These two battles of April and June 1428 are sometimes confused with the naval battle in the
Øresund (also called
battle of Copenhagen) of July 1427. So sometimes, when two Hanseatic attacks of Copenhagen are mentioned, the battle of July 1427 and the battle of April 1428 are meant.
First attack in April 1428 glorified and hailed
Queen Philippa in his
Gudfaders Billedbog (Godfather's picture book). The illustrations were made by
Lorenz Frølich in 1868. Hoping for a rapid and victorious end of the
Danish-Holstein-Hanseatic War, the
Hanseatic league planned the seizure of the Danish capital and the destruction of the joint Danish-Swedish fleet in the harbour. On Easter 1428, under the command of
Gerhard VII, Count of Holstein, up to 260 ships with more than 12,000 mercenaries sailed from Wismar to Copenhagen. However, the Danes were well-prepared and their capital was well-fortified. While
King Eric left Copenhagen and prayed for the victory in
Sorø Abbey,
Queen Philippa managed the defence of the capital. Under massive shelling from Danish land-based artillery, armed bridges, and
floating batteries the Hanseatic ships failed to blockade the harbour and to surround the Danish-Swedish fleet. When the Danish and Swedish ships started a counter-attack, the Hanseats and Holsteiners were forced to retreat. -->
Second attack in June 1428 On June 15 of 1428 the Hanseats came back, now under Lübeck command. Up to 40 ships especially loaded with stones and lime were sunk in the harbour's entrance, trapping the Royal Danish-Swedish fleet inside. This time the Hanseats used floating batteries, too. With the help of these floating batteries the Hanseats were able to extend the range of their artillery and to cover the Danish and Swedish ships with a massive bombardment. By the end of the day, 30 Danish soldiers and sailors were killed and most of the King's ships were sunk, destroyed, or damaged. Only three ships remained undamaged and were able to escape. == Consequences ==