Christiansø Fortress is one of the historic

Norwegian fortresses Norwegian fortresses or fortifications have been constructed from some of the earliest recorded periods, down through the 20th century. The geography and topography of glacially carved, mountainous Norway constrain both the sea and the land rout ...

, which commands the western approaches to Flekkerøy harbor, at

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

municipality in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

History

In the early 17th century the struggle between the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Navy and the

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Sørlandet Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical List of regions of Norway, region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any govern ...

). In June 1635

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

of Denmark-Norway, in his vessel which lay at anchor at

Flekkerøy Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya is an island and residential district in Kristiansand municipality in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Vågsbygd, and it consists of 4 main neighborhoods: Berge/Andås, Kjære, Lindeb� ...

harbor, ordered construction of a naval base and Christiansø Fortress on small Slottsholmen island (now called ''Gammeløen'' or old island). The island commands the western approaches to Flekkerøy harbor, a port long frequented by ships of many nations. The town of

was also soon founded there in 1641 to strengthen control of the area. Flekkerøy lies off the coast of the population center at Kristiansand and is a part of Kristiansand municipality. Christian IV again visited Flekkerøy in 1644 during the

Hannibal War The Torstenson war, Hannibal controversy or Hannibal War ( no, Hannibalsfeiden) was a short period of conflict between Sweden and Denmark–Norway from 1643 to 1645 towards the end of the Thirty Years' War. The names refer to Swedish general Le ...

. While the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

-English war (1652–1654) was being fought

Jørgen Bjelke Jørgen Bjelke (2 June 1621 – 17 June 1696) was a Norwegian officer and nobleman. He was born at Elingaard Manor on Onsøy near Fredrikstad, in Østfold County, Norway and died in Kalundborg, Denmark. Early and personal life He was the son of ...

was named lord of the region and commander of Christiansø Fortress to strengthen the defenses in the event that

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

's forces should attempt to seize it to prey on the extensive Dutch-Norwegian trade. Bjelke was later to play a major role in the Northern War. Construction on the fortress was never completed. When the danger from Cromwell ceased, this fort was abandoned and replaced by the more strategically located

Fredriksholm Fortress Fredriksholm Fortress (''Fredriksholm festning'') was situated on an islet off Kristiansand, Norway. Today the former fortress is in ruins and the site is a popular place for sightseeing. Complex Fredriksholm Fortress was located one kilometer ...

, which commanded both approaches to the harbor, in 1658. The focus of defense moved to Kristiansand town in 1672, with the Christiansholm Fortress, much of which still survives. During the Dano-German War of 1848 and through the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

the forts at Christiansø and Fredriksholm were returned to service. The two islands were evacuated and the fortifications closed in 1871. Although centuries old, the fortresses at Flekkerøy did not see combat until the German invasion on the 9th of April, 1940.

References

*''Trelastnæringen under Christian 4. '' av Øystein Rian, Foreningen til Norske Fortidsninnesmerkers Bevaring Årbok 1988 *''South Norway'' by Frank Noel Stagg, George, Allen & Unwin, Ltd. 1958 Forts in Norway Fortifications of Kristiansand {{Fort-stub