October 10 in Swedish History

The battle of Brunkeberg in what is today Stockholm's city center. 

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  The victorious Swedish regent Sten Sture the Elder rides into Stockholm. Painting by Georg von Rosen. Photo: Nationalmuseum via Creative Commons.

• October 10 in Swedish History
  1471: Today the battle of Brunkeberg between the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Elder and Danish king Christian the first’s forces. The battle is a part of the Dano-Swedish War (1470-1471). In 1471, October 10 falls on a Thursday, Sten Sture and Nils Bossom Sture lead their troops north to the area which is Hötorget in Stockholm today, near Brunkeberg after which the battle was named.
  Sten Sture's battle plan is to catch Christian's troops in a vice; Sten would attack from the west, Nils from the east, and Knut Posse would strike out from the city itself.
  In the ensuing battle, Christian is hit in the face by musket fire. Losing several teeth, he is forced to retire from battle, which ends in a victory for Sten Sture. Sture's victory over Christian meant his power as viceroy of Sweden was secure and would remain so for the rest of his life. According to legend, Sture had prayed to Saint George before the battle. He later paid tribute to Saint George by commissioning a statue of Saint George and the Dragon carved by the Lübeck sculptor Bernt Notke for the Storkyrkan church in Stockholm, as an obvious allegory of Sture's battle against Christian.

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  On October 10 in 1471, Swedish king Sten Sture the Elder fights it out against Danish king Christian I in the Battle of Brunkeberg, which ends in victory for the Swedes. Legend has it, that Sture had prayed to Saint George before the battle, and later paid tribute to the saint by commissioning a statue of him and the dragon, by sculptor Bernt Notke. This statue can still be seen in Stockholm’s Storkyrkan.