The three Danish campaigns to Sweden
There are two lead characters in the prologue leading up to the Good Friday Battle. The first one is the Danish and formally Swedish King Kristian the second. He will later be known to the Swedes as Kristian the Tyrant. The Swedes are led by the Chancellor of Sweden, Sten Sture the Younger (called so to distinguish him from an earlier chancellor who is referred to as "Sten Sture the Older").
In the year of 1497 the Danish crown prince Kristian is elected to be the successor to the Swedish throne, however, in reality, Sweden is governed by the chancellors. Kristian has to wage three major campaigns before he will be able to put the Swedish crown on his head.
The first try
The war that will put the Swedish crown on the head of Kristian starts by Easter in 1517 when a five year long armistice runs out. In May a fleet carrying 3 000 troops leaves Copenhagen and heads for Stockholm. On their way the fleet makes a land fall at Västervik. Many of the citizens seek protection behind the strong walls of the nearby castle of Stegeholm, but the Danish manages to put the castle on fire. Those who survive the fire are slaughtered by the Danes ore drowns in the moth.
The loss of Stegeholm was a big set back for the chancellor and the Danes had proved their tactical and technical superiority. However, the element of surprise had been lost. When the Danish fleet finally showed up near Stockholm, the Swedes had managed to gather a numerous force and were prepared for battle. After a smaller action a few kilometres outside Stockholm Kristian realised that the attempt had failed and he sailed back home again.
The second try
During the spring of 1518 Kristian requited a new army, among them were 500 German landsknechts. Close to 80 ships were gathered in Copenhagen to carry the army. Around midsummer the troops debarks on the southern side of Stockholm and starts to bombard the city but the defence of Stockholm proved to be a hard nut to crack. In those days the city was more or less concentrated to the island that today is referred to as the "Old Town", and the Danish did not have the force to try a direct assault. The siege drags on and meanwhile Sten Sture manages to gather his forces. By the end of July Sten Sture advances on the Danish and threatens their rear. I two battles, first at Brännkyrka and then at Årsta the Danish rear guards are defeated. The situation has changed dramatically as the Danish find themselves trapped between Stockholm and the advancing Swedes. Once again Kristian escapes to his fleet.
A new round of negotiations takes of as the Danish fleet lurks in the archipelago. There is an agreement on a ceasefire and a meeting in person between Kristian and Sten Sture is planned. To ensure the safety of the King, a number of prominent Swedes are sent to the Danish fleet as hostage. One of the Swedes is a young man named Gustav Eriksson Vasa, who is to play an important role in the final events. Once the hostage is on board the fleet Kristian changes his mind on the meeting. Instead he simply sets sails and returns to Denmark, bringing the hostages with him.
The third try
Kristian wanted revenge, at any cost. To capture Sweden by a direct assault on Stockholm had proven impossible. The town was well protected, so a direct assault war out of the question. So starve out the city by a siege had also proved to be hard. Even if one managed to place large forces on the northern and the southern banks and used the transport fleet to block the see rout from the east, there were still no way to create a complete isolation. The city could still be supplied via the lake Mälaren in the west. Meanwhile the siege dragged on the Swedes cold concentrate their troops and pick of the besiegers one by one. There were just one alternative left. To be able to succeed with a siege on Stockholm, Kristian had to ensure that he had his back free. The only way to achieve that was to come to Stockholm by land and to make sure that he had beaten the Swedish forces before he reached Stockholm.
Such a campaign demanded much more troops and supply then the smaller raids he had tried before. Kristian starts to take up large loans and raises taxes and all the fees he can think of. By exercising direct threats he manages to get some extra money from his wife's family. He also recruited pirates that were to hamper the Swedish trade on the Baltic sea. In the short run, all these actions improved the Danish position, but in the long run Kristian gained some new enemies like the German Hansa cities.
The war started in the winter of 1518-19. The small city of Lödöse, in the area of today's Gothenburg was captured. Lödöse was the only Swedish harbour on the west coast, so the loss of the city put some extra pressure on the supply situation in Sweden. On the following summer actions starts in the south. German and Scottish Mercenaries captures the castle of Borgholm on the island of Öland, while French troops puts a siege on the castle of Kalmar, one of the strongest castles in Sweden. A Swedish expedition to rescue Kalmar is beaten back, but the garrison manages to make an outfall and drives the French mercenaries of.
In January 1520 Kristian is ready for the final blow. A huge army is gathered in Halland. The army holds about 2000 Frenchmen, an equal number of Scottish mercenaries and a large number of Germans. The Danish aristocracy provided 6000 mounted troops. The army is equipped with the best weapons that were available. Both artillery and units with hand held gun powder weapons were present. Kristian is especially dependant on the French, They are regarded as the most experienced warriors as most of them participated in the victorious battle against the Swiss at Marignano in 1515.
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Kristians tredje och sista fälttåg. Bild ur Ulf Sundberg: Medeltidens svenska krig, Hjalmarsson & Högbergs Bokförlag, Stockholm 1999. |
Despite the
cold, this was the best time of the year to launch a major invasion. The frozen
lakes and rivers provided a road net that was much better then the normal road
net. The Danish advances along the river of Ätran. Sten Sture is of course fully
aware of the coming invasion, and has gathered an army of about 10 000 men. They
have had plenty of time to prepare the defences by building blockades and traps
all over the area. Sten Sture focused on the Danish main force. He formed his
troops on the steep shores of the lake Åsunden by the Bogesund (today's
Ullricehamn). As the Danish advanced on the open ice of the lake the Swedes held
their positions in the woods. The coming battle held all the possibilities to
be yet another typical Scandinavian action.
The battle took place on the 19th of January and it started with a disaster for the Swedes. One of the first cannon shots fired wounded Sten Sture so badly that he has to be pulled away from the action. The loss of their leader had a terrible impact of the fighting spirit f the Swedes and soon they were on a wild run.
As the badly injured Sten Sture is transported in the direction of Strängnäs, in the vicinity of Stockholm, the Danish quickly advances through Västergötland and towards Örebro. A new force loyal to Sten Sture is gathered in Tiveden, a hilly wilderness separating Västergötland and Närke. The area is perfect for the traditional Swedish defensive tactics.
The 29th of January the Danish force attacks. The French elite force is sent to lead the assault but they takes heavy casualties. Some sources claim that more then 50 percent the French unit is eliminated in the battle. The survivors have had enough of this campaign and returns home. Despite this blow the Danish force manages to find a way around the defenders, forcing them to abandon their positions. The road to Örebro is now open and the town surrenders without any battle taking place.
On the 2nd of February Sten Sture learns about the Danish breakthrough, and despite his injuries he tries to reach Stockholm. The last move proves to be to much for him, and he passes a way on the 3rd of February, just 60 km from Stockholm. Instead his widow, Kristina Gyllenstierna, takes the lead in the resistance against the Danish king.
Meanwhile the Danish marched on. On the 7th of February they reaches Arbåga and a few days later they reached Västerås. They manages to capture and plunder the town but the castle resist. A minor force is left to siege the castle as the rest of the army moves on towards Uppsala.