Carl Gustaf Hellqvist
"Valdemar Atterdag Collecting Tax from the People of Visby," 1882

This 1882 painting by C. G. Hellqvist depicts 1361 on Gotland. The Danish king Valdemar IV Atterdag conquered Visby after local peasants, betrayed by the townspeople who shut the gates, were defeated. Half the island’s men died.

The traumatized survivors paid a huge ransom. The scene shows three barrels awaiting gold in the town square. King Valdemar sits in calm authority on a wooden platform. In the foreground, a grieving family stands in silent despair—their sorrow symbolizing a people’s defeat.

#HistoricalArt #ValdemarAtterdag #Visby

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