De moderna beskrivningarna av Gotlands invasion 1361 delar ett ofta använt narrativ, där de gotländska och danska arméerna beskrivs som motsatser. Den danska armén sägs ha bestått av proffs, som var välutbildade och välutrustade. Den gotländska bondemilisen är däremot beskriven som en bondehop, dåligt utbildad och utrustad med föråldrade vapen och rustningar. Men hur stämmer det här narrativet om den gotländska bondemilisen med källorna? I den här uppsatsen studeras den gotländska bondemilisen utifrån samtida källor, regleringar genom lagar och representation i massgravarna efter slaget vid Visby.  Detta genom en källpluralistisk metod där skriftligt och arkeologiskt materialet studeras, i kombination av isotopanalyser på mänskliga kvarlevor. Detta som svar på det moderna narrativet och historiografin om invasionen av Gotland 1361.

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.