Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, major, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of Copenhagen

Battle of Copenhagen was a naval engagement fought in 1807 at Copenhagen, in what is now Denmark. It was part of the Gunboat War, which ran from 1807 to 1814. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 25,000; 25 vessels against 10,000; 18 ships of the line; 16 frigates; 9 brigs; 26 gunboats.

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Church of Our Lady burning during the bombardment of Copenhagen 1807.
Church of Our Lady burning during the bombardment of Copenhagen 1807.. Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1807
WhereCopenhagen, Denmark55.667N, 12.567E
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsUnited KingdomagainstDenmark–Norway
Part ofGunboat War1807 to 1814

Where it sits in the Gunboat War

Battle of Copenhagen, 1807Battle of Alvøen, 1808Battle of Falsterbo 1808, 1808Battle of Silda, 1810Battle of Anholt, 1811Battle of Lyngør, 181218071812Battle of Copenhagen, 1807
6 placed engagements of the Gunboat War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1807 (year precision)
to 5 September 1807
PlaceCopenhagen, Denmark
55.667N, 12.567E
KindNaval engagement, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength25,000; 25 vessels10,000; 18 ships of the line; 16 frigates; 9 brigs; 26 gunboats
Casualties and losses42 killed; 145 wounded; 24 missing300 killed or wounded; 18 ships of the line captured; 16 frigates captured; 9 brigs captured; 26 gunboats captured; 195 civilians killed; 768 civilians wounded
Commanders
  • James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier
  • William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart
  • Ernst Peymann
Battle of CopenhagenBattle of CopenhagenAssault on CopenhagenSiege of CopenhagenSiege Of CopenhagenSiege of CopenhagenSiege of CopenhagueÅrhusOdenseHelsingborgHalmstadKristianstadSvendborgRoskildeHillerød100 km55.667N, 12.567E
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 1807

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 Q376154, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Copenhagen (1807), revision 1371917949, 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.