Battle of S:t Mårtens
| Battle of S:t Mårtens | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War against Sigismund | |||||||
Memorial plaque of the battle | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Sweden | Polish–Swedish union | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Duke Charles Kasten Schade (WIA) Hans Buck † | Axel Kurck | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2,000–3,000 men |
1,100 men 10 guns | ||||||
The battle of S:t Mårtens (Swedish: slaget i S:t Mårtens; Finnish: Marttilan taistelu) occurred on 29 August 1599 during the war against Sigismund between a force of 2,000–3,000 men under the command of Duke Charles (later Charles IX) and a force of 1,100 men under the command of Axel Kurck.
After consolidating his power in Sweden following his victory at Stångebro in 1598, Duke Charles embarked on a second expedition to Finland in August 1599, following an earlier expedition in 1597. After Charles landed at Ruskiakallio, Kurck withdrew his force, fearing encirclement.
Charles pursued Kurck, and the two forces met near S:t Mårtens. The Finns initially held back the Swedish vanguard, wounding its commander, Kasten Schade, and killing several of his men, but were forced to retreat once the main Swedish force arrived. Upon reaching an open field, they attacked troops under Hans Buck, who was killed in combat along with his lieutenant, Lukas Reuter. Although the Finns inflicted heavy losses and pursued the Swedes for 1–2 leagues, they fell into disarray after becoming exposed at the rear, and the battle ended in a victory for Charles.