The Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520: Context and Commemoration (Crossing Boundaries: Turku Medieval and Early Modern Studies)

Book info: The Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520: Context and Commemoration (Crossing Boundaries: Turku Medieval and Early Modern Studies) (Hardcover, 304 pages) – Routledge, 2025. Language: English.

The Stockholm Bloodbath on November 7–9, 1520, during which Kristian II had more than 100 persons executed on charges of heresy, is a turning point in the history of the Northern kingdoms. This bloodbath eventually led to Kristian II’s lifelong incarceration, the rise of the Swedish Vasa dynasty, and the end of the Kalmar Union. It has commonly been perceived both as part of Swedish-Danish conflict and also as part of a Swedish civil war. In this volume, fifteen researchers offer new insights both into the events themselves and also, most significantly, into their background and aftermath, which stretch far beyond Stockholm and the year 1520. Editorial Reviews Review

"The anthology […] focuses on the bloody days in Stockholm in November 1520 but still does not forget the broader context, offering intriguing perspectives on how the events have been used in propaganda and later historiography. […] As long as there are curious and creative historians, we can continue to gain exciting insights even in areas that may seem thoroughly examined for a long time" - Svenska Dagbladet, Under strecket 13/10/2025.

About the Author

HEIKO DROSTE (b. 1963; Ph.D. 1994, Hamburg University) is Professor of Urban History at Stockholm University and head of the Institute for Urban History. He specializes in the late medieval and early modern history of the Baltic Sea Region, with a focus on cities, communication, diplomacy, the postal system and the historiography of cities. His latest publications concern the Baroque news market and include The Business of News (Leiden: Brill, 2021), as well as the Baroque Historian’s Confession: Reflections on the Baroque Economy (Lund: Lärdomshistoriska samfundet, 2021). KURT VILLADS JENSEN (b. 1957; Ph.D. 1992, Copenhagen University; D.Phil. 2011, University of Southern Denmark) is Professor of Medieval History and director of the Centre for Medieval Studies at Stockholm University. He has worked with cultural and religious encounters in medieval Latin Europe, as well as with military history and crusading, comparing the Baltic Sea Region and the Iberian Peninsula. He is now studying the relationship between changes in Latin sacramental theology and the implications for the concept of sacred warfare c. 1050–1300.