Moments In Swedish History That Went Horribly Wrong

May 2024 · 2 minute read

Any time the word "bloodbath" creeps into your history, you know things have gone sideways. It took Denmark, Norway, and Sweden a long time to sort out whether they were one country or separate entities. Back in the early 16th century, for example, they were part of what's known as the Kalmar Union, which combined the countries under one monarch in a personal union.

As noted by the encyclopedia Britannica, Sweden tried to break free from the Union in 1519, but King Christian II of Denmark invaded Sweden, arrested the rebels, and seemed to have settled the matter. He was crowned king of Sweden in 1520 and threw a lavish feast to celebrate. And then, at the end of the feast, he had about 80 Swedish nobles and religious leaders gathered up and executed in what can only be described as a massacre.

King Christian no doubt expected this would cement his control over the country — but it actually had the opposite effect. As noted by The Local, the bloodbath reignited the Swedish rebellion and made his own nobility quite uneasy, because murdering nobles is generally seen as a bad precedent to support. By 1522 Sweden had won its independence and become a totally independent country. By 1523, Christian was driven out of Denmark. By 1531 he'd been arrested and spent the rest of his life in confinement.

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