This introduction analyses the Stockholm Bloodbath from two different perspectives. For one, the Bloodbath is part of a several-centurieslong history of unstable empires in northern Europe. Several independent, although connected, reigns were governed by one king, who united a vast, however conflict-ridden realm that fell apart in the aftermath of the Bloodbath. Regular violent uprising and internal wars shaped late medieval Scandinavian history. The second perspective concerns the historical representations of the Bloodbath, which often follows national-history stereotypes and undervalues the European dimensions of a conflict that was more common than depicted. Both perspectives open a volume that aims at deepening our understanding of the conflict.

The Stockholm Bloodbath on November 7–9, 1520, during which Kristian II had more than 100 persons executed on charges of heresy, is a turning point in the history of the Northern kingdoms. This bloodbath eventually led to Kristian II’s lifelong incarceration, the rise of the Swedish Vasa dynasty, and the end of the Kalmar Union. It has commonly been perceived both as part of Swedish-Danish conflict and also as part of a Swedish civil war. In this volume, fifteen researchers offer new insights both into the events themselves and also, most significantly, into their background and aftermath, which stretch far beyond Stockholm and the year 1520.