Sven Poulsen , also known as Sven Poulsen Eng (c. 1610 - c. 1680), is a 17th-century Danish military commander who served in the armies of Christian IV , Frederick III and Christian V. He participated in the Torstenson War , the Second Northern War and the Scones War , and also led the militia snapphane (Engs) during the guerrilla war against Sweden in occupied Zealand in 1658-1659. He was popularized under the name Gøngehøvdingen ("Leader of the Engs") in 1853, when his exploits were fictitious under that name by Danish author Karit Etlar . The historicity of his nickname and, in general, of so many moments of his life has since been disputed by historians - it is quite possible that Sven Poulsen was not at all the “people's hero” of Denmark, which this book represents. However, during the second half of the 19th and 20th centuries, he became the hero of many works, films, and even science fiction stories.
| Sven Poulsen | |
|---|---|
| Svend poulsen gønge | |
 | |
| Nickname | Eng leader |
| Date of Birth | about 1610 |
| Date of death | c. 1680 |
| Affiliation |  Denmark |
| Type of army | |
| Years of service | 1625-1660, 1675-1679 |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles / Wars | Danish-Swedish Wars |
Biography
Little is known about the young years of Sven Poulsen's life. He was probably born around 1610 in the northwestern part of Skåne or the southern part of Halland . He was a soldier in the army of Christian IV during the “Danish period” of the Thirty Years War (1625-1629), and also served in the Dutch Army. He was promoted to officer in the Danish army during the Torstenson War of 1643–1645. He was a citizen of Laholm in Halland, even after the city came under Swedish rule in 1645. During the Danish-Swedish War of 1657-1658, which was the main theater of operations in the Second Northern War, Poulsen led a detachment of dragoons in April 1657 during the defense of the city of Angelholm in Skåne from the onslaught of the Swedish troops. He took part in a series of skirmishes and received the rank of captain in December 1657. After the concession of Scone and Halland to Sweden over the Roskilde Peace in 1658, Sven Poulsen and his dragoons retreated to Zealand, where they received an order to disband.
Poulsen commanded his dragoons again in connection with the outbreak of the Danish-Swedish war of 1658-1660, and his detachment took part in the defense of Copenhagen. Poulsen was sent to occupied Zealand in order to organize a guerrilla war against Sweden. On August 22, 1658, the peasants of Zealand received an order that they should help Poulsen in the fight against the Swedish occupation forces. He assembled a detachment of the militia detachment "snaphan" ("Engs", "free shooters") in August, although he did not have significant support from the local population. He carried out several successful attacks on small Swedish military contingents, but in the end was forced to retreat. He returned to Copenhagen, and then returned to serve in the regular army. He probably participated in the defense of the city during the assault by the Swedes of Copenhagen in February 1659.
Poulsen left the army at the end of the war - in 1660 - and received the Lundbugard Desert Manor in Presto. The estate brought financial problems to Poulsen, and in 1666 he turned to Frederick III for help, and he placed at his disposal an additional estate. His financial situation from this, however, did not improve. Poulsen had to abandon Lundbugard due to tax arrears in 1673. He received a lifetime state pension in the same year and settled in a smaller residence.
Sven Poulsen returned to the army during the reign of Christian V during the Second World War in 1675–1679 and first served on the Stevns Peninsula before being promoted to major and again led the squad of dragoons in Skåne. There are some doubts about his promotion to the rank of major and his real role in the Skona War. He died around 1680, already an old man, weakened by disease.