Swedish invasion of Brandenburg

Swedish invasion of Brandenburg
Part of the Scanian War (Northern Wars) Franco-Dutch War
Battle of Fehrbellin by Dismar Degen.
Date 25 December 1674–28 June 1675 Location Brandenburg, Germany Result Brandenburger victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire	Brandenburg-Prussia
Commanders and leaders
Carl Gustaf Wrangel Waldemar von Wrangel	Frederick William Georg von Derfflinger
Strength
January 1675: 13,000–13,700 May 1675: 11,000–12,000	Garrison troops: 5,000 Relief force: 15,000
Casualties and losses
June–July 1675: 4,000 (1,100–1,500 combat losses)	June–July 1675: Unknown (600–1,000 combat losses)

The Swedish invasion of Brandenburg (1674–75) (German: Schwedeneinfall 1674/75) involved the occupation of the undefended Margraviate of Brandenburg by a Swedish army launched from Swedish Pomerania during the period 26 December 1674 to the end of June 1675. The Swedish invasion sparked the Swedish-Brandenburg War that, following further declarations of war by European powers allied with Brandenburg, expanded into a North European conflict that did not end until 1679.

The trigger for the Swedish invasion was the participation of a 20,000 strong Brandenburg Army in the Holy Roman Empire's war on France as part of the Franco-Dutch War. As a result, Sweden, a traditional ally of France, occupied the militarily unprotected margraviate with the declared aim of forcing the Elector of Brandenburg to sue for peace with France. In early June 1675 the Elector and his 15,000 strong army decamped at Schweinfurt in Franconia, now southern Germany, and reached the city of Magdeburg on 21 [O.S. 11] June 1675. Elector Frederick William, led the campaign against a Swedish force of between 11,000 and 12,000 men. After one week the Swedish troops had retreated from the Margraviate of Brandenburg.