The New Murrey and Blue blog

In July 1361 there was a rather bloody conflict….but it wasn’t one of ours, so to speak (Edward III was busy fighting the Hundred Years War with France).

“….The Battle of Visby was a violent medieval battle near the town of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland, fought between the inhabitants of Gotland and the Danes, with the latter emerging victorious….” Today the battlefield is still a place of countless human remains.

If you go to this article The Harrowing Remains of the Battle of Visby’s Medieval Massacre (ancientoriginsunleashed.com) you can read about the situation that brought the battle about. The very position of the island of Gotland made it a strategic point for trade between Europe and Russia, and the city of Visby—an important member of the Hanseatic League—prospered as a consequence.

As usual what was prosperous and ideal for one rankled with another, in this instance Valdemar IV, the King of Denmark. His annoyance increased when he was told the Gotlanders made merry by singing rude songs about him. He clearly had no sense of humour, because in July 1361 he landed on the island with an army and a horribly bloody battle ensued.

The above Ancient Origins article also tells of the twentieth-century excavations (between 1905 and 1928) that revealed many mass graves and other interesting artefacts, enriching our knowledge of how they fought in the 14^th century.