Stångebro: an inheritance lost

In 1598, Sigismund returns to Sweden with troops to recover control. His campaign ends in defeat by Charles at Stångebro, near Linköping. The subsequent agreement obliges the king to surrender several of his supporters. He then leaves the kingdom again. In 1599, the estates depose him. Recognition of his son Władysław depends on the child being sent to Sweden and brought up as a Lutheran; Sigismund refuses that solution. Resistance by his followers in Finland and other strongholds is gradually overcome. The crown he had inherited without a competing election has slipped from his grasp through political and military conflict with his uncle.