Under the guise of a crusade to free Sweden's imprisoned archbishop Gustav Trolle, Christian attacked Sweden and killed Sture. After Christian's coronation, Trolle urged the prosecution of his Swedish adversaries (gatn ered together under an amnesty) and they were found guilty of heresy. Eightytwo nobles and burqhers of Stockholm were executed and their bodies burned in what becanne known as the Stockholm Blood Bath. A vicious persecution of Sture's followers throughout Sweden ensued, a move that led to widespread reaction and, ultimately, the downfall of the union. g Gustav Vasa and his sons Opposition to Christian II was vague and unorganised until the appearance of the young Gustav Vasa. Initially unable to stir the locals of the Dalecarlia region into open revolt, he left for exile in Norway, but was chased on skis and recalled after the people had had a change of heart. The chase is celebrated still in the Vasalopet race, run each year by thousands of Swedish skiers. Gustav Vasa's army grew rapidly and in 1521 he was elected regent, and subsequently, with the capture of Stockholm in 1523, king. Christian had been deposed in Denmark and the new Danish king, Frederick I, recognised Sweden's de facto withdrawal from the union. Short of cash, Gustav found it prudent to support the movement towards religious reform propagated by Swedish Lutherans. More of a political than a religious Reformation, the result was a handover of church lands to the crown and the subordination of church to state. It's a relationship that is still largely in force today, the clergy being civil sen paid by the state. In 1541 the first edition of the Bible in the vernacular appeared. Suppressing revolt at home, Gustav Vasa strengthened his hand with a centralisation of trade and government. On his death in 1560 Sweden was united, prosperous and independent. Gustav Vasa's heir, his eldest son Erik, faced a difficult time, not least because the Vasa lands and wealth had been divided among him and his brothers Johan, Magnus and Karl (an atypically imprudent action of Gustav's before his death). The Danes, too, pressed hard, reasserting their claim to the Swedish throne in the inconclusive Northern Seven Years' War, which began in 13. Enk was deposed in 1569 by his brother wo became Johan III, his first act being to end the war at the Peace of Stettin. At home Johan ed more or less with the goodwill of the nobil W. but upset matters with his Catholic sympa He introduced the liturgy and Catholic wiuenced Red Book, and his son and heir gismund was the Catholic king of Poland. On Johan's death in 1592, Sigismund agreed to rule Sweden in accordance with Lutheran practice but failed to do so. When Sigismund returned to Poland the way was clear for Duke Karl (Johan's brotherl to assume the regency, a role he filled until declared king Karl IX in 1603. Karl had ambitions eastwards but, routed" by the Poles and staved off by the Russians, he suffered a stroke in 1610 and died the year after.