AncientPages.com - On June 1, 1676, a dramatic naval Battle of Öland was fought between the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea and an allied Danish-Dutch fleet.
Just as the battle began, the Swedish flagship Kronan sank, taking with it almost the entire crew.
In the center, the flagship “Kronan” (The Crown) is sinking while being shelled by the “Christianus Quintus” (Christian V). To the right, the “Svärdet” (The Sword) surrenders, and to the left “Äpplet” (The Orb) runs to the ground. Credits: Kongernes Samling Rosenborg
The tapestry depicts only the Danish victories during the Scanian War, even though Christian V failed in reconquering the recently lost Danish provinces of Scania, Halland, and Blekinge. These were only some of the regions lost by Frederik III after the swift Swedish invasions of 1658-59.
However, they were considered to be Danish central provinces. At the time, the significant forces of Europe had no interest in great Swedish power and thus prevented the total annexation of Denmark through both military and financial support.
Under the leadership of the Dutch admiral Cornelis Tromp, the allied force took full advantage of the ensuing disorder on the Swedish side. After Creutz's sudden demise, Admiral Claes Uggla, the acting commander, was surrounded and his flagship Svärdet battered in a drawn-out artillery duel, then set ablaze by a fire ship.
Battle of Öland. Claus Møinichen, 1 june 1676. Image credit: - source - Public Domain
Admiral Claes Uggla was surrounded, and his flagship, The Sword (Svärdet), battered in a drawn-out artillery duel, then set ablaze by a fire ship. Uggla drowned while escaping the burning boat, and with the loss of a second supreme commander, the rest of the Swedish fleet fled in disorder.
Uggla drowned while escaping the burning ship, and with the loss of a second supreme commander, the rest of the Swedish fleet fled in disorder.
The battle resulted in Danish naval dominance, maintained throughout the war. The Danish King Christian V was able to ship troops over to the Swedish side to Scania, and on June 29, a force of 14,500 men landed at Råå, just south of Helsingborg in southernmost Sweden. Scania became the main battleground of the war, culminating with the bloody battles of Lund, Halmstad, and Landskrona.
Danish and Dutch naval forces were left free to raze Öland and the Swedish east coast up to Stockholm. The Swedish failure at Öland also prompted King Charles XI to order a commission to investigate the fiasco, but in the end, no one was found responsible.
Some provinces, such as Scania, Halland, and Blekinge, remained in Swedish hands and are an integral part of Sweden today.
In this battle, several other ships were also lost during the war of 1675-1679.
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