Sten Sture's Great Victory Over The Danes
Historical tales have much to do with war and bloodshed, with rides and
raids, with schemes and stratagems, with plunder and piracy, and with
outrage and oppression. These are the things to which historians give the
most space in their pages and which many readers find fullest of interest
and excitement. In the present tale we have to do wholly with scenes of
war, for we propose to tell the story of one of the most remarkable
battles ever fought on Swedish soil.
This is what led to it. After the death of Charles VIII. and the
appointment of Sten Sture as administrator of the kingdom, Christian I.
of Denmark, whom the brave Sture had driven away with his army, fancied
that the way was open to him again, and that Sweden, without a king, was
a ripe plum ready to drop into his mouth. He was to find it a sour plum,
for in Sten Sture he had to deal with a man of notable ability, just and
upright in his dealings, wise and prudent in government, and brave and
skilful in war. He was a man who did not swear to keep his word, but who
never broke it. "I promise by my three water-lilies" (the arms of the
Stures) was his form of affirmation, but this simple promise was more to
be trusted than the solemn oaths of many kings and potentates. The
people loved and trusted him, and on the 1st of May, 1471, the late
king's appointment was confirmed at a general diet of the people, which
accepted him by acclamation as the administrator and captain-general of
the realm.
He soon had work cut out for him. Christian of Denmark equipped a great
fleet and sailed to Stockholm, where he anchored in the harbor and opened
negotiations with the Swedish senate, then the great source of power in
the land. He promised to govern the kingdom in the way they might decide
upon and be to them a mild and merciful father. While some of them were
seduced by his specious promises, the majority had no fancy to make him
their "father." But they made a truce with him until the matter could be
decided, the Danes being allowed to buy provisions in the town, and on
their side selling salt to the citizens, this being at that time very
scarce in Stockholm.
Thus matters went on for seven weeks, at the end of which time Christian
concluded that the Swedes were playing with him, seeking to spin out the
time until all his provisions would be consumed and winter with its
storms would be at hand to destroy his fleet. As it began to appear that
nothing was to be gained by peace, he resolved to try the effect of war,
and on the 1st of September landed his army and laid his plans to besiege
the city.
His camp was pitched on the hill of Brunkenberg, near the city,
connection being made with the fleet by a strong bridge built from the
shore to an island in the harbor. Bulwarks and ramparts of earth were
thrown up on the side next the town, and were mounted with cannon, with
which he soon opened a bombardment. He enticed some of the Swedish
peasants into his camp by promise of an abundance of salt, but his main
army consisted of the Danish nobles and their troops and of German and
Scottish soldiers of fortune, brave, stout, able warriors who exercised
themselves daily in military sports and led a merry and careless life in
camp, heedless of everything except pay and plunder.
When the proud Danish king was told that Sture was collecting an army of
peasants with which to fight him, he sneeringly said:
"Herr Sten sneaks along ditches and dikes, but I shall punish my little
gentleman with the rod like a child, and teach him to keep himself
quiet."
Threats were also made by the foreign mercenaries against the citizens,
but these only served to rouse their anger and make them more resolute in
the defence of the city.
As for Herr Sten, he went on raising troops and driving out the Danes
whom he found infesting the seaboard lands, not marching towards the city
until he had got rid of all hostility in his rear. On his march he was
met by his brave cousin, Nils Sture, with an army of the bold Dalmen of
the north, and the united armies marched on to Jerfva, in the vicinity of
the beleaguered city.
From this point Sture wrote to King Christian, offering him safe passage
home, if he would leave Sweden without the need of blows; but he only
roused the wrath of the king, who loudly swore:
"By God's five wounds, I have not gone to so much trouble and expense to
go home without finishing what I came for."
All that could be done in the cause of peace had been done without avail,
and events had reached a point in which the affair could be settled only
at sword's point and cannon's mouth.
It was the 10th of October, 1470. Long before the sun rose on that
memorable day the Swedes of Sture's army were awake and busy preparing
their arms for the coming fray, in which the mastery of their kingdom was
to be decided. At an early hour the whole army was called to the solemn
service of the mass, after which holy and impressive ceremony they
refreshed themselves with a hasty meal and returned to their ranks ready
for battle.
Nils Sture was already on the march with a third of the army, secretly
leading them around a clump of woodland with the purpose of attacking the
Danish camp at Brunkenberg from the east. As the ranks of the main army
formed for the attack, their brave leader was gratified to see a body of
gallant horsemen, in shining armor, riding to join him. They were
thirteen hundred in number, and had been sent from the town of Kungsholm.
Advancing before his people, Sture spoke to them with few but telling
words:
"If you ever desire to enjoy peace and security in Sweden stand by me
this day and cling one to another. I shall do my part. I fear not the
king nor his Danes and mercenaries, but gladly venture life and blood and
all that I possess on the event of this battle. If you will do the same,
lift up your hands."
"That will we do with God's help," came the roar of response, followed by
a great shout and wild clanging of arms. Immediately the advance began,
the men singing the verse of a psalm written for the occasion. It was now
the hour of eleven.
King Christian and his army boldly awaited the assault, looking down from
their commanding position on the Swedes, who came on heedless of the roar
of guns and flight of arrows. Reaching the foot of the hill, they began
its ascent, met as they did so by the Danes, who rushed down upon them
with lance and sword. In a moment more the hostile lines met and the
bloody work of war began.
On the summit of the hill proudly waved the Danneborg, the sacred
standard of Denmark. In the midst of the Swedes fluttered their country's
flag, borne resolutely up the hill. Around these banners gathered the
bravest of the champions, fighting with heroic fury--the Danes, under
their ambitious king, fighting for glory and riches; the Swedes, under
their patriot leader, striking for peace and freedom from foreign rule.
While the battle was thus raging outside the town, Knut Posse, its
governor, a skilful soldier, was not idle. He was not content to rest
within the walls while his countrymen were fighting so vigorously for
his relief. The heat of the fight had left the bridge leading from the
shore to the ships without a guard, and he sent some men in boats to row
towards it and with saws and axes to sever the supports beneath it. This
was successfully done and the men returned unseen.
While this was being accomplished the warlike governor, seeing that the
Swedes had been checked in their ascent of the hill, made a sally from
the town with two thousand of the garrison, taking possession of the
Danish fortifications in that quarter and setting them on fire. His
position, however, could not long be held, for Sten Sture's troops had
been driven down the hill and Christian was free to lead a heavy column
against him, forcing him back with his handful of men. In the struggle,
however, the bold governor advanced so vigorously upon the king, that he
received a wound from Christian's own hand.
While Knut Posse was thus being driven back into the town Sten Sture was
seeking to infuse new spirit into his defeated people, telling them that
"it would be to their eternal shame if they suffered themselves thus to
be repulsed."
Marshalling them into orderly ranks as quickly as possible he led them
again towards the hill, and the battle recommenced with its old fire and
vigor. Sture rode valiantly at their head, encouraging them with a
display of heroic valor. While he fought on horseback, by his side ran a
peasant named Bjoern the Strong, who kept pace with the horse and at
times ran before it, swinging his broad battle-axe with such strength
that he opened a road for his leader to ride through. Though surrounded
by enemies, the two held their own with the fiery energy of the
berserkers of an earlier day, dispensing death while not receiving a
wound.
King Christian, on the other hand, showed himself not wanting in valor,
keeping well in the front rank of his men. In the midst of the fight a
ball struck him in the mouth, knocking out three of his teeth and so
disabling him that he was carried fainting from the field. In the end the
Swedes, who had borne their banner to the summit of the hill, where they
looked in vain for the expected aid from Nils Sture and his men, were
driven back again and a second time forced down the hill, the victorious
Danes driving them well into the plain at its foot.
Three hours of hard fighting had now passed and both armies were wearied.
Trotte Karlsson, a Swedish renegade who had been fighting against his
country in the ranks of its foes, seated himself on a stone to rest,
taking off his helmet that he might breathe the fresh air. As he did so a
ball from the Swedish ranks struck him between the eyes and he fell
dead--a traitor fighting with strangers against his native land.
Though twice beaten Sten Sture had no thought of giving up the fight. For
some reason Nils Sture, who with the large force under his command had
been depended upon to make a diversion in their favor, had not appeared.
Bad roads had detained him and he was still struggling onward towards
his assigned position.
Looking around him, and satisfied that it was hopeless to dislodge the
enemy from their post of vantage, Sten now attempted a diversion by
sending a force to attack the troops stationed at the convent of St.
Claire. The Danes on the hill, seeing the danger of this detachment, and
thinking that they had thoroughly beaten off the Swedes, rushed down to
the aid of those at the convent, and Sten, with the skill of an able
commander, took advantage of this movement and at once marshalled his men
for a third attack.
They did not need much encouragement. Though twice beaten they were not
dispirited, but rushed forward shouting: "Now the Danes come to us on
equal ground! Let us at them and swing our swords freely!"
Some bright streaks appearing on the sky, the cry ran through the ranks:
"St. Erik is waving his sword over his people to aid them and point the
way to victory."
On the enemy they rushed, with a valor not weakened by their previous
repulses, and Knut Posse, who had been watching the fight with keen eyes,
made a fresh sally from the town. Soon the battle was on again with all
its former fury, the Danes fighting at first for victory, then, as they
were forced to give way, striking resolutely to defend their standard,
the Danneborg. Knut Posse made a fierce onset upon the proud banner, but
was not able to reach it until five hundred noble Danes, who gathered
around it as a guard of honor, had fallen under the swords of the Swedes.
When the Danes saw their great standard fall they gave way, but only with
the intention to regain the height and defend themselves on its summit.
It was at this critical juncture that Nils Sture appeared with his
long-delayed troops and attacked the enemy from a fresh side. Before this
unlooked-for and powerful force the Danes gave way in a panic, their
ranks being broken and the fugitives rushing in wild flight down the hill
to take refuge in their ships.
Now the stratagem of Knut Posse became effective, the weakened bridge
swaying and sinking under the multitude of fugitives who crowded it,
plunging them by hundreds into the water. Others leaped into boats to row
to the vessels, but these were so crowded that many of them sank, their
occupants being drowned. In all, nine hundred men were drowned in the
flight, while as many more who were not able to escape threw down their
arms and surrendered. Christian succeeded in escaping with that portion
of his army which had reached the ships, while Sten Sture marched in
triumph into Stockholm with his victorious troops, there to be received
with shouts of gladness, and with tears of joy by his wife Fra Ingeborg,
who had been in the city and with the noble ladies of the place had
prayed earnestly for victory while their friends and husbands fought.
For four hours the battle had lasted. It was one of vast importance for
Sweden, since it brought to that country many years of peace and repose.
King Christian dared not attack the Swedes again and the country got on
prosperously without a king under the able government of Sten Sture.