Battle of Lena

Battle of Lena
Date 31 January 1208 Location Kungslena, Sweden Result Swedish victory
Belligerents
Danish-backed rebels	Sweden
Commanders and leaders
Sverker II of Sweden	Eric X of Sweden
Strength
12,000 - 18,000 soldiers and knights	7,000 - 10,000 armed peasants
Casualties and losses
Almost the whole army were destroyed	Light

This page is about the Battle of Lena of 1208; for other battles, see Battle of Helena (disambiguation).

The Battle of Lena took place January 31 1208, and it was probably located near Kungslena (58°14′N 13°50′E) which is located in the Tidaholm Municipality in Västergötland.

It was an important battle between the former Swedish king Sverker and prince Eric. Sverker arrived with a large Danish army provided by the Danish king Valdemar the Victorious. Medieval sources has this army to number as many as 12 000, or even 18 000 men, but that is with all certainty an overstatement and the exact size of this force is unknown. The Swedes were, on the other hand, assisted by Norwegian auxiliaries, which numbered around 7,000 to 10,000 men, another exaggeration.

The Swedes won, according to legend aided by Odin, and Sverker had to flee back to Denmark. He would return in the Battle of Gestilren and would die there.