Murders and executions in Stockholm, Sweden have been documented since the 1280s, when King Magnus Ladulås ordered the execution of three magnates of the Privy Council, who had been accused of several "traitorous acts against the throne". The city's murders between the middle of the 15th century and the middle of the 17th century have been documented fairly well in the logs of Stockholm City Court. Violence with a deadly outcome was most common during the Middle Ages, a trend which had more than halved by the beginning of the 1700s. The most common cases of manslaughter and murder usually involved fights between men where alcohol was involved.
During the reign of Gustav III, the use of capital punishment decreased and was abolished for certain crimes. The last hanging took place in 1818 at Hammarbyhöjden, and the last public execution occurred in 1862. The last execution in Sweden and Stockholm took place on 23 November 1910, when robber and murderer Alfred Ander was executed by decapitation in a guillotine.
Stockholm has experienced a remarkable number of political murders, and the most notable group of cases is the Stockholm Bloodbath between 7 November and 9 November 1520, when parts of the royalty and the nobility desired to get rid of several of their competitors and critics. Two highly acclaimed murders of politicians during recent years include the assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986 and the murder of Anna Lindh in 2003. Additionally, several terrorist attacks have occurred in the city, namely the West German Embassy siege in 1975, the 2010 Stockholm bombings, and the 2017 Stockholm truck attack.
Cases of murder and manslaughter have not increased in the past 250 years.(source?)
The Middle Ages
Murder and manslaughter among the populace
According to the Stockholm tänkeböcker, it is fair to assume that violence with a deadly outcome was up to a hundred times more common during the Middle Ages compared to today. Usually, most cases of manslaughter involved two intoxicated men fighting each other, resulting in either party's death. If the surviving party were to report the event and turn himself in, his punishment would be less grave. Murder was a more serious crime, especially if the perpetrator would attempt to hide the fact.
The Käpplinge murders Hostility between German merchants and the populace of Stockholm led to the so-called Käpplinge murders. On 14 June 1389, German hättebröder, soldiers and merchants marched towards Stortorget and gathered near Kåkbrinken. The Germans read aloud a list of the names of 76 Swedish "traitors" who were to be taken into custody. A number of them were locked inside Tre Kronor Castle, and others were taken to Gråmunkeholmen (Riddarholmen). The captives were tortured with saws. On 17 June the prisoners inside Tre Kronor castle were ferried over to Käpplingeholmen (Blasieholmen) where they were locked inside a building which was set on fire. The smallest number of victims of the Käpplinge murders was noted as 15, the highest was 76.
Medieval legislation A quite harsh legislation composed of the Magnus Erikssons stadslag and Magnus Erikssons landslag, which made the death penalty legal for thieves still did not manage to deter criminals. 140 persons were executed between 1474 and 1492 in Stockholm. 50 persons had been convicted of violent crimes such as manslaughter, murder and assault. 90 were thieves and robbers. The chapter addressing thievery in Magnus Erikssons landslag is introduced with a picture depicting a hanging. The text promotes corporal punishment against children in order to prevent them turning into criminals. A human life was not worth much during the Middle Ages. If Sweden were to exercise the death penalty at the same level today, around 1 560 persons would be executed yearly, or four people daily.
Fights and honor The most common incidents were fights between two men who were usually intoxicated. The most common murder weapon was a knife, as almost every man carried one. Less common weapons included wooden logs, stein (beer mugs), axes, hammers and furniture. Insulting ones honor could also be a justification to deadly violence. A third of all cases of murder and manslaughter during the 1500s usually involved honor-related conflicts. Minor conflicts sometimes triggered murder. On 9 June 1589, a knight known as Anders was accused of the murder of the farmhand Bengt Persson. They had been shooting darts and when Anders missed the target, Bengt mocked him by whistling. This was enough for Anders to draw his knife and stab Bengt in the head. The court ruled that a murder for such a minor reason was not right and therefore sentenced Anders to the death penalty.
Some of the courts sentences are today difficult to comprehend. Persons who committed murder or manslaughter were not always sentenced to death, an example would be when a flayer known as Henrik was charged with manslaughter on 18 June 1492 for killing his servant. But Henrik was later freed from all charges since it turned out that the servant was envious of Henrik, which was considered sinful. On 17 December 1498, Klas Larsson from Utsunda village was accused of murder. He was sentenced to death, simply because the jury stated that they could see in his eyes that he was guilty.
Political murders Besides murder and manslaughter among the general population, political murders were not uncommon occurrences in Stockholm. The most common cases were politicians who desired to get rid of competitors or punish critics. The oldest documented cases of this category goes back to 1280, when King Magnus Ladulås ordered the execution of three members of the privy council, who had been accused of several "traitorous acts against the throne".
Another notable case is the execution of Torkel Knutsson on 10 February 1306. After being sentenced to death, he was killed by decapitation on Pelarbacken (Götgatsbacken) and buried in Greyfriars Monastery. The capture and subsequent execution of Torkel was the result of an agreement between King Birger Magnusson and his brothers in order to stop Torkels dominance of the government.
Magnus Birgersson, son of Birger Magnusson, did not die a natural death either. He was a prince and was capable of threatening the throne. On 21 October 1320 he was sentenced to death and executed a week later at Helgeandsholmen. He received an honorable funeral at Riddarholm Church.
The knight Broder Svensson Tjurhuvud was forced to pay with his life in 1436 after he had publicly expressed his dismay against the king. He had insulted King Charles VIII with harsh words, when he had not received a castle as a fief. He was arrested and executed on Brunkebergstorg.
Betrayal against the king was not acceptable either and was punishable by death. , one of Sweden's most eminent men in the 1520s, suffered the death penalty in 1529 when he participated in the Westrogothian rebellion against King Gustav Vasa. The rebellion failed, and the king offered Lilliehöök mercy. But, in his belief that all evidence incriminating him had been destroyed, Lilliehöök declined and demanded that a trial be held. Authorities did have evidence, and in 1529, the Riksdag at Strängnäs sentenced him to death. Lilliehöök attempted to escape custody, but fell and broke his femur. After crawling his way out of the city, he was found hiding in a field. On 7 September 1529, Lilliehöök was executed by decapitation on Stortorget. His head was impaled on a spear and his body was buried at Riddarholm Church.
In some cases, kings have personally murdered people. In 1568, King Eric XIV beat his secretary Martin Olai Helsingius to death with a stove poker. Martin had allegedly advised the king against pardoning his former secretary Jöran Persson, who was a very trusted advisor and friend of the king, but whom the Swedish people despised. Persson had been accused of causing the looting of Svartsjö Palace in 1567 and the Sture murders the same year. He received his verdict on 28 September 1568 and was punished "as an honorless, faithless and perjurous traitor, rogue and villain". Perssons punishment was cruel. Both of his ears were nailed against the gallows, along with his patent of nobility. He was later hinged onto the gallows, but before his death he was brought down again. and subjected to breaking wheel torture at Brunkebergstorg. He was eventually beheaded and his body was nailed to a stake, where his body could be observed in public. This was a regular practice during the Middle Ages in Sweden, until it was outlawed in 1841.
Stockholm Bloodbath
The largest group of political murder cases in Stockholm is undeniably the Stockholm Bloodbath, which revolves around the looting and subsequent executions between 7 November och 9 November 1520. The events took place three days following the coronation of Christian II as King of Sweden. when the coronation party guests were called to a meeting at Tre Kronor Castle. Archbishop Gustav Trolles demands of economic compensation for the demolishing of his castle led to the question if the previous regent Sten Sture the Younger and his followers should be found guilty of heresy or not. Supported by canon law, approximately 82 persons were executed during the following days. The executions were performed on Stortorget and commenced in the afternoon of 8 November with the beheadings of bishops Mattias och Vincent. 15 members of the nobility were thereafter also beheaded by sword, thereafter the mayor of Stockholm, along with his advisors, were killed by hanging. On 9 November, the servants belonging to the now executed parts of the nobility were also executed. Bonfires were lit on Södermalm in the same area where Katarina graveyard would be laid out on 10 November. The grave of Sten Sture the Younger in the Black Friars' Monastery was dug up and thrown in the bonfire on Pelarbacken. The events were immortalized in 1524 on Blodbadstavlan (literally "The Bloodbath Painting") which also contains one of the oldest known depictions of the city of Stockholm.
Swedish Empire Between the middle of the 1500s and the middle of the 1700s, the punishment had grown harsher both in the rest of Europe and in Sweden, but after the middle of the 1700s, the trend aimed towards milder forms of punishment. It would appear that the breaking points towards harsher punishment was the Protestant Reformation, while the Age of Enlightenment involved tendencies towards milder forms of punishment.
During the entirety of the 1600s and the rule of Swedish Empire, the number of deadly crimes committed decreased. The amount of crime compared to the size of the population in the Stockholm area decreased by over 90 percent between 1600 and 1750. It is unclear whether or not this reduction was caused by harsher legislation.
One possible explanation could be the wars of Sweden. In the beginning of the 17th century, around 30 percent of all cases of murder and manslaughter were committed by Swedish soldiers in Stockholm. When these soldiers were on the battlefield, however, deadly crime occurrences showed a steady decline. A lot of men died, and the number of young, aggressive men roaming the streets decreased. Additionally, fires and local epidemics occurred. In 1635, the city government started hiring guards who were tasked with patrolling public places and maintaining order. In 1667, there were over 70 official city guards, the city guard was a predecessor to the Stockholm police. It is probable that the guards contributed to the decrease in violence.
17th century
Murder and manslaughter was still the most common reason for the use of capital punishment. Sometimes, an executioner would have to execute another executioner: