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===Ambro-Jorvish invasion of Vasturia===
{{Infobox military conflict
Despite Crovan's role in engineering the conflict, he had initially planned to engage the nations of the Grand Alliance piecemeal, as he recognized the small size of the [[Ambrosian Confederal Army|Ambrosian Army]] — only about 11,000 active soldiers in 1860. Though the army had absorbed many of the state militias upon the outbreak of war in 1860, bolstering its numbers substantially, the levels of training of these troops varied widely from the highly-disciplined regulars to the militiamen. In private, Crovan himself did not feel comfortable leading an army into battle, given that he had never held a large-scale field command before. Thus, he was reluctant to act on calls for the invasion of the Vasturian states, delaying it for a full month. However, political pressure began to escalate to begin campaigning before winter, and the Jorvish minister to Ambrose, Imbert Roorda, warned government threatened to break the alliance and go on the offensive alone if the Ambrosians did not act. Fearing a military coup against his government, Crovan finally relented and called a meeting of the Confederal General Staff on October 18th, 1861. Three armies, with a total of about 30,000 men, were formed: the Army of the Glencamber under General {{wpl|Irving McDowell|Irving MacDowel}}, the Army of the Kenetcy under General {{wpl|Erasmus Keyes}}, and finally, the [[Army of the Els]]. The Els was nominally commanded by General {{wpl|Don Carlos Buell|Charles Bowell}}, but was effectively under Crovan's direct command, given that he chose to exercise his role as {{wpl|commander-in-chief}} while campaigning with this army. Political rivals, namely Generals {{wpl|Nathaniel Banks}} and {{wpl|Daniel Sickles}}, had convinced Crovan of the necessity of leading the army from the front; Crovan accepted this while knowing full well that they planned to seize power in the event of his wounding of death.
| conflict    =
 
| width      =
[[File:Building pontoons.png|left|250px|thumb|The Army of the Kenetcy crossing into Vasturia]]
| partof      = the [[Great War of the North]]
 
| image      = Neuville défense de la porte de Longboyau img 1960-rama.jpg
The northern invasion of the Vasturian states began on October 30th, 1861, with the advance columns of the Ambrosian Army of the Glencamber crossing the River Kenetcy into the {{wpl|Medieval commune|Communal Republic}} of [INSERT]; after some brief skirmishing, the capital of the republic, [INSERT], would be taken unopposed the following day. This was met with outrage from many of the Vasturian states, and several would declare war on Ambrose, joining the Grand Alliance. Over the next week, the Ambrosians would march into three more states: Keyes moved his troops along the coast into the Republic of [INSERT], MacDowel pushed into the Duchy of [INSERT], and, on November 3rd, Crovan crossed into the Republic of [INSERT]. On November 5th, the Army of the Els met its first concentrated opposition in the 1st Druidic Army, made up of hastily-assembled components from the militaries of over a dozen Vasturian states. Crovan was able to rein in his subordinates and prevented them from giving battle until November 7th — after two days of evasion and flanking maneuvers, he engaged the Vasturians at Skarloey Creek. While he was numerically outnumbered, Crovan was able to force the Vasturians to march across open fields to attack his lines, which allowed him to maul them with {{wpl|cannon}} he had captured earlier in the campaign. The arrival of Vasturian reserves were able to prevent a full on rout, but the battle was a decisive Ambrosian victory; the 1st Druidic Army would retreat south on November 9th, virtually abandoning the northernmost Vasturian states to Ambrose — thus Crovan could claim to have liberated the Anglish-speaking peoples of northern Vasturia. This was touted as a major propaganda victory in [[Elsbridge]], and it served only to secure Crovan's political position.
| image_size  =
 
| alt        =
{{Image frame|width=270|content=<imgur w="270">Q5Fcco3.gif</imgur>|caption=MacDowel's advance would stall outside of [INSERT] in early December, 1861.|align=right}}
| caption    = ''Sjealandic infantry defend the Staksrode Gate against Ambrosian cuirassiers'', {{wpl|Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville|Alfons af Nørremarken}}
 
| date        = 29 October 1864 {{ndash}} 28 April 1865<br><small>({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=10|day1=29|year1=1864|month2=04|day2=28|year2=1865}})</small>
Keyes continued moving south throughout the month of November, however the increasingly worsening weather and his stretched supply lines forced him to settle in for the winter by November 28th, after many of his men died from {{wpl|hypothermia}} while besieging the port of [INSERT]. Crovan, emboldned by the victory at Skarloey Creek, ordered MacDowel to take the city of [INSERT], the capital of [INSERT] and an important Vasturian railroad junction, by December; he reasoned that if Ambrose cemented its hold on north-central Vasturia before the onset of the harsh winter, the Vasturians would have little chance of retaking it in the spring, even if by then they had coalesced into a singular political entity (as was looking more and more likely). The key to the city was the [INSERT] Citadel, a massive {{wpl|star fort}} on the River Kenetcy that overlooked the city itself; the Vasturian garrison, under General [INSERT], evacuated the city on November 20th and concentrated his forces in the citadel. Rather than proceed with "all deliberate speed" as he had been ordered to, however, MacDowel bungled the approach to the fortifications and arrived nearly a week behind schedule. After a hasty river crossing made hazardous due to the ice floes, the Ambrosian assaults were bloodily repulsed by the well-entrenched enemy in the First Battle of [INSERT]. MacDowel concluded that he did not have enough manuever room and settled in for a siege of the city; he was dismissed from command by Crovan shortly therafter, and the Army of the Glencamber was absorbed into the Army of the Els. However, this would be the end of northern campaigning for the year
| place      = [[Asgård]], [[Sjealand]]
 
| coordinates = <!--Use the {{coord}} template -->
 
{{WIP}}[[category:Ambrose]]{{infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Nordanian Crisis
| partof      =
| image      = [[File:TBA.jpg|300px]]
| caption    = '''Clockwise from top left:''' —
| date        = {{Start date |df= yes|2018|09|09}} – x
| place      = [[Nordania]], [[Sea of Njord]]
| coordinates =  
| map_type    =  
| map_type    =  
| latitude    =
| map_relief  =  
| longitude  =  
| map_size    =  
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| map_marksize =
| map_caption =  
| map_caption =  
| map_label  =
| map_label  =  
| territory  =  
| territory  =  
| result      =
| result      = Ambrosian withdrawal
| status      =  
| status      =  
| combatants_header =
| combatant1  = {{flag|Ambrose}}
| combatant1  = {{flag|Ambrose}}
| combatant2  = [[File:Wosrac23.png]] [[Wosrac|Wosrac]]<br>{{flag|Sjealand}}<br>{{flag|Vasturia}} <br> {{flag|Eibenland}}
| combatant2  = {{flag|Sjealand}}
| combatant3  =  
| combatant3  =  
| commander1  = {{flagicon|Ambrose}} '''[[John Frederick Cleburne]]'''<br>{{flagicon|Ambrose}} [[Henry MacKenzie Wallace|Henry Wallace]]<br>{{flagicon|Ambrose}} [[Thomas J. Whelan]]<br>{{flagicon|Ambrose}} [[John Haldeman]]
| commander1  = {{flagicon|Ambrose}} [[Godfred Crovan]] {{KIA}}<br>{{flagicon|Ambrose}} {{wpl|George McClellan|Brinton ap Rhys}}<br>{{flagicon|Ambrose}} {{wpl|John F. Reynolds|W.H.L. Reynolds}}<br>{{flagicon|Ambrose}} {{wpl|Daniel Sickles|Desmond Sickles}}
| commander2  = [[File:Wosrac23.png]] [[Amelia I|Queen Amelia I]]
| commander2  = {{flagicon|Sjealand}} {{wpl|Patrice de MacMahon|Frederik Læssøe}}<br>{{flagicon|Sjealand}} {{wpl|da:Georg Gerlach|Georg A.D. Gerlak}}<br>{{flagicon|Sjealand}} {{wpl|Christian de Meza|Karl W. de Mesa}}<br>{{flagicon|Sjealand}} {{wpl|da:Glode du Plat|Glode Henrik du Plat}}
| commander3  =  
| commander3  =  
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| notes      =  
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| campaignbox =
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}}
}}
The '''Siege of Asgård''' was fought between October 29, 1864 and April 28, 1865, during the [[Great War of the North]]. The [[Ambrose|Ambrosian]] [[President of Ambrose|commander-in-chief]], General [[Godfred Crovan]], landed on [[Sjealand]] proper with his {{wpl|Army of the Potomac|Army of the Kings}} in August of 1864. After several maneuvers, he was able to flush the Sjealandic army, under {{wpl|da:Georg Gerlach|Georg A.D. Gerlak}}, out of the {{wpl|Dannevirke|Tynnevirke}} fortification line and amanged to trap them in [[Asgård]], the capital of Sjealand.
The six month-long siege was characterized by {{wpl|trench warfare}} punctuated by occasional attempts to break the siege—bloody engagements such as Ønnerød, Grejsdal, Kollerup, and Rhys's Landing.Crovan knew that he could not outright defeat the entrenched, numerically-superior Sjealandic Army, but hoped to pressure them into abandoning the capital and allowing the Ambrosians to take it unopposed. However, the Sjealandic [[Monarchy of Sjealand|king]], [[Monarchy of Sjealand|Håkon VII]], refused to abandon the capital, saying ''"I will conquer or I will die in my nest"''. Though they maintained naval superiority from the {{wpl|Kattegat|sea}}, the [[Ambrosian Confederal Navy|Confederal Navy]] weas unable to gain control of the {{wpl|Elbe River|Kongeelven River}}, allowing the [[Royal Sjealandic Navy]] to continue to resupply the capital (a fact which has lead certain commentators to question whether the operation was truly a "siege" in the classical sense of the term).
In February 1865, Crovan was killed by a Sjealandic sharpshooter, causing a mass reorganization of the Ambrosian Army. Several factors—the continued resistance of the Asgård garrison, pressure from a relief force led by {{wpl|da:Glode du Plat|Glode Henrik du Plat}}, and the [[Great War of the North:Sea of Njord|breakout]] of the Sjealandic fleet from the Nordvakt Straits (which threatened their supply lines)—caused the new Ambrosian commander, {{wpl|George McClellan|Brinton ap Rhys}}, to withdraw to the positions of the captured Tynnevirke. Due to the exhaustion of the Sjealandic Army, there was little further action on the Sjealandic front for the duration of the year.
== Background ==
=== Military situation ===
Sjealand had been [[Great War of the North|at war]] against the Coalition—Ambrose, [[Engatia]], [[Suavia]], and the [[Valland|Valish]] states—since late 1861. In the intervening years, the forces of the [[Royal Sjealandic Army]], led by Field Marshal {{wpl|Patrice de MacMahon|Frederik Læssøe}}, had been largely pushed off of the [[Aldinea]]n continent, rolled back through various defeats or inconclusive engagements such as Ildre, Gryby, Damstorp, and, in late 1863, Fleninge, at the hands of a Valish-Engatian army. With the [[Royal Sjealandic Navy]] largely having been confined to port after the [[Battle of Cape Heria]] the year before, political elements in [[Asgård]] feared that the Sjealandic mainland was now excessively vulnerable. With mounting political pressure, as well as concern over their supply chain across the Tynic Straits, Læssøe withdrew the bulk of his army to Sjealand in a series of planned evacuations, coinciding with a ceasefire and peace talks in [[Klarvann]]. Though the talks would end in failure by early 1864, by their end, Sjealandic control on the continent would reduced to [[Thy]] and the surrounding highlands, while the majority of the Sjealandic Army was safely rearming in Sjealand proper.
As the Sjealanders were expelled from the continent, [[Godfred Crovan]], the [[President of Ambrose|president]] and commander-in-chief of Ambrose, had won a series of striking victories against [[Galideen]], [[Kulavia]], and the [[Frysa]]n states. As the invasion of Galideen continued, however, Crovan became increasingly convinced of the need to knock Sjealand out of the war. In a conference with the [[Valland|Valish]] commander, Field Marshal {{wpl|Helmuth von Moltke the Elder|Johan Axel Mardefelt}}, in January of 1864, the two coalition leaders settled on a two-pronged invasion of Sjealand; one, a Valish army moving towards Nordvakt, and the other, an Ambrosian army moving towards Asgard. The invasion was set to commence in the early August of 1864, after Crovan returned from campaigning in the East.
=== Initial movements ===
The Ambrosian army landed in western Nillas Bay on the 8th of August, 1864. In a careful display of maneuver warfare, Crovan threatened to overrun the {{wpl|Dannevirke|Tynnevirke}}, the Sjealandic Army's defensive line. With their rear threatened, on the 20th of September, Field Marshal Læssøe took the decision to pull back from the fortifications, despite the strenuous objections of his own staff, such as Lt. Gen. {{wpl|Christian de Meza|Karl Vilhelm de Mesa}}, as well as politicians in Asgard.
The armies met at Lamborg on the 6th of October. Due to the inadvertent movement of General {{wpl|da:Christian Lunding|Niels Lunding}}'s corps, a large gap was opened in the Sjealandic line. A cavalry charge by the brigade of {{wpl|George A. Custer|H. Alexander Fitzpatrick}} threw the Sjealandic Army into disarray. Partially due to the incompetence of Ambrosian Gen. {{wpl|Henry W. Halleck|Wager ap Henry}}, and partially due to a brave stand by the 8th Brigade of Sjealandic Gen. P.L. Møller, the Sjealandic Army was saved from a decisive defeat. Læssøe was bought time to form an organized retreat to the safety of the Asgard fortifications, where his army would rest and regroup.
Despite quartering his troops in the capital, Læssøe did not plan to weather a siege and made plans to leave the confines of the city before the winter ended the campaigning season; he reasoned that the city's fortifications were already impregnable and that Crovan's expeditionary force could only be defeated in open battle. Nevertheless, the Sjealandic government immediately undertook a massive effort to further the city's already-formidable defensive works.
Crovan had not planned on {{wpl|Investment (military)|investing}} Asgård; his plan had been to decisively defeat the Sjealandic Army in battle—which he had attempted and failed at Lamborg—and hopefully force the Sjealandic government to ask for an {{wpl|armistice}}, allowing him to march into the city unopposed. In any case, he had no intentions of directly assaulting the city's fortifications, and especially not when they were manned by the intact, if battered, Sjealandic Army. He considered moving his troops across the {{wpl|Elbe River|Kongeelven Rover}} and abandoning Asgard entirely, though he concluded it was too late in the year to begin a {{wpl|scorched earth}} campaign deep in enemy territory. Instead, Crovan settled on besieging the city while continuing to apply pressure in order to bring the Sjealandic military and civilian administration to their brink.
After Crovan took the railroad junction of Krusbjerg on 20 October with little effective resistance, the city of Asgard flew into an all-out panic. Læssøe was confronted by his staff, who argued that a siege was now inevitable; he offered his resignation to the king, [[Monarchy of Sjealand|king]], [[Monarchy of Sjealand|Håkon VII]], but was refused. The  offices of the Sjealandic government evacuated the city on the 26 of October, effectively leaving the city under {{wpl|martial law}}.
==Opposing forces==
===Ambrose===
{| align=right
!bgcolor="#8db4e3"|Key Ambrosian commanders
|-
|<gallery perrow="3">
File:Major General Philip Henry Sheridan (cropped).gif|<center>Gen. F.M.<br />[[Godfred Crovan]]</center>
File:GeorgeMcClellan2.jpg|<center>Lt. Gen.<br />{{wpl|George McClellan|Brinton ap Rhys}}</center>
File:GenJFRenyolds.jpg|<center>Lt. Gen.<br />{{wpl|John F. Reynolds|Wulfred H.L. Reynolds}}</center>
File:Daniel Edgar Sickles.jpg|<center>Maj. Gen.<br />{{wpl|Daniel Sickles|Desmond Sickles}}</center>
File:GKWarren.jpg|<center>Maj. Gen.<br />{{wpl|Gouverneur K. Warren|G. Kembell Warren}}</center>
File:John Sedgwick.png|<center>Maj. Gen.<br />{{wpl|John Sedgwick|Gordon ap Seward}}</center>
</gallery>
|}
The Ambrosian forces were that of the {{wpl|Army of the Potomac|Army of the Kings}} (named after the {{wpl|Elbe River|Kongeelven}}, or "King" River). This formation had been assembled in early 1864 in [[Valland]], cobbled together from the {{wpl|Army of the Ohio|Army of the Kenetcy}} and detached regiments of the [[Army of the Els]]. At the time of the invasion of Sjealand, it numbered approximately 75,000, having been gathered and trained at camps along the coast of [[Valmark]].
In keeping with the typical structure of 19th century Ambrosian {{wpl|Field army|field armies}}, the Army of the Kings was divided into two "wings" (right and left), each commanded by a {{wpl|lieutenant general}}. The Right Wing of the army was commanded by {{wpl|George McClellan|Brinton ap Rhys}} and was made up of:
* II Corps, under Maj. Gen. {{wpl|Daniel Sickles|Desmond Sickles}}, and later {{wpl|William Farrar Smith|Redwulf H. "Baldy" Wilson}}
* V Corps, under Maj. Gen. {{wpl|Gouverneur K. Warren|G. Kembell Warren}}
* VI Corps, under Maj. Gen. {{wpl|Oliver O. Howard|Tostig Anderson Cromwell}}
* X ([[Valland|Valish]]) Corps, under {{wpl|Duke William of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Ole, Prince Fasting}}
The Left Wing of the army was commanded by Lt. Gen. {{wpl|John F. Reynolds|Wulfred Horace Lucan Reynolds}} (the former Lord Reynolds), and consisted of:
* IX Corps, under Maj. Gen. {{wpl|John Sedgwick|Gordon ap Seward}}
* XX Corps, under Maj. Gen. {{wpl|Lew Wallace|Llewelyn A. Wallace}}
* XXIV Corps, under Maj. Gen. {{wpl|Edward O.C. Ord|John Edward Ord}}
* III Cavalry Corps, under Maj. Gen. {{wpl|Alfred Pleasonton|Alfred Alfredson}}. Often on detached service, they were nominally part of the Left Wing but were in practice under Crovan's direct command.
After Crovan's death, ap Rhys assumed command of the army by virtue of seniority (promoting Desmond Sickles to take his place). Elite units in the army included the IX Corps' {{wpl|Iron Brigade|Ice Brigade}}, an all-[[Northumbrian people|Northumbrian]] unit led by Brigadier {{wpl|Ely S. Parker|Alfred Taymoor}}, as well as the feared {{wpl|Imperial Guard (Napoleon I)|Presidential Guard}}.
===Sjealand===
{| align=right
!bgcolor="#ffda73"|Key Sjealandic commanders
|-
|<gallery perrow="3">
File:Patrice-Mac Mahon.jpg|<center>Fld. Mrs.<br />{{wpl|Patrice de MacMahon|Frederik Læssøe}}</center>
File:Georg_Daniel_Gerlach.jpg|<center>Gen.<br />{{wpl|da:Georg Gerlach|Georg A.D. Gerlak}}</center>
File:Christiandemeza large.jpg|<center>Lt. Gen.<br />{{wpl|Christian de Meza|Karl W. de Mesa}}</center>
File:Glode du Plat by E. Lange.jpg|<center>Lt. Gen.<br />{{wpl|da:Glode du Plat|Glode Henrik du Plat}}</center>
File:Johan_Waldemar_Neergaard_by_Georg_E._Hansen.jpg|<center>Lt. Gen.<br />{{wpl|da:Johan Waldemar Neergard|Valdemar Neergard}}</center>
File:Paul_Ulrich_Scharffenberg_by_Hansen_&_Weller.jpg|<center>Lt. Gen.<br />{{wpl|da:Paul Scharffenberg|Ulrik Scarpenberg}}</center>
</gallery>
|}
At the outset of the siege, the Sjealandic forces were under the command of {{wpl|Field Marshal}} {{wpl|Patrice de MacMahon|Frederik Læssøe}}. The cornerstone of the defense was the 1. Army (under the immediate command of {{wpl|da:Georg Gerlach|Georg A.D. Gerlak}}), numbering approximately 80,000 regular troops. Læssøe also assumed command of the [[Royal Sjealandic Army#Structure of the army|Capital Garrison]], though most of these soldiers were "green" recruits that had not yet seen battle. In total, the regular army that had been trapped in the city was made up of:
* [[Royal Sjealandic Army#Structure of the army|I Corps]], under Lt. Gen. {{wpl|Christian de Meza|Karl W. de Mesa}}
* [[Royal Sjealandic Army#Structure of the army|II Corps]], under Lt. Gen. {{wpl|da:Johan Waldemar Neergard|Valdemar Neergard}}
* [[Royal Sjealandic Army#Structure of the army|III Corps]], under Lt. Gen. {{wpl|da:Paul Scharffenberg|Ulrik Scarpenberg}}
* [[Royal Sjealandic Army#Structure of the army|Cavalry Corps]], under Maj. Gen. {{wpl|da:Cai Hegermann-Lindencrone (officer)|Ditlev Hegermann Lindencrone}}.
In addition to the regular army and garrison troops, the local Home Guard was made up of approximately 100,000 men, though their training, equipment, and even their ages varied widely. Some of these units were well-disciplined local militias and {{wpl|rifle clubs}}, though others were scattered groups of poorly supervised and inexperienced civilians, or in some cases, discharged soldiers which had previously been declared unfit for service due to wounds.
The 2. Army, under {{wpl|da:Glode du Plat|Glode Henrik du Plat}}, existed the north of the country; however in late 1864 it was by no means an effective fighting force, made up of reservists, volunteers, and understrength 1. Army regiments that had been depleted in previous campaigns. It would take several months before it was to be organized into an army capable of relieving the capital.
== Initial assaults ==
=== Ønnerød ===
=== Grejsdal ===
== Siege ==
== Relief and withdrawal ==
== Aftermath ==
== In popular culture ==

Latest revision as of 20:34, 5 July 2020

Gibbs/Sandbox
Part of the Great War of the North
Neuville défense de la porte de Longboyau img 1960-rama.jpg
Sjealandic infantry defend the Staksrode Gate against Ambrosian cuirassiers, Alfons af Nørremarken
Date29 October 1864 – 28 April 1865
(5 months, 4 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Asgård, Sjealand
Result Ambrosian withdrawal
Belligerents
 Ambrose  Sjealand
Commanders and leaders
Ambrose Godfred Crovan  †
Ambrose Brinton ap Rhys
Ambrose W.H.L. Reynolds
Ambrose Desmond Sickles		 Sjealand Frederik Læssøe
Sjealand Georg A.D. Gerlak
Sjealand Karl W. de Mesa
Sjealand Glode Henrik du Plat

The Siege of Asgård was fought between October 29, 1864 and April 28, 1865, during the Great War of the North. The Ambrosian commander-in-chief, General Godfred Crovan, landed on Sjealand proper with his Army of the Kings in August of 1864. After several maneuvers, he was able to flush the Sjealandic army, under Georg A.D. Gerlak, out of the Tynnevirke fortification line and amanged to trap them in Asgård, the capital of Sjealand.

The six month-long siege was characterized by trench warfare punctuated by occasional attempts to break the siege—bloody engagements such as Ønnerød, Grejsdal, Kollerup, and Rhys's Landing.Crovan knew that he could not outright defeat the entrenched, numerically-superior Sjealandic Army, but hoped to pressure them into abandoning the capital and allowing the Ambrosians to take it unopposed. However, the Sjealandic king, Håkon VII, refused to abandon the capital, saying "I will conquer or I will die in my nest". Though they maintained naval superiority from the sea, the Confederal Navy weas unable to gain control of the Kongeelven River, allowing the Royal Sjealandic Navy to continue to resupply the capital (a fact which has lead certain commentators to question whether the operation was truly a "siege" in the classical sense of the term).

In February 1865, Crovan was killed by a Sjealandic sharpshooter, causing a mass reorganization of the Ambrosian Army. Several factors—the continued resistance of the Asgård garrison, pressure from a relief force led by Glode Henrik du Plat, and the breakout of the Sjealandic fleet from the Nordvakt Straits (which threatened their supply lines)—caused the new Ambrosian commander, Brinton ap Rhys, to withdraw to the positions of the captured Tynnevirke. Due to the exhaustion of the Sjealandic Army, there was little further action on the Sjealandic front for the duration of the year.

Background

Military situation

Sjealand had been at war against the Coalition—Ambrose, Engatia, Suavia, and the Valish states—since late 1861. In the intervening years, the forces of the Royal Sjealandic Army, led by Field Marshal Frederik Læssøe, had been largely pushed off of the Aldinean continent, rolled back through various defeats or inconclusive engagements such as Ildre, Gryby, Damstorp, and, in late 1863, Fleninge, at the hands of a Valish-Engatian army. With the Royal Sjealandic Navy largely having been confined to port after the Battle of Cape Heria the year before, political elements in Asgård feared that the Sjealandic mainland was now excessively vulnerable. With mounting political pressure, as well as concern over their supply chain across the Tynic Straits, Læssøe withdrew the bulk of his army to Sjealand in a series of planned evacuations, coinciding with a ceasefire and peace talks in Klarvann. Though the talks would end in failure by early 1864, by their end, Sjealandic control on the continent would reduced to Thy and the surrounding highlands, while the majority of the Sjealandic Army was safely rearming in Sjealand proper.

As the Sjealanders were expelled from the continent, Godfred Crovan, the president and commander-in-chief of Ambrose, had won a series of striking victories against Galideen, Kulavia, and the Frysan states. As the invasion of Galideen continued, however, Crovan became increasingly convinced of the need to knock Sjealand out of the war. In a conference with the Valish commander, Field Marshal Johan Axel Mardefelt, in January of 1864, the two coalition leaders settled on a two-pronged invasion of Sjealand; one, a Valish army moving towards Nordvakt, and the other, an Ambrosian army moving towards Asgard. The invasion was set to commence in the early August of 1864, after Crovan returned from campaigning in the East.

Initial movements

The Ambrosian army landed in western Nillas Bay on the 8th of August, 1864. In a careful display of maneuver warfare, Crovan threatened to overrun the Tynnevirke, the Sjealandic Army's defensive line. With their rear threatened, on the 20th of September, Field Marshal Læssøe took the decision to pull back from the fortifications, despite the strenuous objections of his own staff, such as Lt. Gen. Karl Vilhelm de Mesa, as well as politicians in Asgard.

The armies met at Lamborg on the 6th of October. Due to the inadvertent movement of General Niels Lunding's corps, a large gap was opened in the Sjealandic line. A cavalry charge by the brigade of H. Alexander Fitzpatrick threw the Sjealandic Army into disarray. Partially due to the incompetence of Ambrosian Gen. Wager ap Henry, and partially due to a brave stand by the 8th Brigade of Sjealandic Gen. P.L. Møller, the Sjealandic Army was saved from a decisive defeat. Læssøe was bought time to form an organized retreat to the safety of the Asgard fortifications, where his army would rest and regroup.

Despite quartering his troops in the capital, Læssøe did not plan to weather a siege and made plans to leave the confines of the city before the winter ended the campaigning season; he reasoned that the city's fortifications were already impregnable and that Crovan's expeditionary force could only be defeated in open battle. Nevertheless, the Sjealandic government immediately undertook a massive effort to further the city's already-formidable defensive works.

Crovan had not planned on investing Asgård; his plan had been to decisively defeat the Sjealandic Army in battle—which he had attempted and failed at Lamborg—and hopefully force the Sjealandic government to ask for an armistice, allowing him to march into the city unopposed. In any case, he had no intentions of directly assaulting the city's fortifications, and especially not when they were manned by the intact, if battered, Sjealandic Army. He considered moving his troops across the Kongeelven Rover and abandoning Asgard entirely, though he concluded it was too late in the year to begin a scorched earth campaign deep in enemy territory. Instead, Crovan settled on besieging the city while continuing to apply pressure in order to bring the Sjealandic military and civilian administration to their brink.

After Crovan took the railroad junction of Krusbjerg on 20 October with little effective resistance, the city of Asgard flew into an all-out panic. Læssøe was confronted by his staff, who argued that a siege was now inevitable; he offered his resignation to the king, king, Håkon VII, but was refused. The offices of the Sjealandic government evacuated the city on the 26 of October, effectively leaving the city under martial law.

Opposing forces

Ambrose

Key Ambrosian commanders

The Ambrosian forces were that of the Army of the Kings (named after the Kongeelven, or "King" River). This formation had been assembled in early 1864 in Valland, cobbled together from the Army of the Kenetcy and detached regiments of the Army of the Els. At the time of the invasion of Sjealand, it numbered approximately 75,000, having been gathered and trained at camps along the coast of Valmark.

In keeping with the typical structure of 19th century Ambrosian field armies, the Army of the Kings was divided into two "wings" (right and left), each commanded by a lieutenant general. The Right Wing of the army was commanded by Brinton ap Rhys and was made up of:

The Left Wing of the army was commanded by Lt. Gen. Wulfred Horace Lucan Reynolds (the former Lord Reynolds), and consisted of:

After Crovan's death, ap Rhys assumed command of the army by virtue of seniority (promoting Desmond Sickles to take his place). Elite units in the army included the IX Corps' Ice Brigade, an all-Northumbrian unit led by Brigadier Alfred Taymoor, as well as the feared Presidential Guard.

Sjealand

Key Sjealandic commanders

At the outset of the siege, the Sjealandic forces were under the command of Field Marshal Frederik Læssøe. The cornerstone of the defense was the 1. Army (under the immediate command of Georg A.D. Gerlak), numbering approximately 80,000 regular troops. Læssøe also assumed command of the Capital Garrison, though most of these soldiers were "green" recruits that had not yet seen battle. In total, the regular army that had been trapped in the city was made up of:

In addition to the regular army and garrison troops, the local Home Guard was made up of approximately 100,000 men, though their training, equipment, and even their ages varied widely. Some of these units were well-disciplined local militias and rifle clubs, though others were scattered groups of poorly supervised and inexperienced civilians, or in some cases, discharged soldiers which had previously been declared unfit for service due to wounds.

The 2. Army, under Glode Henrik du Plat, existed the north of the country; however in late 1864 it was by no means an effective fighting force, made up of reservists, volunteers, and understrength 1. Army regiments that had been depleted in previous campaigns. It would take several months before it was to be organized into an army capable of relieving the capital.

Initial assaults

Ønnerød

Grejsdal

Siege

Relief and withdrawal

Aftermath

In popular culture

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