8,000:[1] 13,000:[2] 3,000–4,000: 8,000–9,000:[5] Upper Rhine France Southern Italy North Germany and Scandinavia Pyrenees Americas Naval battles The Battle of Lund, part of the Scanian War, was fought on December 4, 1676, in an area north of the city of Lund in Scania in southern Sweden, between the invading Danish army and the army of Charles XI of Sweden.

The Danish had an army of about 13,000 under the personal command of 31-year-old King Christian V of Denmark, aided by General Carl von Arensdorff.

The Danes invaded via Helsingborg in late June 1676 with an army of 14,000 men, where they found themselves supported by the local peasantry.

Swedish supply lines were thin due to frequent interceptions by local peasants under the command of Danish officers.

On the morning of December 3, the Swedish General of Fortifications Erik Dahlberg reported to the king that the ice would hold their weight.

Under the cover of a moonless night, between 04:00 and 05:30, the entire Swedish force successfully crossed the river and reached the southern bank without alarming the Danes.

Reconnaissance patrols reported that the ground between the two armies was unsuitable for mounted troops, so King Charles XI and his generals gathered to discuss the new situation.

Most advisers pointed out that it would be foolish to attack by foot as the Danish army possessed much more infantry and the Swedish main strength lay in its cavalry.

Charles XI and Field Marshal Simon Grundel Helmfelt used their cavalry to pursue fleeing Danish troops and cut down any who lagged behind.

The Danish front was now facing south and the Swedish forces found themselves under constant attack with their backs against the town wall.

However, instead of forcing the attack, Friedrich von Arensdorff ordered the army to regroup at noon, halting the battle.

Danish commander Arensdorff made the decision to halt the offensive on the Swedish center and instead tend to the enemy cavalry in the northwest.

Though the Danes still outnumbered the Swedes, by approximately 4,500 to 4,000, Arensdorff had lost the initiative and after half an hour his army disintegrated.

Contemporary Swedish sources indicate that between 8,300 and 9,000 were buried, excluding the Danes that drowned and soldiers that died from their wounds over the following weeks; however, it is likely that the peasants burying the bodies inflated the reported numbers for economic reasons, as suggested by author Gustaf Björlin, or that they include soldiers that had died of sickness and other reasons prior to the battle.

Swedish sources, on the other hand, estimates that only 400 infantry and 2,500 Danish cavalry made it out unharmed; this number does not include artillery personnel or officers.

The battle severely crippled both armies, seeing as it was extremely bloody when taking into consideration the casualties in comparison to the total number of combatants.