Editing History of Denmark (section)

=== The loss of Eastern Denmark ===
{{see also|Dominium maris baltici}}

The [[Denmark–Norway|Dano-Norwegian Kingdom]] grew wealthy during the 16th century, largely because of the increased traffic through the [[Øresund]], which Danes could tax because Denmark controlled both sides of the Sound. The trade in grain exports from [[Poland]] to the [[Netherlands]] and to the rest of Europe grew enormously at this time, and the Danish kings did not hesitate to cash in on it. The Sound duty was only repealed in the 1840s.

The Danish economy benefited from the [[Eighty Years' War]] (1568–1648) in the [[Netherlands]] because a large number of skilled refugees from that area (the most economically advanced in Europe) came to Denmark. This helped to modernize many aspects of society and to establish trading links between Denmark and the Netherlands.

[[Denmark–Norway]] had a reputation as a relatively powerful kingdom at this time. European politics of the 16th century revolved largely around the struggle between Catholic and Protestant forces, so it seemed almost inevitable that Denmark, a strong, unified Lutheran kingdom, would get drawn into the larger war when it came. The [[Thirty Years' War]] went badly for the Protestant states in the early 1620s, and a call went out to [[Denmark–Norway]] to "save the Protestant cause".

King [[Christian IV of Denmark|Christian IV]], who was also a duke of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] on the basis of his possessions in [[Duchy of Holstein|Holstein]], decided to intervene in the conflict raging in northern Germany. The campaign [[Battle of Wolgast|ended in defeat]], and Jutland was occupied by the imperial army of [[Albrecht von Wallenstein]]. In the [[Treaty of Lübeck]], Christian made peace and agreed to not intervene in Germany again. The war in Germany had been very expensive and [[Christian IV of Denmark|Christian IV]] saw no other recourse than to raise the Sound tolls. Unfortunately, this act pushed the [[Netherlands]] away from Denmark and into the arms of Sweden.

==== Torstenson War (1643–1645)====
[[File:Danmark før 1645.png|thumb|Denmark before 1645]]
In 1643, Sweden's armies, under the command of [[Lennart Torstensson]], suddenly invaded Denmark without declaring war. The ensuing conflict became known as the [[Torstenson War]]. The [[Netherlands]], wishing to end the Danish stranglehold on the Baltic, joined the Swedes in their war against [[Denmark–Norway]]. In October 1644, a combined Dutch-Swedish fleet destroyed 80 percent of the Danish fleet in the Battle of Femern. The result of this defeat proved disastrous for [[Denmark–Norway]]: in the [[Second treaty of Brömsebro (1645)]] Denmark ceded to Sweden the Norwegian provinces [[Jemtland]], [[Herjedalen]] and [[Älvdalen Municipality|Älvdalen]] as well as the Danish islands of [[Gotland]] and [[Saaremaa|Øsel]]. [[Halland]] went to Sweden for a period of 30 years and the [[Netherlands]] were exempted from paying the Sound Duty.

[[File:Danmark før 1658.png|thumb|Denmark before 1658]]
[[File:Scandinavia 1658.gif|thumb|right|'''Treaty of Roskilde, 1658'''.<br />{{legend|#FF0000|Halland, previously occupied by Sweden for a 30-year period under the terms of the Peace of Brömsebro negotiated in 1645, was now ceded}}
{{legend|#FFFF00|the Scanian lands and Bohus County were ceded}}
{{legend|#B404AE|Trøndelag and Bornholm provinces, which were ceded in 1658, but rebelled against Sweden and returned to Danish rule in [[Treaty of Copenhagen (1660)|1660]].}}]]

Nevertheless, Danes remember Christian IV as one of the great kings of Denmark. He had a very long reign, from 1588 to 1648, and has become known as "the architect on the Danish throne" because of the large number of building [[project]]s he undertook. Many of the great buildings of Denmark date from his reign. After the death of Christian IV in 1648, his son Frederick succeeded him.

==== Second Northern War (1655–1660) ====
In 1657, during the [[Second Northern War]], [[Denmark–Norway]] launched a war of revenge against Sweden (then distracted in Poland) which turned into a complete disaster. The war became a disaster for two reasons: Primarily, because Denmark's new powerful ally, the [[Netherlands]], remained neutral as Denmark was the aggressor and Sweden the defender. Secondly, the [[Great Belt|Belts]] froze over in a rare occurrence during the winter of 1657–1658, allowing [[Charles X Gustav of Sweden]] to [[March across the Belts|lead his armies across the ice]] to invade [[Zealand]].

In the following [[Treaty of Roskilde]], [[Denmark–Norway]] capitulated and gave up all of [[Terra Scania|Eastern Denmark]] ({{langx|da|Skåne, Halland, Blekinge and [[Bornholm]]}}), in addition to the counties of [[Bohuslän]] ({{langx|no|Båhuslen}}) and [[Trøndelag]] in Norway. [[Holstein-Gottorp]] was also tied to Sweden, providing a gateway for future invasions from the south.

But the Second Northern War was not yet over. Three months after the peace treaty was signed, [[Charles X Gustav of Sweden]] held a council of war where he decided to simply wipe Denmark from the map and unite all of Scandinavia under his rule. Once again the Swedish army arrived outside Copenhagen. However, this time the Danes did not panic or surrender. Instead, they decided to fight and prepared to defend Copenhagen.

[[File:Tåget över bält2.jpg|thumb|right|[[March across the Belts]] in 1658]]
[[Frederick III of Denmark]] had stayed in his capital and now encouraged the citizens of Copenhagen to resist the Swedes, by saying he would die in his nest. Furthermore, this unprovoked declaration of war by Sweden finally triggered the alliance that [[Denmark–Norway]] had with the [[Netherlands]]. A powerful Dutch fleet was sent to Copenhagen with vital supplies and reinforcements, which saved the city from being captured during the [[Assault on Copenhagen (1659)|Swedish attack]]. Furthermore, [[Brandenburg-Prussia]], the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] and the [[Habsburg monarchy]] had gathered large forces to aid [[Denmark–Norway]] and fighting continued into 1659. 
[[File:Battle in køge bay-claus moinichen 1686.jpg|thumb|[[Battle of Køge Bay (1677)|Battle of Køge Bay]] in 1677]]

[[Charles X Gustav of Sweden]] suddenly died of an illness in early 1660, while planning an invasion of Norway. Following his death, Sweden made peace in the [[Treaty of Copenhagen (1660)|Treaty of Copenhagen]]. The Swedes returned [[Trøndelag]] to Norway and [[Bornholm]] to Denmark, but kept both [[Bohuslän]] and [[Terra Scania]]. The [[Netherlands]] and other European powers accepted the settlement, not wanting both coasts of the Sound controlled by Denmark. This treaty established the boundaries between Norway, Denmark, and Sweden that still exist today. All in all, Sweden had now surpassed Denmark as the most powerful country in Scandinavia.