Mästerby

Mästerby
Mästerby church
Mästerby
Coordinates: 57°28′12″N 18°18′14″E / 57.47000°N 18.30389°E / 57.47000; 18.30389Coordinates: 57°28′12″N 18°18′14″E / 57.47000°N 18.30389°E / 57.47000; 18.30389
Country	Sweden
Province	Gotland
County	Gotland County
Municipality	Gotland Municipality
Area
• Total	22.97 km2 (8.87 sq mi)
Population (2014)
• Total	181
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	Mästerby

Battle of Mästerby
Part of the Battle of Visby
The skull of a participant in the 1361 campaign, shot by three arrows.
Date 25 July 1361 Location Mästerby, Gotland Result Danish victory, leaving the road to Visby open.
Belligerents
Gotland	Denmark
Commanders and leaders
Gotlandic farmers	Valdemar IV of Denmark
Strength
about 1,500	2,600
Casualties and losses
1,500	unknown

Mästerby, is a settlement on the Swedish island of Gotland. Formerly a socken, on 1 January 2016, it was reconstituted into the administrative area Mästerby District. When King Valdemar IV of Denmark and his troops invaded Gotland in 1361, they met the first line of resistance at the Battle of Mästerby.

Mästerby has been a settlement since prehistoric times. A great number of archeological finds have been made here along with grave fields, stone mounds and traces of houses dating from the Iron, Bronze and Viking Ages as well as from Medieval times. The finds also include a number of metal objects, jewelry and coins with the oldest coin a Roman dinar dated 160–180.

The name Mästerby originates from the Old Gutnish word maister meaning "master" or "foremost". In 1270, the name was written as "Mestraby", "Meystbye" in the 14th century and "Mesteby" in 1523.

The courthouse for southern Gotland was situated at Mästerby, along with a gallows and a place for corporal punishment from 1000 until the end of the 16th century. The last execution was the hanging of Anders Botelson from Gothem in 1698, for stealing from a church.

Mästerby is the name of the socken, now district. It is also the name of the small village surrounding the medieval Mästerby Church, sometimes referred to as Mästerby kyrkby. It is situated on central Gotland. The Mästerby parish (not to be confused with the socken/district) was formerly independent and in 2012, it was incorporated into the joint parish of Sanda, Västergarn and Mästerby.

One of the asteroids in the Asteroid belt, 10813 Mästerby, is named after the settlement.

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