Erik Jönsson Dahlbergh

Erik Jönsson Dahlbergh was a Swedish engineer and general renowned for fortification works due to which he was called “Vauban of Sweden”.

Born in Stockholm in a peasant family, Dahlbergh rose to the rank of nobility thanks to his military competence. Like all other military engineers of the era, he participated in attacking and defending of fortresses. His most famous sieges were Copenhagen and Kronborg. A founder of the Swedish engineer corps, Dahlbergh commanded Swedish engineers during several wars in Poland, the Scanian War (1674-1679) and the first years of the Great Northern War (1700-1721). In 1676 he was appointed a director-general of fortifications for the Swedish crown. Dahlbergh retired in 1702 enjoying the rank of field marshal and died the following year.