The Danish-German War of 1848 - 1850 is referred to by some different names in English: The First Schleswig War, The Schleswig-Holstein Uprising, and the Three Years' War.It was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question: who should control the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg, which at the time were ruled by the king of Denmark (not the state of Denmark) in a personal union. The population in the duchies was majority Danish in Northern Schleswig, while in the rest of Schleswig , Holstein, and Lauenburg it was majority German.The areas of southern Denmark, especially Schleswig, have been areas of conflict between Germany and Denmark throughout the 19th century. Twice these tensions in the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein led to war. Since the 15th century, the duchies have been linked to the Danish crown.The German population in the southern part of Schleswig and Holstein increasingly gravitated towards Germany in the 1840s. They wanted independence from Denmark and to join the then still loose confederation of German states that was taking shape with Prussia and the smaller German states (although it took until 1871 for the confederation to be completed). Denmark was willing to let Holstein go, but at the same time wanted to incorporate Schleswig into Denmark proper.
The First War 1848 - 1850
The escalating conflict resulted in an uprising in Schleswig-Holstein on March 24, 1848. This German national uprising was supported by Prussia. A wave of nationalism swept across Europe, especially after the Paris Revolution of 1848. On April 23, 1848, the Danish troops were defeated at the town of Schleswig and the Danish army retreated north. The Schleswig-Holstein army was expanded and reinforced with German units. The army consisted of 9,000 men from Schleswig-Holstein as well as 12,000 Prussians and 10,000 from northern German states. Approximately 12,000 Danish soldiers had gathered at the defense facilities in Dybböl. On June 5, 1848, a bloody battle took place at Dybböl. The Danes managed to repel the German attack.
Swedish Troops in Denmark
Although there were opponents, the Swedish Parliament was in favor of military support for Denmark. On May 11, 1848, Sweden and Denmark signed an agreement whereby Sweden would provide military support to the Danes if Denmark proper was threatened. Following a parliamentary decision in 1848, 16,000 Swedish soldiers were mobilized and assembled in Skåne. A Swedish naval squadron also cruised off the Danish islands. The Swedish forces were tasked with intervening if Denmark proper was threatened, but not in the conflict in Schleswig-Holstein itself. Sweden also made it clear to Germany that an attack on Denmark proper would pose a threat to Sweden and, in the event of such an attack, a Swedish army corps would be transferred to Denmark to join the Danish forces.About 4,000 men from the Swedish force were transferred to the island of Funen (Fyn), where they were received with cheers in Odense. The force also included units from Norway. At its peak, the Swedish-Norwegian force on Fyn amounted to about 6,000 men. Sweden and Norway were joined in a personal union between 1814 - 1905 where Norway was subordinated to the Swedish Head Of State.At the same time, King Oscar I of Sweden worked intensively on a diplomatic mediation proposal. Swedish troops were not deployed in any battles before the armistice and the subsequent peace. The armistice was concluded after final negotiations in Malmö, Sweden, on August 28, 1848. The Swedish-Norwegian units on Funen were brought home in September when the armistice was concluded.Units that were part of the Swedish expeditionary force in 1848However, the peace ended the very next year. On April 3, 1849, Denmark resumed fighting as the disputed territories were increasingly integrated with Germany. Denmark had now mobilized an army of 41,000 men.The Schleswig-Holstein army amounted to 14,000 men, but with the German troops, the army amounted to almost 47,000 men.However, the war went from bad to worse for Denmark, which was forced to retreat north. In the end, German forces were in Jutland (Jylland). On July 6, 1849, the Danish and German armies met at Frederica between Kolje and Vejle. After fierce fighting, the Danes win the battle.However, on July 17, 1849, the Danish government agreed to a truce and on July 2, 1850, the peace treaty between Denmark and Prussia was signed in Berlin. During the peace negotiations, Prussian troops were to occupy Holstein, and Swedish troops led by General Malmborg were to secure Schleswig. Around 4,000 soldiers were transferred from Sweden to Denmark in what became known as the Occupation Corps.Units that were part of the Swedish Occupation corps in 1849However, it was not long before war broke out again. This time, Schleswig-Holstein stood alone. On July 16, 1850, a major battle took place in Idstedt involving 65,000 soldiers. The Danes won the battle but failed to crush the Schleswig-Holstein army. However, the Danish king's authority was restored in Schleswig-Holstein.The war lasted three years, not in one continuous period, but in intervals:1.The war began on March 24, 1848, with the Schleswig-Holstein uprising, and lasted until August 28, 1848, when the armistice was officially signed.2.On April 3, 1849, Denmark resumed fighting and the war lasted until July 10, 1849, when a new truce was signed.3.On July 2, 1850, a peace treaty was signed in Berlin. By mid-July, fighting was already underway again. They continued throughout the fall of 1850 and the last battle was on New Year's Day 1851.The fact that the war was fought in different stages is evident when you look at when the various volunteers joined or were discharged from the Danish armed forces.
Some of the battles of the war
•5 June 1848, Dybböl•23 April 1949, Kolding•30 June 1849, The sortie from Fredrica•6 July 1849, Battle of Fredricaa•25 July 1850, Isted•13 September 1850, Midsunde
Scandinavism
Scandinavism was a pan-national movement originating from the cultural, geographical, language, and historical links between the Scandinavian countries. In the mid-19th century, it strongly influenced the politics of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Politically, Schleswig-Holstein became a big issue for the Scandinavians.In the 1840s, Scandinavism was strong, especially in student circles. The Danish conflicts in Schleswig-Holstein became a Scandinavian issue. A great wave of sympathy with Denmark passed through Sweden and Norway. Immediately after the outbreak of war in 1848, Swedish volunteers began to sign up for service in the Danish armed forces. A large proportion of these were students. As the war continued in 1849, however, the number of Swedish professional soldiers increased.An image of a 19th-century poster of (from left to right) Norwegian, Danish and Swedish soldiers joining hands. The Norwegian and Swedish flags have the union mark. Image: Wikipedia.
Swedish volunteers
During the years 1848 - 1849 357 Swedish and Norwegian volunteers participated. Of these, 243 were from Sweden (Source: Paulsen) and 114 from Norway. Among the Swedes, 8 people died in the war. In 1850, Denmark minted a medal to commemorate the volunteers' help.The sources for the list of Swedish volunteers are based on the Danish battalion reports. They are not entirely complete and there is a reconstruction of the missing ones made by Schöldström. The official figure according to Paulsen is 243 but in total 259Swedes participated. Among other things, Gillis Frithjof August Boy is missing from the Danish reports, but he was evidently in the war in 1849 and took part in the battle of Kolding on April 23, as well as the affairs at Alminde and Veile and the encounter at Aarhus. Among other things, Gillis Frithjof August Boy is missing from the Danish reports, but he was evidently in the war in 1849 and took part in the battle of Kolding on April 23, the skirmishes at Alminde and Veile, and the encounter at Aarhus. He was also decorated as a Knight of the Dannebrogen for his efforts. The reports state that 8 Swedes were killed, but in reality 10 were killed. A total of 25 Swedes were wounded in the fighting. Only 2 Swedes became prisoners of war, including the above-mentioned Boy.During the first year of the war in 1848, the proportion of students was highest among the Swedish volunteers. In 1849, on the other hand, it was mainly professional soldiers among the Swedish volunteers. Significantly more Swedish professional soldiers than those who took part in the war applied for leave in order to participate. The reason why more were not allowed to go was that Sweden needed the Swedish soldiers for the increased readiness that was taken and for the Swedish Observation force that was stationed in Denmark. For example, Lieutenant Johan Pilsander's service in Danish military service was cut short when the Swedish Minister of War refused to grant him extended leave from the Southern Skåne Infantry Regiment.Volunteers with military training were immediately sent to the fighting Danish units. Those without such training were trained for two weeks in Copenhagen before being sent to the front. For a short time, several of the Swedish volunteer officers had to act as training instructors for the volunteer recruits.The Swedish King Oscar I offered Denmark an alliance in 1856 in which Sweden promised to guarantee with 16,000 men that Schleswig would remain Danish. Denmark declined, however, as Holstein was not included in the guarantee.
List of Swedish volunteers in the Danish-German war 1848 - 1850
Contents (click on the desired section in the gray menu list):
Source References
1.Svenskarna under Dannebrogen 1848 - 1850. Birger Schöldström, 19032.Organiserandet av svenska frivilliga till Danmark 1848-50 och 1864 vid de dansk-tyska krigen; Uppsats vid Försvarshögskolans Chefsutbildning 1998, LHU 19 100:6126. Mikael Boox, 19983.Historien om Sverige, Ånga och Dynamit. Herman Lindqvist, 19994.Svenska frivilliga. Lars Ericsson, 19965.Medborgare i vapen. Lars Ericsson, 1999
The Danish-German War of 1848 - 1850 is referred to by some different names in English: The First Schleswig War, The Schleswig-Holstein Uprising, and the Three Years' War.It was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question: who should control the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg, which at the time were ruled by the king of Denmark (not the state of Denmark) in a personal union. The population in the duchies was majority Danish in Northern Schleswig, while in the rest of Schleswig , Holstein, and Lauenburg it was majority German.The areas of southern Denmark, especially Schleswig, have been areas of conflict between Germany and Denmark throughout the 19th century. Twice these tensions in the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein led to war. Since the 15th century, the duchies have been linked to the Danish crown.The German population in the southern part of Schleswig and Holstein increasingly gravitated towards Germany in the 1840s. They wanted independence from Denmark and to join the then still loose confederation of German states that was taking shape with Prussia and the smaller German states (although it took until 1871 for the confederation to be completed). Denmark was willing to let Holstein go, but at the same time wanted to incorporate Schleswig into Denmark proper.
The First War 1848 - 1850
The escalating conflict resulted in an uprising in Schleswig-Holstein on March 24, 1848. This German national uprising was supported by Prussia. A wave of nationalism swept across Europe, especially after the Paris Revolution of 1848. On April 23, 1848, the Danish troops were defeated at the town of Schleswig and the Danish army retreated north. The Schleswig-Holstein army was expanded and reinforced with German units. The army consisted of 9,000 men from Schleswig-Holstein as well as 12,000 Prussians and 10,000 from northern German states. Approximately 12,000 Danish soldiers had gathered at the defense facilities in Dybböl. On June 5, 1848, a bloody battle took place at Dybböl. The Danes managed to repel the German attack.
Swedish Troops in Denmark
Although there were opponents, the Swedish Parliament was in favor of military support for Denmark. On May 11, 1848, Sweden and Denmark signed an agreement whereby Sweden would provide military support to the Danes if Denmark proper was threatened. Following a parliamentary decision in 1848, 16,000 Swedish soldiers were mobilized and assembled in Skåne. A Swedish naval squadron also cruised off the Danish islands. The Swedish forces were tasked with intervening if Denmark proper was threatened, but not in the conflict in Schleswig-Holstein itself. Sweden also made it clear to Germany that an attack on Denmark proper would pose a threat to Sweden and, in the event of such an attack, a Swedish army corps would be transferred to Denmark to join the Danish forces.About 4,000 men from the Swedish force were transferred to the island of Funen (Fyn), where they were received with cheers in Odense. The force also included units from Norway. At its peak, the Swedish-Norwegian force on Fyn amounted to about 6,000 men. Sweden and Norway were joined in a personal union between 1814 - 1905 where Norway was subordinated to the Swedish Head Of State.At the same time, King Oscar I of Sweden worked intensively on a diplomatic mediation proposal. Swedish troops were not deployed in any battles before the armistice and the subsequent peace. The armistice was concluded after final negotiations in Malmö, Sweden, on August 28, 1848. The Swedish-Norwegian units on Funen were brought home in September when the armistice was concluded.Units that were part of the Swedish expeditionary force in 1848However, the peace ended the very next year. On April 3, 1849, Denmark resumed fighting as the disputed territories were increasingly integrated with Germany. Denmark had now mobilized an army of 41,000 men.The Schleswig-Holstein army amounted to 14,000 men, but with the German troops, the army amounted to almost 47,000 men.However, the war went from bad to worse for Denmark, which was forced to retreat north. In the end, German forces were in Jutland (Jylland). On July 6, 1849, the Danish and German armies met at Frederica between Kolje and Vejle. After fierce fighting, the Danes win the battle.However, on July 17, 1849, the Danish government agreed to a truce and on July 2, 1850, the peace treaty between Denmark and Prussia was signed in Berlin. During the peace negotiations, Prussian troops were to occupy Holstein, and Swedish troops led by General Malmborg were to secure Schleswig. Around 4,000 soldiers were transferred from Sweden to Denmark in what became known as the Occupation Corps.Units that were part of the Swedish Occupation corps in 1849However, it was not long before war broke out again. This time, Schleswig-Holstein stood alone. On July 16, 1850, a major battle took place in Idstedt involving 65,000 soldiers. The Danes won the battle but failed to crush the Schleswig-Holstein army. However, the Danish king's authority was restored in Schleswig-Holstein.The war lasted three years, not in one continuous period, but in intervals:1.The war began on March 24, 1848, with the Schleswig-Holstein uprising, and lasted until August 28, 1848, when the armistice was officially signed.2.On April 3, 1849, Denmark resumed fighting and the war lasted until July 10, 1849, when a new truce was signed.3.On July 2, 1850, a peace treaty was signed in Berlin. By mid-July, fighting was already underway again. They continued throughout the fall of 1850 and the last battle was on New Year's Day 1851.The fact that the war was fought in different stages is evident when you look at when the various volunteers joined or were discharged from the Danish armed forces.
Some of the battles of the war
•5 June 1848, Dybböl•23 April 1949, Kolding•30 June 1849, The sortie from Fredrica•6 July 1849, Battle of Fredricaa•25 July 1850, Isted•13 September 1850, Midsunde
Scandinavism
Scandinavism was a pan-national movement originating from the cultural, geographical, language, and historical links between the Scandinavian countries. In the mid-19th century, it strongly influenced the politics of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Politically, Schleswig-Holstein became a big issue for the Scandinavians.In the 1840s, Scandinavism was strong, especially in student circles. The Danish conflicts in Schleswig-Holstein became a Scandinavian issue. A great wave of sympathy with Denmark passed through Sweden and Norway. Immediately after the outbreak of war in 1848, Swedish volunteers began to sign up for service in the Danish armed forces. A large proportion of these were students. As the war continued in 1849, however, the number of Swedish professional soldiers increased.An image of a 19th-century poster of (from left to right) Norwegian, Danish and Swedish soldiers joining hands. The Norwegian and Swedish flags have the union mark. Image: Wikipedia.
Swedish volunteers
During the years 1848 - 1849 357 Swedish and Norwegian volunteers participated. Of these, 243 were from Sweden (Source: Paulsen) and 114 from Norway. Among the Swedes, 8 people died in the war. In 1850, Denmark minted a medal to commemorate the volunteers' help.The sources for the list of Swedish volunteers are based on the Danish battalion reports. They are not entirely complete and there is a reconstruction of the missing ones made by Schöldström. The official figure according to Paulsen is 243 but in total 259Swedes participated. Among other things, Gillis Frithjof August Boy is missing from the Danish reports, but he was evidently in the war in 1849 and took part in the battle of Kolding on April 23, as well as the affairs at Alminde and Veile and the encounter at Aarhus. Among other things, Gillis Frithjof August Boy is missing from the Danish reports, but he was evidently in the war in 1849 and took part in the battle of Kolding on April 23, the skirmishes at Alminde and Veile, and the encounter at Aarhus. He was also decorated as a Knight of the Dannebrogen for his efforts. The reports state that 8 Swedes were killed, but in reality 10 were killed. A total of 25 Swedes were wounded in the fighting. Only 2 Swedes became prisoners of war, including the above-mentioned Boy.During the first year of the war in 1848, the proportion of students was highest among the Swedish volunteers. In 1849, on the other hand, it was mainly professional soldiers among the Swedish volunteers. Significantly more Swedish professional soldiers than those who took part in the war applied for leave in order to participate. The reason why more were not allowed to go was that Sweden needed the Swedish soldiers for the increased readiness that was taken and for the Swedish Observation force that was stationed in Denmark. For example, Lieutenant Johan Pilsander's service in Danish military service was cut short when the Swedish Minister of War refused to grant him extended leave from the Southern Skåne Infantry Regiment.Volunteers with military training were immediately sent to the fighting Danish units. Those without such training were trained for two weeks in Copenhagen before being sent to the front. For a short time, several of the Swedish volunteer officers had to act as training instructors for the volunteer recruits.The Swedish King Oscar I offered Denmark an alliance in 1856 in which Sweden promised to guarantee with 16,000 men that Schleswig would remain Danish. Denmark declined, however, as Holstein was not included in the guarantee.
1.Svenskarna under Dannebrogen 1848 - 1850. Birger Schöldström, 19032.Organiserandet av svenska frivilliga till Danmark 1848-50 och 1864 vid de dansk-tyska krigen; Uppsats vid Försvarshögskolans Chefsutbildning 1998, LHU 19 100:6126. Mikael Boox, 19983.Historien om Sverige, Ånga och Dynamit. Herman Lindqvist, 19994.Svenska frivilliga. Lars Ericsson, 19965.Medborgare i vapen. Lars Ericsson, 1999
