Battle of Visby

Battle of Visby

The Battle of Visby was fought in 1361 on the island of Gotland. The Danish force was led by Valdemar IV of Denmark, and composed of Danish and German soldiers. After the battle, a Gutnish yeomen army fought the Danes just outside the city walls.

About Battle of Visby in brief

Summary Battle of VisbyThe Battle of Visby was fought in 1361 on the island of Gotland. The Danish force was led by Valdemar IV of Denmark, and composed of Danish and German soldiers, many of them mercenaries from the Baltic coast of Germany. After the battle, a Gutnish yeomen army fought the Danes just outside the city walls and was severely beaten, with an estimated death toll of about 1,800 yeomen and peasants. Following the devastating battle, the citizens of Vis by decided to surrender to avoid further losses. The island would be disputed over by the House of Mecklenburg until 1376, when Queen Margaret officially claimed the island for Denmark.

The first archeological excavations were done in 1905, led by Oscar Pettersten and Wilhelm Nils Nilsen. It was not until 1408 that the last remains of the house Meck lenburg and the above-mentioned pirates were driven out for good. The site is now home to the Museum of the History of the Gutes, a museum dedicated to the history of the Gotland Gutes and the Gute people. The Gutes were a semi-independent part of Sweden under king Magnus IV of Sweden, though the population included people of Ruthenian descent, Danes, and Germans.