On November 8, 1520, the Stockholm Bloodbath began in which a successful invasion of Sweden by Danish forces resulted in the execution of around 100 people.
Digging Deeper
In 1520, Sweden was divided between two factions. First were those who favored a union of Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) established in 1397 and second, those who advocated for Swedish independence. Denmark’s King Christian II launched an invasion of Sweden to maintain the union.
Having succeeded in his military intervention, Christian subsequently summoned key Swedish leaders to a private conference at the palace on November 7, 1520. Rather than treat his guests as, well, “guests,” on November 8, 1520, Christian’s Danish soldiers essentially kidnapped various Swedish nobles from the palace and imprisoned others. Thus, began the Stockholm Bloodbath or Massacre, as it is alternatively known.
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