View source for Dano-Hanseatic War (1426–1435)

{{short description|15th Century Northern European armed trade conflict}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Dano-Hanseatic War (1426–1435)
| partof            = the [[Danish-Hanseatic Rivalry]]
| image             = Hanseschiffe vor Kopenhagen 1428 Dänemark.jpg
| image_size        = 
| caption           = [[Hanseatic]] ships [[Bombardment of Copenhagen (1428)|infront of Copenhagen]], [[Denmark]], 1428
| date              = 1426–1435
| place             = {{hlist|[[Scandinavia]]|[[Northern Germany]]|[[Baltic Sea]]|}}
| casus             = [[Sound Dues]]
| result            = [[Hanseatic]] victory
| territory         = * The [[Denmark|Danish]] [[Duchy of Schleswig]] is ceded to the [[count of Holstein]] (although still as a Danish [[vassal state|vassal]])
* [[Denmark|Danish]] forces temporarily expulsed from [[Sweden]]|
| combatant1        = {{tree list}}
* {{flagicon image|Hanseatenwimpel.svg|80px}} '''[[Hanseatic League]]'''
** [[File:Hanse_Hamburg.svg|14px]][[Hamburg]]
** [[File:Hanse_Lübeck.svg|14px]][[Lübeck]]
** [[File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Brunswick-Lüneburg.svg|18px]][[Lüneburg]]
** [[File:Hanse_Rostock.svg|14px]][[Rostock]]
** [[File:Hanse_Stralsund.svg|14px]][[Stralsund]]
** [[File:Hanse_Wismar.svg|14px]][[Wismar]]
{{tree list/end}}
[[File:Holstein_Arms.svg|20px]] [[Holstein-Rendsburg]]
[[File:Mecklenburg_Arms.svg|20px]][[Victual Brothers]]

''Co-belligerent:'' <br>
[[File:Royal coat of arms of Sweden (14th Century).svg|23px]] [[Kingdom of Sweden (800–1521)|Sweden]] <br> <small>([[Engelbrekt rebellion]]) </small> <br>
'''Supported by:'''
[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Schleswig.svg|20px]] [[Duchy of Schleswig|Parts of Schleswig]]
| combatant2        = {{tree list}}
* '''{{flag|Kalmar Union}}'''
** [[File:Armoiries_medievales_d_Eric_de_Poméranie_1382-1459.svg|20px]] [[History of Denmark#Middle ages|Denmark]]
** [[File:Armoiries_medievales_d_Eric_de_Poméranie_1382-1459.svg|20px]] [[Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)|Norway]]
** [[File:Coats of arms of Reine Philippa of Angleterre1.svg|18px]] [[Kingdom of Sweden (800–1521)|Sweden]] <small>(until 1434)</small>
{{tree list/end}}
'''Supported by:'''<br />[[File:COA of Pommern-Barth.png|23px]] [[Pomerania-Barth]] <br> [[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Schleswig.svg|20px]] [[Duchy of Schleswig|Parts of Schleswig]]|
| commander1        = [[File:Holstein_Arms.svg|20px]] ''' [[Henry IV, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg|Henry IV]]''' {{KIA}} <br />[[File:Holstein_Arms.svg|20px]] ''' [[Gerhard VII, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg|Gerhard VII]]'''{{Natural Causes}}<br />[[File:Holstein_Arms.svg|20px]]''' [[Adolphus VIII, Count of Holstein|Adolf VIII]]'''<br />[[File:Hanse Hamburg.svg|13px]] [[Johann Kletze]] {{Executed}}<br />[[File:Hanse Lübeck.svg|13px]] [[Tidemann Steen]]<br />[[File:Hanse Lübeck.svg|13px]] [[Johann Beere]]<br />[[File:Hanse Lübeck.svg|13px]] [[Jakob Bramstede]]<br />[[File:Hanse Lübeck.svg|13px]] [[Jan Russenberg]]<br />[[File:Hanse Lübeck.svg|13px]] [[Tideman Soling]]<br />[[File:Hanse Lübeck.svg|13px]] [[Johann Bere]]<br />[[File:Hanse Stralsund.svg|13px]] [[Nikolaus von der Lippe]]<br />[[File:Hanse Wismar.svg|13px]] [[Johann Bantzkow]] {{Executed}}
| commander2        = {{flagicon|Kalmar Union}} '''[[Eric VII of Denmark|Eric VII]]'''<br />{{flagicon|Kalmar Union}} [[Philippa of England|Queen Philippa]]{{Natural Causes}}<br/> {{flagicon|Kalmar Union}} [[Kurd von Hagen]] <br/> {{flagicon|Kalmar Union}} [[Greger Magnusson]]<br />[[File:COA of Pommern-Barth.png|23px]]''' [[Barnim VIII, Duke of Pomerania|Barnim VIII]]'''
| strength1         = {{flagicon image|Hanseatenwimpel.svg|80px}} 260 Ships 
{{tree list}} 
*{{flagicon image|Hanseatenwimpel.svg|80px}} 12,000 men
**[[File:Hanse_Lübeck.svg|14px]]Lübeck: 2,000
**[[File:Hanse_Hamburg.svg|14px]]Hamburg: 1,000
**[[File:Hanse_Rostock.svg|14px]]Rostock: 1,000
**[[File:Hanse_Stralsund.svg|14px]]Stralsund: 1,000
**[[File:Hanse_Wismar.svg|14px]]Wismar: 1,000
**[[File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Brunswick-Lüneburg.svg|18px]]Lüneburg: 800
{{tree list/end}}
| strength2         = {{flagicon|Kalmar Union}}114 Ships
{{flagicon|Kalmar Union}}3,000 men
| casualties1       = 
| casualties2       = |
| notes             = 
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Dano-German Conflicts}}
}}

The '''Dano-Hanseatic War''', also known as the '''Kalmar War with the Hanseatic League''', or the '''Danish-Hanseatic War of 1426-1435''', was an armed trade conflict between the Danish-dominated [[Kalmar Union]] ([[Denmark]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]]) and the [[Hanseatic League]] led by the [[Free City of Lübeck]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bellingradt |first=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rsAqEAAAQBAJ |title=The Paper Trade in Early Modern Europe: Practices, Materials, Networks |last2=Reynolds |first2=Anna |date=2021-04-12 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-42400-5 |language=en}}</ref>

When Kalmar King [[Eric of Pomerania|Eric]] opened the Baltic trade routes for [[Burgundian Netherlands|Dutch]] ships and introduced a new toll for all foreign ships passing the [[Øresund|Oresund]] ([[Sound Dues]]), six Hanseatic cities ([[Hamburg]], [[Lübeck]], [[Lüneburg]], [[Rostock]], [[Stralsund]], [[Wismar]]) declared war, put a naval blockade on Scandinavian harbors and allied with Eric's enemy, [[Henry IV, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg|Henry IV, count of Holstein]]. Therefore the war was intensively linked with the [[Dutch–Hanseatic War]], the Kalmar War with Holstein, and the [[Engelbrekt rebellion|Swedish revolt of 1434-1436]].

== Background ==
[[File:Ausbreitung der Hanse um das Jahr 1400-Droysens 28.jpg|left|thumb|278x278px|Extent of the Hanseatic League circa 1400]]
Ever since Denmark's defeat in the previous [[Danish-Hanseatic War (1361-1370)|Danish-Hanseatic War]], the Hanseatic League held a strong monopoly over Baltic trade. Denmark had to bestow multiple privileges to the Hanseatic League, one of which being a guarantee free trade throughout the Baltic Sea, and exemption from tolls.

In 1397, due to the rising power of the Hanseatic League, and particularly German city of Lübeck, the three Nordic kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, put aside their differences to unite under a single monarch. This created a [[personal union]] between the 3 nations, birthing the Kalmar Union, named after the city of [[Kalmar]], where the union was ratified.

Under [[Margaret I of Denmark|Margaret I]], the architect of the Kalmar Union, the Hanseatic League was coerced into returning several forts in [[Scania]] that the Hansa had seized per the [[Treaty of Stralsund (1370)|Treaty of Stralsund]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hanseatic League - Medieval Trade, German Cities, Baltic Sea {{!}} Britannica Money |url=https://www.britannica.com/money/topic/Hanseatic-League/The-League-at-its-outset |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> As a result, Margaret effectively removed the Hanseatic League from Denmark's internal politics. Despite this, the Hanseatic League still remained friendly with the Kalmar Union. The League helped Denmark recover [[Gotland]], and did not oppose the formation of the union. As a result, the two parties did not engage in any military conflicts throughout Margaret's reign.

Margaret's successor however, [[Eric of Pomerania]], was not friendly to the League at all. The falling out began when Eric attempted to assert his authority over [[Duchy of Schleswig]]. To do this, he supported a rebel movement in Lübeck. However, this did nothing but break the already strained relationship between the Kalmar and Hanseatic factions. Despite the Holy Roman Emperor supporting Eric's claims in Schleswig (and the adjacent region of [[Holstein]]), neither Lübeck nor any of the other major Hanseatic cities wished to support his claim.
[[File:Map of Öresund between Denmark and Sweden.png|left|thumb|139x139px|The Oresund]]
Eric quickly turned on the Hanseatic League following this debacle. He formed alliances with the [[Kingdom of Poland]], accepted Dutch and English merchants into Kalmar ports, and began harassing Hanseatic merchants. Even more alarming to the Hanseatic League was the introduction of the Sound Dues, a tax levied on all ships passing through the Oresund. This was in direct violation of the Treaty of Stralsund, and shortly after, the [[Sorbs|Wendish]] cities, led by Lübeck, declared war on the Kalmar Union.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Dollinger |first=Philippe |url=http://archive.org/details/germanhansa0000doll |title=The German Hansa |date=1970 |publisher=Stanford, Calif., Stanford University Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-8047-0742-8}}</ref>

== The War ==
The Hanseatic League quickly imposed a blockade on the Oresund as soon as the war started. However, many Hanseatic towns did not agree with the war. The [[Prussia (region)|Prussian]], [[Livonia|Livonian]], and [[Low Countries|Dutch]] towns refused to take part in the conflict, as they were angered by the blockade. As such, the Wendish, [[Pomerania|Pomeranian]], and [[Saxony|Saxon]] cities were responsible for the war.
[[File:Eryk I Pomorski Darłowo.jpg|left|thumb|263x263px|Eric of Pomerania]]
The war started with a Danish victory in the Oresund, and a Hanseatic salt fleet sailing to Prussia was captured by the Danes as well. As such, popular revolts occurred in some of the Hanseatic cities. Wismar in particular saw a bloody revolt that led to several councilors being beheaded.
At the same time, the Dutch were also fighting against the Hansa in their own war. The Dutch would be major allies of the Kalmar Union, providing foodstuffs and running blockades on several occasions. This allowed for the Dutch counties of Holland and Zeeland to grow rich and wealthy, and established the Dutch entry into European trade.
After years of changing fortune in warfare Rostock and Stralsund signed a separate peace agreement in 1430. Lübeck, Hamburg, Wismar and Lüneburg, however, continued the war and assisted their allies in Holstein to conquer [[Flensburg]] in 1431. Lübeck and Lüneburg in particular benefited from the war, for they could sell salt for high prices to the Baltic states, as the salt passing through the Oresund from the North Sea was inaccessible. 
[[File:Kornhamnstorg Engelbrekt March 2007.JPG|thumb|372x372px|Statue honoring the Engelbrekt Rebellion]]
Thereafter they agreed an armistice in 1432 and started peace negotiations. Meanwhile the [[Engelbrekt rebellion|Engelbrekt Rebellion]] began in Sweden. In 1434 Eric had to agree an armistice with the Swedes, too. All these wars proved too much for Eric to handle, and in April 1435 he signed the peace of [[Vordingborg]] with the Hanseatic League and Holstein, followed by the a peace with Sweden a few months later the same year. The Kalmar Union had lost, and the Hanseatic League was victorious against Denmark for the second time.<ref name=":0" />

== Aftermath ==
In the following negotiations, Eric's Oresund tolls were allowed to remain, though the Hanseatic cities were exempted from the Sound Dues. The Danish [[Duchy of Schleswig]] was ceded to the count of Holstein. Sweden's autonomous rights and privileges were extended. The Hanseatic League was also granted plenty of other privileges as well, akin to the 1370 treaty. The Hanseatic League would also seize the fort of [[Helsingborg]] as well, thus preventing the Dutch from entering the Baltic Sea.
These peace agreements weakened Eric's position dramatically, and in 1439 he got dethroned by Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Privy Councils. The Hanseatic League would be replace him with [[Christopher of Bavaria]], who in turn would be succeeded by [[Christian I of Denmark|Christian I]], the first Oldenburg king of Denmark.

The Kalmar Union would recover quickly however. Almost immediately into their reigns, Christopher and Christian began favoring native and Dutch traders to counteract the Hanseatic monopoly. When [[Adolph VIII, Count of Holstein|Count Adolf of Holstein]] died in 1459, locals proclaimed Christian as duke of both Schleswig and Holstein. As a result, Denmark's southernmost border was now dangerously close to Lübeck and the other Wendish towns. Therefore, animosity between the Hanseatic League and the Kalmar Union (specifically Denmark) would continue well into the 17th century.<ref name=":0" />
==Timeline==
*1426 – Danish troops reconquer Flensburg (Schleswig) which was occupied by Holstein before
*1427 – Hanseatic plunder of [[Bornholm]]
*1427 – failed Holstein-Hanseatic attack against Flensburg
*1427 – Danish and Swedish naval forces defeat a Hanseatic fleet in the Oresund
*1428 – [[Bombardment of Copenhagen (1428)|two Hanseatic attacks against the joint Danish-Swedish fleet]] in [[Copenhagen]]
*1428 and 1429 – [[Bergen]] (Norway) plundered by those [[Victual Brothers]] who allied with Holstein and Hansa
*1429 – failed Danish-Swedish naval operation against [[Stralsund]]
*1429 – Hanseatic capture of a Swedish transport fleet
*1430 – peace between Denmark, Rostock and Stralsund
*1431 – Holstein-Hanseatic troops conquer Flensburg
*1432 – armistice between Denmark and the Hanseatic League
*1434 – begin of the Swedish revolt, armistice between Denmark and Sweden
*1435 – peace of Vordingborg, peace of Stockholm

== References ==
<references />

== Further reading ==
*David Nicolle: ''Forces of the Hanseatic League, 13th-15th Centuries'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030756/https://books.google.de/books?id=3EiEAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA41&dq=Trouble+flared+when+the+Hanseatic+cities+found+themselves+in+conflict+with+Eric&hl=de&sa=X&ei=4YuxVLDJHqH_ygOCzIKgBA&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Trouble%20flared%20when%20the%20Hanseatic%20cities%20found%20themselves%20in%20conflict%20with%20Eric&f=false page 40f]. Osprey Publishing 2014
*George Childs Kohn (Hrsg.): ''Dictionary of Wars'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=qTDfAQAAQBAJ&dq=%22kalmar+war+with+the+hanseatic+league%22&pg=PA255 page 254f]. Routledge 2013
*Franklin Daniel Scott: ''Sweden, the Nation's History'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=Qv8zxie3A18C&dq=%22Eriks+baltic+ambitions+brought+further+antagonism&pg=PA89 page 89ff]. SIU Press, 1988
*European-heritage.org: ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20141215011250/http://www.european-heritage.org/germany/m%C3%BCnster/hanse/chronicle-hanseatic-league-continued#header-4 The Chronicle of the Hanseatic League]''
*[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] online: ''[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/576478/Sweden/29856/The-Kalmar-Union The Kalmar Union]''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danish-Hanseatic War (1426-1435)}}
[[Category:Wars involving Denmark]]
[[Category:Wars involving Sweden]]
[[Category:Wars involving Norway]]
[[Category:15th-century conflicts]]
[[Category:History of Lübeck]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Hanseatic League]]
[[Category:1420s in Denmark]]
[[Category:1430s in Denmark]]
[[Category:15th century in Norway]]
[[Category:15th century in Sweden]]
[[Category:1420s in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1430s in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1420s conflicts]]
[[Category:1430s conflicts]]

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