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Slaget vid Tönningen
In early 1713, forces of the Swedish Empire and Holstein-Gottorp were
encircled by a combined Russian and Saxe-Polish army in a pocket around
Tönning. The Swedish force consisted of the remains of Magnus Stenbock's
16,000 men who had broken out of the Stralsund pocket, and ignoring orders
to march into Poland turned west, defeated a Danish army the Battle of
Gadebusch and pursued their remains into Holstein. The Russian and
Saxe-Polish allies of Denmark sent 36,000 troops after Stenbock.[5]
In February 1713, breaching his proclaimed neutrality,[6] the minor duke
Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp[7] provided Stenbock with shelter and
auxiliaries at his fortress of Tönning in anticipation of support by the
Maritime Powers, expecting a recurrence of the 1700 precedent. Yet, the
Maritime Powers did not intervene, and the trapped, still 9,000 strong force
of Stenbock ran out of supplies. When the food situation deteriorated and
2,800 Swedes fell ill, Stenbock surrendered on 16 May 1713.[8]
The 1,600 strong Holstein garrison of the Tönning fortress held out[8] until
7 February 1714.[9] Danish forces, in pursuit of a royal occupation order of
13 March 1713,[6] gained complete control over Holstein-Gottorp when the
last Holsteiners loyal to Sweden were captured in 1715.[8] After Tönning's
surrender, its defensive works and palace were leveled until 1735.[10]
GörtzThe decision of the duke of Holstein-Gottorp to open Tönning to
Stenbock as well as the brokering of the Swedish surrender is ascribed to
baron Georg Heinrich von Görtz, a diplomat at Charles Frederick's court. The
Swedish captives were partitioned equally among the victorious powers,
despite orders Russian commander Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov had received
from tsar Peter the Great to secure the greatest share for Russia, arguing
that the Russians had provided the largest contingent in the combined army.
The disobedience led to rumors that Menshikov was bribed by Görtz.[
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