The Battle of Falun ( sv, Slaget om Falun) was the first battle of the Swedish War of Liberation that took place in

Falun Falun () is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 37,291 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Dalarna County. Falun forms, together with Borlänge, a metropolitan area with just over 100,000 inhabitan ...

, Sweden, on February 5, 1521. Swedish rebels under

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 had just days earlier been proclaimed leader of the

Dalecarlians 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. It is also bordered by Norway ...

against the Danes, raided Falun. The rebels, consisting of a few hundred poorly armed peasants and some

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

officers, took the Danish forces in the town completely by surprise. The local (bailiff) Kristoffer Olsson and a few others labelled as "traitors" were captured. Local shops run by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

merchants A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as industry ...

were plundered, and the population

taxed A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

. The rebels continued onwards through the region, gaining many new recruits. Shortly after they returned to Falun, and the locals pledged allegiance to Gustav Vasa and his cause. The rebellion continued until 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 ...

in 1524. A year earlier, in 1523, Vasa was crowned

King of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument ...

References

* * 1521 in Europe

Stockholm 16th century in Denmark 1521 in Sweden 1521 in Denmark

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