Battle of Lihula (Swedes and Estonian)

An army led by King John of Sweden tries unsuccessfully to gain a foothold in Estonian by taking control of a castle in Lihula.

King John I, landed in western Estonian, but the garrison he left at Lihula was annihilated by the Estonians. The attacked by Estonians to the Swedes stronghold happened in summer of 1220. Estonian killed the entire Swedish garrison.

The Swedes had only 500 men in the garrisons, which attempted to fight its way out of Lihula once the town had caught fire. Only about 50 Swedes escaped to the Danish output of Tallinn.

After this blow to their ambitions, the Swedes turned their attention northwards and renewed their efforts to conquer the rest of Finland.
Battle of Lihula (Swedes and Estonian)

Battle of Neva (Russia and Swedes) in 1240

Novgorod and Sweden were competitors both for dominance over Finnic tribes north of the Novgorod lands and for control over access to the Gulf of Finland.

The Swedish invasion occurred at a time when the Mongols had just completed their conquest of Vladimir-Suzdal’ and much of the northeastern Rus’ and were preparing their attack on Kiev.

According to the Russian, an army of Swedes, Norwegians and Finns and Tavastians descended on the Neva with the intention of conquering Novgorod Republic. Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state

The Swedes were led by Birgir Magnusson, son-in-law to the King of Sweden and were augmented by Norwegian and Finnish troops.

Prince Alexander Yaroslavich of Novgorod defeated it with a small force of Novgorodians and some men from Ladoga.

Alexander pursued a policy of compromise with Russians Mongol rulers following the conquest of 1237-40. This enabled him to beat off attacks by Sweden.

They defeated the Swedes in July 15, 1240 in a bloody battle on the banks of Neva.

Corpses of high ranking Swedes were sunk in three boats and others were buried in pits.

Twenty Novgorodians were killed and an unspecified number of Ladoga townsfolk.
Battle of Neva (Russia and Swedes) in 1240 

Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520

The Stockholm Bloodbath in November 1520 became a decisive episode in the final decline of the Kalmar Union.

In 1520 the King of Denmark, Christian II, occupied Stockholm after a violent war and along siege. At the Franciscan cloister, on October 30th A Danish bishop proclaimed him as King of Sweden by inheritance. 

The rules of war laid down that if a city siege surrendered and do not have to be taken by force, its citizen were spared rape and the sword. Christian II broke this rule and committed a war crime.

He falsely lured the nobles to an assembly at Stockholm. The king’s enemies were arrested, taken to Stockholm Castle and tried by Archbishop Trolle for heresy and showing disregard for ecclesiastical rights and authority.

The royal executioner set to work immediately, his 82 victims including archbishops and nobleman from many of the great families. They were rounded up, brought to Stortorget or Old Square and beheaded.

For two days, rivers of blood were said to have flowed through the streets. The Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520 was the maddest crime recorded in history. The event was taking place between November 7 and November 9 in 1520.

One victim’s son escaped and went into hiding. Later Gustav Erickson Vasa managed to stir up a successful rebellion against Danish rule and become Sweden’s first king on 6 June 1523.

The executions spread as far as Finland and were continued during the king’s triumphant return journey to Copenhagen across southern Sweden, the total number of victims being estimated at 600, murdered as he passed by.
Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520