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In 1520 the young nobleman Gustav Ericsson Vasa was escaping from the troops of Christian II, king of Sweden and the countries of the Kalmar Union. A large part of the Swedish nobility was in opposition to the king, even having nicknamed him Christian the Tyrant. In a move to silence the opposition Christian invited the Swedish aristocracy to a reconciliation party in StockholmStockholm ['stɔkhɔlm, ˘stɔkhɔlm] is the capital and the largest City of Sweden. The City of Stockholm is administratively a municipality within Stockholm County, the population of the city proper is 761,721 (2004), with, only to have them, including Gustav's parents, massacred in what came to be known as the Stockholm BloodbathThe Stockholm Bloodbath or the Stockholm Massacre took place as the result of a successful invasion of Sweden by Danish forces under the command of Christian II of Denmark (in Swedish history known as "Christian the Tyrant"). The bloodbath itself is a ser. Gustav was escaping through Dalecarlia, fearing for his life and discovery by the kings troops, when he spoke to the assembled men of Mora, trying to convince them to raise a levy and start a rebellion against king Christian. The men were not convinced and by ski, Gustav Vasa started to make his way towards NorwayThe Kingdom of Norway is a Nordic country west of Sweden on the Scandinavian Peninsula. It has a very elongated form and has an extensive coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean, where Norway's famous fjords are found. In addition to Sweden, it borders R, to find refuge there, when he was caught up at Sälen, by two ski runners . The men in Mora had changed their minds and wanted Gustav to lead the rebellion. On June 6June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. Events 1513 Italian Wars: Battle of Novara Swiss troops defeat the French under Louis de la Tremoille, forcing the French to abandon Milan. Duke, 1523Events April Battle of Villalors Forces loyal to Emperor Charles V defeat the Comuneros, a league of urban bourgeois rebelling against Charles in Spain. June 6 Gustav Vasa becomes King of Sweden, establishing finally its full independence from Denmark. Gustav Vasa was crowned king of Sweden, having beaten the Danish king Christian and dissolved the Kalmar Union.
A sister race to the Swedish Vasaloppet is held annually on the 3rd Sunday of February in Mora, MN, USA. The American Vasaloppet features a 35K and 58K skate, a 42K classical race, and many other events in and around the town of Mora. The first place male and female racers in the American Vasaloppet win a trip to compete in the Swedish Vasaloppet.