Second Danish Hanseatic War

The first clash between Denmark and the Hanseatic League cities, which had their own army, took place in 1362 . Then the Hansa declared war on Denmark, since a year before that it had taken away the islands of Eland and Gotland from the trading city of Visby from the Swedes, which was a serious blow to Hanseatic trade. In response, the Hansa formed an anti-Danish alliance with Sweden and Norway. The Hanseatic army besieged Copenhagen , but the Danes defeated the Hanseatic League fleet in the Sound Sound . After the battle, the Hansa and allies ceased operations in Denmark and entered into a truce on November 12, 1362 .

In the following peacetime, Denmark dominated the waters of the southwestern part of the Baltic Sea, while the Hansa was preparing for a new war to maintain its free trade privileges. In addition to building the Navy, Hansa sought allies in the coming war, finding them in the person of the Swedish king Albrecht of Mecklenburg and his father, the Duke of Mecklenburg Albrecht II the Great , as well as the Netherlands and the ruler of Holstein, Heinrich Iron. The Danish king Waldemar IV Atterdag , in turn, was supported by the ruler of Norway Haakon VI , who rallied the Swedish nobility dissatisfied with German dominance.

Hansa officially declared war on Denmark and Norway on November 19, 1367 . Since February 1367, a civil war broke out in Sweden between supporters of Albrecht of Mecklenburg and Hakon VI. Albrecht of Mecklenburg was able to stop Danish troops in southern Sweden, after which the army of Mecklenburg and Holstein entered Danish territory. The Dutch fleet approached from the west, threatening a landing in Norway, and from the east - the Hanseatic fleet, which was supposed to capture Copenhagen.

In the spring of 1368, a rebellion began in Denmark against Waldemar IV, which frustrated his defense plans. In April 1368, Waldemar IV left Denmark, leaving power and control over the army in the hands of Marshal Henning Podbusk.

In May 1368, the Hanseatic fleet, under the command of Mayor Lübeck Bruno von Warendrop, landed a landing and captured Copenhagen. Soon the Hanseatic army captured all of Zealand. In August 1368, Haakon VI was forced to sign a truce with the Dutch. By the fall of 1368, the Mecklenburg-Holstein troops, which supported the rebel Danish nobles, occupied almost the whole of Jutland. Swedish troops besieged Helsingborg and several other Danish castles in Skåne .

However, after the occupation of Copenhagen, the operation of the Danish fleet continued. The Danes on land had their last hopes in the navy. Soon, a battle took place between the fleets of Denmark and the Hansa in the Sound Sound . Danish sailors prepared for boarding, but were suppressed by a flurry of arrows from bows and crossbows, as well as missiles from throwing machines. Several Danish ships were forced to withdraw from the battle. Nevertheless, despite heavy shelling from the Hanseatic ships, Danish ships were able to get closer to the positions of the Hanseatic League. In the ensuing boarding, the soldiers fought with swords on board the ships. It was melee that decided the outcome of the battle: despite fierce resistance, the Danish troops were defeated. Bruno von Warendrop was killed in the battle, but this did not affect the outcome of the battle.

The battle in Zunda buried the Danes' hopes for a favorable outcome of the war. As a result of further actions on land, Denmark was completely captured by the Allies. On September 30, 1369, the Danish king in Stralsund agreed to a truce; a peace treaty was signed on May 24, 1370 . According to its provisions, Hansa received freedom of trade in the waters and on the land of Denmark and a number of privileges. Danish dominance in the Baltic Sea was undermined, and after the war the Hanseatic League reigned at sea.

• Philippe Dollinger, Vera Soczewińska: Dzieje Hanzy: XII – XVII w .. Warszawa: Volumen: Niezależna Oficyna Wydawnicza, 1997. ISBN 83-86857-16-1 .
• Edmund Kosiarz: Wojny na Bałtyku X – XIX wieku. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Morskie, 1978.