Scandinavian Revolt of 1433-39, or Engelbrekt rebellion

The rebellion against Eric of Pomerania, the king of the Kalmar Union, led by Swedish nobleman Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson in 1434-1436, results in the deposing of Eric as well as erosion of the union.

Erik of Pomerania, ruler of the Kalmar Union, the united realms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, as Erik VII, has imposed on Sweden a harsh system of Danish bailiffs and has levied oppressive troop and monetary requirements to fight the Kalmar War.

An absolutist ruler, his economically ruinous and unconstitutional policies prove intolerable to Swedes in the mining district of Bergslagen, where Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, a mine owner of German origin and a member of the petty nobility, leads a rebellion of Swedish miners and peasants against the Danish governor in June 1433, attacking and destroying the stronghold of Borghnäs and other castles and ousting bailiffs.

The early successes of Engelbrekt's forces against Erik's troops encourage the nobles and clergy to join the rebellion, “Engelbrekt's Feuds,” and transform it into a truly national struggle.

The provinces of Upland, Vermland, and Sodermanland join the Scandinavian revolt against Danish rule, and the Swedish council invites Norway and some Hanseatic towns to join as well.

Erik, facing internal revolts in Sweden and Norway, concludes separate peace agreements in 1434 with Holstein and the Hanseatic League.

Erik returns Schleswig to Holstein in 1435 under terms unfavorable to Kalmar, leaving him with nothing to show for his quarter-century-long struggle.

A truce in November 1434 leads to an agreement early in 1435 calling for a return to the pre-rebellion status quo.

The Riksdag (Swedish: “Day of the Realm”), the Swedish states general that first meets formally in 1435, is unique in Europe because it includes the peasantry as the fourth state.

The Swedish council declares Engelbrektsson Sweden’s administrator, while Erik simultaneously negotiates with Swedish nobles to restabilize the union and gain control of his endangered throne.

Although Erik has promised to respect Sweden's constitutional rights, it shortly becomes clear that he has acted in bad faith.

When renewed war is decided upon, Engelbrekt again leads his forces against the King's forts in January 1436, taking Stockholm almost immediately.

The Swedish nobles have begun to quarrel, however, and …

...Magnus Bengtsson, an enemy of Engelbrekt, slays him near Örebro in May 1436.

The rebels' loss has enabled Erik to gain his former position.

The nobles had persuaded the Riksdagl to abolish the position of administrator, but after Erik permits his forces to ravage Swedish coastal areas on his return to Denmark, the infuriated council retaliates by again choosing an administrator, Karl Knutsson, to rule from 1438.

The Swedes and Danes now press Erik for constitutional forms of government in a new union; he refuses.

Continuing discontent and the appeal to the memory of Engelbrekt, whose death had made him a national hero, gives the Swedes the strength necessary to depose Erik by the summer of 1439.

After Norway follows Sweden’s lead, representatives of the three Scandinavian states install Erik’s twenty-four-year-old nephew, Christopher of Bavaria, as King Christopher III of the Kalmar Union.

Erik has been deposed in all three countries when dissident Swedish nobles opposed to his absolutist rule are supported by the Danish state council, which objects to the king's war against the Hanseatic League and the counts of Holstein.

Christopher's accession restores peace and union in the three Scandinavian kingdoms.