The armour that was found during the excavations of the mass graves after the battle of Visby in the year 1361, has given great knowledge about the 14th century defensive equipment. Bengt Thordeman's analyses and interpretations of the armour-material have influenced modern research on the subject. The predominant narrative is that the militia from Gotland was ill-equipped, and that the Danish army was far superior. However, the aim of this study is to create a more nuanced picture of how the soldiers in the mass graves were equipped, and to contribute to future research on the largely unstudied commoner-armour of the Nordic countries. The study compares armour-items from the mass graves at site of the so-called Korsbetningen, with other archaeological material, the descriptions of folkvapen in Swedish medieval legal documents, and contemporary artwork. This comparison is made to broaden the perspective and see similarities and differences between the Visby material and other sources.     The thesis results in a better understanding of what types of armour that was used during this battle, showing that the head-area was well protected, that the torso was slightly less prioritized to protect, and that the arms and legs were relatively unprotected.

This master's thesis focuses on the deposition of the king Wenceslas (1361-1419) from the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. The dethronement act was realised in August 1400 by four Rhenish electors (Count Palatine and archbishops of Mainz, Cologne and Trier) after years- long preparations. The first chapter briefly questions the possibility of king's deposition in medieval political thought. The second chapter describes long political fights in the Holy Roman Empire before 1400 and highlights the most important events which finally led to the king's deposition, such as the fight for the controll over the archbishopric of Mainz. The third chapter analyses the legal dimension of the dethronement act and puts forward possible interpretation of its role in the constitutional history of the Holy Roman Empire. The elector's activity can be understood as a part of long-term growth of political power of the electoral college, as it was codified in the Golden Bull of Charles IV.