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Nils Dacke

December 07, 2023

"Dacke" redirects here. For other uses, see Dacke (disambiguation).

Nils Dacke (died 1543) was a Swedish yeoman who was the leader of a mid-16th century peasant revolt in the historic province of Småland in southern Sweden.[1] The resulting Dacke War (Swedish: Dackefejden) was fought against King Gustav I of Sweden of the Vasa family. It was the most widespread and serious civil war in Swedish history and almost toppled the king.[2][3]

Statue of Nils Dacke in Virserum
Nils Dacke memorial at Vissefjärda (The text reads: Memorial for the farmerleader Nils Dacke and his people that in this place the years 1542-1544 died in their fight for freedom, law and faith. The stone is gathered from Dackes farm in South Lindön and raised by Vissefjärda local community association in the year 1973)

Background edit

King Gustav Vasa had come to power at the head of a peasant army in 1523. He had established Sweden's independence from Denmark and made Protestantism the national religion. Småland found itself on the border between Sweden and Denmark and was hit hard by Vasa's ban on cross-border trade. In addition, the heavy handed way in which the church was reformed and the increasing tax burden led to much dissatisfaction among the poor peasants.

The Dacke War edit

See also: Dacke War

Already in 1536, Nils Dacke was tried at a local court for killing a sheriff; according to court records he was fined 10 oxen. The uprising started in Södra Möre during June 1542 with the assassination of more sheriffs and tax collectors. Gustav Vasa underestimated the military prowess of the peasants and sent his German mercenaries (Landsknecht) to quell the revolt. The landsknechts were, however, unsuited for battle in the rugged forests and suffered heavy losses. Dacke had devised defensive tactics that allowed the peasants to use their steel crossbows with devastating effect. Dacke's successes helped spread the revolt over all the southern provinces of Sweden. The situation was so serious that the king was forced to sue for peace, and a one-year ceasefire was signed on 8 November. During the ceasefire, Dacke was the de facto ruler of most of southern Sweden and received offers of foreign support from the Elector Palatine Frederick II (1482–1556), who was the son-in-law of King Christian II of Denmark, and Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg (1486–1547). He reinstated the ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church and reopened the cross-border trade in the areas under his control. With Danish support, Gustav Vasa mounted an invasion of Mecklenburg which neutralised the German threat.[4]

In the autumn of 1542, the king had to agree to a truce with Dacke. The king broke the ceasefire in January 1543 and sent a new and larger army into the rebellious area. His forces moved in from Östergötland and Västergötland. Royal propaganda had been spread to win over the population and turn them against Dacke. Dacke himself had become overconfident after earlier successes and met the Swedish Royal Army in a pitched battle in March. The trained soldiers fighting on their own terms shattered the peasant army, and Dacke was severely injured. After this defeat, the rebellion was effectively over and Dacke became an outlaw.[citation needed]

Death edit

 
Nils Dacke's severed head. Drawing by the 16th-century chronicler Joen Petri Klint.

Dacke was shot during the summer of 1543 in the forests of the parish of Virserum. According to contemporary sources, he had been injured in both legs by hits from the king's crossbows during the decisive battle a few months earlier, his forces had been routed, and he was likely trying to escape from the king's mercenaries. Dacke eventually fell in August 1543 at a farm in the parish of Gullabo in Södra Möre.

Dacke was executed posthumously, quartered, and his limbs were sent for public display in larger communities that had supported him during the rebellion. Gustav Vasa ordered the annihilation of Dacke's entire family, but showed some leniency against those who had given themselves up. Dacke's wife, brother-in-law and other relatives were executed. His son was taken to prison in Stockholm where he either starved to death or died from the plague. Thus, the unity of the realm was restored.

As a result of the war, the king was henceforth more careful when dealing with his subjects. The reliance on foreign mercenaries in the army was reduced in favour of soldiers of Swedish extraction (many of which were recruited in Småland), and this laid the foundation for Sweden's military successes in later wars.

Legacy edit

Nils Dacke is commonly perceived as a Småland freedom hero. His name is often linked to an independent streak in Småland. Statues in memory of him have been erected, including one in Virserum, where the final battle allegedly took place during 1543. The Nils Dacke party [sv] (Swedish: Nils Dacke-partiet) is a local political party in the township of Gnosjö.

M/S Nils Dacke [sv] is a vessel, owned by TT-Line serving the Trelleborg-Świnoujście route.[5]

Dacke, a made-for-television film, was released in 1961 by Swedish director and screenwriter Bengt Lagerkvist [sv].[6][7]

The asteroid 7217 Dacke is named after him.

References edit

  1. ^ "Dacke War | Swedish history | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  2. ^ Den tyska perioden och Dackefejden (Tacitus.Nu)
  3. ^ "Dackefejden – upproret som utmanade Vasa". alltomhistoria.se. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  4. ^ Albert Vejde. "Nils Dacke". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  5. ^ "M/S Nils Dacke". TT-Line. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Bengt Lagerkvist (1926–2013)". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Dacke (1961)". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 1 June 2020.

Other sources edit

  • Månsson, Fabian (1938) Gustaf Vasa och Nils Dacke: historisk skildring om bondeklassens undergång och herregårdens födelse (Stockholm: Tiden)

Related reading edit

External links edit

    December 07, 2023
    nils, dacke, dacke, redirects, here, other, uses, dacke, disambiguation, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sour. Dacke redirects here For other uses see Dacke disambiguation This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Nils Dacke news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Nils Dacke died 1543 was a Swedish yeoman who was the leader of a mid 16th century peasant revolt in the historic province of Smaland in southern Sweden 1 The resulting Dacke War Swedish Dackefejden was fought against King Gustav I of Sweden of the Vasa family It was the most widespread and serious civil war in Swedish history and almost toppled the king 2 3 Statue of Nils Dacke in Virserum Nils Dacke memorial at Vissefjarda The text reads Memorial for the farmerleader Nils Dacke and his people that in this place the years 1542 1544 died in their fight for freedom law and faith The stone is gathered from Dackes farm in South Lindon and raised by Vissefjarda local community association in the year 1973 Contents 1 Background 2 The Dacke War 3 Death 4 Legacy 5 References 6 Other sources 7 Related reading 8 External linksBackground editKing Gustav Vasa had come to power at the head of a peasant army in 1523 He had established Sweden s independence from Denmark and made Protestantism the national religion Smaland found itself on the border between Sweden and Denmark and was hit hard by Vasa s ban on cross border trade In addition the heavy handed way in which the church was reformed and the increasing tax burden led to much dissatisfaction among the poor peasants The Dacke War editSee also Dacke War Already in 1536 Nils Dacke was tried at a local court for killing a sheriff according to court records he was fined 10 oxen The uprising started in Sodra More during June 1542 with the assassination of more sheriffs and tax collectors Gustav Vasa underestimated the military prowess of the peasants and sent his German mercenaries Landsknecht to quell the revolt The landsknechts were however unsuited for battle in the rugged forests and suffered heavy losses Dacke had devised defensive tactics that allowed the peasants to use their steel crossbows with devastating effect Dacke s successes helped spread the revolt over all the southern provinces of Sweden The situation was so serious that the king was forced to sue for peace and a one year ceasefire was signed on 8 November During the ceasefire Dacke was the de facto ruler of most of southern Sweden and received offers of foreign support from the Elector Palatine Frederick II 1482 1556 who was the son in law of King Christian II of Denmark and Albrecht VII Duke of Mecklenburg 1486 1547 He reinstated the ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church and reopened the cross border trade in the areas under his control With Danish support Gustav Vasa mounted an invasion of Mecklenburg which neutralised the German threat 4 In the autumn of 1542 the king had to agree to a truce with Dacke The king broke the ceasefire in January 1543 and sent a new and larger army into the rebellious area His forces moved in from Ostergotland and Vastergotland Royal propaganda had been spread to win over the population and turn them against Dacke Dacke himself had become overconfident after earlier successes and met the Swedish Royal Army in a pitched battle in March The trained soldiers fighting on their own terms shattered the peasant army and Dacke was severely injured After this defeat the rebellion was effectively over and Dacke became an outlaw citation needed Death edit nbsp Nils Dacke s severed head Drawing by the 16th century chronicler Joen Petri Klint Dacke was shot during the summer of 1543 in the forests of the parish of Virserum According to contemporary sources he had been injured in both legs by hits from the king s crossbows during the decisive battle a few months earlier his forces had been routed and he was likely trying to escape from the king s mercenaries Dacke eventually fell in August 1543 at a farm in the parish of Gullabo in Sodra More Dacke was executed posthumously quartered and his limbs were sent for public display in larger communities that had supported him during the rebellion Gustav Vasa ordered the annihilation of Dacke s entire family but showed some leniency against those who had given themselves up Dacke s wife brother in law and other relatives were executed His son was taken to prison in Stockholm where he either starved to death or died from the plague Thus the unity of the realm was restored As a result of the war the king was henceforth more careful when dealing with his subjects The reliance on foreign mercenaries in the army was reduced in favour of soldiers of Swedish extraction many of which were recruited in Smaland and this laid the foundation for Sweden s military successes in later wars Legacy editNils Dacke is commonly perceived as a Smaland freedom hero His name is often linked to an independent streak in Smaland Statues in memory of him have been erected including one in Virserum where the final battle allegedly took place during 1543 The Nils Dacke party sv Swedish Nils Dacke partiet is a local political party in the township of Gnosjo M S Nils Dacke sv is a vessel owned by TT Line serving the Trelleborg Swinoujscie route 5 Dacke a made for television film was released in 1961 by Swedish director and screenwriter Bengt Lagerkvist sv 6 7 The asteroid 7217 Dacke is named after him References edit Dacke War Swedish history Britannica www britannica com Retrieved 9 December 2022 Den tyska perioden och Dackefejden Tacitus Nu Dackefejden upproret som utmanade Vasa alltomhistoria se 6 September 2017 Retrieved 1 January 2019 Albert Vejde Nils Dacke Svenskt biografiskt lexikon Retrieved 1 January 2019 M S Nils Dacke TT Line Retrieved 1 June 2020 Bengt Lagerkvist 1926 2013 IMDb com Inc Retrieved 1 June 2020 Dacke 1961 IMDb com Inc Retrieved 1 June 2020 Other sources editMansson Fabian 1938 Gustaf Vasa och Nils Dacke historisk skildring om bondeklassens undergang och herregardens fodelse Stockholm Tiden Related reading editMoberg Vilhelm 2005 A History of the Swedish People Volume 1 From Prehistory to the Renaissance University of Minnesota ISBN 978 0 816 64656 2 Larsson Lars Olof 1979 Dackeland Stockholm Norstedts forlag ISBN 978 91 1 793312 8External links editM S Nils Dacke Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nils Dacke amp oldid 1175593786, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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