Dacke War The Dacke War ( ) was a peasant uprising led by Nils Dacke in Småland , Sweden , in 1542 against the rule of Gustav Vasa . Dacke and his followers were dissatisfied with the heavy tax burden , the introduction of Lutheranism and the confiscations of the Church property ( the confiscation and taxes were introduced to pay for the Swedish War of Liberation that had brought Gustav Vasa to power ) . In 1543 the uprising was defeated , and Nils Dacke was killed . Background . Nils Dacke and his peasants were dissatisfied with the policies of the Swedish king Gustav Vasa . In his effort to modernize Sweden and gain more power , the king had instituted a more efficient system for tax collection . The heavy tax burden angered many peasants . Gustav Vasa had also broken relations with Rome and promoted Lutheranism instead of Catholicism , to be able to confiscate the property of the church ( including land ) . In 1541 the kings men had confiscated many of the belongings of the churches in Småland , such as the church silver and even the church bell s , to finance the army . Dacke criticized the new church order and promoted the old faith . He was also supported by many local priests . The rebellion was one of many rebellions during the rule of Gustav Vasa . In contrast with other contemporary rebellions in Sweden , this one was led by peasants , and not supported by the local nobility . The uprising . The uprising began in the summer of 1542 when the king ' s bailiffs were attacked and killed when they came to collect taxes . Gustav Vasa responded by sending a military force led by his own father - in - law . He was defeated by Dacke ' s constantly growing army of peasants . Other attempts to defeat Dacke militarily also failed . Next , the Swedish government stopped all supplies of provisions and other necessities to the region . This weakened the rebellions considerably . Defaming propaganda about Dacke was also spread by the government , labeling him a traitor and a heretic . In March 1543 Gustav Vasa ordered his army of Swedish recruits and German landsknecht mercenaries to attack Småland . This time larger forces were deployed , and Dacke ' s forces were attacked from two directions - from Östergötland and Västergötland . The uprising was defeated , and Dacke was wounded but managed to flee . Aftermath . The king ' s revenge on the instigators of the rebellion was hard . The leaders that were caught were executed together with the priests who had supported Dacke . Peasants who had supported the rebellion were deported to Finland , where they had to serve in the army , and the counties where the rebellion had taken place had to pay a large fine to the king . Dacke himself was caught and killed in August 1543 when trying to escape the country . According to legend , his body was taken to Kalmar , where his head was publicly displayed wearing a crown of copper , as a warning to others . The rebellion was the most serious threat to the rule of Gustav Vasa , but after having defeated it he managed to consolidate his power , concentrating more and more power in the hands of the monarch . Idiom . In the Swedish language , the idiom " [ something ] hasn ' t happened since the Dacke War " is used to mean " [ something ] hasn ' t happened since a long time ago " This expression is especially common in the southern parts of Sweden but is also used elsewhere .