The siege of Stralsund was an armed engagement between the Electorate of Brandenburg and the Swedish Empire from 20 September to 15 October 1678, during the Scanian War.[1] After two days of bombardment on 10 and 11 October, the severely devastated Swedish fortress of Stralsund surrendered to the Brandenburgers.[1] The remainder of Swedish Pomerania was taken by the end of the year,[2] yet most of the province including Stralsund was returned to Sweden by the terms of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the Peace of Lund, both concluded in 1679.
Thus, all buildings outside the fortifications were levelled in 1677 to strip an imminent Brandenburgian attack of cover.[1] Stralsund then held a population of 8,500, including armed burghers,[5] and close to 5,000 Swedish, German and Finnish foot and horse.[6]
Siege
Frederick William I positioned his artillery south of the town and started bombardment on 10 October 1678.[1] His aim was to force Swedish commander Otto Wilhelm von Königsmarck[7] into surrender by abundantly firing incendiary bombs on the burghers' mansions.[1] The small, newly created Brandenburgian navy also took part in the siege.[8]
Most of the southern half of the town was destroyed when the defendants surrendered the town on 11 October,[1] namely 285 houses, 476 huts, and 194 servant dwellings.[9][10]
Despite great efforts of Frederick William I to win the loyalty of the Swedish Pomeranian population,[11] including generous aid programs to rebuild Stralsund and Stettin,[12] most remained loyal to Sweden.[11] After the fall of Stralsund, there were only few Swedish-held areas left in Swedish Pomerania, all of which Frederick William I had cleared by the end of 1678.[2]
Stralsund was returned to Sweden in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1679).[1] Due to the devastating bombardment of 1678, as well as another fire on 12 June[10] 1680, the population was reduced to about 6,000, with an additional 2,000 garrisoned Swedes.[5] After the 1680 fire destroyed an additional 48 houses, 89 huts, and 82 servant dwellings, only 205 houses, 408 huts, and 158 servant dwellings were still standing.[13]
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Grabinsky, Anne (2006). "Die Stralsunder Doppelkatastrophe von 1678/80: Wiederaufbau nach zwei vernichtenden Stadtbränden". Kleine Stadtgeschichte (in German). Vol. II. Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN3-8258-8994-7.
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Kroll, Stefan; Gyula Pápay (2003). "Wohnen und Wirtschaften in Stralsund um 1700". Stadtgeschichte und Historische Informationssysteme: der Ostseeraum im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert (in German) (2 ed.). Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN3-8258-7103-7.
Markfort, Ursula (2006). Stefan Kroll, Kersten Krüger (ed.). Städtesystem und Urbanisierung im Ostseeraum in der Frühen Neuzeit: urbane Lebensräume und historische Informationssysteme (in German). Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN3-8258-8778-2.
Meier, Martin (2008). Vorpommern nördlich der Peene unter dänischer Verwaltung 1715 bis 1721: Aufbau einer Verwaltung und Herrschaftssicherung in einem eroberten Gebiet (in German). Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. ISBN978-3-486-58285-7.
Rystad, Göran (2001). Karl XI: en biografi (in Swedish). Historiska Media. ISBN91-89442-27-X.