Cudgel War  The Cudgel War (also Club War, , ) was a 1596/97 peasant uprising in Finland (then part of the Kingdom of Sweden). The name of the uprising derives from the fact that the peasants armed themselves with various blunt weapons, such as cudgels, flails and maces, as they were seen as the most efficient weapons against their heavily armoured enemies. The yeomen also had swords, some firearms and two cannons at their disposal. Their opponents, the troops of Clas Eriksson Fleming, were professional, heavily armed and armoured men-at-arms. Modern Finnish historiography sees the uprising in the context of the conflict between Duke Charles and Sigismund, King of Sweden and Poland (War against Sigismund). Charles agitated the peasants to revolt against the nobility of Finland, who supported Sigismund in the conflict. An uprising began on Christmas Eve 1595 and was initially successful, but shortly thereafter was crushed by cavalry. In December 1596, the Cudgel War began. The peasants won a number of encounters with infantry. Klaus Fleming began negotiating a truce that required the surrender of peasant leader Jaakko Ilkka. Ilkka fled to avoid being handed over and the peasant army scattered, pursued by the soldiers. At least 1500 were killed within the next two months. Along with Jaakko Ilkka, five other rebellion leaders were executed on January 27, 1597. Israel Laurinpoika was named as the new governor of central and northern Ostrobothnia, and planned to support the rebellion. However, he fled rather than face Fleming. Leaderless, the peasants opened battle with Fleming on February 24, 1597. Over 1000 were killed and 500 captured. The insurgents were mostly Finnish peasants from Ostrobothnia, Northern Tavastia and Savo. The events can also be seen as a part of a larger power struggle between King Sigismund and Duke Charles. In his work "Nuijasota, sen syyt ja tapaukset" (1857–1859) (), historian and fennoman Yrjö Koskinen (né Forsman) saw the peasants as fighting for freedom and justice. Fredrika Runeberg's "Sigrid Liljeholm" (1862), one of the first historical novels in Finland, depicts women's fates during the war. Albert Edelfelt's painting "Poltettu kylä" (1879) depicts a woman, a child, and an old man hiding behind a rock as a village burns in the background.