Peder Fredags Gränd is a small blind alley in Gamla stan

Gamla stan

Gamla stan , until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna , is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. The surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg are officially part of, but not colloquially included in, Gamla stan...

, the old town in central Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. Stretching north from Köpmangatan

Köpmangatan

Köpmangatan is a street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. A parallel street to Trädgårdsgatan, it is stretching from the central square Stortorget to Köpmantorget, intercepted by Trädgårdstvärgränd, Skeppar Olofs Gränd, Peder Fredags Gränd, Själagårdsgatan, Staffan Sasses Gränd,...

, it is located between Skeppar Olofs Gränd

Skeppar Olofs Gränd

Skeppar Olofs Gränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching from Köpmangatan to Trädgårdsgatan, it forms a parallel street to Peder Fredags Gränd and Trädgårdstvärgränd....

 and Staffan Sasses Gränd

Staffan Sasses Gränd

Staffan Sasses Gränd is a blind alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching north from Köpmangatan, it forms a parallel street to Bollhusgränd and Peder Fredags Gränd....

, just south of the Tessin Palace

Tessin Palace

The Tessin Palace is a baroque town house located in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm. Located next to the Royal Palace, it is facing Slottsbacken, the major approach to the Stockholm Palace, and flanked by two alleys, Finska Kyrkogränd and Bollhusgränd.The mansion was constructed...

.

The inconspicuous alley remained nameless until the 20th century; it is included on a map from 1700, but completely left out on another dated 1733. The present name was given the alley in 1939, presumably inspired by the two parallel alleys, both of which are named after men who served King Gustav Vasa

Gustav I of Sweden

Gustav I of Sweden, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known simply as Gustav Vasa , was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death....

 (1496–1560) during the ousting of Danish forces.

Peder Fredag (-1525) was probably one of the burghers

Bourgeoisie

In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...

 of Stockholm, first appearing in historical records in 1520 when he, confronted with Christian II of Denmark

Christian II of Denmark

Christian II was King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden , during the Kalmar Union.-Background:...

, vehemently opposed the city's terms of surrender. Before the Danes marched into the city, he escaped to the northern parts of Sweden where he began to amass people to revolt against the Danish king. He started to raid the Stockholm Archipelago

Stockholm archipelago

The Stockholm archipelago is the largest archipelago of Sweden, and one of the largest archipelagos of the Baltic Sea.-Geography:The archipelago extends from Stockholm roughly 60 kilometers to the east...

 with his yacht

Yacht

A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

, and in 1521 he joined the party of Gustav Vasa who eventually gave him a letter of marque

Letter of marque

In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...

. During the seizure of the capital, Peder Fredag was appointed captain in charge over the camp at Lovön

Lovön

Lovön is an island located in the Swedish Lake Mälaren in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County. It was a municipality of its own until 1952, when it was joined with Ekerö Municipality. Lovön's greatest attraction is Drottningholm Palace and its many public gardens, which were built on the island...

, and as such he repelled an attack from the besieged city in Christmas 1521 and another against the King's camp on Södermalm

Södermalm

Södermalm, often shortened to "Söder", is a district in central Stockholm. It covers the large island formerly called "Åsön". With a population of 99,685, it is one of the most densely populated districts of Scandinavia...

 in autumn 1522. Following the king's glorious march into the city, Peder Fredag was richly rewarded with marks of honour and tokens of grace, but he eventually died on the battlefield in 1525 during an assault against the city of Kalmar

Kalmar

Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 62,767 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants .From the thirteenth to the...

, besieged by the mercenary troops of Berend von Melen.