Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson

Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson (1390s – May 4 1436) was a Swedish rebel leader and later statesman. He was the leader of the Engelbrekt rebellion in 1434 against Eric of Pomerania, king of the Kalmar Union.

Engelbrekt, whose family was of German origin, was a mine owner and a nobleman from Dalarna in Middle Sweden. Dissatisfied by misdeeds of the Danish local bailiffs and heavy taxation, he started a rebellion with the support of mine workers and peasants from his home area. The rebellion grew into a massive force sweeping the country.

In 1435 Engelbrekt was appointed commander of the national forces (rikshövitsman) at a Riksdag in Arboga that is often considered the first Riksdag in Sweden. He was not, however, able to withstand the Swedish nobility, who wanted to exploit the rebellion, and he was somewhat forced into the background. On May 4, 1436 Engelbrekt was assassinated at a peninsula in Lake Hjälmaren by the aristocrat Måns Bengtsson, who lived in the nearby Göksholm Castle.

Posterity has regarded Engelbrekt as one of the great heroes of Swedish history and his rebellion has been viewed the start of the "national awakening" of the Swedes, which triumphed in the victory of Gustav Vasa. There are statues of Engelbrekt in Stockholm, Örebro, Arboga and Falun.

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