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
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 ('' Riksför ...
deposed King
Christian II
Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...
from the throne of Sweden; ending the
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under ...
between Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
Background
King Christian II and his ally, the Swedish Archbishop
Gustav Trolle
Gustav Eriksson Trolle (September 1488 – 1535) was Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, in two sessions, during the turbulent Reformation events.
He was the son of Eric Arvidsson Trolle, a former regent of Sweden during the era of the Kalmar Union. ...
, the scion of a prominent unionist noble family, had tried to eliminate the separatist
Sture party
Sture () was a name borne by three distinct but interrelated noble families in Sweden in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. It was originally a nickname, meaning 'haughty, proud' (compare the Swedish word ''stursk'' and the Old Norse ...
among the Swedish nobility by executing a large number of them in the
Stockholm Bloodbath
The Stockholm Bloodbath ( sv, Stockholms blodbad; da, Det Stockholmske Blodbad) was a trial that led to a series of executions in Stockholm between 7 and 9 November 1520. The event is also known as the Stockholm massacre.
The events occurred af ...
. The King was also unpopular for imposing high taxes on the peasantry. Furthermore, German and Danish nobles and commoners held most Swedish castles and this provoked the native Swedish nobles.
Economics
In the background was an economic power struggle over the mining and metal industry in
Bergslagen
Bergslagen is a historical, cultural, and linguistic region located north of Lake Mälaren in northern Svealand, Sweden, traditionally known as a mining district. In Bergslagen, the mining and metallurgic industries have been important since the ...
(the main mining area of Sweden in the 16th century) which added much greater financial resources to military capacity, but also strong dependencies, to a conflict that already lasted for decades over the
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under ...
. An economic struggle, where the parties were financed and stood between:
*
Jakob Fugger
Jakob Fugger ''of the Lily'' (german: Jakob Fugger von der Lilie; 6 March 1459 – 30 December 1525), also known as Jakob Fugger ''the Rich'' or sometimes Jakob II, was a major German merchant, mining entrepreneur, and banker. He was a descendan ...
(early extremely rich industrialist in the mining and metal industry on the continent) trying an unfriendly business-takeover of Bergslagen, allied with those of Fugger's economically dependent Pope
Leo X
Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521.
Born into the prominent political an ...
(with the Swedish Archbishop
Gustav Trolle
Gustav Eriksson Trolle (September 1488 – 1535) was Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, in two sessions, during the turbulent Reformation events.
He was the son of Eric Arvidsson Trolle, a former regent of Sweden during the era of the Kalmar Union. ...
) and
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself El ...
in alliance with
Christian II
Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...
of Denmark/Norway, claiming being the union king (also in Sweden), where his marriage in 1515 with
Isabella of Austria
Isabella of Austria (18 July 1501 – 19 January 1526), also known as Elizabeth, was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden as the wife of King Christian II. She was the daughter of King Philip I and Queen Joanna of Castile and the sister of Empe ...
confirmed the pact.
* The
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
(the
Free City of Lübeck) who in practice had a trade monopoly in Sweden and Bergslagen, allied with the regents of Sweden
Sten Sture the younger
Sten Sture the Younger ( sv, Sten Sture den yngre) (1493 – 3 February 1520), was a Swedish nobleman who served as the regent of Sweden, during the era of the Kalmar Union.
Biography
Sture was born in 1493, as the son of Svante Nilsson (rege ...
and later
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 ('' Riksför ...
, who made them strongly dependent on the Hanseatic League.
The planned conquest of Sweden by Christian II, with Fugger's intended takeover of the industry in Bergslagen, was financed with a very large dowry, for Christian II's wife, financed by Fugger. Fugger later withdrew from the battle in 1521 after losing to Gustav Vasa in the
Battle of Västerås
The Battle of Västerås ( sv, Slaget om Västerås) was a battle in the Swedish War of Liberation that took place on Badelundaåsen, north of Västerås, Sweden on April 29, 1521. The Swedish troops, led by Gustav Vasa, defeated the Danish for ...
(and the control over shipping from Bergslagen). Thus, Christian II lost the resources to win the war against Gustav Vasa, but also lost the resources to maintain his position in Denmark (against uncle
Frederick I of Denmark
Frederick I (Danish and ; ; ; 7 October 1471 – 10 April 1533) was King of Denmark and Norway. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch to reign over Denmark and Norway, when subsequent monarchs embraced Lutheranism after the Protestant Refor ...
1523).
The sharp increase in funding and financial dependence meant that at times the parties could keep up with larger amounts of expensive hired
mercenaries
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
, which explains the swinging of power and quickly changes of the situation, during the course of the proceedings. The costs were significant and after
Christian III
Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...
's victory with Gustav Vasa's Sweden as ally 1536 in
Count's Feud
The Count's Feud ( da, Grevens Fejde), also called the Count's War, was a war of succession that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark. In the international context, it was part of the European wars of relig ...
in
Skåne
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...
and
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, the money was gone,
the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
's and the
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
's influence in the
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
was over.
Rebellion 1521
The war started in January 1521 when Gustav Vasa was appointed ''hövitsman'' (commander) over
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 ...
by representatives of the population in the northern part of the province. After Gustav Vasa sacked the
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
mine of
Stora Kopparberget and the town 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 ...
, more men joined his army. In 1522, the
Hanseatic
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...
city of
Lübeck
Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...
allied with the Swedish rebels. After the capture of Stockholm in June 1523, the rebels effectively controlled Sweden, and on 6 June Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden in the town of
Strängnäs
Strängnäs is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 15,363 inhabitants in 2020. It is located by Lake Mälaren and is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Strängnäs, one of t ...
. By September,
Swedish Finland was also controlled by Gustav Vasa's supporters. By the
Treaty of Malmö
The Treaty of Malmö ( sv, Malmö recess), signed on 1 September 1524, ended the Swedish War of Liberation. Denmark-Norway acknowledged the independent status of Sweden, which in turn renounced claims to Scania and Blekinge.
The difficult que ...
signed on 1 September 1524, Sweden
seceded
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics lea ...
from the Kalmar Union.
Gustav's role in the war against Christian II was initially as one of several rebel leaders, active in different parts of the country, and the war that eventually made him king was only partially initiated and led by him. The fact that historiography has often used the term "Gustav Vasa's war of liberation" is thus mainly due to the results of the war - Gustav Vasa as king of an independent Sweden - rather than to its initial driving forces and course. Current research also clearly shows that Gustav himself did not lead any military operations but left this to associates with greater experience of war.
Dalarna
''The details of Gustav Vasa's activities in Dalarna 1520 are largely unknown, as there are very few sources. The most comprehensive of them is written during Gustav's reign by his close associate, the
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
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 ...
Peder Andreæ Swart and is seen by some historians as more or less dictated by Gustav himself.''
In 1520,
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 ('' Riksför ...
traveled to the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
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 ...
, disguised as a farmer to avoid detection by King Christian's scouts. In December, Gustav Vasa arrived in the city of
Mora
Mora may refer to:
People
* Mora (surname)
Places Sweden
* Mora, Säter, Sweden
* Mora, Sweden, the seat of Mora Municipality
* Mora Municipality, Sweden
United States
* Mora, Louisiana, an unincorporated community
* Mora, Minnesota, a city
* M ...
, where he asked the peasantry for their help in his revolt against Christian II. The peasants refused his request, so Gustav Vasa decided to travel north to find men who would support his revolt. Shortly thereafter, a couple of refugees arrived in Mora, where they told the peasantry about the brutality of Christian II and his men. The people of Mora then decided to find Gustav Vasa and join his revolt. They sent two skilled skiers to find him. In
Sälen
Sälen () is a locality situated in Malung-Sälen Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 652 inhabitants in 2010.
Despite its small population, Sälen receives many tourists every winter. Sälen is best known for hosting the start of Vasaloppet ...
, they finally caught up with him.
''The
Vasaloppet
( Swedish for 'the Vasa-race') is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The course starts in the village of Berga, just south of Sälen in western Dalarna, Sweden, and ends in the town of Mora in t ...
is a huge long distance 90 km (56 mi) ski-race is inspired by this notable journey fleeing from
Christian II
Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...
's soldiers during the winter of 1520–1521, but performed reverse from Sälen back to Mora. According to legend, he fled on skis. The modern competition started in 1922 and it has been a part of the
Worldloppet
The Worldloppet Ski Federation is a federation of long distance cross-country skiing events whose aim is to promote cross-country skiing through ski races. The federation was founded on 10 June 1978 in Uppsala, Sweden.
Locations
Only one and t ...
events since 1979. Vasaloppet is the ski-race of the year in Sweden and seen by many Swedes (
TV-viewers) as bigger than the World ski Championships (that some years are performed the same day independently of each other), about 15,000 are the maximum attendance limit and is sold out in hours, a few hundred international elite contenders. Total attendance for the entire Vasalopp-week races 70,200 (2015).
It is the oldest cross-country ski race in the world, as well as the one with the highest number of participants.''
Back in Mora, on New Year's Eve, 1521, Gustav Vasa was appointed to "hövitsman" by envoys from all the parishes of North Dalarna.
In February, Gustav Vasa marched out from Mora with about 100 men and sacked Kopparberg. Shortly thereafter, the peasantry of Bergslagen joined the revolt. Gustav Vasa's army had now grown to over 1,000 men.
Battle of Brunnbäck Ferry
When news of the Swedish revolt reached Christian II, he sent a force of Landknechten to crush the rebellion. In April 1521, the union forces confronted Gustav Vasa's men at
Brunnbäck Ferry, and the King's army was crushed. This victory greatly improved the Swedish rebels' morale.
In Dalarna, an emergency mint was established in order to produce the copper coins necessary to finance the war.
Västerås - the turning point
The rebel army continued south to Västerås, which they conquered and sacked in the
Battle of Västerås
The Battle of Västerås ( sv, Slaget om Västerås) was a battle in the Swedish War of Liberation that took place on Badelundaåsen, north of Västerås, Sweden on April 29, 1521. The Swedish troops, led by Gustav Vasa, defeated the Danish for ...
29 April 1521. When words of Gustav Vasa's success spread across Sweden, the supporters of the
Sture
Sture () was a name borne by three distinct but interrelated noble families in Sweden in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. It was originally a nickname, meaning 'haughty, proud' (compare the Swedish word ''stursk'' and the Old Norse ...
family decided to join the revolt. Västerås became a turning point in the faith of Gustav Vasa's abilities, the rebels got the control over shipping from Bergslagen and Fugger stopped funding Christian II.
Gustav Trolle had been sent to
Hälsingland
Hälsingland (), sometimes referred to as Helsingia in English, is a historical province or ''landskap'' in central Sweden. It borders Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is part of the land of Norrland.
...
in April, but when his two hundred cavalry saw the thousand-headed peasant army, they fled south and at the end of April 1521, Gustav Vasa was lord of
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 ...
and had the support of
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 form ...
,
Västmanland
Västmanland ( or ), is a historical Swedish province, or ''landskap'', in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland.
Västmanland means "(The) Land of the Western Men", where the "western men" (''västerm ...
and
Närke
Närke () is a Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the southwe ...
with the exception of the castles.
On July 15, 1521, the National Assembly was held in Stockholm. Gustav Vasa was offered a free lease to Stockholm. Everything would be forgiven. To prove this, Gustav Trolle had
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 ...
locked up, and large quantities of
malt
Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air.
Malted grain is used to make beer, wh ...
and
hops
Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whi ...
were also promised. Gustav Vasa waited. Soon the revolt had reached
Brunkeberg, but the peasants could not possibly storm the city.
It became calmer during the summer of 1521. Many went home for so long to their farms and helped with the harvest.
After Västerås - Professional armies
The peasant armies became less and less important in the warfare, which was now instead carried out by German mercenaries and Swedish soldiers who were recruited for a fee, reinforced by cavalry from the Swedish nobility.
1521 - Gustav Vasa becomes head of state
Lars Siggesson Sparre, who was also hostage to Christian II but who went over to the king's side, now went over to Gustav Vasa.
Hans Brask
*Hans Brask (1464–1538) was a Swedish Bishop of Linköping.
Biography
Brask was born in Linköping in 1464 to a bourgeois family. He studied philosophy and law at German universities, e.g. Rostock, and around 1500 he received a doctoral degr ...
and Ture Jönsson Tre Rosor also transferred to Gustav Vasa and during the latter half of August he was recognized by Götalandskapen as Sweden's courtier and head of state at a lords day in
Vadstena
Vadstena () is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden, with 5,613 inhabitants in 2010. From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of Motala Municipality.
Despite its small population, Vadstena is ...
. At the same time, the government appointed by Christian II left Sweden's territory.
The lords day that appointed Gustav as head of state in the meeting in Vadstena 1521, consisted of a relatively small circle of great men, mainly from the southern provinces. The peasants and others who carried him forward in the earlier stages of the uprising were not represented. At the same time, most of the nobility in
Östergötland
Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...
,
Sörmland and
Uppland
Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhab ...
still clung to the Union King Christian. The continued spread of the uprising and the election of the noble Gustav as head of state, however, caused many to change sides, or to flee to Denmark to avoid being killed.
1522 - The Hansa joins
Just before Christmas 1521, the commander of
Stegeborg in Östergötland,
Berend von Melen A Dutch masculine given name and Low German surname that is a form of the Germanic Bernard (Bernhard). The name Bernhard means "Strong bear" or "Strong as a bear" (from Old German bero, "bear", and harti, "strong"). It is related to the Scandinavian ...
, transferred to Gustav Eriksson and the castle Stegeborg fell into the hands of the rebel army. In Berend, Gustav got an associate with great military experience and good contacts with the
Hansa in
Lübeck
Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...
.
Örebro
Örebro ( , ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers in ...
and
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 ...
castles were besieged and captured at the beginning of 1522. The most important of the fortresses survived, however, and Gustav and the men around him realized that they could not be conquered without
warship
A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...
s and
heavy artillery
The formal definition of large-calibre artillery used by the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) is "guns, howitzers, artillery pieces, combining the characteristics of a gun, howitzer, mortar, or multiple-launch rocket syst ...
.
They began negotiations with Lübeck, who had their own interest in being able to trade without being hindered by the Danish king's restrictions. Lübeck was promised freedom of customs in Sweden against help with ships, warriors, cannons and other scarce goods. From May, Lübeck took an active part in the war and the Danish strongholds in Stockholm and Kalmar were subjected to an increasingly intense siege during the autumn. At the same time, Gustav, Berend von Melen and Lübeck began planning an operation to conquer
Skåne
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...
and other East Danish landscapes. The naval battle near Stockholm prevented important food from reaching the Danish crew in Stockholm.
1523 - Gustav Vasa becomes king
The campaign towards
Skåne
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...
was prepared in January 1523 but was not carried out. Instead,
Blekinge
Blekinge (, old da, Bleking) is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second ...
and parts of the Norwegian
Bohuslän
Bohuslän (; da, Bohuslen; no, Båhuslen) is a Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea ...
were conquered. In March, Christian II was deposed by a Danish uprising and Frederick I was elected king of Denmark. Thus, Lübeck's interest in collaborating with Gustav to conquer Scania disappeared, and the campaign was interrupted.
Kalmar was taken on 27 May 1523. Gustav Eriksson (Vasa) was appointed King of Sweden at the Parliament in Strängnäs on 6 June 1523.
Stockholm was taken over on June 17, and on Midsummer's Eve, June 23, 1523, the newly elected King Gustav was able to make his entrance into the capital. During the summer and autumn the last strongholds in the Finnish part of the country gave way and during the late autumn Gustav began a failed attempt to conquer Gotland from Denmark.
By 1563 and the
Northern Seven Years' War
The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden (1523–1611), Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denm ...
, Sweden and Denmark were finding each other as competitors of the political and economical power over the
Baltic region
The terms Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, mainly in Northern Europe. ...
. In 1561, when a sizeable remnant of the
Order states in the northern Baltics were
secularized
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
by its grand master
Gotthard Kettler
Gotthard Kettler, Duke of Courland (also ''Godert'', ''Ketteler'', german: Gotthard Kettler, Herzog von Kurland; 2 February 1517 – 17 May 1587) was the last Master of the Livonian Order and the first Duke of Courland and Semigallia.
Biography
...
, both Denmark and Sweden were attracted to intervene in the
Livonian War
The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pre ...
.
[När Hände Vad?: Historisk uppslagsbok 1500-2002 (2002) pp. 42] A competition that lasts over 5 major wars between the countries until 1679 with the
Scanian War
The Scanian War ( da, Skånske Krig, , sv, Skånska kriget, german: Schonischer Krieg) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, ...
.
The Lutheran Reformation
The dependencies were strong, the pope stood firm, Sweden was for 15 years under papal
interdict
In Catholic canon law, an interdict () is an ecclesiastical censure, or ban that prohibits persons, certain active Church individuals or groups from participating in certain rites, or that the rites and services of the church are banished from ...
, church strike (no functioning national church), and the
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
Reformation in Sweden
The Reformation in Sweden is generally regarded as having begun in 1527 during the reign of King Gustav I of Sweden, but the process was slow and did not end definitively until the Uppsala Synod of 1593 and the following War against Sigismund, wit ...
was carried out. The regent got an offer by the Lutherans that can't be resisted, a
state church
A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a t ...
with the
clerical
Clerical may refer to:
* Pertaining to the clergy
* Pertaining to a clerical worker
* Clerical script, a style of Chinese calligraphy
* Clerical People's Party
See also
* Cleric (disambiguation)
Cleric is a member of the clergy.
Cleric may a ...
as the kings
governmental
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
civil servants
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
, never reinstating a relation with the
Catholic church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. The
nationalization
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of the
Catholic church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
funded the new
sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
s regime.
The Sovereign Swedish state
It is 500 years later still seen as a general national "
paradigm shift
A paradigm shift, a concept brought into the common lexicon by the American physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn, is a fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. Even though Kuhn restricted t ...
".
The war freed Sweden from international economic and political dependencies and outspoken enemies influence. An independence that has lasted so far for the past 500 years (local security/peace since 1523, no foreign armies on its soil except in border areas and general peace for over 200 years since 1814). This liberation war is widely seen and held in high esteem by the Swedes as the root of the political and economic independence, the structure and organization of its society today. Seen by Swedes as a national "
paradigm shift
A paradigm shift, a concept brought into the common lexicon by the American physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn, is a fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. Even though Kuhn restricted t ...
" where the foundations of society's views have radically changed to what is still fundamentally the case.
Battles
*
Battle of Falun (February 1521)
*
Battle of Brunnbäck Ferry (April 1521)
*
Battle of Västerås
The Battle of Västerås ( sv, Slaget om Västerås) was a battle in the Swedish War of Liberation that took place on Badelundaåsen, north of Västerås, Sweden on April 29, 1521. The Swedish troops, led by Gustav Vasa, defeated the Danish for ...
(29 April 1521)
*
Conquest of Uppsala (18 May 1521)
*
Conquest of Kalmar (27 May 1523)
*
Conquest of Stockholm
The Conquest of Stockholm ( sv, Erövringen av Stockholm) was a battle in the Swedish War of Liberation that took place in Stockholm, Sweden on 17 June 1523. The Swedish forces had for a long time laid siege to Stockholm, which was the last D ...
(16–17 June 1523)
References
*
*
*
* {{cite web , url=http://www.adlibris.com/se/product.aspx?isbn=9100105511 , title=Svensk Historia , accessdate=2009-12-25 , last=Henrikson , first=Alf , pages=205–213
Wars involving Denmark
Wars involving Sweden
History of Lübeck
Wars involving the Hanseatic League
Wars of independence
16th-century rebellions
1520s in Sweden
1520s in Denmark
1521 in Sweden
1521 in Denmark
1522 in Sweden
1522 in Denmark
1523 in Sweden
1523 in Denmark