Great Northern War and Norway The Great Northern War was the war fought between a coalition of Denmark – Norway , Russia and Saxony - Poland ( from 1715 also Prussia and Hanover ) on one side and Sweden on the other side from 1700 to 1721 . It started by a coordinated attack on Sweden by the coalition in 1700 , and ended 1721 with the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystad , and the Stockholm treaties . As a result of the war , Russia supplanted Sweden as the dominant Power on the shores of the Baltic becoming a major player in European politics . Setting the stage for war . Between 1561 and 1658 , Sweden fought a series of wars in the Baltic , capturing an empire . During this period Sweden had occupied the Danish provinces of Skåne , Blekinge and Halland and the Norwegian provinces of Jämtland , Härjedalen , Trøndelag and Bohuslän . For Denmark , even more than the loss of territory , the continuous Swedish interference in Holstein ( supporting claims for lands in Danish held Schleswig ) was a major bone of contention . In the late 1690s Russia , who had also lost territory to Sweden , allied with Denmark – Norway , together with the duke of Saxony , who expected a reconquest of territory lost by his kingdom , Poland , to strengthen his domestic position . When the young Charles XII ascended Sweden ' s throne in 1697 , the opportunity appeared ripe for recapturing lost territory . Early victories . In 1700 the three powers attacked and for Sweden the difficulty of a three front war had to be faced . No one expected what followed . The early part of the war consisted of a continual string of Swedish victories under Charles XII . Denmark was defeated in the summer of 1700 and withdrew until 1709 . Russia suffered a defeat in the Battle of Narva in November , but regained the offensive and the city of St . Petersburg was founded between 1703 and 1707 . Then Charles XII defeated Augustus the Strong in 1706 - 07 , temporarily deposing him from the Polish throne . In Norway . Frederick IV of Denmark distrusted the nobility and gentry and surrounded himself with ministers and advisers of humble origin . The one exception was the king ' s half - brother , Ulrich Christian Gyldenløve , who at the age of 24 was General - Admiral and Commander in Chief of the Navy . Frederick toured Norway in 1704 to assess the condition of his army and his second kingdom . In the morning , at the noon stop , and in the evenings the king held audiences with all who wanted to speak to him , from wealthy landowners to lowly peasants . Battle of Poltava . Charles XII was defeated by Peter in the Battle of Poltava ( located in modern day Ukraine ) in June 1709 , and his army was virtually annihilated . He fled to the Ottoman Empire and spent five years in exile there . On the Western Front . Back in the West , in November 1709 Denmark invaded Skåne , and Magnus Stenbock , charged with the defense of Sweden , succeeded in defeating Denmark at Helsingborg in 1710 . Meanwhile Russia captured Livonia and Estonia in the east . Despite another Swedish victory over the Danes at Gadebusch in December 1712 , Stenbock ’ s army was forced to surrender at Tønning in May 1713 . In Charles XII ’ s absence , in direct contravention to his express prohibition , an unconstitutional meeting of the Swedish Estates in the winter of 1713 - 1714 was held and proposed peace negotiations . In Norway . During September 1709 Norwegian forces were ordered to mobilise , and by the end of October 6 , 000 men were assembled on the Swedish border at Svinesund while 1 , 500 were congregated near the border at Kongsvinger . In August , 1710 Baron Løvendal arrived in Norway as Governor and commander of a country much drained in resources by the wars of the past century . The governor threw himself into building the civil and military leadership in the country just a short march from Sweden . When he left Norway in 1712 , he had instituted reforms that served to create a civil service in Norway , and proceeded to document state activities to a degree never before seen in Norway , as well as being a strong military leader . Baron Løvendal raised and equipped a Norwegian Army to invade and recapture the former Norwegian province of Bohuslän under the leadership of General - Lieutenant Caspar Hausmann . In parallel he proposed a strong fleet to provide protection and transportation to seaward , and Frederick IV committed to providing such a force under Vice Admiral Sehested in June 1711 . In August , the Norwegian army marched into Bohuslän , warmly welcomed by their former countrymen . But by late summer the fleet Vice Admiral Sehested ’ s fleet had not appeared offshore , having been ordered by Frederick IV to return to Baltic waters . Without naval support , the Norwegian Army was forced to return to Norway . In the autumn of 1711 the struck Denmark , and Copenhagen alone lost 70 , 000 occupants . 1712 was a disappointing year in Norway , as Frederick IV directed Løvendal not to use the Norwegian Army in offensive actions , reserving it for defense and for supplementing Danish troops elsewhere . General Hausmann was named head of all Norway ’ s land and sea defenses . Public rebellion . The taxations that followed from warfare and the forced mobilization of Norwegian farm boys led to uprising and riots in some parts of Norway . Among the most known cases are the farmer ' s tax rebellion in 1713 ( Hallingdal ) , and a soldier ' s strike in 1720 ( Telemark ) . In 1713 , two leading farmers in Hallingdal spoke against the Danish authorities , demanding an end to war taxation , because the farmers could not bear the costs . Eventually , the tax collectors found doors shut all over the region , and had to call in a public meeting . The two leaders were tried and sentenced to labour in the fortress of Akershus . One of them , Elling Villand , who also was sentenced to give away his farm , was freed less than half a year later , and sat on his farm until he died . In Telemark , a leading farmer stood up against the German captain in 1720 , demanding an end to the forced mobilization of farmer ' s sons . At this point , Norwegians were tired of the war . The case was tried in favour of the farmer , Olav Hovdejord , and the captain was called back to Denmark for his coarse behaviour . He had at this point chopped Olav ' s right hand off for interfering . The Fall of Stralsund . Only the firmness of the Chancellor , Count Arvid Horn , held Sweden in the war until Charles finally returned from the Ottoman Empire , arriving in Swedish held Stralsund in November 1714 on the south shore of the Baltic . Charles was by now at war with most of Northern Europe , and Stralsund was doomed . Charles remained there until December , 1715 , escaping only days before Stralsund fell . By this point , Charles was considered mad by many , as he would not consider peace and the price Sweden had paid was already dear , with no hope in sight . All of Sweden ’ s Baltic and German possessions were lost . The Norwegian Campaigns . The 1716 Campaign in Norway . Not one to consider peace , upon his return to Sweden Charles began gathering materials and men for another campaign , this time against Copenhagen , attacking across the frozen Øresund from Skåne . But the ice went out before he could launch his attack , so he redirected his focus . Charles XII chose then to invade Norway through Bohuslän . Getting intelligence of this intent , General Hausmann warned Frederick IV , who didn ’ t believe the General and dismissed him summarily . The Norwegian Army had been weakened in early 1716 by withdrawal of 5000 of the best troops to support the defense of Denmark ; further Norwegian Commander - in - Chief Barthold Lützow was not famous as a visionary leader . When rumors reached Christiania that Charles XII was preparing to invade , all remaining troops in Østerdal and Gudbrandsdal were ordered to the border at Halden and Fredrikstad . The Norwegians anticipated attack from Sweden might occur at Kongsvinger , Basmo or Halden . It was Basmo where Charles XII struck , crossing the border and establishing his headquarters at the Høland parsonage on March 8 , 1716 . The Norwegian commander of the district did not lack courage , and without waiting for his full forces to assemble , he attacked Charles ’ superior forces with only 200 dragoons , fighting valiantly but suffered serious losses including his own capture . Upon hearing of this defeat , General Lützow withdrew his forward troops and established a defensive position at Christiania . The Swedish forces advanced and , leaving a greatly strengthened garrison in Akershus fortress at Christiania , on March 19 Lützow withdrew to Bragernes in Drammen . The Norwegian scorched earth policy and guerrilla raid interdiction of supply chains by the residents of Bohuslän denied Charles of supplies . Further , the Norwegian fortresses behind his lines threatened his retreat if he became seriously weakened in combat . Charles took the city of Christiania , but without heavy siege artillery was unable to take Akershus Fortress . After a brief occupation of Christiania , Charles retraced his steps to the Norwegian fortresses in south - eastern Norway with the objective of capturing them , particularly Fredriksten . This would remove the threat at his back , and they were to serve as the base for his offensive later that year , as well as capture of the harbours at mouth of the Glomma river , which would allow him to land the necessary provisions for a successful siege of Akershus . Charles ' troops attempted to take Fredriksten by storm on July 4 . His troops took the town after fierce fighting , but the citizens set fire to their homes and Charles , unable to take the fortress , was forced to retreat and await the heavy guns from Swedish Dynekilen . Commodore Wibe was in charge of the Dano - Norwegian fleet off Bohuslän charged with interdicting supplies . The Norwegian , Peter Wessel , now a captain serving in this fleet had been granted the title Tordenskjold for prior actions . He led a daring cutting - out raid which captured or destroyed the entire Swedish transport fleet , and , more importantly , the Swedish supplies at Dynekilen in Bohuslän . Running low on supplies , Charles retreated hastily across the Svinesund and burned his bridges behind him . By July 12 , not a Swedish soldier remained in Norway . For this feat , Frederick IV named Tordenskjold a Commodore . In October 1716 the Norwegian Commodore Tordenskjold was given charge of a North Sea Squadron and placed at the head of Norway ’ s Sea Force over the protests of Baron Wedel , Norway ’ s new General in Chief . The 1717 Norwegian Hiatus . Even with his defeat , Charles still planned to redeem himself by a Norwegian invasion . 1717 became a year of rebuilding for both sides . Action was limited to unsuccessful attacks by Commodore Tordenskjold ' s squadron on Gothenburg and Strömstad . As a result of the failures , Commodore Tordenskjold was relieved of Command of the North Sea fleet . The 1718 Campaign in Norway . Commodore Tordenskjold was reassigned to the Baltic Fleet , in command of the 64 - gun ship of the line , Ebenezer . The North Sea fleet under Rear Admiral Rosenpalm pursued an unaggressive patrol strategy along the Bohuslän coast . With the Danish fleet diverted to the Baltic and the lightening of patrols from the North Sea fleet , throughout the summer of 1718 , steady streams of supplies were carried up through the Bohuslän skerries and to the Norwegian border . Armaments emphasized the heavy guns , ammunition and supplies that would be necessary to take the strong border fortresses at Fredriksten in Fredrikshald . In the Autumn of 1718 Charles again attacked Norway . He was killed while inspecting the front trenches of the siege - works against Fredriksten . This precipitated an immediate retreat of his war - weary forces back to Sweden , effectively terminating the Norwegian campaigns . Conclusion . The war was finally concluded in 1721 . Sweden had lost almost all of her overseas holdings gained in the 17th century , and was no longer a major power . Russia took the Baltic territories , and from then on was the major power in the east . The balance of power between Sweden and Denmark - Norway was restored .