- Simon Grundel-Helmfelt
Baron Simon Grundel-Helmfelt (1617–1677) was a Swedish
Field marshal .Served in the
Thirty Years' War from 1641. Distinguished himself at theBattle of Breitenfeld and received his first commission.Knighted in 1646, when he changed his name from Grundel to Grundel-Helmfelt. Wounded outside
Rain am Lech by a musket bullet later that year.In 1649 promotedColonel of the Artillery and in 1655General of the Infantry. AppointedGovernor ofRiga in 1656, where he successfully defended the town against tsar Alexej and his army of 90,000 men, and then Governor-General ofIngria in 1659.Returned to
Stockholm in 1676 to become Commander in chief of the Swedish army during theScanian War . Helmfelt is most notable for the overwhelming victory he won despite being heavily outnumbered at theBattle of Lund . He was killed in the following year at theBattle of Landskrona .Even if his father was the mayor of Stockholm, Helmfelt was a man of the people and though he was knighted and received the highest rank in the army.
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