Battle of Lund
North of Lund, Scania, Sweden
What happened
The Swedish army of 21-year-old King Charles XI fought the Danish army of King Christian V. In the Scanian War, Denmark tried to win back the province of Scania, which it had lost to Sweden in 1658. On a winter night the Swedes crossed a river unnoticed and took the hills north of Lund. In a long day of fighting, Charles XI's cavalry drove back one Danish wing, and by evening the Danish army had collapsed.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It turned the war in Sweden's favour.
What came next
The surviving Danes retreated to Landskrona. The Peace of Lund in 1679 confirmed the earlier borders, so Scania remained Swedish.
Did you know?
The Swedish engineer Erik Dahlberg told the king the river ice would hold, the same expert who had helped plan the famous march across the frozen sea in 1658.
Timeline
- 1658The Treaty of Roskilde gives Scania to Sweden.
- 1675Denmark invades Scania.
- 4 December 1676Sweden wins at Lund.
- 1679The Peace of Lund ends the war.