Peter Tordenskjold

Peter Tordenskjold
Portrait by Balthasar Denner (1719)
Born	(1690-10-28)28 October 1690 Trondhjem, Denmark-Norway
Died	12 November 1720(1720-11-12) (aged 30) Hildesheim, Cologne
Buried	Holmen Church
Allegiance	Denmark-Norway
Service/branch	Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy
Years of service	1705–1720
Rank	Vice admiral
Battles/wars	Great Northern War Battle of Gothenburg Battle of Dynekilen Attack on Marstrand

Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold (28 October 1690 – 12 November 1720),^[1] commonly referred to as Tordenskjold (lit. 'Thunder Shield'), was a Danish-Norwegian nobleman and flag officer who spent his career in the service of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the rank of vice-admiral for his services in the Great Northern War. Born in the Norwegian city of Trondheim, Peter Wessel travelled to Copenhagen in 1704 and eventually enlisted in the navy.

He won a name for himself through audacity and courage and was ennobled as Peter Tordenskiold by King Frederick IV in 1716. His greatest exploit came later that year, as he destroyed the supply fleet of Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Dynekilen, ensuring his siege of Fredriksten would fail. In 1720, he was killed in a duel. He ranks among the most famous naval captains in Denmark and Norway. He experienced an unusually rapid rise in rank and died when he was only 30 years old.