Medieval Week

The Invasion of 1361:

The Danish King of that time (Valdemar Atterdag) was securing sailing routes in the Baltic Sea and strengthening the Danish kingdom. In the midst of his conquering was the island of Gotland, which happened to be one of the richest islands and also one of the most important trading points in the Baltic.

In the summer of 1361, the final battle between the Gotlandic farmers and the Danish army took place. While the rich city people stayed secure behind the wall, nearly all the farmers from the ages 15-70 years old were slaughtered at the gates. It is said that during this invasion, around two thousand Gotlanders were killed. After much blood shed, the gates were finally opened, and the Danish King had taken over Visby.

There are several different legends about what happened next. First, Valdemar places three large beer barrels in the center of town and told the inhabitants of Visby that the barrels must be filled with gold and silver or the town would be destroyed!

After he got his treasures, he allowed Visby the privileges to trade like they had before.

It is this invasion that the Medieval week is "celebrating" here in Visby.

The celebration kicks-off with a Valdemar Atterdag parade. It starts at the gate, and they tell a brief summary of the historical circumstances, then bloody farmers come running through, screaming and taunting the Danish army. First come the soldiers on foot, then the royals, then the King, and his knights. Then the whole crowd joins in with the parade that takes a tool through town.

All week- people are walking around in Medieval costume, vendors are in almost every alleyway, there is a larger market in the park, there is a re-enactment camp where people live like in the olden days, and there are even jousting tournaments! All of these activities are quite enjoyable to see. And Visby serves as the perfect background to a medieval celebration. If there weren't cars in the streets, one would almost assume they had taken a step back in time!

All of this historical information I gained was from Martin (Alicia's brother), and the Museum of Visby. Thank you very much for taking the time to vividly explain this to me!