Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, major, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of Copenhagen

Battle of Copenhagen was a naval engagement fought on 2 April 1801 at Copenhagen, in what is now Denmark. It was part of the War of the Second Coalition, which ran from 1798 to 1802. The recorded result: British victory.

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The Battle of Copenhagen, as painted by Nicholas Pocock. British bomb vessels are in the foreground in the lower left; to the right are the British and Danish ships in formations called "line of battl
The Battle of Copenhagen, as painted by Nicholas Pocock. British bomb vessels are in the foreground in the lower left; to the right are the British and Danish ships in formations called "line of battl. Nicholas Pocock, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought2 April 1801
WhereCopenhagen, Denmark55.703N, 12.613E
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsUnited KingdomagainstDenmark–Norway
Part ofWar of the Second Coalition1798 to 1802

Where it sits in the War of the Second Coalition

Action of 15 July 1798, 1798Battle of Salahieh, 1798Battle of St. George's Caye, 1798Siege of Butrint, 1798Battle of Nicopolis, 1798Siege of Corfu, 1798Battle of Trebbia, 1799Siege of Ancona, 1799Battle of Ostrach, 1799Battle of Feldkirch, 1799Battle of Stockach, 1799Siege of Mantua, 1799Battle of Magnano, 1799Battle of Cassano, 1799Battle of Frauenfeld, 1799Battle of Winterthur, 1799First Battle of Zurich, 1799Battle of Modena, 1799Siege of Alessandria, 1799Battle of Oberwald, 1799Battle of Schwyz, 1799Battle of Novi, 1799Battle of Krabbendam, 1799Battle of Mannheim, 1799Second Battle of Zurich, 1799Battle of Gotthard Pass, 1799Battle of Muottental, 1799Battle of Alkmaar, 1799Battle of Genola, 1799Battle of Obrigheim, 1799Battle of Wiesloch, 1799Battle of Walserfeld, 1800Battle of Sassello, 1800Siege of Genoa, 1800Rhine crossing near Rheinklingen (1800), 1800Battle of Stockach, 1800Battle of Engen, 1800Battle of Messkirch, 1800Battle of Erbach, 1800Battle of Montebello, 1800Battle of Höchstädt, 1800Battle of Neuburg, 1800Battle of Hohenlinden, 1800Battle of Pozzolo, 1800Battle of Copenhagen, 1801First Battle of Algeciras, 1801Second Battle of Algeciras, 1801Battle of Suriname, 180417981804Battle of Copenhagen, 1801
48 placed engagements of the War of the Second Coalition in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date2 April 1801
PlaceCopenhagen, Denmark
55.703N, 12.613E
KindNaval engagement, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength12 ships of the line; 4 frigates; 1 post ship; 2 ship-sloops; 2 brig-sloops; 7 bomb vessels; 2 fireships7 ships of the line; 4 frigates; 3 prams; 3 radeaus; 1 floating battery
Casualties and losses254–274 killed; 688–737 wounded367 killed; 635 wounded; 1,779 captured; 6 ships of the line captured; 1 ship of the line destroyed; 2 frigates captured; 1 pram captured; 2 prams sunk; 3 radeaus captured
Commanders
  • Olfert Fischer
  • Steen Andersen Bille (1751–1833)
Battle of CopenhagenBattle of CopenhagenSiege Of CopenhagenSiege of CopenhagenSiege of CopenhagueSiege of CopenhagueAssault on CopenhagenSiege Of CopenhagenÅrhusOdenseHelsingborgVäxjöHalmstadKristianstadSvendborgRoskilde100 km55.703N, 12.613E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 8 times between 1289 and 1807.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1801

Battle of Copenhagen is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 65 in present-day Denmark.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q755955, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Copenhagen (1801), revision 1385258344, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.