Part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark-Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden
The Scanian War determined that Sweden would retain its conquered Danish provinces, shaping Scandinavian borders for centuries.
Key Facts
- Duration
- 1675 to 1679
- Primary theater
- Scania (Skåneland), southern Sweden
- Secondary theater
- Northern Germany
- Swedish commander
- Charles XI of Sweden, age 19
- Peace treaties
- Fontainebleau, Lund, Saint-Germain-en-Laye
- Danish war aim
- Recover lands ceded in Treaty of Roskilde
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Sweden allied with France in the Franco-Dutch War, drawing the ire of the United Provinces and their potential allies. The United Provinces sought Danish-Norwegian support against France, and King Christian V seized the opportunity to recover Scanian lands lost to Sweden under the Treaty of Roskilde. Brandenburg, also at war with Sweden, created a second front in Northern Germany.
Denmark-Norway invaded Skåneland in 1675, opening a two-front conflict—also including the Norwegian Gyldenløve War—against Sweden. Despite early Danish successes, the young Charles XI led Swedish counter-offensives that reversed Danish gains in Scania. Simultaneously, Brandenburg defeated Swedish forces in Northern Germany, leaving Sweden battered on multiple fronts by the war's end.
The war concluded through the treaties of Fontainebleau, Lund, and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, largely restoring lost territories to Sweden under French diplomatic pressure. Denmark-Norway failed to reclaim Scanian lands despite military achievements, cementing Sweden's hold on those provinces. The marriage of Charles XI to Danish princess Ulrike Eleonora helped seal the peace.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Charles XI of Sweden.
Side B
3 belligerents
Christian V of Denmark.