Svend Poulsen

Svend Poulsen
Svend Poulsen Gønge (right), luring the Swedish colonel Sparre into an ambush while disguised as a Swede
NicknameGøngehøvdingen
Bornc. 1610
Diedc. 1680
AllegianceDenmark-Norway
BranchDanish Army
Service years1625-1660
1675-1679
RankMajor
ConflictsTorstenson War, Second Northern War, Scanian War

Svend Poulsen (c. 1610c. 1680), also referred to as Svend Poulsen Gønge (Swedish: Svend Gjönge Povlsen) was a Danish military commander in the 17th century, serving in the armies of Christian IV, Frederick III, and Christian V. He fought in the Torstenson War, Second Northern War, and the Scanian War, and led the snaphane militia in guerilla warfare against Sweden in occupied Zealand from 1658 to 1659. He was popularized under the name Gøngehøvdingen (English: the Gønge chieftain) in 1853, when his exploits were fictionalized under that name by Danish author Carit Etlar. The historicity of his aliases has since been disputed.