Battle of Axtorna

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Battle of Axtorna

Part of Northern Seven Years' War

The fields where the major part of the battle took place

Date	October 20, 1565
Location	Axtorna, close to Falkenberg, Sweden
Result	Danish victory

Belligerents

Sweden

Denmark

Commanders

Jacob Henriksson Hästesko

Daniel Rantzau

Strength

11,000 troops

7,400 troops

Casualties and losses

1,200-1,700

300-2,000

The Battle of Axtorna was fought October 20, 1565. Daniel Rantzau had been forced to yield the fortress Varberghus to the Swedes on September 15 1565, after they had taken Ny Varberg, then Skåneland's next largest city after Malmö. Rantzau received the news that a Swedish army of superior strength led by Jacob Henriksson Hästsko was approaching from the east forced him to move his forces toward Falkenberg. Rantzau had decided to commit to combat since the Swedish force had just arrived from its march and hadn't rearranged into a militarily cohesive unit.

The Danes won as a consequence of Rantzau's superior tactics and he became renowned as a great general after the battle. But despite the victory and the capture of the Swedish artillery, the Danish host had incurred great losses while large portions of the Swedish army had not been involved in the battle.