Battle at Helgeandsholmen 1463 #2

During the week I had the opportunety to play a game of Hail Caesar, and at last a 15th century game during the Kalmar Union War.

The Scenario for the day was a re-worked one of my "Battle at Helgeandsholmen 1463" scenario.

Background

In 1459 the Union/Danish King Christian I got the opportunity to inherit Schleswig, but he had to pay off some of he´s relatives. The price however, was astronomical, 123,000 guilders, equivalent to 30 750 silver marks or six tons of silver, and this would be borne by the Union population. All citizens in Denmark and Sweden had to pay extra taxes to cover for the cost.

The increased tax burden in Sweden met with resistance. 1463 imposed an additional tax of 12 cents for each tax farmer and 6 cents for every country people. When the Allmoge in Uppland protested violently declared Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson (Oxenstierna) that the tax was abolished.

When King Christian returned to Stockholm the Archbishop was imprisoned and taken to Denmark. Uppland Allmoge marched to Stockholm and camped on Norrmalm. Under the leadership of the Swedish Marshal Ture Turesson (Bielke) the Kings soldiers massacre the Allmoge on August 21 at the Battle of Helgeandsholmen.

The poor farmes that just live outside Stockholm are not aware of the blood bath to follow...

Here follow the Story about the battle of Helgeandsholmen from the chronicle Rimkrönikan or more exact the part called Sturekrönikan:

Our Archbishop is against the law of King Christian captured. Evil is to live and look after. We have to go out en masse. ...... And soon was assembled a huge crowd. The farmers went out so quietly, that no one in Stockholm heard a thing or had the slightest idea of ​​danger.  ..... . The city was sleeping in peace, when the army came to Norrebro, and peasants crept without WAITING to the innermost. port on the north side. If ladders resulted, but two or three, is not known, what could happen. But bondeörlog is rarely to praise and said about the victory show. Though the city not all at once could be had, however, peasants were not his journey, flawed. It lay there, the two shared roots, the Helgeandsholmen and Brunkebergs ridge. But all too soon the peasants would find that Stockholm was not so easy to win.

And peasants caught rebuke for his villa, to split the army in two, and while it did not take now, before they started to sound bad. For this, as on Helgeandsholmen low, there was no way to retreat. Since the battle lasted half the day, it became also the foundation block, for help from the others were not to be: The power and the enemy separated the two.   It went so far that the Holy Spirit Church, where a crowd of peasants managed to escape, resounded deathcry and clash of arms instead of songs to the Lord's worship. How pitiful than the farmer prayed and groaned, he was cut without mercy. down. It drew not even to kill many of those who have given freely to capture.   But Christian's heart relent in the end, so that all the others released.

About half of the rebells up at the Brunkeberg ridge.

OOB rebells

Command of  C-in-C Kristiern Bengtsson (Oxenstierna) Brother to Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson (Oxenstierna)

3 Units of Allmoge

Command of Erik Nilsson (Oxenstierna) Cousin to Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson (Oxenstierna)

4 Units of Allmoge

Early in the morning the Danish Marshal Rönnow let he´s German mercenarys march out side the walls of Stockholm to subdue the rebellion...

OOB Danish/Union 

Command of Claus Rönnow, Defenders of Stockholm

2 Units of Mercenarys halberdmen

2 Small Units of Mercenarys crossbowmen (May use Pavises)

1 Small Unit of Mercenary Handguners

Command of C-in-C Ture Turesson (Bielke), Reinforcements

2 Units of Knights and Knechts

1 Small Unit of Mercenary Handguners

Early morning outside Stockholm in august 1463. Close to the left at the Brinkeberg ridge one part of the rebells have spent the night. the rest of the rebells managed to get over the bridge to Helgeandsholmen during the night...

Middle to the left you have the Helgeands house/chapell and in the back the city walls of Stockholm and its Danish defenders.

By some peculiar reason the Rebell commander ordered the allmoge soldiers that already HAD managed to get over to Helgeandsholmen to get back to the mainland...

BUT it would apper to be a mastermind move as the Danish King and all hes Knights returned in the back after a small raid at the Archbishops castle...

By a strike of luck the rebells had gathered a impresive force to meet the threat from the appearing Knights in the back...

At the same time the Danish Marshall tryed to no vain to get he´s mercenarys to advance...probably to early in the morning or to low pay...

The Danish Knights had to endure a hail of crossbowbolts from the Allmoge soldiers, soon starting to cause several damages... The knights was short of time, but due to poor command they didn´t manage to get a chanse to charge...

The Danish infantry still standing out side the city walls of Stockholm...

At last the Danish Infantry was advancing to help the Knights to subdue the rebellion and save the kings loot.

The Allmoge continued to shoot att the poor knights, the mercenary handgunners fledd the field and but one of the Knight units made a headlong charge driving the Allmoge as cattle...

The Danish Infantry managed to get to the bridge but to late... During it´s wait and slow advance the rebells had poured crossbow bols at the knights and soften them up before they charged them from all directions...

The Battle was a lost cause for the Danes, the King managed to get by to safty within the walls of Stockholm, but without his loot from the Archbishops estate...

It was a nice game but I will rework some of the stats for the different units, especially now then I gor the new army book as a guideline :)