The "Count's War" in Denmark: Lubeck v. Holland for control of the Baltic trade, 1533-6
At this time there is a most lucrative shipborne trade between the Baltic and Western Europe, carried mainly in Dutch or Hanseatic ships. The principal German Hanse port at the time is Lubeck, situated on the Baltic coast east of the Duchy of Holstein, which in turn lies at the foot of the Jutland peninsula. Herring, shipbuilding timber and other forest goods are traded from the Baltic countries in exchange for manufactured goods of various kinds from Europe. Denmark, with ownership at this time of both sides of the Sound between the island of Zealand and Scandinavia proper, occupies a vital strategic position across the only outlets of the Baltic, the Sound and the Great and Little Belts. The incipient trade rivalry flares up in 1533 when King Frederick of Denmark dies. Many, especially among townsmen and peasants, favour ex-King Christian II, who has always been popular for his "democratic" policies. But he is a prisoner of the Duke of Holstein in Sonderborg Castle, and there is no agreement over a successor. Many of the nobles and noble Churchmen support the King's captor. He is also called Christian, the Lutheran Duke of Holstein. Others, including most Churchmen, support his young Catholic brother Hans of Holstein. Still other nobles wish to postpone the choice of King as long as possible in order to increase their own power. The third group carry the day. For a year, the Council of Nobles will be the only central power in Denmark; and in reality a state of anarchy prevails. The wealthy merchants of Lubeck seek to exploit this situation to further their own interests and fill this political vacuum with their own power. The Lubeckers are at this time rivals of the Holsteiners in North Germany, and rivals of the Dutch for the Baltic trade. If they can put their own candidate on the Danish throne, they can bar all Dutch ships from the Baltic. The alliance of Holland and Holstein threatens to release the "populist" Christian II. The Danish Council of Nobles is therefore forced to sign an agreement with Lubeck's Dutch enemies. In turn Lubeck comes to an agreement with the supporters of Christian II to promote his claim. 1534 Lubeck hires Count Christopher of Oldenburg's mercenary army of Frisian 'Landsknechts'. These are a mixture of pikemen, halberdiers, two handed and one handed swordsmen, plus a sprinkling of cavalry. They invade Holstein to keep the Holsteiners busy. Christopher then crosses to Copenhagen with a small army. The common people of Zealand, Funen and Scania quickly rally to Christian ll's flag. Many nobles join him also, out of fear of refusing to. The Lutheran Duke Christian is now proclaimed King Christian 111 of Denmark in Horsens, on the insistence of the lower nobility, but of course against the will of the Bishops. The nobles, still mainly Catholic, have no option but to choose between the two evils of Lutheranism on the one hand and populism on the other. When the choice is put in these terms, they find that they much prefer Lutheranism. Duke Christian of Holstein now sends 600 landsknechts, 200 archers and 400 cavalry to the middle island of Funen. They storm the town of Odense and besiege the port of Nyborg. Christopher however lands Landsknechts and noble cavalry at Kerteminde. Christopher wins the battle of Clausholm and pushes the Holsteiners back over little Belt to Jutland. A sea captain in the pay of Lubeck, by the name of "Skipper" Clement, now lands some mercenaries in Vendsyssel, at the tip of Jutland, and quickly raises a widespread peasant revolt in Christian II's name. 600 Landsknechts and some cavalry are sent from Holstein, but the local noble cavalry under Rosenkrantz and Erik Banner counterattack without waiting for them. They are defeated by the mud in front of the peasant positions at Svendstrup, about 10 kilometres south of Aalborg, and massacred by the 6000 strong peasant army. The whole of north Jutland, down to Gudenaa and west to Varde, falls into the hands of the peasants. The skilled General Johan Rantzau now takes over the leadership of the Holstein army, and, marching into NE Germany, quickly cuts off Lubeck from the sea, forcing it to negotiate. The townspeople, with trade cut off, quickly agree not to conduct further military operations in Germany. This leaves the Holstein army free to operate in Jutland. It is then a simple matter for Rantzau's 1200 Knechts and perhaps 200 cavalry to clean up the Jute peasantry, whose hard core of 800 or 900 are finally crushed behind the walls of Aalborg. The belated rising of the Lolland peasants at Xrtias is only small compensation. Lubeckese diplomacy, backed no doubt by plentiful gold, now succeeds in having Count Albrecht of Mecklenburg in Germany, and the Count of Hoya in Finland, enter the war on the popular side. This finally brings in Gustav Vasa, King of Sweden, on the side of his Holstein brother-in-law. The Scanian nobles on the popular side are reinforced with cavalry and landsknechts from Lubeck, to meet the march of the Swedes into Halland. Most of Gustavs force is facing his other brother-in-law, the Count of Hoya, in Finland. Christian of Holstein sends Landsknechts from Jutland to Gustavs support, but this is mainly designed to prevent Gustav keeping Scania once he has conquered it!. The Swedes eventually win the battle of Helsingborg mainly by the treachery of a Scanian nobleman, and this begins the "Noble Hunt" in the popular- controlled areas of Zealand. The popular army on Funen, facing the Holsteiners in Jutland, has meanwhile been reinforced with 1500 landsknechts and 160 cavalry, but the Holsteiners manage to deceive them into thinking they will land on Zealand, and many of these troops are withdrawn there. At this stage Peder Skram defeats the Libeck fleet of 9 ships with his 20 Hol5tein, Danish and Swedish ships off Bornholm, followed later by a second victory in Svendborgsund. Rantzau marches to the peninsula of Als across from Funen, from where Swedish ships transport some troops to the peninsula of Halsnaes in SW Funen. Rantzau now wins the battles of Favrskov Banks NE of Assens. Later, when reinforcements under the Count of Hoya arrive, he wins the major battle of Oksnebjerg, 7kms east of Assens, although Hoya is killed. With 12,000 mercenaries, Duke Christian, now crowned King Christian III of Denmark, now lands on Zealand at Korsoer. He proceeds to blockade and besiege both Copenhagen and Malmoe. Defeated by both land and sea, Lubeck now leaves the war. 1536 After a 1 - year siege, Count Christopher surrenders Copenhagen. Malmoe also surrenders, to end the war. The new King Christian, who is anyway, must now solve the large financial problem which has resulted from the war: Denmark's debt to foreign princes and merchants is 13 times its annual revenue!. The new King, who is anyway a keen Lutheran, solves the problem by declaring all Church lands to be Crown property. The Crown increases its share of Denmark's total land area from 16% to 50%. The aristocracy own a further 40% of the land area at this time.

 

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