The Engelbrekt rebellion (''Engelbrektsupproret'') was an uprising during 1434–1436 led by
Swedish miner and nobleman
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson and directed against
Eric of Pomerania, the king of the
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then in ...
. The uprising, with its center in
Dalarna and
Bergslagen, spread throughout
Svealand and
Götaland. The rebellion caused erosion within the unity of the
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then in ...
, leading to the temporary expulsion of Danish forces from Sweden.
Background
In 1434, Sweden was part of the Kalmar Union, a
personal union
A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...
that united Sweden with
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
under a single
monarch
A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...
,
Eric of Pomerania. The Swedes were not happy with the Danes' frequent warfare on
Schleswig,
Holstein,
Mecklenburg, and
Pomerania
Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
, which disturbed Swedish exports (notably
iron
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
) to the
Continent
A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention (norm), convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single large landmass, a part of a very large landmass, as ...
. During the
Danish-Holstein-Hanseatic war, while the exports were brought to a halt, the collection of
taxes
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
continued, enraging Swedish peasants. Furthermore, the centralization of government in Denmark raised suspicions. The
Swedish Privy Council wanted to retain a fair degree of
self-government
Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any ...
.
Rebellion
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, with interests in the mining region of
Bergslagen, stood out as the leader.
In 1431 or 1432, Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson had been appointed spokesman for the people of Bergslagen to persuade King Erik to dismiss the local bailiff in Västerås, Jens Eriksen. Negotiations with Eric took place in
Vadstena
Vadstena () is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It bo ...
in August 1434, but were unsuccessful. In the summer of 1434, enraged
miners and peasants burned Borganäs castle near
Borlänge
Borlänge () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 44,898 inhabitants as of 2020. It is the seat of the Borlänge Municipality which as of 2017 had a total population of 51,604 inhabitants.
History
Originally Bor ...
. The tension spread, causing several assaults on castles across the country. Jens Eriksen fled to Denmark and was replaced by the count Hans av Eberstein. However, Engelbrekt and his followers were not happy as their demand that Jens Eriksen should face legal prosecution was not followed up on. The
ombudsman of King Erik had found Jens Eriksen's actions to be illegal prior to the uprisings, which were in large reactions to the failure of the government to take action against the bailiff.
In January 1435 Engelbrekt summoned representatives from the four Estates to a Diet in
Arboga
Arboga () is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Arboga Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 10,989 inhabitants in 2020.
Overview
The city of Arboga is known to have existed as a town since the 13th century but the are ...
, which later has been called the first
Riksdag of the Estates (although it is uncertain whether the
peasant
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...
s really participated). Engelbrekt was elected Captain (''Rikshövitsman'') of the Swedish realm. The antagonism abated when Eric promised changes for the better. However, as before, people felt these promises were not being fulfilled, hence the rebels picked up their axes once more. On April 27, 1436, a rebel army unit was sent marching towards
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, where people still supported Eric due to the strong and influential Danish presence in the city.
A certain degree of inner tension among the rebelling forces occurred because the
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
and
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
decided to support
Karl Knutsson Bonde, who in 1436 had risen to the position of ''Rikshövitsman''. Neither dared remove Engelbrekt completely because of his strong support among the
burghers and
peasant
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...
s. However, Engelbrekt fell sick and became less active. In a twist of fate highly beneficial to Knutsson, Engelbrekt was
assassinated on May 4 by Måns Bengtsson (Natt och Dag), the cause being an unrelated personal conflict. Karl Knutsson Bonde gave Jens Eriksen a letter of safe passage (lejdebrev) and the bailiff returned to Sweden to visit
Vadstena Abbey in December 1436. However, as word got out of his presence, the peasantry of the nearby village of Aska broke into the monastery and brought Jens Eriksen to a local court in
Motala
Motala () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with a municipal population of 43,717 inhabitants in 2024. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and N ...
. The judge found Jens Eriksen guilty and he was beheaded by sword.
Consequently, Knutsson won the power struggle and would become King Charles VIII of Sweden in 1448.
Riksråd Erik Puke attempted to rally Engelbrekt's old supporters in the ''
Pukefejden'', but it was too late. Erik Puke was apprehended and executed in Stockholm in 1437.
[ ]
Consequences
The Engelbrekt rebellion caused the unity of the Kalmar Union to erode, leading to the temporary expulsion of Danish forces from Sweden. Although later
Danish kings regained influence over Sweden, the rebellion had set a precedent for Swedish claims to sovereignty. It also set a precedent for peasants to engage actively in Swedish politics. While it is uncertain whether all four Estates participated in the Diet (''
Riksdag
The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...
'') in
Arboga
Arboga () is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Arboga Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 10,989 inhabitants in 2020.
Overview
The city of Arboga is known to have existed as a town since the 13th century but the are ...
, this was in fact the case in 1436, when a Diet was held in
Uppsala
Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Loc ...
following the death of Engelbrekt. Thus, the Engelbrekt rebellion marked the start of a
democratic institution, which, to a certain extent, included the peasants.
See also
*
Popular revolts in late-medieval Europe
*
Riksdag of the Estates
References
Other sources
*Ahnlund, Nils (1934) ''Engelbrekt : tal och uppsatser'' (Stockholm : Svenska kyrkans diakonistyrelse)
*Ahnlund, Nils (1917) ''Erik Pukes släkt'' (Stockholm : Historisk tidssskrift)
*Lundegård, Axel (1913) ''Om Engelbrekt, Erik Puke och Karl Knutsson som blef kung'' (Stockholm : Aktiebolaget Ljus förlag)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engelbrekt rebellion
Wars involving the Kalmar Union
Dano-Swedish wars
1434 in Europe
1435 in Europe
1436 in Europe
1430s conflicts
Conflicts in 1434
Conflicts in 1435
Conflicts in 1436
15th century in Sweden
Rebellions in Sweden
15th-century rebellions