Battle at Jungfernhof

Battle at Jungfernhof

Part of: Great Northern War

date	May 6th July / May 17th 1700 greg.
place	Jungfernhof , today in Riga in Latvia
output	Swedish victory

Parties to the conflict
Sweden	Poland-Lithuania
Commander
Otto Vellingk Georg Johann Maydell	Otto Arnold Paykull
Troop strength
11,000 men including 3,200 men in action	1000–1500 men Kupferhammer : 400–500 infantrymen

The battle at Jungfernhof was a minor skirmish at the beginning of the Great Northern War . On May 6th, ^July / May 17th 1700 ^greg. Swedish troops attacked under the command of Major General Georg Johann Maydell the Saxon positions in Neuermühlen and Jungfernhof . There was no major military conflict between the armies, because the Saxon troops, given the numerical superiority of their opponent, vacated their position at Jungfernhof and fled across the Daugava .

background

In the spring of 1700, the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland Augustus the Strong began his campaign against Swedish Livonia . When he was elected King of Poland, he promised the Polish people to re-annex this province to the crown.

In February, Saxon troops crossed the Courland border and invaded Livonia. The first was on February 14th ^July. / February 24th 1700 ^greg. conquered the Koberschanze upstream of Riga on the left bank of the Daugava . Then the troops marched towards the capital Riga , under the leadership of Count Jacob Heinrich von Flemming and Johann Reinhold von Patkul . On March 14th, ^Jul. / March 25th 1700 ^greg. After a short siege, the Swedish commander of the Dünamünde fortress had to surrender and the Saxon troops moved into camps in Jungfernhof, Neuermühlen and a copper hammer just four miles from Riga . The fortress was renamed Augustusburg in honor of the Polish king, although he did not attend the siege.

Meanwhile, the Swedish troops, widely dispersed in Livonia, were gathering near Fellin . After learning of the siege of Riga, the Swedish king had already ordered 4,000 men from the province of Finland to head for Livonia. By the end of April the army had grown to around 11,000 men. It was under the command of General Otto Vellingk and Major General Georg Johann Maydell .

First battles against the Saxons

First, the Swedes attacked the Saxon troops in the city of Wenden . After a short battle, the Saxons evacuated the city and retreated towards Jungfernhof and Kupferhammer.

With 1200 riders and 2000 infantrymen, Maydell marched towards the copper mill crossing. About 500 Saxons were stationed there, but when the Swedes approached they immediately withdrew to Neuermühlen. They destroyed the bridge at the copper mill. The major general had this rebuilt immediately and followed the Saxons.

There was a minor battle near Neuermühlen. The Saxon troops had a well-developed position here. The entrenchments were secured with a parapet and light artillery. This position was also quickly evacuated and the gun sunk in a branch of the Daugava. The Saxon soldiers went back to their position in Jungfernhof.

Battle at Jungfernhof

The position at Jungfernhof was very well secured. In the back of the position the Saxons had only the Daugava, which at this point could only be crossed over a bridge and the positions were secured in advance by parapets and artillery. But no real battle developed between the Swedes and the Saxons. As all sources unanimously report, there was only one minor skirmish.

The Saxon troops withdrew immediately at the first orderly attack of the Swedish army. They fled across the Daugava and destroyed the bridge behind them. The escape of the Saxons was so hasty that the Swedish soldiers found all the provisions in the Saxon camp after the conquest of the position. The Swedish soldiers were also able to enjoy the food that had just been prepared, which was still in the kettle on the fire.

The consequences

With the expulsion of the Saxons, General Vellingk's army was able to unite with the occupation of the Riga fortress. In addition, the city could be supplied with fresh food and other supplies.

Shortly after the battle, the Saxons reinforced themselves with 5,000 Lithuanian soldiers under the command of Prince Ferdinand of Courland. The Saxon Elector August II also met the troops together with Count Flemming. As a result, the Saxons managed to cross the Düna again at Pröbstingshof (today to Lielvārde ) and the siege of Riga was resumed. This was later given up unsuccessfully, because the Swedish King Karl XII. had landed in Livonia and came to the aid of Riga.

Thus the first campaign in 1700 for the Saxons was very meager. The only successes were the conquest of the Koberschanze and the Dünamünde fortress.

literature

• Benjamin Bergmann: Johann Reinhold von Patkul in front of the judgment seat of posterity (= Benjamin Bergmann's historical writings. Vol. 1). Hartknoch, Leipzig 1806.
• Knut Lundblad: History of Charles the Twelfth King of Sweden. Volume 1. Perthes, Hamburg 1835.
• History of the Russian State. Volume 4: Ernst Herrmann : From the reign of Grand Duchess Sophia Alexejewna to the accession of Empress Elisabeth Petrovna (1682–1741) (= General History of States. Section 1: History of the European States. Works 7). Perthes, Stuttgart 1849.
• Karl von Maydell: The baronial family of Maydell. Finnish Literature Society's printing house, Helsingfors 1868.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Ernst Herrmann: From the reign of Grand Duchess Sophia Alexejewna to the accession of Empress Elisabeth Petrovna to the throne. 1849, p. 107 .
2. ^ ^{A b c} Karl von Maydell: The baronial family of Maydell. 1868, p. 243 .
3. ↑ Hans Feldmann, Heinz von zur Mühlen (ed.): Baltic historical local dictionary , part 2: Latvia (southern Livland and Courland) . Böhlau, Cologne 1990, ISBN 3-412-06889-6 , p. 132.
4. ↑ ^{a b} Benjamin Bergmann: Johann Reinhold von Patkul before the judge's chair for posterity. 1806, p. 137 .
5. ↑ Knut Lundblad: History of Charles the Twelfth King of Sweden. Volume 1. 1835, p. 48 .