The Tordenskiold monument in Trondheim
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Peter Wessel Tordenskiold was an admiral in the Danish-Norwegian fleet and born in Trondheim in 1690. His father was a loyal man and was both a merchant, councilor and ship owner. He had a total of 18 children. Peter hired his father's boat at an early age and as a 15-year-old he served on several slave ships before starting the sea cadet school in Copenhagen. The path was then short to the navy, where he quickly rose through the ranks, and he eventually became an admiral. Peter was known to be a very good sailor and is often described as brave, quick-witted and cunning. As commander-in-chief, he led the fleet to several victories against the Swedes and is credited with having sunk the entire Swedish fleet in Gothenburg. This also strongly contributed to the fact that the Swedish king Karl XII gave up the attempt to conquer Norway. Perhaps he was a little too bold at times. He died in Germany in 1720, only 30 years old, after losing a duel in which a rapier was used.