Skirmish of Århus or Rytterfægtningen on 31 May 1849 was a skirmish during the

First Schleswig War The First Schleswig War (), also known as the Schleswig-Holstein uprising () and the Three Years' War (), was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig–Holstein question: who should control the Du ...

between

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 ...

and

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

under the

German Confederation The German Confederation ( ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, which had been dissolved ...

, a few kilometers north of the city of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

. The skirmish was a Danish victory that had the effect of stopping the Prussian advance through the peninsula of

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

at the city of

Memorials

On the intersection of Trøjborgvej and Nørrebrogade a 10-foot engraved stone memorializes the skirmish.

Background

Beginning with the Battle of Bov the

had seen a number of battles take place in

Southern Jutland Southern Jutland (; ) is the region south of the Kongeå in Jutland, Denmark and north of the Eider (river) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The region north of the Kongeå is called . Both territories had their own ting assemblies in the Mi ...

until a truce was signed in August 1848. The truce lasted 8 months but in March 1849 fighting recommenced and the Danish army eventually retreated north through Jutland. The Danish army was split in three

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

; one fortified at

Dybbøl Dybbøl is a small town with a population of 2,357 (1 January 2024)Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region Denmark, Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vej ...

while the third, ''Nørrejyske Armékorps'' led by general Olaf Rye, moved to Helgenæs north of Aarhus with the goal of drawing German forces north and delay it while the army was concentrated and reinforced by sea at Fredericia. In late May lead elements of the Prussian forces reached Aarhus.

The battle

Initially the Danish garrison, commanded by Gotthold Møller, retreated from Aarhus without a fight as they had been ordered to not defend the city, for fear of the destruction it might inflict on the city. The Prussian forces entered the city on 29 May but abandoned it again later that day and Danish forces re-entered the city. The Danes placed a small force consisting of a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

of infantry and half a squadron of cavalry as a tentative defence. On 30 May, Prussian forces advanced again and retook the city, capturing a number of prisoners in the process. Pursued by Prussian troops, the Danish garrison withdrew north towards the Riis Forest which was defended by a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

of infantry and a squadron of cavalry. The cavalry squadron attacked the advancing Prussian troops, driving them back to the Randersvej road, before they were compelled to retire. At this time two squadrons of Danish cavalry under Captain S. C. Barth on a reconnaissance mission from Helgenæs arrived and charged the Prussian infantry line from north to south along ''Randersvej''. The advancing Danish cavalry reached a hill west of Riis Skov when two German squadrons counter-attacked from the south and from Hasle in the west, resulting in a hectic cavalry skirmish. Elements of the Danish force were sent back to Vejlby to take up defensive positions which was misinterpreted as a general retreat and the Prussian infantry advanced north-west, bypassing the Danish forces at Riis Forest. At this time Danish reinforcements arrived from the north and the German forces now found themselves both outnumbered and surrounded, forcing a retreat back to occupied Aarhus.

Aftermath

The Prussian forces retreated and did not advance to retake Aarhus again until 20 June. The goal of drawing German forces north and delaying had been accomplished and the corps was eventually shipped out from Helgenæs to

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region Denmark, Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vej ...

where it participated in the breakout on 6 July.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aarhus, Skirmish Of Conflicts in 1849 Battles of the First Schleswig War History of Aarhus 1849 in Denmark May 1849 Battles involving Prussia