Battle of Copenhagen (1807) 1807
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1807 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Denmark | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Gunboat War, Napoleonic Wars | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Denmark–Norway, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 55.6667, 12.5667 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Copenhagen (also known as the Bombardment of Copenhagen) occurred between 16 August and 7 September 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars. British forces bombarded the Danish capital of Copenhagen in order to capture or destroy the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. Following the Danish surrender, most of their navy was seized by the British and taken to England. The battle led to the outbreak of the Anglo-Danish Gunboat War, and the Anglo-Russian War of 1807–1812.
From 1803 onwards, Britain and France had been embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars, and by 1807 both nations were focused on Denmark, which maintained a large navy. The Danish government attempted to remain neutral, but this pleased neither the British or French, with the former being concerned by the possibility of France taking control of the Danish navy. In mid-July 1807, George III authorised a British expedition to monitor Copenhagen and capture the city if necessary. A force of 18,000 soldiers, under General Lord Cathcart, supported by a fleet of 17 warships under Admiral James Gambier, set sail for Copenhagen, arriving off the city on 15 August.
British troops landed at Vedbæk on 16 August and began besieging Copenhagen, defeating a Danish army at the Battle of Køge on 29 August.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Copenhagen (1807) (revision 1371917949), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Assault on Copenhagen (1659) 1659 · 1 km
- Siege of Copenhagen (1368) 1368 · 1 km
- Assault on Copenhagen (1659) 1658 · 1 km
- Battle of Copenhagen (1289) 1289 · 1 km
- Battle of Blidebro · 2 km
- Battle of Copenhagen (1801) 1801 · 5 km
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