First Bremen-Swedish War

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The First Bremen-Swedish War ( Swedish Första bremiska kriget ) was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Hanseatic City of Bremen in 1654. It was fought for dominance in the area of ​​the Duchy of Bremen-Verden and for the status of Bremen as a free imperial city .

prehistory

The areas of the city of Bremen at the beginning of the 17th century
Hans Christoph Count von Königsmarck

After Bremen survived the confusion of the Thirty Years' War largely unscathed, the city found itself in a difficult economic and political situation in the middle of the 17th century. On the one hand, the Elsflether Weserzoll imposed by the county of Oldenburg put a considerable strain on the Bremen economy; on the other hand, Sweden's claims to power, which had controlled the area of ​​the former archbishopric of Bremen since 1644 , put the city in distress. The Treaty of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 did not provide clarity either. On the one hand, the areas of the former Archbishopric Bremen and the Hochstift Verden officially fell to Sweden as the Duchy of Bremen-Verden :

"[...] By virtue of the present treaty and with the consent of the entire empire, the emperor transfers the archbishopric of Bremen, the diocese of Verden and the office of Wildeshausen to the most noble queen, her heirs and her successors, the kings and the kingdom of Sweden, and with the traditional coat of arms under the title of a duchy and with all rights that the last archbishops of Bremen were entitled to over the chapter and diocese of Hamburg [...]. " 

On the other hand, the maintenance of the current state was stipulated in the contract for Bremen :

“The city of Bremen with its territory and its subjects should be left unrestricted in their current legal status, their freedom, their rights and privileges in spiritual and secular affairs. If, however, a dispute arises between her and the diocese or the [current] duchy or the chapters now or in the future, then this should either be settled amicably or judged, but meanwhile each party remains in the possession that it holds. " 

These passages were subsequently interpreted by the Swedish and Bremen sides according to their own interests. Bremen refused to  cede sovereignty over the areas of the city that were part of the duchy - such as the Bederkesa office and the parish of Lehe - to Sweden. Sweden, for its part, wanted to bring the city under its control and refused to recognize Bremen's imperial immediacy , which was established in 1646 by Emperor Ferdinand III. had been confirmed in the Linz diploma .

This situation led to growing tensions between the two parties, which could not be resolved even through negotiations in Stade , the administrative seat of the Duchy of Bremen-Verden. When Bremen was invited to the Reichstag in Regensburg in 1653 , Sweden protested and had a large part of the Bremen areas, such as Lehe, Vegesack , Blumenthal and Neuenkirchen , occupied by Governor General Hans Christoph von Königsmarck . The Bremen Syndicus Johann Wachmann the Younger and the Swedish ambassadors Friedrich Bohle and Matthias Biorensclau subsequently defended the positions and claims of the two parties before the Reichstag in numerous pamphlets , until the Reichshofrat issued an opinion on January 20, 1654, Bremen's right to a seat and Vote in the Reichstag confirmed, but this was not accepted by the Swedish side.

The war

Spring 1654

The Burger Schanze on the Lesum
Bremen riflemen in the 17th century

When the people of Bremen accidentally intercepted a letter on March 11, 1654, which revealed the imminent occupation of the town of Burg near Vegesack by Swedish troops, the council had this important position fortified at the Lesum crossing with a hill . On March 30th, Königsmarck crossed the Lesum with Swedish troops and attacked the Burger Schanze , which was defended by 130 men under Lieutenant Paul Lindhövel. The next day the council decided to send a force to relieve the distressed position, which included four companies of regular soldiers, four civil companies , the rifle company with 220 men, and 500 men from the suburbs. However, the withdrawal of the units under Colonel Gerhard on the cellar was delayed into the evening - which was later blamed on Mayor Statius Speckhan and the rifle company - so that the Swedes had time to take up positions on a ridge near Gröpelingen and the advancing troops to force retreat. The people of Bremen then flooded the Wallerfeld  - an area of ​​pastures and meadows between the village of Walle and the city - in order to make it more difficult for the Swedes to advance on Bremen. Shortly afterwards, on April 2nd, the crew of the Burger Schanze had to capitulate, but were allowed to withdraw to Bremen.

As a result, the Bremen council reinforced its troops by a further 3,000 soldiers on foot and on horseback and sent councilor Simon Anton Erp von Brockhausen to the neighboring principalities to solicit support for the city. At the same time, the people of Bremen strengthened their position on the Ochtum by building a ski jump on the Warturm and created a clear field of fire in front of the city's ramparts for better defense against a possible Swedish attack. For his part, Königsmarck had the conquered Burger Schanze expanded and a second ring wall built around the fortification. In the meantime, ambassadors from Hamburg and Lübeck tried to mediate between the warring parties, but initially without success. On April 19, Bremen obtained an imperial decree - Mandata avocatoria et inhibitoria  - which prohibited the estates of the Duchy of Bremen from acting against the city of Bremen.

The place and the castle of Bederkesa around 1600

At the beginning of May 1654 the Swedes attacked the Bremen enclave Bederkesa . The small garrison of only 40 men stationed in the castle there had to surrender on May 8, but was granted free withdrawal. At the same time, Bremen troops invaded the Swedish office of Achim , where they captured horses and took prisoners. On the Wümme, the people of Bremen also captured Swedish ships with provisions, powder and musket balls. Königsmarck then had the retreating Bremen soldiers from Bederkesa intercepted at Burg and imprisoned. On May 18, Bremen riders looted the Thedinghausen office . On May 30th a new incursion into Achim followed. Swedish riders then penetrated the Bremen area and fought a skirmish at the stone tower on Dobben , the upstream Landwehr in the east of the city.

Summer 1654

On June 14th, a large contingent from Bremen moved out to recapture the Burger Schanze . Significantly, the troops carried a banner showing the Roland , supplemented by the motto “ Antiqua Libertas ” ( “ Old Freedom”), as the council saw the armed conflict with Sweden as a struggle to preserve the city's independence. The Bremen foot troops moved north on the left bank of the Weser and crossed at Lankenau , while the cavalry plus eight companies of citizens and artillery advanced on the right bank of the Weser. This was followed by an immediate attack on the hill, in which 17 men and the commander fell on the part of the defenders and 20 men on the part of the attackers. During the night the remaining 93 Swedish soldiers surrendered. A few days later, the people of Bremen recaptured Vegesack and took 83 prisoners there.

In July the people of Bremen continued their actions and moved under Gerhard in front of the cellar with 600 men, three cavalry companies and two guns to Verden and took the city after a short battle. In mid-July, a Bremen contingent of around 1,000 men sailed down the Weser, invaded the land of Wursten and forced a contribution from the residents there. In addition, the Swedish Vogt von Lehe, Johann Eden, was captured.

The Swedish Field Marshal Carl Gustav Wrangel

At the end of July, the people of Bremen moved to Thedinghausen again with almost 500 riders and infantry under Captain Lindhövel and took the castle there, Commander Grothausen and the Swedish crew were given free travel. In the meantime, Königsmarck had gathered 1700 men under Carl Gustav Wrangel near Verden in order to intercept the advancing Bremen troops. Although the news of the large Swedish contingent advancing rapidly reached the people of Bremen, their withdrawal was delayed because the soldiers did not want to leave their booty behind on foot. So the Swedish cavalry succeeded in catching up with Bremen on the Weser. While the cavalry was able to continue their retreat, the foot soldiers at Boller Holze were surrounded and embroiled in a heavy battle with the Swedish troops, in the course of which 100 people from Bremen and 160 Swedes were killed. In addition, officers Lindhövel and Braun Brauer were fatally wounded on the Bremen side, and Colonel Versen and Major Breda on the side of the Swedes. Only a few Bremen soldiers managed to escape, the rest of the unit was taken prisoner.

On August 13, Swedish troops began another attack on Burger Schanze , which was defended by 400 men under Commandant Blazer, and shot at the position from Marßel. At the same time there were battles in Vegesack between Bremen ships and Swedish dragoons who had occupied the Havenhaus . The Swedes also hijacked several Bremen ships on the Weser and Ochtum. In order to bypass the contested Burger Schanze , the Swedes let troops advance via Lilienthal , Borgfeld and Schwachhausen to the Bürgerweide and invade Wallerfeld. At Gröpelingen there were skirmishes with the Bremen cavalry, in which a cousin of Königsmarck - a Swedish officer - was killed. The Swedes then plundered the village of Walle.

Fall 1654

On September 5th, the people of Bremen had to capitulate in the Burger Schanze and finally evacuate the fortress. When the news of this reached Bremen, the rumor arose that the Swedes were already in front of the city. There was tumult, as a result of which Mayor Statius Speckhan had to resign, who was suspected of betting on a victory for the Swedes. Increasingly, however, Sweden also found itself in a difficult diplomatic situation, as the other states in northern Germany were concerned about the presence of the powerful kingdom in their neighborhoods too strongly.

End of war

Title page of the First Stade Comparison

On September 15, 1654, an armistice was signed, which was contractually sealed on November 28 with the First Stade Settlement after negotiations between the Swedish envoy Schering Rosenhane and the representative of Bremen, Johann Wachmann . Sweden received sovereignty over Bederkesa and Lehe as well as over the Burger Schanze ; Vegesack and Blumenthal stayed with Bremen. In addition, Bremen agreed to pay 12,000 thalers for the withdrawal of the Swedish troops and to pay homage to the Kingdom of Sweden. The question of the imperial status of the city remained unanswered, which in 1666 finally led to the Second Bremen-Swedish War .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Osnabrück Peace Treaty (Instrumentum Pacis Osnabrugensis), Article X, § 7
  2. ↑ Osnabrück Peace Treaty (Instrumentum Pacis Osnabrugensis), Article X, § 8
  3. ^ Peter Koster: Chronicle of the Imperial Free Imperial and Hanseatic City of Bremen 1600–1700 . Edition Temmen, Bremen 2004, p. 133.
  4. ^ Wilhelm von Bippen : History of the City of Bremen , Vol. 3: Bremen as a free imperial city . CE Müller, Bremen 1904, p. 74.
  5. ^ Peter Koster: Chronicle of the Imperial Free Imperial and Hanseatic City of Bremen 1600–1700 . Edition Temmen, Bremen 2004, p. 146.
  6. ^ Art. Speckhan, Statius . In: Heinrich Wilhelm Rotermund : Lexicon of all scholars who have lived in Bremen since the Reformation , vol. 2. Carl Schünemann, Bremen 1818, p. 189 ( digitized version ) of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek.

literature

See also