| Siege of Stralsund | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofThirty Years' War | |||||||
 Contemporary colored engraving | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Holy Roman Empire | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Albrecht von WallensteinHans Georg von Arnim | ||||||
TheSiege of Stralsund, 13 May to 4 August 1628, took place during theThirty Years' War when anImperial Army underAlbrecht von Wallenstein attempted to capture the keyBaltic Sea port ofStralsund. Then an independent city and part of theHanseatic League, Stralsund was initially reinforced by small numbers ofScots mercenaries inDanish service, beforeGustavus Adolphus of Sweden sent a larger force underAlexander Leslie.
The failure of the siege ended Wallenstein's series of victories, while Straslund was held by the Swedes for most of the next two hundred years. It provided Gustavus a bridgehead within theHoly Roman Empire that in 1630 facilitatedSwedish intervention in the Thirty Years' War.
Christian IV of Denmark had declared war on theHoly Roman Empire in 1625.[3] He then invaded the empire with an army commanded byErnst von Mansfeld to oppose theCatholic League's army commanded byJohann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly. In response,Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, hadAlbrecht von Wallenstein raise an additional army to support Tilly.[4] Wallenstein defeated Mansfeld in theBattle of Dessau Bridge in 1626.[5] The remnants of Mansfeld's army left Central Germany, and turned toSilesia andHungary to regroup withGabriel Bethlen's forces.[6]
After Tilly had defeated Christian IV in theBattle of Lutter am Barenberge in August 1626, and Bethlen was neutralized in the (third)Peace of Pressburg in December,[5] Tilly and Wallenstein were able to subsequently expel Christian IV from theNorth German plain, organized in theLower Saxon andUpper Saxonimperial circles, and pressure him even in DanishJutland.[5] The internally divided Upper Saxon circle, to which theDuchy of Pomerania withStralsund belonged, was incapable of self-defence and had formally declared neutrality.[7]
Christian IV's army staff heavily relied onScottish expertise: with 300 Scottish officers in his service, Scottish officers outnumberedDanish andNorwegian officers combined by 3:1.[8] Also, Christian IV had issued patents to raise 9,000Scottish troops in 1627, adding to 2,000-3,000 Scottish troops raised byDonald Mackay forErnst von Mansfeld's army, but who had been deployed to Denmark instead.
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden was since 1626 involved in thePolish-Swedish War, with Poland allied to the Holy Roman Empire.[9] In this war, ScotsmanAlexander Leslie started his career in Swedish service as commandant and governor ofPillau inEast Prussia.[9] Gustavus Adolphus had made plans to intervene in the Holy Roman Empire, of which theRiksdag commission approved in the winter of 1627/28.[10]
In November 1627, theDuchy of Pomerania hadcapitulated to the forces of theHoly Roman Empire.[11]Bogislaw XIV, Duke of Pomerania, on 10 November signed theCapitulation of Franzburg withHans Georg von Arnim, who on behalf ofAlbrecht von Wallenstein commanded the imperial occupation forces in Pomerania.[11] With the occupation, Wallenstein sought to secure the southern coastline of theBaltic Sea forFerdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor againstChristian IV of Denmark.[11]
The Capitulation of Franzburg required all towns except for ducal residences to take in imperial troops,[11] and Wallenstein had ordered Arnim to occupy the Pomeranian ports and seize their vessels already in October.[12] Stralsund however was unwilling to give in,[13] as its status as aHanseatic town had provided for considerable self-determination and independence from thePomeranian dukes.[14] Thus, Stralsund ignored Bogislaw's order to adhere to the capitulation, issued since February 1628,[15] and instead turned first toDenmark and then toSweden for support.[16]
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Starting in May 1628, siege was laid onStralsund byAlbrecht von Wallenstein's troops,[17] commanded byHans Georg von Arnim.[18] By then, the town with its 20,000 inhabitants was defended by a citizen force of 2,500, a levy of 1,500, and another 1,000 enlisted men.[18] The first major imperial assault on the city took place between 16 and 24 May.[18]
Christian IV of Denmark had reacted positively to Stralsund's call and deployed a force including 900[19] ofMackay's Scotsmen, organized in seven companies, and a company of Germans in her defence.[18] Though dispatched already on 8 May, they only landed on 24 May.[18] Initially, the Danish-German mercenaryHeinrich Holk was appointed governor.[20][21] When Holk retired to seek reinforcements, he was succeeded by Scotsman Lieutenant ColonelAlexander Seaton of Mackay's Regiment.[2]
The Imperial army renewed its assault on 26 and 27 May.[18] When checked, Arnim resorted to bombardment awaiting Wallenstein's personal appearance.[18]
On 20 June, a Swedish auxiliary expedition, dispatched already on 2 June, arrived with 600 men commanded by Colonel Fretz, Colonel James MacDougall, and Major Semple.[22]
On 23[23] or 25[17] June, Stralsund concluded an alliance withGustavus Adolphus of Sweden, scheduled to last twenty years.[17][23] Gustavus Adolphus then stationed a garrison in the town, the first such on German soil in history.[11] This event marked the starting point of Swedish engagement in the Thirty Years' War.[24] Robert Monro recorded that Semple was killed almost upon arrival and Macdougall temporarily captured. However he noted that this Swedish contingent "did come voluntarily come to succour and help our Nation" indicating the sheer number of Scots from both the standing Danish garrison and the Swedish relief force.[25]
On 27 June, Wallenstein took command of the besieging forces, and renewed the assaults starting the very same night.[18] The Scottish troops, entrusted with the defence of a crucial section of Stralsund's fortifications, distinguished themselves by an extremely fierce way of fighting.[19] The main assault was on the eastern district of Franken, commanded by majorRobert Monro.[26] Of 900 Scots, 500 were killed and 300 wounded, including Monro.[19] Rosladin was able to relieve Monro's force and re-take lost ground.[18] An overall 2,000 defenders were killed and captured in this assault.[18] Monro later recalled that "we were not suffered to come off our posts for our ordinary recreation, nor yet to sleepe" - for a period of six weeks.[19]
The following night, on 28 and 29 June, Wallenstein succeeded in taking the outer works of the fortifications.[18] Rosladin was wounded and governor Seaton took over his command.[18]
On 29 June,Bogislaw XIV, Duke of Pomerania sent two of his high-ranking nobles, the count von Putbus and his chancellor von Horn, to persuade Stralsund to adhere to theCapitulation of Franzburg and surrender to Wallenstein.[17] On 30 June, Rosladin persuaded the city not to enter into negotiations with Wallenstein, who had resorted to bombardment again.[18] The same day, ten Swedish vessels reinforced Stralsund with 600 troops, while under heavy fire by Wallenstein's forces.[17] Soon after, Christian ordered another Scottish regiment, that ofAlexander Lindsay, 2nd Lord Spynie, to help with the defence of the town.[27] These troops arrived around 4 July and suffered huge casualties (being reduced from a regiment to four companies) in the ensuing assaults, many led by Wallenstein in person.[15] On 10 July, Wallenstein and Stralsund negotiated a treaty in theHainholz woods northwest of the town,[d] requiring Stralsund to take in Pomeranian troops.[17] The treaty was signed by Wallenstein and Bogislaw XIV on 21 July, but not by Stralsund.[17] Though Bogislaw vouched for the town, the treaty did not come into effect.[17]
Already on 2 July, Stralsund had been reinforced by 400 Danish troops, and by 1,100 troops of the Danish-Scottish regiments ofDonald Mackay andAlexander Lindsay, 2nd Lord Spynie in the following week.[29] By the 17 July ScotsmanAlexander Leslie, arrived with 1,100 troops, including more Scottish volunteers, and succeeded Seaton as Stralsund's governor.[20][30] Leslie commanded a total of 4,000 to 5,000 troops.[31] The Danish support amounted to 2,650 troops deployed during the siege.[23] One of Leslie's first actions was an audacious all-out assault on the besieging troops which Robert Monro described as follows:
Sir Alexander Leslie being made governour, he resolved for the credit of his countrymen to make an out-fall upon the Enemy, and desirous to conferre the credit on his own Nation alone, being his first Essay in that Citie[32]
Heavy rainfall between 21 and 24 July turned the battlefield into a marsh.[18] On 4 August, Wallenstein lifted the siege,[17] acknowledging his first misfortune in the Thirty Years' War.[15]
After the unsuccessful siege, Wallenstein headed to nearbyWolgast, to fighta final battle with Christian IV:[15] Danish troops had landed in the area and occupied the island ofUsedom, and had taken the town of Wolgast on 14 August without fighting.[17] On 22 August, Wallenstein retook the town.[17]
Also in August, Swedish chancellorAxel Oxenstierna came to Stralsund, and offered negotiations to Wallenstein.[33] The latter however refused.[33] The inability to take Stralsund was to become one of the obstacles which led to Wallenstein's temporary dismissal in 1630.[34]
When Gustavus Adolphus' invaded Pomerania in June 1630,[17] he used his bridgehead in Stralsund to clear the flanks of his landing forces.[35] Bogislaw XIV concluded an alliance with the Swedish king in theTreaty of Stettin in July.[36] Wallenstein's forces were subsequently driven out of theDuchy of Pomerania, and Swedish forces had taken complete control of the duchy when Wallenstein's forces inGreifswald surrendered in June 1631.[37]
During the Swedish campaign,Alexander Leslie was succeeded as the governor ofStralsund by another Scot in Swedish service,James MacDougal, in 1630.[31] From 1679 to 1697, the position was to pass to yet another Scot,Peter Maclean.[31]
Part of Wallenstein's forces were infected with theBlack Death.[38] During the siege, the epidemics swept into the town, killing 2,000 in the months of August and September alone.[38]
The battle of Stralsund entered Pomeranian folklore.[39] The population of Stralsund commemorates the siege of 1628 with an annual festival, "Wallensteintage" ("Wallenstein Days").[40]
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