Historical context

Ancient iron production

The history of iron in Sweden stretches back to the Bronze Age, with bloomery iron making which mainly took advantage of bog ore deposits.

Dalarö

Dalarö is a small coastal community south of Stockholm. It is a popular tourist attraction during the summer season. In past centuries, Dalarö held a strategic position as a customs station and was instrumental in the defence of Stockholm. The waters surrounding Dalarö contain many well-preserved shipwrecks from the 17th century to the present day, making it popular with divers.

The Battle of Køge Bay

In early October 1710, during the Great Northern War, a Danish and a Swedish fleet engaged in a battle that brought losses to both sides, including the Danish warship Dannebroge and the two Swedish line ships Tre Kronor (“Three Crowns”) and the Princess Ulrika Eleonora.

The Nordic Seven Years War

The war took place in 1563–1570 between Sweden and united forces from Denmark and the German city of Lübeck. The two sides were fighting to gain control over the profitable Baltic Sea trade. The Danes also had a desire to re-create the Kalmar Union, a union that had joined the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden and Norway under one monarch. The war was fought largely at sea. Several battles were fought, of which the two biggest were those at Öland in May 1564 and at Bornholm in July 1565.

The Scanian War 1675–1679 and the Swedish Navy

In 1675, Sweden was at war with most of her Baltic neighbors. The Danes sought to recapture provinces lost to Sweden in the previous war, including Scania. To allow an invasion of Scania, Denmark would have to achieve dominance of the sea to allow supply lines for any invasion force.