# Battle of Kolding (1644)

vteThirty Years' War :
Bohemian Revolt (1618–1620)
Pilsen
Lomnice
Sablat
Wisternitz
Bautzen
White Mountain
Neu Titschein
Palatinate campaign (1620–1623)
Bad Kreuznach
Oppenheim
Bacharach
Jülich
Mingolsheim
Wimpfen
Höchst
Bergen op Zoom
Heidelberg
Fleurus
Mannheim
Frankenthal
Stadtlohn
Transylvanian invasions of Hungary (1619–1621, 1623–1624, 1626)
Humenné
Érsekújvár
Tyrnau [de]
Hodonín
Vlach uprisings
Danish intervention (1625–1629)
Breda
Dessau Bridge
Oldenzaal
Lutter am Barenberge
Groenlo
Stralsund
Wolgast
's-Hertogenbosch
Swedish intervention (1630–1635)
Swedish landing
Frankfurt
Magdeburg
Werben
1st Breitenfeld
Bamberg
Rain
Maastricht
Nuremberg
Wiesloch
Alte Veste
Fürth
Lützen
Oldendorf
Pfaffenhofen
Steinau
Konstanz
1st Breisach
1st Rheinfelden
Liegnitz [de]
1st Nördlingen
Strasbourg Bridge
Swedish-French Period (1635–1648)
Les Avins
Leuven
Schenkenschans
Ray-sur-Saône
Dömitz [de]
Haselünne [de]
Raon
Tornavento
2nd Magdeburg
Somme
Wittstock
2nd Breda
Venlo
Leipzig
Hanau
2nd Rheinfelden
Saint Omer
Fuenterrabía
Kallo
Wittenweiher
Thann [de]
Vlotho
2nd Breisach
1st Freiberg
Chemnitz
Melnik
Thionville
Salses
Cambrils
Montjuïc
Preßnitz
Plauen
La Marfée
Dorsten
Wolfenbüttel
Kempen
Honnecourt
Schweidnitz
2nd Breitenfeld
2nd Freiberg
Rocroi
1st Brno
Tuttlingen
Kolding
Freiburg
Philippsburg
Jüterbog
Bysjön
Jankau
2nd Brno
Mergentheim
2nd Nördlingen
3rd Hulst
Korneuburg [de]
Totenhöhe [de]
Hohentübingen [de]
Mardyck
Dunkirk
Triebl
Naples
Zusmarshausen
Wevelinghoven
Lens
Dachau [de]
Prague
Naval battles
Gibraltar
Genoa
The Slaak
1st Saint Martin
Lizard Point
Dunkirk
Channel
The Downs
Cape St. Vincent
2nd Saint Martin
Lister Dyb
Colberger Heide
Fehmarn :
$_{Treaties}$ :
The Battle of Kolding (Slaget ved Kolding) on January 9, 1644 was the opening engagement of the Torstenson War between the Swedish Empire and Denmark-Norway. The battle was primarily a cavalry engagement between Swedish and Danish cavalry near the Danish seaport of Kolding. The encounter was part of the wider Thirty Years' War, which saw heavy fighting in Central Europe. The Danish army made a defensive stand only to be overrun by the advancing Swedes. It was a decisive victory for the Swedish forces and by the end of January the Jutland peninsula was a Swedish possession.

## Background

Relations between the Swedish Empire and Denmark-Norway had always been poor, but worsened in the 17th century. Since 1630, the Swedes had been at war with various German states in the Thirty Years War. Denmark-Norway had been involved in the war but had left the conflict in 1629. At that time the Dano-Norwegian government had been open to a Swedish intervention in the conflict, but as the Swedish army won victory after victory the Dano-Norwegians became increasingly concerned and antagonistic towards the Swedish Empire. In 1643, the Swedish government under Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna decided that Denmark-Norway was in a vulnerable position, and the Swedish Empire could benefit from declaring war on them. In December 1643, Swedish troops moved into the Jutland peninsula, advancing afterwards into the then Danish territories of Halland and Blekinge. The Dano-Norwegians and their King Christian IV were completely unprepared for the war. Despite this fact, Christian IV ordered the Danish army and navy to mobilize to face the Swedish threat.

## Battle

At the town of Kolding in eastern Jutland, Swedish and Danish cavalry clashed in an engagement. The goal of the Danish cavalry was to harass the Swedish forces in the Jutland peninsula. The Swedish cavalry were led by Lieutenant General Robert Douglas. The Danish cavalry were led by Frederik von Buchwald, who belonged to a noble family that owned a great deal of land in the Jutland peninsula. Von Buchwald had 6000 cavalrymen under his command, but the Dano-Norwegian army had been greatly unprepared for the war and it was many years since they had engaged in a conflict. The Swedish cavalry, on the other hand, were experienced veterans of the Thirty Year's War. The Swedish cavalry outnumbered the Danish force, and the battle lasted quite a short time. The Swedish force charged towards the Dano-Norwegian forces and engaged them in horse to horse combat. After some heavy fighting, the Dano-Norwegian cavalry began to rout and retreated from the battlefield, leaving the Swedes the victor.

## Aftermath

The Dano-Norwegian force fled north to Snoghøj. There, the Dano-Norwegians capitulated on January 11. The city of Kolding was pillaged by the Swedes and the road north was open. The battle was, as mentioned, mainly a cavalry battle so most of the Dano-Norwegian soldiers escaped without injury and the casualties on both side were quite small.