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{{Short description|1718–19 Swedish retreat in the Great Northern War}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2014}}
[[File:Armfeldt Campaign in Norway 1718.svg|right|300px|thumb|[[Carl Gustaf Armfeldt|Armfeldt's]] campaign in [[Trøndelag]], 1718–1719. The dates are according to the Julian calendar.]]
{{Campaignbox Great Northern War}}

The '''Carolean Death March''' ({{langx|sv|karolinernas dödsmarsch}}), also known as '''the Catastrophe on Øyfjellet''' ({{langx|sv|katastrofen på Öjfjället}}) was the disastrous retreat by a force of [[Swedish Empire|Swedish]] soldiers (known as [[Caroleans]]), under the command of [[Carl Gustaf Armfeldt]], across the [[Tydalen]] mountain range in [[Trøndelag]] around the new year 1718–1719.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Carolean death march |url=https://karoliner.com/in-english/the-carolean-death-march/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516182313/https://karoliner.com/in-english/the-carolean-death-march/ |archive-date=16 May 2019 |access-date=1 December 2019 |website=karoliner.com}}</ref>

==Background==
In 1718, after several defeats in the [[Great Northern War]], Sweden had lost its eastern territories to [[Russian Empire|Russia]]. Too weakened to retake these, [[Charles XII of Sweden]] instead planned an attack on Norway to force the [[Denmark-Norway|Dano-Norwegian]] King [[Frederick IV of Denmark|Frederick IV]] into great concessions in subsequent peace treaty negotiations.

After the Swedish defeat at [[battle of Storkyro|Storkyro]], Swedish Lieutenant-general [[Carl Gustaf Armfeldt]] had retreated to the area of [[Gävle]] with the mauled army of [[Finland]]. He was now ordered to make a diversionary attack from [[Jämtland]] towards [[Trondheim (city)|Trondheim]] in Trøndelag with his poorly equipped soldiers. After assembling a host of 10,000 soldiers in [[Duved, Sweden|Duved]], he set off towards Norway on {{OldStyleDate|29 August|1718|18 August|1718}}.<ref>All dates are given according to the Gregorian calendar, which was adopted by Denmark-Norway in 1700, but adopted by Sweden as late as 1753.</ref> Four months later, the campaign in Trøndelag had failed: the defenders of Trondheim had successfully held off Armfeldt. The army of 10,000 had dwindled to around 6,000, and the surviving soldiers were exhausted and starved, their clothing tattered and threadbare. Bad weather made resupplies from Sweden impossible, so the army had to live off the land, causing untold suffering to the Norwegian civilian population.
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After Charles' death on <!--30 November old style, new style: --> 11 December 1718 during the siege of [[Fredriksten]], all Swedish forces in Norway were ordered to retreat back to Sweden. Armfeldt received notice of Charles' death on <!-- 27 December 1718 old style, new style: --> 7 January 1719, when his force was in [[Haltdalen]], [[Gauldal]] with about 6,000 men. He decided to take the shortest route to Sweden: first over the mountains to [[Tydalen]] and from there over the Tydal mountain range back to the fort of [[Hjerpe]]. So far the winter had been mild with scant to no snow cover. [[Ski]]s were therefore not needed, but the army was poorly equipped and exhausted from the campaigning in Trøndelag.

==Departure to Sweden==
On <!--28 December 1718, old style, new style: --> 8 January 1719 the army left Haltdalen and marched to Tydalen, a distance of almost {{convert|30|km}}. Due to the cold weather, about 200 men died on the mountains from [[hypothermia|exposure]]. On <!-- New Year's Eve 1718 old style, new style: --> 11 January Armfeldt's army was gathered on the [[Ås, Trøndelag|Ås]] and [[Østby, Trøndelag|Østby]] farms in Tydalen, almost 5,800 men in total. A vanguard of 14 skiers was sent across to Jämtland to prepare for the main army's arrival in Sweden.

The army left Østby on the morning of 12 January 1719 (New Year's Day according to the Swedish calendar), accompanied by Norwegian [[guide]] Lars Bersvendsen Østby, {{Citation needed span|text=who had been coerced into aiding the enemy by having two kinswomen held hostage|date=July 2023}}. The weather was very cold, but there was no snowfall. The distance to the village of [[Handöl]] in present-day [[Åre Municipality]] is about {{convert|55|km}}. Without the inclement weather the army could have reached Jämtland after a two-day march.

==Storm==
[[File:Carolean Death March exhibition at the Swedish Army Museum in Stockholm.jpg|thumb|left|Exhibition illustrating the conditions of the Carolean Death March, at the [[Swedish Army Museum]] in [[Stockholm]], Sweden]]
That afternoon a violent northwesterly [[blizzard]] struck, with its strong wind swirling up the light snow. The resulting poor visibility and biting cold forced Armfeldt to encamp on the northern mountainside of [[Øyfjellet]] by the lake Essand. In desperate efforts to keep warm, the soldiers set fire to [[dwarf birch]], [[Calluna|heather]], their own [[rifle|rifle butt]]s and [[sled]]s, but to little effect. An estimated 200 men froze to death this first night.

The storm continued the next day, and the retreat now became chaotic as the soldiers were scattered in the hills. The main part of the force reached the Swedish border and encamped at [[Enaälven]]. A hole was hacked in the ice on the Ena to see in which direction the water flowed: in that direction lay rescue. However, the severe weather continued to take its toll; many of the [[draught horse]]s died and all equipment had to be abandoned on the mountain. The storm was still raging on <!-- 3 January old style, new style: --> 14 January as the first troops led by Armfeldt made their way to Handöl. The majority of the survivors arrived at Handöl on the <!-- 4 and 5 January old style, new style: --> 15 and 16 January. About 3,000 men remained on the mountain, frozen to death. During the continued voyage down to [[Duved, Sweden|Duved]], where lodging had been arranged for the soldiers, another 700 men died. About 600 of the surviving 2,100 soldiers were crippled for life. Over two thirds of the victims were [[Finns]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Keskisarja |first=Teemu |title=Murhanenkeli |publisher=Siltala |year=2019 |isbn=9789522346384 |location=Helsinki |pages=237}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
[[File:Karolinermonumentet.jpg|thumb|right|Karolinermonumentet, a memorial in Duved commemorating the Caroleans who died during the Carolean Death March.]]
On <!-- 7 January old style, new style: --> 18 January, Norwegian major Emahusen set off up the mountain on the trail of the Swedish army. He found hundreds of dead Caroleans. The horses that were still alive ran around without riders, while others lay collapsed harnessed to fully loaded sleds, where the driver, with a glazed expression, still held the reins in a frozen grip.

Norwegians took a great deal of loot that winter. They found masses of swords and rifles; six smaller [[cannons]] were found abandoned on the mountain. The locals plundered the dead of boots, coats, valuables and weapons. Musket barrels could be used for hardware in fireplaces or for axles in grindstones.

In Brekka Bygdetun in Tydal, an open-air theatre performance of "Karolinerspelet" is held every other year in January, dramatizing the events of the Death March.

In [[Røros (town)|Røros]], another Norwegian town visited by Swedish soldiers, an annual outdoor [[musical theater]] production called [[Elden (theatre production)|Elden]] is staged in late July/early August on the Røros [[slag]] heaps. The show is one of the largest outdoor theater productions in [[Norway]], and includes the use of live [[horse]]s. It is widely renowned in the local area, having sold over 10,000 tickets to its nine 2014 shows.

In 2012, the [[Falun]]-based band [[Sabaton (band)|Sabaton]] released Ruina Imperii, a song about the Carolean Death March as a part of the album [[Carolus Rex (album)|Carolus Rex]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Final Carolean death march survivors return home |url=https://www.sabaton.net/historical-facts/the-carolean-death-march/ |access-date=2 August 2024 |website=Sabaton Official Website |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Literature==
*{{Cite book |last=Karl-Aage Schwartzkopf |title=Yngste Karolinen |year=1960 |isbn=9788726373004 |language=sv}}
*{{Cite book |last=Anders Hansson |title=Karolinernas dödsmarsch i Jämtlandsfjällen |publisher=Jämtlands läns museum |year=1990 |isbn=9789179480516 |language=sv}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080315020635/http://www.karolinerspelet.no/ Karolinerspelet] {{in lang|no}}

[[Category:Great Northern War]]
[[Category:1718 in Europe]]
[[Category:1719 in Europe]]
[[Category:1719 in Norway]]
[[Category:Mountaineering disasters]]
[[Category:Death marches]]