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| First Schleswig War | |||||||||
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| Part of the Revolutions of 1848 | |||||||||
 Danish soldiers return to Copenhagen in 1849 by Otto Bache (1894) | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Supported by:  Russian Empire United Kingdom Sweden-Norway France | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Prince of Nør Eduard von Bonin Friedrich von Wrangel Eduard von Fransecky Felix Salm-Salm Karl Wilhelm von Willisen Albert of Saxony Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Hugh Halkett |
 Frederick VII of Denmark Christian de Meza Gerhard Christoph von Krogh Friderich Adolph Schleppegrell † Olaf Rye † Hans Hedemann | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 8,309 killed, wounded or captured | 8,695 killed, wounded or captured | ||||||||
The First Schleswig War (German: Schleswig-Holsteinischer Krieg) was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question, contesting the issue of who should control the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. Ultimately, the Danish side proved victorious with the diplomatic support of the great powers.
As the government, merchants, students, landowners and other upper class at the time spoke German, Low German was lingua franca in most of northern Europe at the time, the Germans claim it was mainly German-speaking areas, but the majority of the people were native Danish and Frisian speaking peasants and servants. Their languages would be systematically oppressed by the Germans over the next 100 years.
The conflict is known as the Three Years' War (Danish: Treårskrigen) in Denmark. It constitutes a major historical event in the national culture of Denmark.[citation needed] In Germany, the war is called the Schleswig-Holstein War (German: Schleswig-Holsteinischer Krieg) but also as the Schleswig-Holstein Uprising (German: Schleswig-Holsteinische Erhebung).
In March 1848, the German population of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg rebelled against their duke who was also the king of Denmark. They created a provisional government and army. As Holstein and Lauenburg were member states of the German Confederation, the Confederation supported the rebels by a federal war (Bundeskrieg) according to its statutes. This was continued by the German Central Government (of the federal state that replaced the Confederation in 1848/49-51). Most of the German troops were delivered by Prussia.
Denmark was supported by the great powers, especially Britain and Russia. The duchies were close to an important Baltic seaway connecting both powers. The war was interrupted in August 1848 by the armistice of Malmö but started again with a Danish offensive in February 1849.
In summer 1850, Prussia had to back down and leave the rebels to their fate. On April 1, 1851, the Schleswig-Holstein army was disbanded. The London Protocol of 1852 was the final settlement of the conflict. The great powers confirmed the Danish king to be the duke of the duchies but also declared that the duchies had to remain independent from Denmark proper.