Milites amphibii. The Baltic Port Cities’ Military Role for Sweden as a Great Power, 1561–1815
Milites amphibii. The Baltic Port Cities’ Military Role for Sweden as a Great Power, 1561–1815

Summary/Abstract: The paper addresses one of the typical operational tactics during Sweden’s period as a great power, in later historiography called “amphibious warfare.” In the thematic context of a history of Baltic port cities, it is connected to the question of which role port cities could play for amphibious operations in times of war and peace respectively. The following account therefore deals with specific aspects of amphibious operations such as embarkments and debarkations in port cities, logistical problems and garrisons within and outside port cities, questions of supply, transfer, relocations and the housing of soldiers, conflicts between burghers and soldiers, and “amphibious personalities” (milites amphibii) in general. As a general thesis, one can state, that an underlying precondition for all amphibious operations was Sweden’s domination of the Baltic Sea routes by a powerful navy. As a consequence, amphibious operations faced severe difficulties or were completely impossible, when this domination was lost to enemy navies.

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