D E N M A R K. 



6SW 



War with 

 Sweden. 



History, in the absence of their sovereign, sent deputies to 



w -V— ' Charles, to request that he would not bombard the 

 town ; to this request he gave his consent, on condition 

 that they paid him immediately about 80,000 pounds, 

 and brought regularly to his camp all kinds of provi- 

 sions, for which, however, he engaged to pay punc- 

 tually. As soon as Frederic learned that his capital 

 was in such imminent danger, he published an edict, 

 in which he promised freedom to all those in every 

 part of his dominions that should take up arms against 

 the Swedes. Charles, upon this, informed his Danish 

 majesty, that he only made war to oblige him to make 

 peace; and that he must resolve to do justice to the 

 duke of Holstein, or to see Copenhagen destroyed, and 

 his kingdom laid waste by fire and sword. Frederic 

 eagerly accepted the conditions, and the peace of Tra- 

 vendahl was concluded, by which the full right and 

 sovereignty was confirmed to the duke of Holstein. 

 His Danish majesty agreed to pay him 260,000 crowns; 

 and liberty was given to the chapter of Lubeck, to elect, 

 as their bishop, a prince of Holstein. 



While Charles the Twelfth was victorious, this trea- 

 ty was faithfully observed by Frederic ; but fortune ha- 

 ving deserted the former monarch, and the duke of 

 lloistein having been killed in 1702, Frederic again 

 invaded this province. Steinboch, one of Charles's best 

 generals, had thrown himself into Tonningen, and Fre- 

 deric made this a pretext for the renewal of hostili- 

 ties, and the whole province was occupied by his 



A. D. 1720. troops. In 1720, however, he entered into a treaty 

 with the young duke Charles Frederic, by which he 

 kept the .whole of Sleswick, and restored only part of 

 Holstein. The reverses of the king of Sweden alsq 

 prompted Frederic to invade Schonen : At this period 

 Sweden was in a state of great disorder ; the senate, 

 and the regency whom the king had established when 

 he left Stockholm, were at variance ; but as soon ,as 

 they heard that then - country was invaded by the 

 Danes, all their animosity and disputes were forgot- 

 ten. There were only 8000 regular troops in the king- 

 dom ; to these Steinboch united about 12,000 militia, 

 and came up with the Danes, who were ravaging the 

 country in a most barbarous manner, near Helsinburgh. 

 He did not intend to have attacked them immediately, 

 but his militia were so eager to engage, that he altered 

 his plan ; and two regiments of those farmers, who had 

 only taken up arms three weeks before, fought with so 

 much intrepidity, that they destroyed nearly all the 

 king of Denmark's guards, so that scarcely ten of them 

 escaped. The Danish army was entirely defeated, and 

 retired under the cannon of Helsinburgh. A few days 

 after this disastrous battle, the remains of this army 

 quitted Sweden with great precipitation, killing all 

 their horses, setting fire to their provisions and bag- 

 gage, and leaving 4000 wounded in the town, all of 

 whom died for want of food, the Danes having laid 



V.B. 1721. waste the country round Helsinburgh. In 1711, Fre- 

 deric invaded Swedish Pomerania ; but though he was 

 assisted by the Poles, he gained little advantage by this 

 invasion, except the reduction of Damgarten. In the 

 following year, he conquered the duchy of Bremen, and 

 took the city of Stade ; but the Swedish army advan- 

 cing against him, he was defeated with considerable 

 ].->ss, and the town of Altona burnt to the ground. 

 The Swedes afterwards having invaded Norway, Fre- 

 deric proceeded to the defence of that part of his domi- 

 nions, and compelled them to retreat with great loss. 

 Charles the Twelfth was still absent from his country ; 

 i.Hd the allied powers, Poland, Prussia, Denmark, and 



George the First as elector of Hanover, attacked the ffistor-r. 

 Swedish possessions on the east side of the Baltic ; the ^" *"li ~— m/ 

 reduction of Wismar was entrusted to Frederic, and 

 he succeeded in effecting it. Soon after Charles re- 

 turned to Sweden, he raised and disciplined a large ar- 

 my ; with which, though his own country was threat- 

 ened on all sides with powerful and victorious enemies, 

 he suddenly invaded Norway. In this kingdom there 

 were only 11,000 troops ; so that Charles soon made 

 himself master of the greatest part of it : He had ad- 

 vanced near to Christiana, but as he had taken no pre- 

 caution for the support of his army, he was obliged, 

 from want of provisions, to retire into Sweden. In the 

 month of October 1718, Norway was again invaded by a. D 171 s. 

 Charles ; but the kingdom was saved by the death of 

 that monarch at the siege of Fredericshall, on the 11th 

 of December ; upon winch the Swedish army returned 

 into their own country. The war between the two- 

 powers continued with various success, but presenting 

 no event of importance till 1720, when peace was con- p eace con . 

 eluded, under the mediation of George the First. The eluded, 

 principal article in this treaty secured the possession of A, D. 172Q, 

 the duchy of Sleswick to Denmark, under the guarantee 

 of France. Between this period and 1730, when Fre- 

 deric died, the kingdom was tranquil and flourishing : 

 The only circumstances which impeded its advance- 

 ment in prosperity, were the destruction of a great 

 part of the capital by fire, and the disposition of Fre- 

 deric to lay out the public money on impracticable or 

 unprofitable schemes. 



Christian Frederic, better known under the appella- christian 

 tion of Christian the Sixth, succeeded his father Frederic VI. ascends 

 the Fourth. During nearly the whole of his reign, 'he throne. 

 Denmark enjoyed a state of profound peace; and Chris- 

 tian took advantage of this circumstance to improve his 

 territories and benefit his subjects: hence no sovereign 

 is a greater favourite with the Danish people. Several 

 monopolies existed, some of which were extremely pre- 

 judicial and obnoxious to the nation at large ; these he 

 either totally abolished, or regulated and restrained in 

 such a manner, as to diminish and limit their evil con- 

 sequences. In particular, he abolished a farm, which he 

 had established during the reign of his father, among 

 his other speculations, for the exclusive sale of brandy, 

 wine, salt, and tobacco. In the abolition of this farm, he 

 displayed not only his wise and comprehensive policy, 

 and his regard for the interests of his people, but also 

 that exclusive or paramount regard to their interests, 

 which too seldom is found to actuate the conduct of 

 princes ; for this monopoly was not more oppresive to 

 his subjects, than it was lucrative to himself. When the 

 persons to whom this monopoly had been granted, of- 

 fered to give him large sums of money, provided he 

 would permit it to be continued, he replied, " It pro- 

 duces too much, since my subjects complain of the ex- 

 actions it occasions." 



The disputes which had so long subsisted between 

 Hamburgh and Denmark, and which more tlian once 

 had broken out into bitter and rancorous hostility, were 

 brought to a complete and advantageous termination 

 by Christian ; he indeed managed this business with 

 so much adroitness, as to induce the people of Ham- „. _„ , 

 burgti to consent to pay mm a large sum of money, t j 0Ils {^ ^_ 

 and to grant several privileges which were highly be- vonr of 

 neficial to the trade and commerce of his subjects, trade aud 

 But his attention and thoughts were in a more especial pHWierce. 

 manner directed to render his country powerful, rich, 

 and happy ; in order to effect this, he established ;i 

 council of trade, composed of men whose experience 



