Bombardment of Copenhagen (1428)

Bombardment of Copenhagen
Part of the Dano-Hanseatic War (1426–1435)
In 1428 Hanseatic ships attacked Copenhagen twice
Date 6 April – 15 June 1428 Location Copenhagen Result Hanseatic victory
Belligerents
Hanseatic League Hamburg Lübeck Lüneburg Rostock Stralsund Wismar Holstein-Rendsburg	Kalmar Union  Denmark  Sweden
Commanders and leaders
Gerhard VII of Holstein Johann Beere Jakob Bramstede Jan Russenberg Tideman Soling	King Eric  Queen Philippa
Strength
in April 260 ships with 12,000 men in June 80 ships with 6,800 men Lübeck: 2,000 Hamburg: 1,000 Rostock: 1,000 Stralsund: 1,000 Wismar: 1,000 Lüneburg: 800	unknown number of ships manned with 3.000 soldiers and sailors
Casualties and losses
unknown	30 killed, only three ships escaped undamaged

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During the Dano-Hanseatic War (1426–1435) the Danish capital Copenhagen was bombarded twice by ships from six Northern German Hanseatic towns. A first attack in April 1428 was repelled, but a second attack on 15 June was successful. The Danish fleet which anchored in Copenhagen was mostly destroyed, with only three ships surviving. For the first time in the Northern European history of naval warfare ship artillery was used over longer distances.

These two battles of April and June 1428 are sometimes confused with the naval battle in the Øresund (also called battle of Copenhagen) of July 1427. So sometimes, when two Hanseatic attacks of Copenhagen are mentioned, the battle of July 1427 and the battle of April 1428 are meant.

Hoping for a rapid and victorious end of the Danish-Holstein-Hanseatic War, the Hanseatic league planned the seizure of the Danish capital and the destruction of the joint Danish-Swedish fleet in the harbour. On Easter 1428, under the command of Gerhard VII, Count of Holstein, up to 260 ships with more than 12,000 mercenaries sailed from Wismar to Copenhagen. However, the Danes were well-prepared and their capital was well-fortified.

While King Eric left Copenhagen and prayed for the victory in Sorø Abbey, Queen Philippa managed the defence of the capital. Under massive shelling from Danish land-based artillery, armed bridges, and floating batteries the Hanseatic ships failed to blockade the harbour and to surround the Danish-Swedish fleet. When the Danish and Swedish ships started a counter-attack, the Hanseats and Holsteiners were forced to retreat.

On June 15 of 1428 the Hanseats came back, now under Lübeck command. Up to 40 ships especially loaded with stones and lime were sunk in the harbour's entrance, trapping the Royal Danish-Swedish fleet inside. This time the Hanseats used floating batteries, too. With the help of these floating batteries the Hanseats were able to extend the range of their artillery and to cover the Danish and Swedish ships with a massive bombardment. By the end of the day, 30 Danish soldiers and sailors were killed and most of the King's ships were sunk, destroyed, or damaged. Only three ships remained undamaged and were able to escape.

Although the fleet which anchored in Copenhagen was "neutralized", the war continued. King Eric was able to set up a new fleet soon. Already in the end of July 1428 at least seven ships were repaired and won a naval battle against the Victual Brothers who were allied with the Hanseatic League and Holstein. Queen Philippa meanwhile organized a new fleet with Swedish help. In May 1429 Philippa's fleet started a punitive attack against the Hanseatic city of Stralsund.

• George Childs Kohn (ed.): Dictionary of Wars, 254f. Routledge 2013
• Günter Krause: Das Seegefecht vor Kopenhagen - Die Vernichtung der dänischen Flotte durch die Hanse, In: Sport und Technik, edition 1/1987, page 14f. Militärverlag der DDR, Berlin 1987
• Georg Wislicenus, Willy Stöwer: Deutschlands Seemacht nebst einem Überblick über die Geschichte der Seefahrt aller Völker, page 38f. Reprint-Verlag, Leipzig 1896
• Andr Fryxell: Erzählungen aus der Schwedischen Geschichte, page 354f. Fritze, Stockholm und Leipzig 1843

• European-heritage.org: The Chronicle of the Hanseatic League