battle of copenhagen 1801

Nelson had demonstrated that he was an able naval tactician and that he also possessed considerable diplomatic skills. Such hostility brought Britain into conflict with Denmark in 1801, resulting in a successful British attack on Copenhagen and, shortly after, the demise of an anti-British alliance. Lord Nelson, with humble duty to His Royal Highness the Prince of Denmark, will consider this the greatest victory he has ever gained, if it may be the cause of a happy reconciliation and union between his own most gracious Sovereign, and His Majesty the King of Denmark. The Battle of Copenhagen (Danish language: slaget p Reden ) was an engagement which saw a British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker fight and strategically defeat a Danish-Norwegian fleet anchored just off Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. The Russian tsar, Paul, having been a British ally, arranged a League of Armed Neutrality comprising Denmark, Sweden, Prussia, and Russia, to enforce free trade with France. The Danes suffered 1,700 casualties, the British 941. The British bomb vessels placed diagonally across the foreground, the city of Copenhagen in the background and in-between, the Danish line. On the 22 May 1801 Nelson was created Viscount Nelson of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk. The effect of the Battle of Copenhagen and the Tsars murder was to bring about the collapse of the Northern Confederation. British gunboats took the Danish vessel in tow to add to the clutch of Danish ships that had been taken in the battle. This encounter with the Danish fleet was fought on 2 April in the narrow 3-mile-long King's Channel, of varying depth, which bounded the eastern defences of the Danish capital. Account of the Battle of Copenhagen: The armed-neutrality treaty of 1794 between Denmark and Sweden, to which Russia and Prussia adhered in 1800, was considered a hostile act by England. The Danish fleet surrendered to Britain after Copenhagen was bombarded. However, HMSAgamemnon ran aground before entering the channel, and took no part in the battle. The next day, Nelson landed in Copenhagen to open negotiations. RT @PhilipKAllan: The Battle of Copenhagen 1801 by Christian Molsted. I have a right to be blind sometimes, and archly putting his glass up to his right eye. Battle of Copenhagen on 2nd April 1801 in the Napoleonic Wars. Troops would land and assault the Tre Kroner fortress once the fleet had subdued the Danish line of ships. Battle of Copenhagen 1801 Account of the Battle of Copenhagen, the second, and hardest fought, of Nelson's three great naval victories. Falling masts and rigging inflicted severe crush injuries. Questions or concerns? Date 1901 Collection Statens Forsvarshistoriske Museum, Orlogsmuseet, Copenhagen Source/Photographer https://www.britishbattles.com/napoleonic-wars/battle-of-copenhagen/ But he need not have worried. The British Admiralty ordered Admiral Sir Hyde Parker with a British fleet to the Baltic, with Admiral Lord Nelson as his second in command, to break up the confederation. Only Sjlland and Holsteen were in good condition, also note the age of the ships.) The battle of Copenhagen was a naval battle between a British fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Nelson and a Danish fleet.Music :Dangerous | Kevin MacLeod . Turning to his flag captain Thomas Foley, Nelson famously exclaimed, "You know, Foley, I only have one eye I have the right to be blind sometimes." Donald Sommerville is a writer and editor specializing in military history. In this blog, I will focus on the British Naval General Service Medal 1793-1840 (NGS), which was issued retrospectively in 1848-50'ish to surviving officers and men who had their claims approved. The Battle of Copenhagen of 1801 ( Danish: Slaget p Reden ), also known as the First Battle of Copenhagen to distinguish it from the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807, was a naval battle in which a British fleet fought and defeated a smaller force of the Dano-Norwegian Navy anchored near Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. The Battle of Copenhagen is often listed as one of Nelsons great victories; it was scarcely thatthe Danes were far from beatenbut it did help end an important threat to British power. A ceasefire followed and Nelson went on shore to negotiate an extension of the truce. Unbeknown to Nelson, Parker had been tasked to force Denmark to withdraw from the neutrality, by amicable arrangements, or by actual hostilities (Tracy, page 133). [16][note 4] The cessation of firing left the way open for the British bomb vessels to approach Copenhagen. Eventually a veteran of the Nile, the master of the Bellona, volunteered for the task and at 9.30 the squadron set off twelve ships of the line plus frigates and bomb-ketches. Shortage of citrus fruit and fresh vegetables meant that scurvy quickly set in. Battle of Copenhagen, (15 August7 September 1807), an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars. There he engaged three of Parker's ships,[clarification needed] which had lost their manoeuvrability after being badly damaged and had drifted within range. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. On land, it contributed to the capture of Bremen in 1805 and the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807. The grounding of Agamemnon, Bellona and Russell caused the Trekroner Fortress to be left unmarked, requiring Riou to carry out the bombardment with his squadron of smaller vessels, the billowing smoke concealing his ships and protecting them initially from excessive damage. They were roughly handled by the Danish guns and three grounded on the shoals, but after a masterly display of cool seamanship the rest anchored in line and brought their broadsides to bear. [20] Holsteen was then taken into service with the Royal Navy and renamed HMSHolstein (later HMSNassau).[21]. Around 1:30, thinking that Nelson had been fought to a standstill but was unable to retreat without orders, Parker ordered the signal for "break off action" hoisted. Let us know. [citation needed], The Danish batteries started firing at 10:05 am, the first half of the British fleet was engaged in about half an hour, and the battle was general by 11:30 am. The most northerly ship, the frigate Hjlperen, successfully withdrew. Nelson, who was blind in one eye from an old wound, made a joke about not being able to see the signal flags and fought on, thereby ignoring Parkers orders. Nelson urged that the Danish Fleet be attacked without delay, saying: Let it be by the Sound, by the Belt, or anyhow, only lose not an hour.. [3] The final peace agreement was then signed on 23 October 1801. First Battle of Copenhagen; Part of War of the Second Coalition: The Battle of Copenhagen, as painted by Nicholas Pocock. On 18th March 1801, the British Fleet anchored in the Kattegat, the entrance to the Baltic from the North Sea, and British diplomats set off for Copenhagen. Lord Nelson has directions to spare Denmark when she is no longer resisting, but if firing is continued on the part of Denmark, Lord Nelson will be obliged to set on fire the floating batteries he has taken, without having the power of saving the brave Danes who have defended them. With the line in place, the battle fell to a slogging gunnery match between the British ships and the Danish ships and batteries, floating and land, which lasted some two hours. Nelson, in Elephant (Captain Foley, 74 guns), took the anchorage allocated to Bellona, with Ganges (Captain Freemantle, 74 guns) and Monarch (Captain Moss, 74 guns) anchoring immediately in front of Elephant. Britain and Denmark remained at war for more than six years. The British ships anchored alongside the moored Danish Fleet and the firing was broadside to broadside at a range of a few yards. This picture shows the scene on the Danish ship Gerner Radeau. Ships manoeuvred to deliver broadsides in the most destructive manner; the greatest effect being achieved by firing into an enemys stern or bow, so that the shot travelled the length of the ship, wreaking havoc and destruction. He sent it with a Danish-speaking officer, Captain Sir Frederick Thesiger, under a flag of truce to the Danish-Norwegian regent, Crown Prince Frederik, who had been watching the battle from the ramparts of the Citadel. Battle of Copenhagen, (April 2, 1801), British naval victory over Denmark in the Napoleonic Wars. Art UK artwork ID: the-battle-of-copenhagen-2-april-1801-175347 . [4] It was in the British interest to guarantee its naval supremacy and all trade advantages that resulted from it. Negotiations continued by letter and on 8 April Nelson returned in person with a formal agreement. This resulted in the dissolution of the League of Armed Neutrality and allowed the Danes to accept British terms. Winner of the Battle of Copenhagen:The British Fleet. At 8am on 2nd April 1801, the assault began, with His Majestys Ship Edgar (Captain Murray, 74 guns) leading the division from its anchorage and tacking from the Outer Deep into the Royal Passage. Parker, with the remaining ships, kept a watching brief. No ship in Nelsons division acted on Parkers signal, except Captain Rious squadron, attacking the Trekroner Fortress. Defiance (Rear Admiral Graves Flagship: Captain Retalick, 74 guns) and Elephant went aground and the Danish Flagship, Dannebroge (Captains Fischer and Braun, 80 guns), grounded and blew up, with substantial casualties. It was at this point that he declined to see Parkers signal, saying, You know, Foley, I have only one eye. The size of gun on the line of battle ships was up to 24 pounder, firing heavy iron balls or chain and link shot designed to wreck rigging. The remainder of the line would pass outside the engagement until the next British ship drew alongside the next Danish ship, and so on. "[15] Rear Admiral Graves repeated the signal, but in a place invisible to most other ships while keeping Nelson's "close action" signal at his masthead. Next day, which was Good Friday, Nelson went ashore to be received at a state dinner by Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark. The food, far from good, deteriorated as ships spent time at sea. Colonel Stewart reported that "the population showed an admixture of admiration, curiosity and displeasure". The loss of the three vessels required hurried changes in the line and weakened the force's northern end. The death of Tsar Paul of Russia changed the diplomatic scene and reduced the political importance of the battle, and material losses in the battle were of little importance to the fighting strength of either navy (the Danish side had taken great care to spare its first-class ships), it did however demonstrate that British determination to ensure continued naval superiority in the war against France was supreme. [24] Parker refused to sail into the eastern Baltic and instead returned to Copenhagen, where he found that news of his lack of vigour had reached London. It was on this ship that he is said to have put his telescope to his blind eye and claimed not to be able to see a signal ordering him to withdraw. In the final hour of negotiations, the Danes found out (but not the British) that Tsar Paul had been assassinated. The scenery is shown as seen from the tower of "Vor Frues Kirke" ("Our Lady of Copenhagen", the Copenhagen Cathedral). [8] The British fleet reached the Skaw (Danish: Skagen) on 19 March, where they met a British diplomat, Nicholas Vansittart,[9] who told them that the Danes had rejected an ultimatum. (of 2) The Embodiment of the Sea Power of Great Britain, Nelson's dispatch to Parker about the battle, Account including maps of the Battle of Copenhagen, Great Britain's unprovoked assault on the neutral Danish-Norwegian kingdom, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Copenhagen_(1801)&oldid=1160824859, Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2014, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from April 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2008, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from April 2014, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2009, Articles needing additional references from April 2014, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, Sea Battery Lynetten - unknown number of guns, Land battery Sixtus - unknown number of guns, Land battery Quintus - unknown number of guns, Fortress Kastellet - unknown number of guns, This page was last edited on 19 June 2023, at 01:12. Close Detailed object viewer (IIIF) The Battle of Copenhagen of 1801 (Danish: Slaget p Reden), also known as the First Battle of Copenhagen to distinguish it from the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807, was a naval battle in which a British fleet fought and defeated a smaller force of the Dano-Norwegian Navy anchored near Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. Danish floating battery and ship of the line under fire at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2nd April 1801 in the Napoleonic Wars. Nelson decided to attack from the weakest, south-eastern end of the Danish defences and spent hours in small boats planning exactly how buoys should be placed to guide his squadron through a narrow and dificult channel for the attack. old engraved illustration of admiral sir horatio nelson holding a telescope, ignoring the order to retreat, battle of copenhagen (april, 1801) - battle of copenhagen (1801) stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images According to British eyewitness accounts, much of the Danish line had fallen silent by 2:00 pm. [note 2] On the other hand, their ships were a motley collection, many of them small, and out-gunned if engaged by the whole of Nelson's force. Coupled with the assassination of Tsar Paul, the Battle of Copenhagen effectively ended the League of Armed Neutrality. [7] In the end Nelson was able to persuade Sir Hyde to attack the Danish fleet currently concentrated off Copenhagen. I have a right to be blind sometimes and raising a spyglass to his right eye added I really do not see the signal (Hibbert, page 261). And Lord Nelson will take his prisoners out of the Vessels, and burn and carry off his prizes as he shall see fit. The Battle of Copenhagen of 1801 ( Danish: Slaget p Reden ), also known as the First Battle of Copenhagen to distinguish it from the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807, was a naval battle in which a British fleet fought and defeated a smaller force of the Dano-Norwegian Navy anchored near Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. During the negotiations, only the batteries on Amag Island, at the southern end of the Danish line, the Trekoner Fortress and a few ships continued to fire.

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