Trafika Europe 1 - Northern Idyll

What is nonetheless certain is that Løbner spent a quarter of a century on the Faroes, and that he was around sixty when he left. One reason for this lengthy sojourn were the major changes occasioned by the Napoleonic Wars. Denmark, namely, had not waged war since the Great Northern War ended in 1720, and during the long stretch of time that followed, which historians term the ‘Florissante Period’, Copenhagen was transformed into a European trading center. Throughout the various wars that plagued Europe, the Danes sailed the seas under a flag of neutrality, which proved extremely profitable for both ships and maritime trading companies. The Danish-Norwegian trade fleet was the second largest in Europe, and aside from overseeing Danish colonial interests, the fleet sailed the globe, shipping goods out and carrying goods home. The Florissante Period came to an end in 1807 when the British attacked. They feared what might happen if the Danish fleet were to fall into Emperor Napoleon’s hands. 30,000 soldiers were put ashore at Vedbæk north of Copenhagen, and a mighty armada besieged the capital. From September 2 - 6, Copenhagen was bombed and burned, and the British seized the entire Danish navy and every transport ship they could find. However, it was not just for Denmark that economic progress stalled. All of Europe suffered a stagnation that lasted until around 1830.

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