JUEL, NIELS (1629-1697), Danish admiral, brother of the preceding, was
born on the 8th of May 1629, at Christiania. He served his naval
apprenticeship under Van Tromp and De Ruyter, taking part in all the
chief engagements of the war of 1652-54 between England and Holland.
During a long indisposition at Amsterdam in 1655-1656 he acquired a
thorough knowledge of ship-building, and returned to Denmark in 1656 a
thoroughly equipped seaman. He served with distinction during the
Swedo-Danish wars of 1658-60 and took a prominent part in the defence of
Copenhagen against Charles X. During fifteen years of peace, Juel, as
admiral of the fleet, laboured assiduously to develop and improve the
Danish navy, though he bitterly resented the setting over his head in
1663 of Cort Adelaar on his return from the Turkish wars. In 1661 Juel
married Margrethe Ulfeldt. On the outbreak of the Scanian War he served
at first under Adelaar, but on the death of the latter in November 1675
he was appointed to the supreme command. He then won a European
reputation, and raised Danish sea-power to unprecedented eminence, by
the system of naval tactics, afterwards perfected by Nelson, which
consists in cutting off a part of the enemy's force and concentrating
the whole attack on it. He first employed this manoeuvre at the battle
of Jasmund off Rügen (May 25, 1676) when he broke through the enemy's
line in close column and cut off five of their ships, which, however,
nightfall prevented him from pursuing. Juel's operations were
considerably hampered at this period by the overbearing conduct of his
Dutch auxiliary, Philip Almonde, who falsely accused the Danish admiral
of cowardice. A few days after the battle of Jasmund, Cornelius Van
Tromp the younger, with 17 fresh Danish and Dutch ships of the line,
superseded Juel in the supreme command. Juel took a leading part in Van
Tromp's great victory off Öland (June 1, 1676), which enabled the Danes
to invade Scania unopposed. On the 1st of June 1677 Juel defeated the
Swedish admiral Sjöblad off Möen; on the 30th of June 1677 he won his
greatest victory, in the Bay of Kjöge, where, with 25 ships of the line
and 1267 guns, he routed the Swedish admiral Evert Horn with 36 ships of
the line and 1800 guns. For this great triumph, the just reward of
superior seamanship and strategy--at an early stage of the engagement
Juel's experienced eye told him that the wind in the course of the day
would shift from S.W. to W. and he took extraordinary risks
accordingly--he was made lieutenant admiral general and a privy
councillor. This victory, besides permanently crippling the Swedish
navy, gave the Danes a self-confidence which enabled them to keep their
Dutch allies in their proper place. In the following year Van Tromp,
whose high-handedness had become unbearable, was discharged by Christian
V., who gave the supreme command to Juel. In the spring of 1678 Juel put
to sea with 84 ships carrying 2400 cannon, but as the Swedes were no
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