The Battle of Västerås ( sv, Slaget om Västerås) was a battle in the

Swedish War of Liberation The Swedish War of Liberation (1521–23; sv, Befrielsekriget, lit=The Liberation War), also known as Gustav Vasa's Rebellion and the Swedish War of Secession, was a rebellion and a civil war in which the nobleman Gustav Vasa deposed King Chri ...

that took place on

Badelundaåsen Badelundaåsen (''English: Badelunda ridge'') is a long and large esker in central Sweden. It runs from the region of Nyköping in Södermanland to lake Siljan in Dalarna, and is known for many ancient monuments, especially near Badelunda outside ...

, north of

Västerås Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049. Västerås ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

on April 29, 1521. The Swedish troops, led by

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...

, defeated the Danish force, led by

Didrik Slagheck Didrik Slagheck (died 24 January 1522) was a Denmark, Danish archbishop, military commander during the Swedish War of Liberation, and often pointed out as an active participant in the Stockholm Bloodbath. Slagheck was the illegitimate son of a We ...

, and conquered Västerås. Gustav Vasa, who after going to

Gästrikland Gästrikland () is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Uppland, Västmanland, Dalarna, Hälsingland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Gästrikland is the southernmost of the Norrland provinces. Other forms of ...

and attempting to rally support for his rebellion, returned to

Dalarna Dalarna () is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in central Sweden. English exonyms for it are Dalecarlia () and the Dales. Dalarna adjoins Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland, Västmanland and Värmland Värmland () also known a ...

in early April and was informed of the victory in the Battle of Brunnbäck Ferry. He decided to continue onwards to Västerås. His troops had on April 23 made camp by Romfartuna Church, where the army was mustered. On April 28 they broke up and marched to Västerås, not knowing that a peasant army attempting to take the city

Köping ''Köping'' was a Swedish denomination for a market town since the Middle Ages, derived from the Old Norse word ''kaupang''. The designation was officially abolished with the municipal reform of 1971, when Sweden was subdivided into the Munici ...

two days earlier had been defeated by the forces of Dridrik Slagheck, who had now arrived in Västerås. Gustav Vasa arrived on April 29 and began preparing a siege. They were spotted by Slagheck's troops and attacked, but managed to force the attackers into retreat. No major victory was won and the Danish forces remained in the city for a month, making more, if failed,

sorties A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...

against the besieging Swedish troops. On May 20 the Danish left the city, leaving only a small force in

Västerås Castle Västerås Castle (''Västerås slott'') is situated at Västerås in the province of Västmanland, Sweden. History The castle was originally built during the 12th century and in 1540-1544 it was rebuilt. During the latter part of the 17th ce ...

and shipping away the other troops. The castle held out until January 30, 1522, when attempts to aid the garrison by sea from

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

failed.

References

* 1521 in Europe Vasteras Vasteras Vasteras 1521 in Sweden 1521 in Denmark Vasteras Gustav I of Sweden {{Sweden-battle-stub