Sten Sture's war against the Totts

Last updated
Sten Sture's war against the Totts
Ivar Axelsson.jpg
Portrait of Ivar Axelsson Tott from the late 1400s.
Date1487
Location
Sweden (Borgholm, Stegeborg, Raseborg)
Result Swedish victory
Territorial
changes
Belligerents
 COA family sv Tott.svg Tott dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Royal Banner of Sweden (14th Century).svg Sten Sture the Elder
Royal Banner of Sweden (14th Century).svg Knut Eskilsson Banér  [ sv ]
Royal Banner of Sweden (14th Century).svg Knut Posse 		COA family sv Tott.svg Ivar Axelsson Tott  [ sv ]  #
COA family sv Tott.svg Katarina Eriksdotter   White flag icon.svg
COA family sv Tott.svg Erland Kagge   White flag icon.svg
Units involved
Unknown Raseborg's garrison
Stegeborg's garrison
Borgholm's garrison
Visborg's garrison
Strength
Large amount of men
15 ships		 Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

Sten Sture's war against the Totts (Swedish: Sten Stures kamp mot Tottarna [1] or the Fight between Sten Sture and Ivar Axelsson (Kampen mellan Sten Sture och Ivar Axelsson [2] ) refers to a conflict between forces under Sten Sture the Elder and the Tott family in 1487.

Contents

Background

Sten Sture the Elder
Stein Gustavson (Sture).jpg
The face of St. George generally agreed to be a youth portrait of Sten Sture the Elder

Tensions between the Totts and Sten Sture

Since the mid-1450s, the powerful Tott family had controlled several provinces and estates around the Baltic Sea, with Ivar Axelsson Tott being the master of Gotland. [1] The Tott's could act more independently than other lords at the time, which gradually caused tensions between Ivar Axelsson and Sten Sture to increase. Ivar had previously attempted to depose Sten Sture in 1483, but this attempt ended in failure. [3] The tensions quickly broke into open conflict after Ivar refused to stop harassing Dutch ships, [2] and when it erupted, the Tott's held Gotland, along with Visborg, Öland, along with Borgholm, as well as Stegeborg, Kalmar, and Raseborg. [1]

War

In January 1487, Sten Sture began hostilities with Ivar Axelsson and began assembling a large army in Östergötland to move against the Tott's possessions. [4] [1] He quickly began marching towards Kalmar and went over the ice to Borgholm on Öland, where he initiated a siege of the fortress where Ivar was situated, he tried his best to defend the fortress, but when the ice melted and 15 Swedish ships began blocking the sea route to the fortress, [4] [1] Ivar decided to escape the fortress and managed to do so during nighttime. [5] [1] He left his wife to defend it, however, she surrendered after a few weeks of defending after she received a letter promising some privileges to her and her children. [6] [7]

At the same time, people from Östergötland under Knut Eskilsson Baner, moved towards Stegeborg, while Raseborg was besieged by Knut Posse. One by one, the fortresses under the Totts fall. Stegeborg was surrendered by Erland Kagge on May 24 while Borgholm was conquered by Knut Posse. [8] [1] When four ships under Knut Posse began to cruise outside of Visborg, Ivar Axelsson realized that he had lost. [1] He decided to surrender Visborg and Gotland to Denmark in exchange for regaining the family's estates in Denmark, [2] along with this, he was also forced to surrender Borgholm and Öland to Sten Sture with humiliating terms after pressure by the Danish king. [1] [4] [3]

Aftermath

As a result of the war, the power that the Tott's held was crushed, with them never being able to regain it. [1] Ivar Axelsson would later die the same year in his fortress Lillöhus, near modern-day Kristianstad. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalmar County</span> County (län) of Sweden

Kalmar County is a county or län in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kronoberg, Jönköping, Blekinge and Östergötland. To the east in the Baltic Sea is the island Gotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sten Sture the Elder</span> Regent of Sweden (r. 1470–1497; 1501–1503)

Sten Sture the Elder was a Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden from 1470 to 1497 and again from 1501 to 1503. As the leader of the victorious Swedish separatist forces against the royal unionist forces during the Battle of Brunkeberg in 1471, he weakened the Kalmar Union considerably and became the effective ruler of Sweden as Lord Regent for most of his remaining life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettil Karlsson (Vasa)</span> Regent of Sweden

Kettil Karlsson (Vasa) (c. 1433 – 11 August 1465) was a Swedish clergyman, diplomat, military leader and statesman during the Kalmar Union era. He was a member of the house of Vasa. At age 25, he was elected Bishop of Linköping. He rebelled against King Christian I in 1463, was Captain General (rikshövitsman) and de facto regent of Sweden from February to August 1464, stepping down during the brief return of King Charles Canutesson from exile. After falling out with King Charles, Kettil Karlsson was subsequently elected Lord Protector and Regent (riksföreståndare) of Sweden from 26 December 1464 to his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Axelsson Tott</span> Dano-Swedish statesman

Erik Axelsson (Tott) (c. 1419–1481) was a Dano-Swedish statesman who served as the regent of Sweden under the Kalmar Union, jointly with Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna in 1457 and alone from 1466 to 1467.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Knutsson</span> King of Sweden (r. 1448–1457; 1464–1465; 1467–1470)

Karl Knutsson Bonde, also known as Charles VIII and called Charles I in Norwegian contexts, was King of Sweden and King of Norway (1449–1450).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Søren Norby</span>

Søren Norby, selfstyled as Severin Norbi was a Danish leading naval officer in the fleets of Danish kings Hans I and Christian II. He commandeered the greatest ship of the Danish fleet in naval wars against Sweden and Lübeck. Norby governed various land possessions in Scandinavia, ruling Gotland from 1517 to 1525. His rebellion against Frederick I of Denmark in 1525 was defeated, and he fled Denmark, ending his life in the employ of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Eric Bielke, also known as Eerikki Tuurenpoika and Eric Tureson, royal councillor of Sweden, knighted, feudal fiefholder or margrave of Vyborg Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vyborg Castle</span> Medieval castle in Leningrad Oblast, Russia

Vyborg Castle is a fortress in Vyborg, Russia. It was built by the Swedes during the Middle Ages around which the town of Vyborg evolved. The castle became the stronghold of the Swedish realm in the Karelian region. Throughout the centuries, it was the first defense of the kingdom against the Russians. Its military and strategic status in the late Middle Ages was second only to the fortified capital Stockholm. Currently it serves as the site of Vyborg Regional Museum.

The Fief of Viborg (1320–1534) was for two centuries a late medieval fief in the southeastern border of Finland and the entire Swedish realm. It was held by its chatelain, a fief-appointed feudal lord.

Arvid Birgersson, Lord of Bergkvara was a Swedish magnate and politician in the last decades of Middle Ages. He was justiciar of Östergötland and then of Tiohärad, as well as a Lord High Councillor of Sweden, and once a candidate for Regent. His family coat of arms depict a headless troll whereby some have retrospectively called him Arvid Trolle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingeborg Tott</span>

Ingeborg Åkesdotter Tott, in her lifetime called Ingeborg Åkesdotter or simply Fru Ingeborg, was a Swedish noble, the consort of the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Elder. She was the fiefholder of Häme in Finland. She functioned as the de facto queen consort of Sweden for over three decades and participated in state affairs during the reign of her spouse.

Brita Olovsdotter Tott or Birgitte Olufsdatter Thott, was a Danish and Swedish noble, landowner and royal county administrator She was judged for treason and for the forgery of seals. She was one of the biggest landowners in Scandinavia, and her estates played a role in politics in Sweden and Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magdalena of Sweden</span> Swedish princess (1445–1495)

Magdalena of Sweden was a Swedish princess. She was the daughter of Charles VIII of Sweden and his first queen consort, Catherine Karlsdotter. In 1468–1470, her spouse Ivar Axelsson (Tott) was the promised successor of her father as regent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stegeborg Castle</span>

Stegeborg Castle is a ruined castle in St Anna parish, Söderköping, Östergötland, located on an island in a narrow sound at the bay of Slätbaken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katarina Nipertz</span>

Katarina Erikintytär Nipertz was a Swedish noblewoman and fiefholder of Raseborg Castle, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dano-Swedish War (1501–1512)</span>

The Dano-Swedish War from 1501 to 1512 was a military conflict between Denmark and Sweden within the Kalmar Union.

The War in Gotland (1448–1449) was an invasion of the island of Gotland by King Karl Knutsson in 1448.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dano-Swedish War (1512–1520)</span>

The Dano-Swedish War (1512–1520), is the name of the conflict that lasted 1512–1520 and was part of the Union Wars at the time of the Kalmar Union. The war was between the opponents of the union and the Danish king Hans, later his son Christian II, and ended in 1520 after Sten Sture the Younger died as a result of injuries at Battle of Bogesund and Christian II marched into Stockholm in September of the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tott's Russian wars</span> Two wars between Sweden and Russia

Tott's Russian wars refers to a series of two wars waged by Erik Axelsson Tott against Russia. The first one occurred from 1475–1476, with the other one going from 1479–1482.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Sundberg, Ulf (1999). Medeltidens Svenska krig (in Swedish) (1st ed.). Stockholm: Hjalmarson & Högberg. pp. 357–358. ISBN   9189080262.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Adolfsson, Mats (2010). När borgarna brann[When the castles burned] (in Swedish). Natur & Kultur. p. 298. ISBN   9789127128088.
  3. 1 2 "TOTT, Ivar Axelsson". www.blf.fi. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  4. 1 2 3 "STEN STURE d.ä." www.blf.fi. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  5. ↑ "Ansedel Ivar Axelsson (Tott)". www.birgerbergenholtz.se. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  6. ↑ Terävä, Elina. "ARMED LIFE IN MEDIEVAL RASEBORG Historical Sources and Archaeological Finds Related to Weapons and Armoury in and Around the Castle". Journal.fi: 5.
  7. ↑ "Etusivu". kansallisbiografia.fi. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  8. ↑ "Sök - Uppslagsverket Finland". www.uppslagsverket.fi. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.