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On November 8, 1520, Stockholm’s streets ran with fear. Days earlier, Christian II of Denmark had been crowned King of Sweden, ending a long and brutal civil war between Danish forces and supporters of Swedish independence. The coronation was meant to mark peace and unity under the Kalmar Union. Christian had even promised a general amnesty for his opponents. But within days, that promise was broken in one of the most infamous events in Scandinavian history: the Stockholm Bloodbath.

After three days of celebration, Christian summoned the Swedish nobility, clergy, and leading citizens to the main square of Stockholm. What began as a formal gathering quickly turned into a tribunal. The new king accused several Swedish leaders of heresy for supporting the late Sten Sture the Younger, who had led the fight for Swedish independence. The trials were swift and predetermined.

Between November 8 and 10, nearly 100 people were executed by beheading or hanging. Most were noblemen, officials, or members of the clergy. Their bodies were left in the square for days as a warning to others. Even the body of Sten Sture, already dead from wounds suffered in battle months earlier, was exhumed and burned. Christian’s order extended beyond Stockholm. In the weeks that followed, executions spread to other parts of Sweden as Danish forces hunted suspected rebels and sympathizers.

Christian II defended his actions by claiming he was enforcing church law against heresy, but his brutality horrified much of Europe. In Sweden, the massacre destroyed whatever legitimacy his rule might have had. The killings united the Swedish people against him and fueled a powerful nationalist backlash. Within three years, under the leadership of Gustav Vasa, Sweden rose again and drove the Danes out for good. The rebellion led to the end of the Kalmar Union and the birth of an independent Swedish kingdom.

The Stockholm Bloodbath marked Christian II’s legacy forever. In Denmark, he became known as “Christian the Tyrant.” In Sweden, the massacre became a symbol of betrayal and foreign oppression. What would Scandinavia had been like if he kept a cooler head?

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