The significant increase in funding and financial dependence allowed the parties to at times afford larger numbers of expensive hired mercenaries, leading to fluctuations in power and abrupt shifts in the dynamics of the war.

The costs were considerable, and after Christian III's victory alongside Gustav Vasa's Sweden in the Count's Feud in Skåne and Denmark, the funds were exhausted by 1536, marking the end of the influence of the Catholic Church and the Hanseatic League in the Nordic countries.

The war began in January 1521, when Gustav Vasa was appointed hövitsman (commander) over Dalarna by representatives of the people in the northern part of the province.

Moved by these accounts, the people of Mora decided to locate Gustav Vasa and join his rebellion, sending two skilled skiers for the task.

(The Vasaloppet, a 90 km (56 mi) ski race, commemorates this remarkable escape from Christian II's soldiers in the winter of 1520–1521, but follows the reverse route from Sälen back to Mora.

In April 1521, the Union forces clashed with Gustav Vasa's followers at Brunnbäck Ferry, resulting in the decisive defeat of the king's army.

Västerås marked a pivotal moment in Gustav Vasa's fortunes, as the rebels gained control of the shipping routes from Bergslagen and Fugger stopped funding Christian II.

Hans Brask and Ture Jönsson Tre Rosor also switched allegiance to Gustav Vasa, and in the second half of August he was recognized as the leader of Sweden by the provinces of Gotland at a meeting in Vadstena.

The assembly in Vadstena in 1521, which declared Gustav as head of state, consisted of a relatively small group of prominent individuals, mainly from the southern provinces.

However, the continued expansion of the rebellion and the election of the nobleman Gustav as head of state caused many to switch sides or flee to Denmark to avoid reprisals.

Just before Christmas in 1521, Berend von Melen, the commander of Stegeborg in Östergötland, transferred control to Gustav Eriksson, resulting in the castle's capture by the rebel army.

In exchange for aid in the form of ships, soldiers, cannons and other essential supplies, Lübeck was promised exemption from customs duties in Sweden.

At the same time, Gustav, Berend von Melen, and Lübeck strategized an operation to conquer Skåne and other regions in eastern Denmark.

In a failed attempt to create a scapegoat, he executed his advisor Didrik Slagheck, whom he had recently appointed Archbishop of Lund, in January 1522.

After unsuccessful negotiations, Christian left Denmark in April 1523 and sailed for the Netherlands with his family and his unpopular advisor, Sigbrit Willoms.

Christian had attempted to limit the power of Lübeck and the Hanseatic League and to make Copenhagen a free staple city and trading center.

Shortly thereafter, a peace treaty was negotiated that gave Lübeck and the Hanseatic League responsibility for determining the long-term status of the eastern Danish provinces.

[8][12] The result was that Blekinge, Skåne, and Gotland would remain under Danish control, while Sweden ceded its conquest of northern Bohuslän to Norway.

The Swedish War of Liberation ended with the Count's Feud in Skåne and Denmark in 1536, resulting in the victory of Christian III with the support of Gustav Vasa's Sweden.

The once powerful and influential Hanseatic League, which had held sway for centuries, gradually receded from the political landscape and found itself on the wrong side of history in the final stages of the war.

This independence has lasted for 500 years, marked by local security and peace since 1523, with foreign armies absent from its soil except in border areas.

The War of Liberation is widely revered by Swedes as the catalyst for their political and economic independence, shaping the structure and organization of their society today.