Siege of Stade (1712)
Plan of the siege and capture of Stade by the Danish king, 7 August to 29 September 1714
| date | August 7th to September 7th, 1712 |
|---|---|
| place | Stade , today's Lower Saxony , Germany |
| output | Victory of the Danes |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 2,400 men | 16,000 men |
| losses | |
|
720 soldiers in captivity |
k. A. |
1st phase: Swedish dominance (1700–1709)
Riga I • Jungfernhof • Varja • Pühhajoggi • Narva • Pechora • Düna • Rauge • Erastfer • Hummelshof • Embach • Tartu • Narva II • Wesenberg I • Wesenberg II
Arkhangelsk • Lake Ladoga • Nöteborg • Nyenschanz • Neva • Systerbäck • Petersburg • Vyborg I • Porvoo • Neva II • Koporje II • Kolkanpää
Vilnius • Salads • Jacobstadt • Walled Courtyard • Mitau • Grodno I • Olkieniki • Nyaswisch • Klezk • Ljachavichy
Klissow • Pułtusk • Thorn • Lemberg • Warsaw • Posen • Punitz • Tillendorf • Rakowitz • Praga • Fraustadt • Kalisch
Grodno II • Golovchin • Moljatitschi • Rajowka • Lesnaja • Desna • Baturyn • Koniecpol • Weprik • Opischnja • Krasnokutsk • Sokolki • Poltava I • Poltava II
2nd phase: Sweden on the defensive (1710–1721)
Riga II • Vyborg II • Pernau • Kexholm • Reval • Hogland • Pälkäne • Storkyro • Nyslott • Hanko
Helsingborg • Køge Bay • Gulf of Bothnia • Frederikshald I • Dynekilen Fjord • Gothenburg I • Strömstad • Trondheim • Frederikshald II • Marstrand • Ösel • Gothenburg II • Södra Stäket • Grönham • Sundsvall
Elbing • Wismar I • Lübow • Stralsund I • Greifswalder Bodden I • Stade • Rügen • Gadebusch • Altona • Tönning II • Stettin • Fehmarn • Wismar II • Stralsund II • Jasmund • Peenemünde • Greifswalder Bodden II • Stresow
The siege of Stade was a military intervention in the Great Northern War . It began on August 7th and ended on September 7th, 1712 with the capitulation of the Swedish garrison .
In the run-up to the siege
In July 1712 the King of Denmark-Norway began his campaign against the two duchies of Verden and Bremen . With an army of 16,000 men he crossed the border and marched against the Swedish defenders. They backed away from the Danes because the Swedish occupation of the duchies was very small. About 1200 men were stationed in the only large fortress, Stade. And another 1,000 horsemen, under the command of Colonel von Bassewitz , were available to Major General Vellingk to defend the duchies. A new land militia had also been set up in the duchies, and the governor general could not count on their help. These reorganized local troops were also unable to take any serious action against the Danes.
Furthermore, the Swedes were betrayed by the Electorate of Braunschweig-Lüneburg . Although the Danes were not allowed to march through the Electorate of Hanover, this was just a tactic to keep the Swedes safe. The Electorate of Hanover had already signed an offensive and defensive treaty (1710) with the Danes and agreed not to intervene in the upcoming campaign.
At that time, Stade was the largest fortress in the country and, thanks to its strategically good location, it could be surrounded with water at any time by breaking through the surrounding dykes. This created a natural protective wall against possible attackers. The commandant of the fortress, now General Stackelberg after the escape of General Governor Vellingk and almost the entire Swedish government , gave the order to break through the dikes. Almost two thirds of the surrounding country was flooded as a result. He also had the suburbs burned down, as was customary at the time. The village of Campe (now part of Stade) with 75 houses was completely burned down. Some houses on the surrounding hills and in front of the ship's gate were also burned down.
The siege
The siege began on August 7, 1712. The Danish troops approached from the south side, this was the only side that had not been flooded.
General Stackelberg, who had to hand over the fortress on the Daugava, had little chance of successfully defending the city. Both the citizens and the garrison troops were very dissatisfied. There were quickly shortages of food and fresh water. In addition, the plague raged within the walls and the garrison troops were severely weakened by defectors from the beginning of the siege.
The city council of Stade, with the approval of the commanding officer, attempted to dissuade the Danes from bombing the city. Both delegations of the city council, which negotiated with the Danish king in the headquarters of the Danes in Agathenburg , could not dissuade him from the bombardment of the city.
After the heavy siege gun of the Saxon artillery had reached the siege army, the bombing of the city began on August 29th. This lasted until September 7th. 83 houses and 13 stalls were completely destroyed. Another 85 houses and four stalls were uninhabitable. The town house of the Governor General Vellingk was also destroyed.
During the bombardment, the people of Stade also protested against the Swedish garrison and demanded that the city be surrendered.
It was not until September 7 that the surrender was signed at the Danish headquarters.
155 cannons and 2,500 quintals of gunpowder fell into the hands of the Danes as spoils of war .
The consequences
In the surrender, captivity of the Swedish garrison was negotiated. Of the previously 2,400 men, only 720 Swedish soldiers were left when they left the fortress. However, no precise information can be given about the losses of the Swedes, because many Swedes deserted and a certain number fell victim to the plague.
On October 1st, Bremerland also had to pay homage to the Danish king. During the siege of Stade, the Elector of Hanover occupied Verden and Ottersberg , supposedly to protect it from the plague.
Stade was under Danish administration for three years until it came peacefully into Hanoverian possession through contractual agreements in 1715 .
The plague raged in the city until October 1715.
Individual evidence
literature
- Not so Fryxell: Life story of Charles the Twelfth, King of Sweden. Leipzig 1860.
- Knut Lundblad: History of Charles the Twelfth King of Sweden Volume 2, Hamburg 1840.
- Stefan Kroll : Göttingen Contributions to Economic and Social History Volume 18, Göttingen 1997.