Battle of Brännkyrka

Part of Sten Sture the Younger's war against Denmark

A fresco depicting the battle in Vasa Choir () in Uppsala Cathedral

Date	27 July 1518
Location	Disputable, see the article.
Result	Swedish victory

Belligerents

Christian II with union troops

The followers of Sten Sture the Younger with Swedish troops

Commanders and leaders

Christian II

Sten Sture the Younger

Battle of Brännkyrka took place on 27 July 1518 in Sweden, during a Swedish uprising against the Danish dominance in Kalmar Union, between Danish forces and Swedish rebel troops. The battle resulted in decisive Swedish victory.

On the Summer of 1518 the Danish king Christian II started a siege of in an attempt to quell the rebellion of the party of Sten Sture the Younger, regent of Sweden. With an army, mostly composed of Danish troops and reinforced by German mercenaries, he firstly camped on Norrmalm, but later moved to Södermalm. In July, Sten Sture the Younger advanced from the south along with an army to break the siege. Christian's troops then took the siege off and marched southwards to meet the approaching Swedish forces.

The main sources of the Battle of Brännkyrka is an account in Latin of a Danish eyewitness, Lars Werman (Lawrence Wermannus), and one in German by a man in Sten Sture service. None of them mentions Brännkyrka. It is however, mentioned in later sources: Olaus Petri, Peder Svart (), the Great Swedish historical chronicle () (Stora rimkrönikan) and others.

Werman doesn't specify the exact location of the battle but mentions the place had mountains and hills overgrown with bushes on the left side and on the right side there were swamps and fences. The German narrative reports ene schermüslinth by Aerstede op eyne enge, "a skirmish at Aerstede in a meadow". In a note in Latin that says Annerstedt Aerstede refers to Årsta farm and therefore the battle should have taken place at Årstafältet () between Årsta yard () and Brännkyrka church (). The historian Sigurd Rahmqvist () believes that Aerstede refers to Ersta (), a farm that no longer exists, but that laid west of Årstafältet, northwest of Göta highway. This would indicate that at least the concluding part of the battle took place on the slope towards Årstafältet between Östberga () and Ersta, just to the north of Örby mill.

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