Battles of Kopperberget and Opphöga ferry
| Battles of Kopperberget and Opphöga ferry | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Erik Karlssons rebellion | |||||||||
 Memorial stone raised 1901 in memorial for the battle of Uppbo färja 1470 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Insurgents |
 Sweden Supported by  Dalarna | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Erik Karlsson Vasa |
Sten Sture the Elder Nils Sture Hans Aagessøn | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown, but larger than the Swedish army | At least 105 men | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
Almost the entire army was killed 1,500 pieces of armor captured | Presumably small | ||||||||
The Battles of Kopparberget and Opphöga ferry were a series confrontations between an insurgent army under Erik Karlsson Vasa and a Dalecarlian army led by Sten Sture the Elder, and Nils Sture at Kopparberget and Opphöga ferry in 1470. The battles resulted in a defeat for the insurgents.
Background
[edit]Reason behind Erik Karlssons rebellion
[edit]The exact reason for his rebellion is unknown, with some sources stating that Erik Karlsson was thirsty for war, and began his rebellion for this reason. With others saying that it was old loyalists to Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna that had rose up again, and another possible reason being that Karl Knutsson had angered the nobility by forbidding them from engaging in piracy.[1][2]
Beginning of the rebellion
[edit]The rebellion began on 13 October 1469, with Erik Karlsson's men marching into Vadstena and kidnapping several of Karl Knutssons advisors, however, their attempt to kidnap Karl Knutsson himself ends in failure, since he had not arrived to Vadstena in time.[3]
Prelude
[edit]After pacifying the population around the Mälaren, Erik went against the population of Dalarna in January 1470.[4][2] This would turn out to be a disaster.[4]
Battles
[edit]Battle of Kopparberget
[edit]On January 10 after marching from Hedemora, Eriks troops were confronted by a Dalecarlian peasant vanguard army around 20 miles from Kopparberget. Erik decided that the terrain was undesirable, and likely after hearing news that the main force was close, he chose to retreat.[4][5][6]
Battle of Opphöga ferry
[edit]On January 13,[6][5] during his retreat from Kopparberget, Erik attempted to flee over the Dalälven when his force was intercepted by the main Dalecarlian force, which only consisted of around 105 men[3] under the command of Nils Sture and his brother-in-law Hans Aagessøn Tott, during the battle, Erik suffered a crushing defeat, with the majority of his army being destroyed[3] and 1,500 pieces of armor being taken by the army under Nils Sture and Hans.[7]
Aftermath
[edit]As a result of the battle at Opphöga, Erik along with other leaders like Trötte Karlsson, and Herr Erik Nilsson were forced to flee to Denmark.[1][3][6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Sundberg, Ulf (1999). Medeltidens svenska krig [Swedish wars in the Middle ages] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Hjalmarson & Högberg. pp. 329–330. ISBN 9189080262.
- ^ a b "Krigen under medeltiden". www.bjellum.se. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ a b c d Adolfsson, Mats (2007). När borgarna brann [When the towns burned] (in Swedish). Natur & Kultur. pp. 277–287. ISBN 9789127026315.
- ^ a b c Harrison, Dick (2019-11-29). "Tillhörde släkten Vasa – ledde bortglömt uppror". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ a b Oscar Montelius, Hans Hildebrand (1877). Sveriges historia från äldsta tid till våra dagar. University of California. Stockholm, H. Linnströms förlag.
- ^ a b c Olesen, Jens Ejnar (2021-04-23). Unionskrige og stændersamfund. Bidrag til Nordens historie i Kristian I's regeringstid 1450-1481 (in Danish). Lindhardt og Ringhof. ISBN 978-87-26-78034-5.
- ^ Styffe, Carl Gustaf (1870). Bidrag till Skandinaviens historia ur utländska arkiver: Sverige under Karl Knutsson och Kristiern af Oldenburg, 1448-1470 (in Swedish).