Battle of Lena
| date | January 31, 1208 |
|---|---|
| place | Kungslena , Sweden |
| output | Swedish victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 12,000-18,000 knights and soldiers | 7,000-10,000 armed farmers |
| losses | |
|
devastatingly beaten |
light |
The Battle of Lena took place on January 31, 1208 at what is now Kungslena in the Tidaholm district in Västergötland ( Sweden ).
The battle was an important event in the power struggle between the families of Erik and Sverker for the Swedish royal crown. At Lena the king's son Erik Knutsson met with a Swedish-Norwegian army and the king Sverker the Elder, who was driven out by him . J. Karlsson with a predominantly Danish army.
According to medieval sources, the Danish army was around 18,000 strong. However, this seems to be greatly exaggerated. For Valdemar II Sejr this was also a hopeful attempt to incorporate Västergötland Denmark. The Danes were led by Ebbe Sunesson Hvide and his brothers Lars, Jakob and Peder Sunesson.
King Erik triumphed with his Norwegian warriors and Sverker fled back to Denmark with his Archbishop Valerius. Erik Knutsson was elected king; however, the power struggle was not over yet. The disputes continued and this may have resulted in the Battle of Gestilren in 1210.
The fact that the Battle of Lena was a significant setback for the victorious Danish great power can be found in a well-known stanza in a medieval ballad that describes the battle from a Danish perspective:
"Fruarna sitta i Högan loft
de vänta sina herrar att komma
Hästarna kommo blodiga fram
och sadlarna voro tomma"
"The women are sitting in the room above.
They are waiting for their masters to return.
The horses come bloody.
The saddles were empty."
The church of Kungslena was built in memory of this battle .