[10] Struensee, who himself was born and raised in Halle, Prussia[11][3] was heavily interested in the new Prussian militarism[12] He, along with Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain, who had been Danish Secretary of War for the Army and had previously served Prussia during the Seven Years' War, re-organised the Danish military by imitating the new Prussian Model during the 1760s and 1770s[13][14] One of these reforms, was the abolishment of the Royal Life Guards.

[13][12] Saint-German argued that the life guards were parade units of the royal household, and were without real military significance.

[12] On the other hand, the people against the abolition argued that the Royal Life Guard consisted of native Danes and Norwegians, in contrast to the rest of the Danish army which was primarily recruited from enlisted foreigners[13][12] mainly from German States.

On the evening of 24 December, the military commander of Copenhagen received orders to "clear" the castle square for guards before dawn, by any means necessary.

[13] On 25 December, Christmas Day, all guardsmen who wished to do so were granted travel documents and allowed to return their home as discharged men, still in their uniforms.

On 17 January 1772 Struensee was arrested by the commander of the Falster Regiment of Foot, Georg Ludwig von Köller-Banner and other officers.