Denmark-Norway had been forced out of the Great Northern War by the Treaty of Traventhal in 1700, but had long planned on reopening hostilities with the goal of reconquering the lost provinces Scania, Halland and Blekinge. After the Swedish defeat at Poltava in 1709, the Danes saw an opportunity and declared war on Sweden the same year. The declaration of war arrived at the Swedish state council on October 18, 1709. The pretext given was that Sweden had been intentionally trying to avoid paying the Sound Dues, and that the population of Scania, Halland, Blekinge and Bohuslän had been mistreated by the Swedish.