Bohus Bang
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The Bohus Bang (), as it is traditionally called in
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
historiography, was a devastating explosion which occurred at
Bohus Fortress Bohus Fortress lies in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches ( north of Gothenburg). It commands the surrounding area from a cliff high, with the river forming a natural moat arou ...
in March 1566, during an assault by Swedish forces. The explosion was deliberately triggered by the fortress's Danish-Norwegian defenders in order to destroy the so-called 'Red Tower', which had been captured by the Swedes.


Background

Bohus Fortress was the principal stronghold, and indeed namesake of, the province of
Bohuslän Bohuslän () is a Provinces of Sweden, Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the ...
(), which prior to the 1658
Treaty of Roskilde The Treaty of Roskilde was negotiated at Høje Taastrup Church and was concluded on 26 February ( OS) or 8 March 1658 ( NS) during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Karl X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish ci ...
was part of the
Kingdom of Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of Norway. Bouvet I ...
. Bohus was also one of the two crucial fortresses, the other being
Old Älvsborg Älvsborg (), now generally known as Old Älvsborg () or Älvsborg Castle () to distinguish it from the later New Älvsborg and Älvsborg Fortress, was a medieval castle situated on the rocky outcrop known as Klippan, on the south bank of the G ...
in Swedish
Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Vä ...
, controlling traffic through the estuary of the
Göta Älv Göta is a Swedish given name, which is the female equivalent of Göte. It may refer to: * Göta Ljungberg (1893–1955), Swedish singer * Göta Pettersson (1926–1993), Swedish gymnast Other uses * Göta, Sweden *Göta älv, a river in Swede ...
River. This estuary was especially important for the Swedes because
Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Br ...
and
Skåne Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...
were part of
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
at the time, and so the mouth of the Göta Älv was Sweden's only point of access to the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
. In 1563, the
Northern Seven Years War The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War,'' the ''Seven Years' War of the North'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition ...
broke out between Sweden and Denmark-Norway, and Danish-Norwegian forces managed to seize control of Älvsborg in a lightning attack. With both Älvsborg and Bohus in Danish-Norwegian hands, the Göta Älv was closed to Swedish vessels, and as the
Danish Belts The Danish straits are the straits connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea through the Kattegat and Skagerrak. Historically, the Danish straits were internal waterways of Denmark; however, following territorial losses, Øresund and Fehmarn ...
were also now impassable to Swedish vessels, Sweden was thus cut off from the North Sea and by extension from the world beyond the Baltic Sea (and even within the Baltic Swedish trade was heavily constricted, as Poland-Lithuania and
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
were both hostile as well). The resulting loss of trade was crippling to the Swedish economy, and it thus became imperative for the Swedes to regain access to the North Sea by either retaking Älvsborg or capturing Bohus Fortress instead. Bohus was therefore besieged no fewer than six times during the war; during five of these the garrison was commanded by the Danish officer . The largest of the attacks on the fortress was made in spring 1566.


The 1566 Siege

On 5 March the Swedish army broke camp and marched west from
Alingsås Alingsås () is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Alingsås Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 24,482 inhabitants in 2010. Geography Geographically the city is situated by the outlet of the small rivulet Säv ...
under the command of . Among his senior officers were two prominent aristocrats, Nils Sture and Erik Stenbock. On 20 March the
siege train In military contexts, a train is the logistical transport elements accompanying a military force. Often called a supply train or baggage train, it has the job of providing materiel for their associated combat forces when in the field. When focus ...
arrived at Bohus and on the 23rd the bombardment of the fortress began from the hill of Fontinberget to the north. The Swedish artillery fired some 2820 rounds, successfully making a breach in the walls, and Nils Boije gave the order for the assault at 6 AM on either 26 March or 27 March (accounts differ as to the date of the attempted storming). The Swedes assaulted the breach with ten '' fänikor'' (units of several hundred soldiers men each), but were thrown back three times by the defenders. On the fourth attempt the Swedes successfully forced the breach and then seized the so-called "Red Tower" () and planted a Swedish flag at the top. Two of the defenders, Hans Sund och Jørgen Mekelberg volunteered to try to detonate the Red Tower's
gunpowder magazine A gunpowder magazine is a magazine (building) designed to store the explosive gunpowder in wooden barrels for safety. Gunpowder, until superseded, was a universal explosive used in the military and for civil engineering: both applications re ...
in a
suicide attack A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
, and the commander Jens Holgersen Ulfstand promised to provide for their families. Sund and Mekelberg succeeded in rolling a powder cart down to the magazine and then igniting it, causing a massive explosion which blew the Red Tower apart. A Danish chronicler wrote that 'the Swedes were thrown into the sky like crows or other birds, and not one of them came from there alive". It is reckoned that around 250 Swedish soldiers were killed in the explosion. The explosion stopped the Swedish assault in its tracks, and the attackers were forced to retire and regroup. Despite their losses the Swedes continued the siege, but in the meantime Danish reinforcements under
Daniel Rantzau Daniel Rantzau (1529 – 11 November 1569) was a Danish-German field marshal. He was known for his leadership during the Northern Seven Years' War. For some years, he fought in Germany and Italy, and also took part in the Danish conquest of Dithm ...
were dispatched from
Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Br ...
. Rantzau reached the Göta älv on 30 April, whereupon the invaders lifted the siege and withdrew to
Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Vä ...
. According to Danish reports, the Swedes had lost some 2300 men during the siege, while the Danish-Norwegian garrison had only lost 150, though its provisions and ammunition had been almost completely exhausted by the time the siege ended.


Aftermath

The Swedish king,
Erik XIV Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He w ...
, was frustrated by his army's failure to take Bohus, and became convinced that the only explanation for the defeat was treachery within the Swedish ranks. Erik had already been suspicious of the influential Sture Family, and used the failure of the Bohus siege as a pretext to have Nils Sture arrested for suspected treason. Nils was personally killed by King Erik in the dungeons of
Uppsala Castle Uppsala Castle () is a 16th-century royal castle in the city of Uppsala, Sweden. Throughout much of its early existence, the castle played a major role in the history of Sweden. Originally constructed in 1549, the castle has been heavily remodele ...
as part of the May 1567 Sture Murders. A lesser-known scapegoat for the debacle was the military quartermaster Bryngel Bengtsson, who was executed for embezzlement of the besieging army's provisions. As for Nils Boije, the overall commander, he was dismissed from his post and replaced by Charles de Mornay, but avoided further punishment, likely because he had previously distinguished himself by the successful capture of
Varberg Fortress Varberg Fortress () is a former fortification in Varberg, Halland County, Sweden, which currently serves as a museum. History Varberg Fortress was built in 1287-1300 by Count Jacob Nielsen as protection against Eric VI of Denmark, who had decl ...
in 1565. The Danish king, Frederick II, was delighted by news of the successful defence of Bohus. The 'Bohus Bang' is one of several scenes from the Northern Seven Years War depicted in
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
on his
sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...
in
Roskilde Cathedral Roskilde Cathedral (), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark. The cathedral is one of the most important churches in D ...
. The Danish commander Ulfstand kept his promise to Hans Sund, and the farm Röset on
Hisingen Hisingen () is the fifth-largest island of Sweden (after Gotland, Öland, Södertörn and Orust), with an area of . It is a river island, formed by the split of the Göta Älv at Bohus Fortress, Bohus, and is defined to the east and south by t ...
was granted to his descendants in perpetuity. It is not known if any equivalent grant was made to the relatives of Jørgen Mekelberg.


See also

*
Bohus Fortress Bohus Fortress lies in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches ( north of Gothenburg). It commands the surrounding area from a cliff high, with the river forming a natural moat arou ...
*
Vyborg Bang The Viborg Bang (, ), as it is traditionally called in Swedish historiography, was a possibly legendary explosion which occurred at Viborg Castle in November 1495. It occurred during an assault on the castle by forces of the Grand Duchy of Mos ...
*
Northern Seven Years War The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War,'' the ''Seven Years' War of the North'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition ...


References

{{coord missing, Sweden Conflicts in 1566 1566 in Sweden 16th-century explosions Explosions in Sweden Explosions in Norway Sieges involving Denmark–Norway Sieges involving Sweden Suicide bombings in Sweden Attacks on castles in Sweden Residential building bombings in Europe Suicide by explosive material Acts of sabotage 16th-century sieges Ammunition depot bombings History of Bohuslän