The Battle of Rotebro ended Sten Sture the Elder's regency and allowed John of Denmark to be crowned King of Sweden in Stockholm.
Key Facts
- Date
- 28 September 1497
- Location
- Rotebro, north of Stockholm, Sweden
- Danish invasion began
- July 1497
- Sten Sture deposed as regent
- March 1497
- John's crown basis
- Kalmar recess of 1483
- Coronation venue
- Storkyrkan, Stockholm
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Sten Sture the Elder fell out of favor with the Swedish nobility and was deposed as Regent of Sweden in March 1497. This political vacuum prompted John, King of Denmark, to invade Sweden in July 1497, seeking to assert Danish authority over the Kalmar Union and claim the Swedish crown he had been granted through the Kalmar recess of 1483.
On 28 September 1497, Danish forces under King John met Sten Sture's peasant army, largely drawn from Dalarna, at the village of Rotebro north of Stockholm. John's cavalry routed the peasant force as it attempted to flee across the Edsån river toward the Rotebro redoubt, resulting in a decisive Danish victory.
Following the defeat, Sten Sture negotiated with King John and the Riksdag, formally relinquishing his post as regent and receiving fiefs in return. John was then able to make a ceremonial entry into Stockholm and be crowned King of Sweden in the Storkyrkan, completing a claim he had held for fourteen years.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
John, King of Denmark.
Side B
1 belligerent
Sten Sture the Elder.