Memoirs of Denmark, containing the life and reign of the late K. of Denmark, Norway, &c., Christian V together with an exact account of the rise and progress of those differences now on foot betwixt the two houses of Denmark and Holstein Gottorp ... taken from authentick letters and records / by J.C., Med. D., Fellow of the Royal Society, and a Member of the College of Physicians.

CHAP. VIII. An Account of the Siege of Hamborough, undertaken by King Christian V. in the Year 1686.

BEfore we pursue the thread of our History concerning the Differences on Foot betwixt the two Houses of Denmark and Holstein Gottorp, we must look back as far as the Year 1686, when King Christian V. Attack't the City of Hamborough with great Vigour. It is very well known that the Kings of Denmark lay Claim to that City as being Dukes of Holstein; to examine which, is beyond our present purpose, we will only give a brief Account of the oc∣casion which induced the said King to take so Vigorous a Resolution,* 1.1 to back his Pretensions. It is therefore to be observed, that there be∣ing certain Differences arisen between the Se∣nate and the Commonalty of that City some years before, the same were carried on by the Burgh∣ers, to such a hight, that the Commonweal was threatned with an Imminent Ruine, by reason of their refusing to pay any Taxes to∣wards the support of the Government, before their Grievances were Redress'd, which tended Chiefly to make new Encroachments upon the Authority of the Senate.

To prevent the further ill Consequence of this popular Mischief, it was thought conveni∣ent

to seek for Redress by His Imperial Ma∣jesty, who thereupon sent the Count of Win∣dish Graetz, as his Commissioner, to endeavour the Composition of those Differences, which he effected accordingly, by putting a check upon the Ring-leaders of the dissatisfied Party, and confirming the Senate in his Authority.

There was about that time in the Senate, one Mr. Nicholas Crull, a Man of a very active Spirit, who having been formerly a great Patron of the Commonalty in maintaining their Liberties, as long as they contained themselves within their due Bounds, did afterwards, when they trans∣gressed their Limits, prove as strenuous an As∣sertor of the Senate's Authority, of which he was a Member, and was very instrumental in reducing some of the Leading Men of the Ad∣verse Party to their Duty. Those not being able to digest those hard Terms they were under (ac∣cording to their Opinion) laid hold of the first Opportunity, after the departure of the Imperial Commissioner, to represent at one of the publick Assemblies of the Commonalty, this Senator as a Person, who had endangered the publick Liberty, and therefore not to be suffered to continue in a Sta∣tion, where he might have frequent opportunity to clip their Wings; The Bait of Publick Liberty was so greedily swallowed by the unthinking Multitude, that they were all for removing the said Mr. Crull from his Station in the Senate, and with great vio∣lence demanded it; so that the Senate not be∣ing able to withstand, after many Contests, their fury, saw themselves under a necessity to Consent, to have the said Mr. Crull, suspend∣ed, for the present, of his Function. He see∣ing what constraint the Senate lay under by

the violence of the unruly Multitude, and ha∣ving but little hopes of Redress on that side, made his Appeal to the Imperial Court, who gave Sentence in his Favour, that he should be restored to his Dignity, Offices and Profits. But the Commonalty knowing the Emperour at that time Engaged in a heavy War with the Turks,* 1.2 and consequently not in a Condition to force them to a Complyance, made but little Account of the reiterate Mandats sent by the Emperour, to put his Sentence in Execution, whilst the wiser part of the Senate (some of whom sided with the Commons) fearing the ill consequen∣ces of it, urged them to a Complyance with the Emperour's Mandats. Among them was one Mr. Meuring who being a very bold Man, did stand up above all the rest for the Senate's Au∣thority, and paying due Obedience to the Em∣perour, which the Commonalty not approving of, they play'd the same Game with him as they had done before with the Senator Crull, or rather worse; for all on a sudden, without the least fore-warning, they forced the Senate to put him under a Confinement, nor would they suffer him to be released, till he had re∣sing'd his Senators place, and made a Declara∣tion in Writing, confirmed by his Oath, that he would never endeavour for the Future to be restored to it.

But this Precaution proved fruitless, for Mr. Meuring not thinking himself obliged to an Oath, which was forced from him, he for his own Pre∣servation, left the City the next day, seeking for shelter at the Court of the Duke of Lunen∣burgh Zell.

The Proceedings of the Commonalty being against all form of Law, he soon obtained a Mandat from the Emperour for his Restauration, which being as little regarded by the Commons of Hamborough, as the former had been, the Em∣perour sent his Orders to the said Duke of Zell, as Director of the Circle of Lower Saxony. Mr. Meuring being a Man of a consi∣derable Estate,* 1.3 soon engag'd the Court of Zell in his Interest, so that they not only stop't the Passage of all the Vessels that came down the River towards Hamborough, but at last sent some of their Troops into their Territories, where they were to live upon free Cost, till such time the Hamburghers should comply with the Empe∣rour's Mandats.

Things being come to this Pass, the Ring∣leaders of the adverse Party were sorely put to a Nonplus what to resolve upon in this Exi∣gency of their Affairs, most of the common People beginning to murmur about the Decay of Trade, and the heavy Taxes laid upon them, to maintain themselves against the lawful Autho∣rity of the Emperour; so that the adverse Par∣ty not knowing what expedient to pitch upon, they began to call in question the Emperour's Authority in relation to the Matter in hand.

This prov'd a wish'd for Opportunity to the King of Denmark, who being resolved to make use of this occasion to improve his Pretensions upon that City, gave all possible Encourage∣ment to the Commons, alledging that what was undertaken against the City by the Emperour's Order, was done to his Prejudice: But not satis∣fied with this, he unexpectedly appeared with a formidable Force before the City Gates, de∣manding

to be acknowledg'd as their Protector against the Violency put upon them by the Em∣perour; and that in case of a refusal, they must expect to be treated as Enemies.

The Senate of Hamborough not relishing those Propositions,* 1.4 the King of Denmark, seconded his Threats with immediate Blows. There is a Fort of five Bastions (from whence it is called the Star-fort) situate on the Northwest-side of the City in a large Plain; This the Danes at∣tack'd the very first Night with Sword in hand, in hopes, that, if they could make themselves Masters of it, they would be able to bring the City to other Terms by a Bombardment: But the Garrison in the Fort being well prepared for the Assault, they were repulsed with great Loss. The Danes were so far from being dis∣couraged at this first ill Success,* 1.5 that they at∣tack'd it again the next day, with incredible Fury; but the Fort being so conveniently situa∣ted, as to have a Communication with some other Outworks belonging to the Fortifications of that City, and consequently being constant∣ly supply'd with fresh Troops from thence, they miscarried likewise in the second Attempt:

The King of Denmark and his Generals, be∣ing now made sensible that the said Fort, both by reason of its Strength, and the Conveniency of its being relieved with fresh Supplies from the City, was not to be taken by a sudden As∣sault, it was resolved to attack it in form, and to endeavour to cut off all Communication be∣twixt the said Fort and the City. But in the mean while that the Danes were advancing their Trenches,* 1.6 not only the Luneburgh Forces, that were quartered in their Territories, but also

a good Body of Brandenburgh Horse were at the Request of the Senate, come to their Relief; so that, what with those and their own Troops, they had a good Body of regular Forces, con∣sisting of near 12000 Men in the City; and the Swedes in the Dukedom of Bremen, had furnish∣ed them a good Number of expert Gunners, who not a little annoy'd the Danes in their Trenches. But these working without inter∣mission on their Lines of Communication and some small Forts, by which they hoped to pre∣vent the coming of any Succours to the Relief of the Starfort, it was resolved among those who had the Command in the City, to endea∣vour to dislodge the Danes out of their Works, by making a strong and vigorous Sally; which being put in execution accordingly, with all imaginable Secrecy,* 1.7 they fell upon the Danes with such Fury, that they cut near 1500 of them in pieces in and near the Trenches, before they could be relieved by their Cavalry, at the Ap∣proach of which the Hamburghers retreated to∣wards their Gates, the Danish Horse charging their Rear all the while; There happened in this Engagement a certain Action very well worth our Observation; For,* 1.8 a certain Danish Officer of Horse in the heat of the Engagement entred Pall-Mall with the Hamburgher Troops, thro' the first Gate, when being espyed by the Captain who kept the Guard there, and was going to Discharge his Fusee at him, he Shot him thro' the Head, and clapping Spurs to his Horse, Fought his way thro' those that oppo∣sed his Passage, and escaped safely to the Da∣nish Camp.

After this Engagement a Treaty was set on Foot by the Mediation of the Elector of Bran∣denburgh and the Duke of Lunenburgh Zell; the last coming in Person to his Castle of Hare∣burgh, situate on the other side of the River Elbe, just opposite to Hamburgh, to give the more life to the intended Composition; Neither was the English Envoy, then residing in that City, want∣ing on his part, to Contribute what lay in his Power, to bring Matters to an Accommodation, by reason of the considerable Interest the Eng∣lish Company there, has in its Preservation; so, that after some Debates; during which time the Danes made a Tryal of some few of their Bombs, which because of their too great di∣stance, had no Effect, an Agreement was made betwixt the King of Denmark and the City; the main Article of which was, that things should remain in Statu quo,* 1.9 without any preju∣dice to the King of Denmark's just Pretensions, till the Year 1700, and that in the interim, a good Correspondence should be Cultivated on both Sides.

It was the wonder of all Europe at that time, to see the King of Denmark Attack a City with fifteen or sixteen thousand Men, which by rea∣son of the vast extent of its Fortifications and Strength (being five or six Miles in Compass) required rather an Army of three or four score thousand Men to besiege it in due form. It was the general Opinion at that time, that the said Attack would scarce have been undertaken, with∣out a secret Correspondence within the Place, and the dissatisfied Party of that City was charg∣ed with it, who seeing their Affairs reduced to a desperate Condition, were supposed to have no

other Refuge than to the Protection of Den∣mark. But on the other hand, this has been constantly denied by the Danes, who declare, that, that tho' their King saw himself obliged in point of Policy to make use of this Juncture, when the Differences betwixt the Senate and a strong dissatisfied Party were risen to the high∣est pitch, nevertheless that Court did not keep any secret Correspondence with them. What the Senate of Hamborough alledge on their side, seems not to agree in all Points with this; for they say, that by a Letter sent by one of the Chief Ring-leaders of the Conspiracy, which was accidentally intercepted; they were in∣formed of a certain Iron-Chest, hid in a Cellar in a private House, which thereupon being found, and opened in the presence of several Persons of unquestionable Credit and Authority in that City; many Papers of dangerous con∣sequence, such as Journals of their Transacti∣ons, and several Letters relating to their De∣sign were discovered, by which it appeared, that they were entred into a Conspiracy to o∣verturn the Constitution of the Government. Thus much is beyond all Contradiction, that two of the Chief of the dissatisfied Faction paid with their Heads for it, their Quarters being put upon the City Gates;* 1.10 one of the Se∣nators, who was accused to have a hand in the Conspiracy, and was kept under close Confine∣ment upon that Account, in order to be brought to his Tryal, died very suddenly during his Con∣finement, and was supposed to have poysoned himself, to avoid the Shame of an ignominious Death; several were banished the Territories of the City, and many others, as well Gentlemen as Citizens retir'd into the Danish Dominions.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Differences betwixt the Senate and Commonalty of Hamburgh occasion this Siege.
• * 1.2

  The Emper∣or's Authori∣ty slighted by the Ham∣burghers.
• * 1.3

  He engages the Duke of Zell in the Quarrel.
• * 1.4

  The King of Denmark attacks Ham∣burgh.
• * 1.5

  Are twice repulsed.
• * 1.6

  They open their Trench∣es.
• * 1.7

  Are routed in a Sally.
• * 1.8

  Bravery of a Danish Of∣ficer.
• * 1.9

  An agree∣ment made with the City.
• * 1.10

  Some of the consp••ra∣tors punished.