Fredriksten is a fortress in the city of Halden in Norway. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for Halden is a town and municipality in the county of Østfold, Norway. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional
| Fredriksten festning | |
|---|---|
| Halden, Norway | |
 Fredriksten fortress, Halden, Norway - seen from the city's harbor |
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| Built | 17th century |
| In use | 17th century-1905(fort)-today (military installation) |
| Controlled by | Norway |
| Battles/wars | Swedish invasion 1658 Swedish invasion 1659 Swedish invasion 1660 Swedish invasion 1716 Swedish invasion 1718 Swedish invasion 1814 |
Contents |
History
This Norwegian fortress was constructed in the 17th century as a replacement for the border fortress at Bohus, which had been lost when the province of Bohuslän was ceded to Sweden by the terms of the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. Halden is a town and municipality in the county of Østfold, Norway. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Norwegian Fortresses or Fortifications have been constructed from some of the earliest recorded periods down through the 20th century As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Bohus Fortress (also Baahus or Båhus, originally Bagahus) lies along the old Norwegian - Swedish border in Kungälv is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative Provinces of Sweden ( landskap in Swedish situated on the west coast of the country "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Treaty of Roskilde was signed on February 26, 1658 in the Danish city of Roskilde. The fortress was named after King Fredrik III of Denmark and Norway, and the town of Halden was also originally named after him, having been known as Fredrikshald between 1665 and 1928. Frederick III ( March 18, 1609 &ndash February 19, 1670) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
The Northern War (1655 - 1661)
At the close of the Northern War Charles X, having negotiated the Treaty of Roskilde in bad faith, invested Copenhagen in August of 1658. From 1655 to 1658, during the reign of Charles X, Sweden was set on expansion Investment is the military tactic of surrounding an enemy Fort (or town with armed forces to prevent entry or escape Under his orders, in September the new Swedish governor of Bohuslän invaded Norway with 1,500 men and attempted to invest Halden. The inhabitants put up a vigorous defense and the Swedish forces retreated back to Bohuslän.
Five months later in February of 1659 the Swedes again attacked. Since their first attack, the garrison had been strengthened. Under the leadership of Tønne Huitfeldt the Norwegian forces again repulsed the Swedish forces. Concurrently, Huitfeldt began construction of fortifications. Cretzenstein, later to be renamed Fredriksten, was the citadel of the new fortification system.
In early January of 1660, the Swedish forces attacked Halden for the third time; it was to serve as the base for their advance on Akershus fortress in Christiania. Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle ( Akershus Festning, Akershus slott) is the old Castle built to protect Oslo, the capital (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. Huitfeldt responded to their demand that they surrender, that the 2,100 man garrison would defend Halden to the last man. After the attempt to storm the fortifications was unsuccessful, the Swedes prepared a regular siege. Under heavy bombardment the inhabitants requested the commandant to surrender, but putting his faith in his garrison, Huitfeldt held out. On February 22, 1660 the Swedes again were forced to retreat to Bohuslen. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne There they learned that Charles X had died.
Peace negotiations were reopened. Sweden demanded that Norway vacate all land east of the river Glomma, which was to serve as the new border. Glomma, also known as Glåma is the longest and largest river in Norway, 598 kilometers long With the intercession of Hannibal Sehested, a separate Scandinavian treaty was negotiated which improved on the terms of the Treaty of Roskilde, returning Trøndelag to Norwegian control. Hannibal Sehested (1609 &ndash 23 September 1666) was a Danish Statesman and Governor of Norway. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Trøndelag is the name of a geographical region in the central part of Norway, consisting of the two counties Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag.
Fortification Upgrades (1673 – 1675)
The existing star shaped fortress complex was upgraded during the period of peace between 1661-1675. In 1673 Denmark dispatched Gyldenløve as statholder to Norway to organize the military forces and strengthen the defenses of the kingdom. Gyldenløve ( English, "Golden Lion" is an important Surname in Danish and Norwegian history After a tour of facilities, he recommended further upgrades to both the fortress and the military forces. In the summer of 1675, 1800 men were kept at work on the fortresses at Akershus, Fredrikstad, and Fredrikshald. is a county in Norway, bordering Hedmark, Oppland, Buskerud, Oslo and Østfold. (previously Frederiksstad) (literally Fredrik's Town) is a City and municipality in the
Gyldenløve War (1675 - 1679)
At the outbreak of the Gyldenløve War in 1675 a large contingent (4000 men) were concentrated at Fredrikshald under General Russenstein. Scanian War ( Danish: Skånske Krig Swedish: Skånska kriget) was a war fought between the union of Denmark-Norway and Sweden Halden is a town and municipality in the county of Østfold, Norway. In 1676 Norwegian troops reoccupied Bohuslän. is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative Provinces of Sweden ( landskap in Swedish situated on the west coast of the country In July of 1677 Gyldenløve captured the fortress at Marstrand and joined General Løvenhjelm, who marched into Bohuslen with the main Norwegian army and defeated an army of 8000 Swedes under General de la Gardie. Gyldenløve ( English, "Golden Lion" is an important Surname in Danish and Norwegian history Marstrand is a seaside town in Kungälv Municipality, Västra Götaland County in western De la Gardie, occasionally de la Gardie (French family name d´Escouperie Swedish noble family of French origin A Norwegian force also retook Jämtland, but withdrew again as ordered by the King. or Jamtland (ˈjamtˌlanː in Jamtish) is a historical province or Landskap in the center of Sweden in Northern No major defensive activities were needed at Fredriksten as no Swedish forces crossed the frontier.
Fortification Upgrades (1679 – 1700)
Fredriksten was expanded from 1682-1701. It now included three outer fortifications: Gyldenløve, Overberget and Stortårnet.
Great Northern War (1700 - 1721)
At the close of the Great Northern War, the Norwegian Army had been weakened in early 1716 by withdrawal of 5000 of the best troops to Denmark. The Great Northern War was the war fought between a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Russia and Saxony - Poland (from 1715 also Prussia When rumors reached Christiania that Charles XII was preparing to invade, all remaining troops in Østerdal and Gudbrandsdal were ordered to the border at Halden and Fredrikstad. Østerdalen or Østerdal is a valley and traditional district in the eastern part of Norway, consisting of the municipalities Rendalen, Gudbrandsdalen is a Valley and traditional district in the Norwegian Fylke (county of Oppland. The Norwegians expected the Swedes to invade at Kongsvinger, Basmo and/or Halden. Kongsvinger is a city and municipality in the county of Hedmark, Norway Basmo fortress is located in the north-western part of Marker municipality in Østfold near the Swedish border on an isolated mountain outcropping It was at Basmo where Charles XII struck, crossing the border March 8, 1716. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. Year 1716 ( MDCCXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Norwegian scorched earth policy and guerrilla raid interdiction of supply chains by the residents of Bohuslen deprived Charles of supplies, while the fortresses still held by the Norwegians behind his lines threatened his supply chain and his retreat if seriously weakened in combat. A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method (possibly more often referred to as a tactic but this is not entirely correct as there is a difference between Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc Charles took Christiania (now Oslo), but without heavy siege artillery, was unable to take Akershus. Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle ( Akershus Festning, Akershus slott) is the old Castle built to protect Oslo, the capital
After a brief occupation, Charles retraced his steps to the Norwegian fortresses in southeastern Norway with the objective of capturing Frederiksten. The Royal Armoury (Livrustkammaren is located in the Royal Palace in Stockholm, and contains many interesting artefacts of Swedish military history and "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Norwegian Fortresses or Fortifications have been constructed from some of the earliest recorded periods down through the 20th century This would remove the threat at his back, and the fortifications could serve as the base for a renewed offensive later that year. Capturing the harbours at the mouth of the Glomma river would also allow him to land the necessary provisions for a successful siege of Akershus. Glomma, also known as Glåma is the longest and largest river in Norway, 598 kilometers long
Charles' troops attempted to take Frederiksten by storm on July 4. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples His troops took the town after fierce fighting, but the citizens set fire to their own houses, forcing Charles, unable to take the fortress, to retreat and await the arrival of heavy siege guns. Unfortunately for the invading army the entire Swedish transport fleet was captured or destroyed by the Norwegian naval hero Tordenskjold at the Battle of Dynekilen in Bohuslen. Peter Jansen Wessel (alt spelling Peder) better known as Tordenskjold (lit The naval Battle of Dynekilen took place on 8 July 1716 during the Great Northern War, when a light Dano-Norwegian force under Tordenskjold Running low on supplies, Charles retreated hastily across the Svinesund and burned the bridges behind him. Svinesund is a sound separating the Swedish municipality of Strömstad in the province of Bohuslän in the county of Västra Götaland By July 12, 1716 all Swedish troops had been withdrawn from the area around Fredriksten. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 1716 ( MDCCXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a
In the Autumn of 1718 Charles once more attacked Norway, intending to first capture Halden to be able to sustain a siege of Akershus. By first taking the border areas, Charles wished to avoid a repeat of the fiasco he had suffered two years before. The 1,400 strong garrison of Frederiksten fought ferociously to hold back the invasion, but suffered a severe setback when, on December 8 the forward fortification Fort Gyldenløve fell. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Encouraged by their very hard-fought success the Swedish army intensified their efforts against the main fort. The Swedish trenches had almost reached the main fortification walls when on the evening of December 11 (Swedish calendar: November 30), 1718, a bullet struck and killed Charles XII while he inspected the work. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1718 ( MDCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The death of the king effectively ended attack on Fredriksten and the invasion was called off, leading to the conclusion of the war. A memorial is located in the park named in his memory where the Swedish king fell, just in front of the fortress.
1788
The fortress served as a staging area for a mock attack on Sweden.
1814
The fortress was bombarded but not captured. The advancing Swedish forces of Charles John passed it on their advance, leaving a force that tried to force its surrender, but the fortress and its commander kept the ground. Charles XIV John ( Karl XIV Johan) born Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, later renamed Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte (26 January 1763 &ndash 8 March 1844 It was turned over to Sweden after the Convention of Moss. The Convention of Moss was a cease fire agreement signed August 14, 1814, between the Swedish King and the Norwegian Storting.
The fortress today
After 1905 the fortress lost all military significance, but it still hosted various units. As of today the Norwegian defence logitics and administrative college is situated by the fortress. The fortress also hosts several museums and art exhibitions. During the summer season outdoor concerts are arranged with both classic and contemporary music. Visiting the fortress is rather popular as its very scenic with old buildings and the fortress' location on the cliff above the small city adds to its beauty.
References
- Gjerset, Knut (1915) History of the Norwegian People MacMillan
- Lisk, Jill (1967 The Struggle for Supremacy in the Baltic: 1600-1725 Funk & Wagnalls, New York
- Noel Stagg, Frank (1956) East Norway and its Frontier George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. , London
External links
- Fredriksten Fortress - Halden Tourist Service
- The Norwegian defence logistics and administrative college
- Pictures from Fredriksten Fortress, Norway; www.remains.se
- Enjoy Norway - Fredriksten Fortress
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