Scanian Regiment ( da, Det Skaanske regiment), was a Danish national infantry regiment 1615–1658. It was raised among the peasantry in
Skåneland
Skåneland (Swedish and Danish) or Skånelandene (Danish) is a region on the southern Scandinavian peninsula. It includes the Swedish provinces of Blekinge, Halland, and Scania. The Danish island of Bornholm is traditionally also included.For p ...
to augment the mercenary army, and fought against Habsburg during the Thirty Years' War and against Sweden in 1657–1658. When Skåne was ceded to Sweden in 1658, it was disbanded.
Background
During the sixteenth and early seventeenth century, the Danish infantry consisted almost entirely of German
mercenaries
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
,
enlisted
Enlisted may refer to:
* Enlisted rank
An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or ...
in time of war, and dismissed after the end of hostilities. A standing army was out of the question; the
Diet
Diet may refer to:
Food
* Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group
* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
and
Council
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
would not allow it, for fear of strengthening royal power, and the Treasury could not afford it. Denmark had treaties with all the German states, Poland, and the
Dutch republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
, allowing recruiting for the Danish army on their territories.
National army
In 1614, the King and Council decided to create a permanent national army, to augment the war-time mercenary army. Four thousand soldiers would be raised from the
peasantry
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...
; 2,000 in
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
, 200 in
Funen
Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...
, 200 in
Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is the 1 ...
, and 1,600 in
Skåne
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...
,
Halland
Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro ...
, and
Blekinge
Blekinge (, old da, Bleking) is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second ...
. At first the basis for recruitment was
crown land
Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...
; the
tenant
Tenant may refer to:
Real estate
*Tenant, the holder of a leasehold estate in real estate
*Tenant-in-chief, in feudal land law
*Tenement (law), the holder of a legal interest in real estate
*Tenant farmer
*Anchor tenant, one of the larger stores ...
of a crown farmstead had either to be a
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
himself, or keep a suitable man, against freedom from
tax
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
ation. In 1620, all land - most land in Denmark was owned by the nobility - was required to hold soldiers; nine farmsteads keeping one soldier, who had to serve for three years; the soldiers only serving under the colours in time of war; the weaponry kept at
armouries by the churches. Two grand regiments of foot were created; the Jutland, and the Skåne: the soldiers from Funen going to the former, those from Zealand, to the latter.
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
s and
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
s where selected from half-pay officers of the
Kalmar War
The Kalmar War (1611–1613) was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark-Norway soon gained the upper hand, it was unable to defeat Sweden entirely. The Kalmar War was the last time Denmark-Norway successfully defended its '' do ...
;
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
s and
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
s from well to do tenants. In 1633 the number of regiments were raised to three; in addition to the two oldest, a Zealand regiment was also created, the predecessor of today's
Sjællandske Livregiment
The Zealand Life Regiment ( da, Sjællandske Livregiment) was a Royal Danish Army infantry regiment. On 1 January 2001 it was disbanded and amalgamated into the Guard Hussar Regiment, which was moved from Næstved to Slagelse.
History
The Sjæll ...
.
The Regiment
The Scanian regiment was mustered into service on 20 December 1615, with
Andrew Sinclair
Andrew Annandale Sinclair FRSL FRSA (21 January 1935 – 30 May 2019) was a British novelist, historian, biographer, critic, filmmaker, and a publisher of classic and modern film scripts. He has been described as a "writer of extraordinary flu ...
as colonel. At first the regiment contained 1,792 soldiers, with one company from Zealand, four from Skåne, three from Halland, and one from Blekinge. When the Zealand regiment was created it lost one company, and when Halland was ceded to Sweden through the
peace of Brömsebro 1645, another three. The regiment was mobilized 1627–1639, during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, when
Imperial forces
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas ...
attacked Denmark. When
Frederick III decided to attack Sweden in 1657, the Skåne regiment had, as all national regiments, untrained soldiers and officers not used to command. After the
disastrous war, Skåne and Blekinge were ceded to Sweden, and the regiment disbanded.
"Skånske Regiment. Skånske Landfolk. ''Enhed - adelsvælden''.
Retrieved 2016-12-12.
References
Notes
Cited literature
Vaupell, Otto (1872), ''Den danske hærs historie.'' Copenhagen: Gyldendalske.
{{Regiments of Denmark
Danish Army regiments
1614 establishments in Denmark
Military units and formations established in 1614
Military units and formations disestablished in 1658
Infantry regiments
Second Northern War
17th century in Denmark