Battle of Axtorna

infobox Military Conflict


caption=The fields where the major part of the battle took place
partof=Northern Seven Years' War
date=October 20, 1565
place=Axtorna, close to Falkenberg, Sweden
result=Danish victory
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1=Jacob Henriksson Hästesko
commander2=Daniel Rantzau
strength1=11,000 troops
strength2=7,400 troops
casualties1=1,200-1,700
casualties2=300-2,000

The Battle of Axtorna was fought October 20 1565. Daniel Rantzau had been forced to yield the fortress Varberghus to the Swedes on September 15 1565, after they had taken Ny Varberg, then Skåneland's next largest city after Malmö. Rantzau received the news that a Swedish army of superior strength led by Jacob Henriksson Hästsko was approaching from the east forced him to move his forces toward Falkenberg. Rantzau had decided to commit to combat since the Swedish force had just arrived from its march and hadn't rearranged into a militarily cohesive unit.

The Danes won as a consequence of Rantzau's superior tactics and he became renowned as a great general after the battle. But despite the victory and the capture of the Swedish artillery, the Danish host had incurred great losses while large portions of the Swedish army had not been involved in the battle.

External links

* [http://www.falkenberg.se/2.da906710286e85a4a800050.html The Axtorna project]