Key Facts
- Dates of sortie
- 1–3 April 1807
- Stralsund captured by France
- 20 August 1807
- All Swedish Pomerania captured
- 7 September 1807
- War ended
- 6 January 1810, Treaty of Paris
- Theater
- Swedish Pomerania (present-day Germany)
Strategic Narrative Overview
Swedish commander Hans Henric von Essen exploited Mortier's decision to detach forces toward the Siege of Kolberg, launching a major sortie on 1 April 1807. Swedish troops defeated the reduced French force under Grandjean at Lüssow, Lüdershagen, and Voigdehagen, captured Greifswald on 2 April, and took numerous French prisoners at Demmin and Anklam on 3 April, driving the French entirely out of Swedish Pomerania and briefly advancing into Prussia.
01 / The Origins
As part of the War of the Fourth Coalition, France sought to neutralize threats to its northern flank by subduing Swedish Pomerania, a Swedish-held enclave on the Baltic coast. In early 1807, Marshal Édouard Mortier led a French army into Swedish Pomerania and placed the garrison town of Stralsund under blockade to prevent Swedish forces from disrupting French operations elsewhere in Prussia.
03 / The Outcome
Mortier returned within two weeks and pushed the Swedes back. After an armistice, French forces re-invaded on 13 July 1807, besieged Stralsund, and captured it on 20 August; all of Swedish Pomerania fell by 7 September. The broader Franco-Swedish War continued until Sweden was compelled to sign the Treaty of Paris on 6 January 1810, formally ceding its Pomeranian position.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Édouard Mortier, Charles Louis Dieudonné Grandjean.
Side B
1 belligerent
Hans Henric von Essen.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.