Introduction

The Danish King Valdemar IV Atterdag conquered Gotland in 1361. Thereafter, the island became part of the Danish kingdom for the next nearly 300 years. For a long time this event shaped relations between Denmark and Sweden.

Valdemar IV made land on the southwest coast of the island on July 22, 1361. On the following day, it came to multiple skirmishes between Valdemar’s battled-tested soldiers and the rather poorly-armed Gutnish peasants. However, the Danish king was not to be stopped on his way to Visby. At the time, Visby was the only city on the island – strongly fortified and well-off due to its trade relations spanning the entire Baltic Sea region.

The 27th of July, 1361 was likely a hot summer day, as a gathered contingent of Gutnish peasants made a stand against the invading Danish troops before the city walls of Visby. The size of both armies was not passed on. By guess, the Gutnish could have mobilized between three and five thousand men, and Valdemar could have brought roughly 2,500 men to the island. 150-200 horses could have potentially been transported on the ships. Later sources number the death toll of peasants at the decisive battle of Visby at roughly 1,800. The city’s inhabitants appear not to have become involved in the battle and to have opened the city gates to the victorious Danish king after some negotiation. Valdemar IV remained with his troops in Gotland until the end of August and ravaged the rural community.

Valdemar began to use the title “King of the Gutnish” sporadically as part of his royal titles. Only in 1972, long after the island had become Swedish again, did Margrethe II as Danish queen give up this title.

Since 1984, tens of thousands of tourists, history enthusiasts and reenactors of the “Medeltidsveckan” (Medieval Week) gather every summer on Gotland, and Visby appears as a city of the 14th century. The taking of the city by Valdemar Atterdag was chosen as the occasion to host the week in 1984, which illustrates how alive the memory of this event still was. Over the years, the “Medeltidsveckan” evolved into one of the largest cultural events related to the Middle Ages in Europe. One of the high points of the 650th anniversary of the conquest of Gotland in 2011 was a reenactment of this dramatic battle for the Gutnish. This spectacle was repeated in 2013.

 Fig. : The Reenactment of the Battle before the Visby City Walls during the “Medeltidsveckan” 2011

The event was also not forgotten in Denmark. In 1990 for her 50^th birthday, Margarethe II of Denmark was gifted a series of eleven tapestries which were presented to her on her 60^th birthday in the year 2000. These newly-made tapestries depict a modern interpretation of Danish history. The third tapestry shows the late Middle Ages. In the center of the picture stands Valdemar Atterdag, who points to the abstracted city walls of Visby with his right hand. Without further assessment, the tapestry refers to the taking of the city.

Notice

See the presentation of the tapestries at the artist’s website:

https://www.bjoernnoergaard.dk/en/works/kunst-i-det-faelles-rum/tapestries-queen-denmark-gobelin