was not the same guardsmen in Livgarden til Fods who fought in the battles of Malplaquet 1709 and Helsingborg 1710.

A separate page details the exact composition of the auxiliary corps sent to the Maritime Powers, the Emperor and Saxony.

The War of 1700

The problem of charting the movements of a regiment when it consisted of three battalions is also illustrated by the short war in 1700. The battalions were then often in different places, which is reported below.

The Norwegian troops not mentioned were in Norway. The two enlisted Norwegian infantry regiments were ordered in July to be shipped over to Denmark. But bad winds prevented them from doing this and the Peace of Traventhal was concluded on 18 August (Gregorian calendar) before they had time to leave Norway.

Two dragoon regiments that were raised in 1700 and which would later become the "Hungarian Dragoon Regiment" did not manage to be completed before the conclusion of the peace treaty. After the peace, one was stationed in Schleswig-Holstein and the other in Zealand before being transferred to Saxony as part of an auxiliary corps in October. Even the newly established cuirassier regiment, which would later be named "Würtenbergquot;, was not ready in time and was then relocated to Schleswig-Holstein.

Field Army in Schleswig (ca 11 000 – 12 000 men)

First Jyske Cavalry Regiment
Second Jyske Cavalry Regiment
Fourth Jyske Cavalry Regiment

Livgarden til Fods – 3 battalions + 2 grenadier companies
Dronningen – 2 battalions + 2 grenadier companies
Prince Christian – 1 battalion + 1 grenadier company
Prince Georg – 3 battalions + 1 grenadier company
Jyske – 1 battalion + 1 grenadier company
Fynske – 2 battalions + 1 grenadier company
Schack – 1 battalion + 1 grenadier company

Holstein Artillery Corps – 5 companies
Danish Artillery Corps – 1 company (Nyborg & Fredericia)

Observation Corps in Holstein

Livregiment til hest
Oldenborg (Holsteins) Cuirassier Regiment
Third Jyske Cavalry Regiment
Fifth Jyske Cavalry Regiment
Second Fynske Cavalry Regiment
Livregiment Dragoons
Holstein Dragoon Regiment

Prince Carl – 2 battalions + 1 grenadier company
Sjællandske – 1 battalion + 1 grenadier company
Jyske – 1 battalion

21 artillerymen

Garrison Troops on Zealand

First Sjællandske Cavalry Regiment
Second Sjællandske (transferred to Jutland in April)
Third Sjællandske Cavalry Regiment

Kronborg Castle (Helsingør)
Sjællandske – 1 battalion
Danish Artillery Corps – 1 company (Kronborg)

Copenhagen
Livgarden til hest (2 squadrons transferred to the field army in June)
Drabantgarden
Prince Christian – 2 battalions
Sjællandske – 1 battalion
Schack – 1 battalion
City Militia – 10 companies
Danish Artillery Corps – 4 companies

Transferred from the Navy after the landing in Humlebæk:
Marine Regiment – 16 companies
Vesterlenske – 6 companies
Bergenshus – 5 companies

Korsør – One company from Fynske and a few artillerymen.

Garrison Troops in Holstein

First Fynske Cavalry Regiment

Rendsburg
Jyske – 4 companies
Prince Carl – 2 companies
21 artillerymen.
Added in May (from the field army?):
Fynske – 2 companies
Schack – 1 company

Friedrichsort
Jyske – 2 companies
Prince Carl – 2 companies
7 artillerymen

Glückstadt
Dronningen – 6 companies
Prince Carl – 2 companies
12 artillerymen
In May, Prince Carl's 2 companies were transferred to the Observation Corps and in return the garrison received 5 companies from the field army (3 Prince Georg, 1 Prince Christian and 1 Sjællandske).

Hitler redoubt – One free company and 3 artillerymen
Steinburg redoubt – 30 commandeered men.

Garrison Troops on Fyn

Nyborg – 3 companies from Fynske and a few artillerymen.

Garrison Troops on Jutland

Hals & Fladstrand – One free company and 14 artillerymen
Fredericia – 2 (?) companies from Fynske (one was transferred to the field army in June)

Second Sjællandske was transferred to North Jutland in April and then to the duchy of Schleswig in June.

Garrison Troops in Oldenburg

Oldenborgske Battalion – 6 companies
Holstein Artillery Corps – 1 company

References

MacDowall, Simon. Malplaquet 1709 - Marlborough's Bloodiest Battle. Oxford (2020)
McNally, Michael. Ramillies 1706 - Marlborough's tactical masterpiece. Oxford (2014)
Stille, Arthur.
Kriget i Skåne 1709-1710. Stockholm (1903)
Tincey, John. Blenheim 1704 - The Duke of Marlborough's Masterpiece. Oxford (2004)
Tuxen, A. P. – With-Seidelin C. L. Bidrag til den store nordiske krigs historie. Copenhagen (1899-1934)
Vaupell, Otto. Den danske hærs historie til nutiden og den norske hærs historie indtil 1814. Copenhagen (1872-1876)