View source for Theatre War

{{Short description|1788–1789 war between Denmark-Norway and Sweden}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Theatre War
| partof            = the '''[[Russo-Swedish War (1788–90)]]''' and '''[[List of wars between Denmark and Sweden|Dano-Swedish War]]'''
| image             = Affæren_ved_Quistrumbro.jpg
| image_size        = 300
| caption           = ''Affæren ved Quistrumbro'' ([[Battle of Kvistrum|The affair at Kvistrum]]) by [[Anthon Christoffer Rüde]]
| date              = 24 September 1788 – 9 July 1789<br> <small> (9 months, 2 weeks and 2 days) </small>
| place             = [[Sweden]] ([[Bohuslän]], [[Dalsland]] and [[Jämtland]])
| coordinates       = 
| map_type          = 
| map_relief        = 
| map_size          = 
| map_caption       = 
| territory         = ''[[Status quo ante bellum]]''
| result            = Swedish victory<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sundberg |first=Ulf |title=Svenska krig 1521-1814 |publisher=Hjalmarson & Högberg |year=2002 |isbn=9789189080140 |edition=2nd |location=Stockholm |pages=353 |language=Swedish|quote="Danmark tvingas inleda detta krig enligt förplikteser med Ryssland. Danskarna måste den 9 juli, under hårt diplomatiskt tryck från England och Preussen, avge en neutralitetsdeklaration. Med tanke på att Danskarna tvingas ur kriget kan man med viss tvekan kategorisera utfallet som en svensk seger."}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.svd.se/a/ela9/vad-var-tyttebarskriget-for-nagot | title=Vad var Tyttebärskriget för något? | newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet | date=21 April 2016 | last1=Harrison | first1=Dick | quote="Ett vapenstillestånd ingicks, och den 12 november gav danskarna slaget förlorat och tågade tillbaka till Norge. Formellt avslutades kriget utan landavträdelser för någondera parten i juli 1789."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sundberg |first=Ulf |title=Sveriges krig 1630–1814 |publisher=Svenskt militärhistoriskt bibliotek |year=2010 |isbn=9789185789634 |page=302|language=sv |trans-title=Sweden's wars 1630–1814}}</ref>
| combatant1        = {{flagicon|Denmark–Norway}} [[Denmark–Norway]] <br> {{flag|Russian Empire}} <small> ([[Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)]]) </small>
| combatant2        = {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|border=no|22px}} [[Sweden]] 
----'''Supported by:'''<br /> {{flagicon|Kingdom of Great Britain}} [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] <br> {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Prussia|1750}}
| commander1        = {{flagicon|Denmark–Norway}}'''[[Christian VII of Denmark|Christian VII]]''' <br>{{flagicon|Denmark–Norway}} [[Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel|Charles of Hesse]] <br> {{flagicon|Denmark–Norway}} [[Johann Friedrich von und zu Mansbach|Johann Friedrich]]
| commander2        = {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|border=no|22px}} '''[[Gustav III]]''' <br> {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|border=no|22px}} [[Anders Rudolf du Rietz|Rudolf du Rietz]] <br> {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|border=no|22px}} [[Jan Verner Tranefelt]]
| strength1         = 8,000–10,000
| strength2         = At least 850 people
| casualties1       = 1,500–3,000 killed, wounded or captured{{efn|From hunger, disease, poor sanitary conditions, and continual rainfall..}}
| casualties2       = At least 5 dead, 845 captured and 60 wounded
}}
{{Campaignbox Russo-Swedish War (1788-1790)}}
{{Campaignbox Dano-Swedish Wars}}
The '''Theatre War''' ({{langx|sv|Teaterkriget}}), '''Cowberry War''', '''Cranberry War''' or '''Lingonberry War''' ({{langx|no|Tyttebærkrigen}}, {{langx|da|Tyttebærkrigen}}), was a brief war between [[Denmark–Norway]] and [[Kingdom of Sweden (1721–1809)|Sweden]], starting on 24 September 1788, formally lasting until 9 July 1789. Although the decision to launch the attack was taken in [[Denmark]], the majority of the attacking soldiers were [[Norwegians]] from the [[Norwegian army]].

The attack was directed towards the region known as [[Bohuslän]] in Sweden, and was supposed to act as a diversion to relieve [[Russia]], who was an ally of Denmark–Norway and had recently been attacked by Sweden ([[Gustav III's Russian War]]).  This forced Denmark–Norway to honour their [[Military alliance|alliance]] between the two states that had been signed in 1773.

==Background==
When [[Gustav III of Sweden]] on his own initiative, and [[constitutionality|unconstitutionally]], attacked [[Russia]] in 1788 and thereby started the [[Russo-Swedish War (1788–90)|Russo-Swedish War of 1788–90]], Denmark-Norway found itself in an awkward position. In the 1773 [[Treaty of Tsarskoye Selo]], Denmark–Norway had committed itself to assist with 12,000 men, six [[ship of the line|ships of the line]] and three [[frigate]]s in the case Russia were to be attacked. Soon after the Swedish attack, the Russians demanded that Denmark–Norway keep its promise, and Denmark–Norway was thus forced to join the war. When Gustav III received news of this, he exclaimed "I am saved!".

Considering that the attack on Russia was Gustav's own initiative, that many Swedish officers and the king's opponents were strongly against the war (see [[Anjala conspiracy]]), and that the war was not being fought very successfully, this exclamation might seem strange. However, Gustav III the astute politician saw this as a golden opportunity to turn the Swedish opinion in his favour. He left the battlefront in Finland and proceeded to Stockholm and then [[Dalarna]] where he managed to incite several [[free corps]] to participate in the defense against the Danes and Norwegians. Despite strong popular support, Sweden had only 10,000 men that had to be divided between [[Skåne]], [[Jämtland]] and [[Bohuslän]].

==The Danish–Norwegian attack==
The first Danish-Norwegian force of about 8,000-10,000 men under the command of Prince [[Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel|Charles of Hesse]] attacked Bohuslän from Norway on 24 September and advanced quickly toward [[Vänersborg]] meeting feeble Swedish resistance. Colonel [[Johan Werner Tranefelt]] ensconced himself in [[Kvistrum]] north of [[Uddevalla]] with his 700 men but was defeated on 29 September by a much larger Danish–Norwegian force led by [[Major General]] [[Johann Friedrich von und zu Mansbach]]. In a week the Danish–Norwegians took Uddevalla, Vänersborg, and [[Åmål]] and on 6 October they demanded the [[Surrender (military)|surrender]] of [[Gothenburg]].

The invading troops met little resistance, and occupied Uddevalla, Vänersborg and Åmål within a week, but were later stopped at Gothenburg. Out of 10,000 soldiers, the Norwegians lost only 8 in the ensuing confrontations.

==The defense of Gothenburg==
By this time, Gustav III himself had arrived in the city and took resolute action; he dismissed the passive [[Lieutenant General]] [[Anders Rudolf du Rietz]] and replaced him with Lieutenant General [[Johan Sparre af Söfdeborg]]. The defenses of Gothenburg were quickly strengthened. In addition, the British ambassador to Copenhagen Sir [[Hugh Elliot]] arrived in Gothenburg and brokered a short [[armistice]] with the Danish–Norwegian commander on 9 October. Delaying and stalling tactics prolonged the armistice in stages to May 1789.

== Conclusion and aftermath ==
Faced with the armistice, threats of a joint attack on [[Holstein]] from both Great Britain and [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], and an ever more strongly defended Gothenburg, the Danish–Norwegian troops marched off on 12 November 1788 toward Norway, and Gustav III could use this as an excuse to call it a victory. This was convenient for Sweden since the fighting on the Finnish front was very much still in progress.

The success could have turned into a debâcle when it was revealed that a lieutenant [[Benzelstjärna]] with the king's approval had planned to burn the seven Russian ships in the [[Copenhagen]] harbor. Through the revelation the plans were never carried out.

The attacking Danish–Norwegian force only lost eight men through acts of war. The almost frivolous Swedish and Norwegian names for the conflict do not reflect the real suffering caused by it: the Danish–Norwegian army lost 1,500-3,000 men to hunger, disease, poor sanitary conditions, and exposure to continual autumn rainfall. On 12 November, the Norwegian [[Division (military)|division]] retreated back to Norway.

On 9 July 1789, before the threat of a combined might of Britain and Prussia, Denmark-Norway agreed to cease active engagement in the conflict. A statement of [[Country neutrality (international relations)|neutrality]] was issued by Denmark-Norway, not a formal peace treaty.

[[Frederik von Haxthausen]] took part in this campaign as an officer. As a result of the disastrous provision of the troops, which was the cause of a fatal plague among them, he travelled abroad in 1793 in order to study military supply provision. To do this he visited the Prussian, Austrian and other armies.<ref name="Sö" />

==The name of the war==
The Swedish term "Theatre War" reflects the view in later times that the war in practice was a theatrical spectacle rather than a "real" martial conflict.

In Norwegian, the war is known as ''Tyttebærkrigen'' after the Norwegian word for the [[Vaccinium vitis-idaea|mountain cranberry]], in remembrance of how the Norwegian troops, denied assistance by the local population, had to live off the land in berry season.

== See also ==
* [[Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)]]

== References and sources ==
<references>
<ref name="Sö">Sørensen p. 177.</ref>
</references>
*[[Georg Apenes]], ''Tyttebærkrigen: det norske felttog i Sverige 1788'', 1988.

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

== Literature ==
* [http://www.snl.no/tytteb%C3%A6rkrigen Store norske leksikon] retrieved 16 October 2010
* S. A. Sørensen: "Haxthausen, Frederik" article in: [https://runeberg.org/dbl/7/0179.html Dansk biorgafisk lexikon], Vol. 7. Copenhagen, 1893. pp. 177–179.

[[Category:Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)]]
[[Category:Wars involving Denmark–Norway]]
[[Category:Wars involving Sweden]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1789]]
[[Category:18th century in Sweden]]
[[Category:1788 in Denmark]]
[[Category:1789 in Denmark]]
[[Category:1788 in Norway]]
[[Category:1789 in Norway]]
[[Category:1788 in Sweden]]
[[Category:1789 in Sweden]]
[[Category:History of Bohuslän]]
[[Category:Denmark–Sweden relations]]