Setting The Stage For War
Between 1561 and 1658, Sweden fought a series of wars in the Baltic, capturing an empire. During this period Sweden had occupied the Danish provinces of Skåne, Blekinge and Halland and the Norwegian provinces of Jämtland, Härjedalen, Trøndelag and Bohuslän. For Denmark, even more than the loss of territory, the continuous Swedish interference in Holstein (supporting claims for lands in Danish held Schleswig) was a major bone of contention.
In the late 1690s Russia, who had also lost territory to Sweden, allied with Denmark–Norway, together with the duke of Saxony, who expected a reconquest of territory lost by his kingdom, Poland, to strengthen his domestic position.
When the young Charles XII ascended Sweden's throne in 1697, the opportunity appeared ripe for recapturing lost territory.
Read more about this topic: Great Northern War And Norway
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