Key Facts
- Duration
- 16 August – 7 September 1807 (23 days)
- British land force
- 18,000 soldiers
- British warships
- 17 warships under Admiral Gambier
- Bombardment start
- 2 September 1807
- Danish surrender
- 7 September 1807
Strategic Narrative Overview
A British force of 18,000 troops under General Lord Cathcart, supported by 17 warships under Admiral James Gambier, arrived off Copenhagen on 15 August 1807. Troops landed at Vedbæk on 16 August and laid siege to the city. A Danish army was defeated at the Battle of Køge on 29 August. On 2 September British forces began a sustained bombardment of the city, forcing its defenders to sue for peace on 5 September.
01 / The Origins
From 1803, Britain and France were locked in the Napoleonic Wars. By 1807 both powers coveted Denmark's large navy; Denmark sought neutrality but satisfied neither side. Britain feared France would seize the Royal Dano-Norwegian fleet and use it against British naval supremacy. In mid-July 1807, King George III authorised an expedition to secure or destroy the Danish navy before it could fall into French hands.
03 / The Outcome
Copenhagen surrendered on 7 September 1807. Britain seized most of the Danish navy and sailed it to England; warships under construction were destroyed. Denmark subsequently allied with France, joined the Continental System, and launched the Anglo-Danish Gunboat War against Britain. The episode also contributed to the Anglo-Russian War of 1807–1812, and the term 'Copenhagenize' entered usage to describe pre-emptive seizure of an anchored fleet.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Lord Cathcart, Admiral James Gambier.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.