Claus Kurssell's coup | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
Belligerents | |||||||||
Sweden Supported by Reval | Mercenaries | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
John III Nils Dobblare Clas Åkesson Tott [1] | Claus Kurssell | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
Atleast 300 knights | Unknown | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
Unknown | Almost everyone captured |
Claus Kurssell's coup was a revolt by German mercenaries in the then Swedish city of Reval (modern day Tallinn); the perpetrators temporarily had control of the city's castle before John III sent Nils Dobblare to intervene and recapture it.
During the Long wrath, the Swedish holdings in Estonia became increasingly insecure, mainly due to the fact that they were mostly supported German or Baltic mercenaries. [2] The largest of the Swedish holdings was the city of Reval, which the Swedes had managed to take by bribing local mercenaries. [2]
Dissatisfaction over their pay being insufficient or not being delivered at all irritated the German mercenaries relationship with the Swedish crown, and it escalated to a crisis in January 1570 when King John wanted Kurssell and his troops to instead serve in Sweden and receive their pay there. [3]
In the night, Kurssell and his troops overwhelmed the people who were loyal to Sweden and captured Reval castle, where they also took governor Gabriel Oxenstierna hostage. [3] [4] [2] Through this action, Kurssell also got in contact with a certain Danish prince by the name of Magnus, who had recently come in control of Ösel. [5]
The Swedish council quickly brokered an agreement of where Kurssell released Gabriel Oxenstierna, in exchange that the castle would remain in Kurssell's possession until Pentecost Sunday when it was expected that John III would have paid the owed amount. [6]
From the Swedish perspective, Kurssell was suspected of being in cooperation with Sweden's enemies. Duke Charles (later Charles IX) persuaded John III to negotiate with Kurssell, whom he believed to be an "honest and sincere man". [3] Despite this, quick countermeasures took place. Revals loyalty to John isolated Kurssell, and the Estonian nobility remained neutral. [3]
Nils Dobblare, who at that time occupied Domberget, had kept in touch with two knights who had fled to the castle. Dobblare began collecting money to start gambling parties among Kurssell's troops, who would use the money for "beer and fun". [4] After the knights had become thouroughly drunk, the two knights pulled down a rope ladder, and with the help of Dobbler they were able to secretly get 300 knights into the castle. Kurssell and his knights were surprised and quickly overwhelmed, and Dobblare took back "with long pipes" what he had spent on the gambling parties. Kurssell and other important figures were taken captive, [4] [2] [5] and Kurssell was later executed in June. [3] [5]
John III later wrote to Dobblare about his successful mission in retaking the castle, and he allowed Dobblare to keep Kurssells golden chain. [4]
Livonia or in earlier records Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia.
The Livonian Brothers of the Sword was a Catholic military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert, the third bishop of Riga. Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204 for the second time. The membership of the crusading order comprised warrior monks, mostly from northern Germany, who fought Baltic and Finnic polytheists in the area of modern-day Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Alternative names of the Order include Christ Knights, Swordbrothers, Sword Brethren, Order of the Brothers of the Sword, and The Militia of Christ of Livonia. The seal reads: +MAGISTRI ETFRM MILICIE CRI (Christi) DE LIVONIA.
Kettil Karlsson (Vasa) (c. 1433 – 11 August 1465) was a Swedish clergyman, diplomat, military leader and statesman during the Kalmar Union era. He was a member of the house of Vasa. At age 25, he was elected Bishop of Linköping. He rebelled against King Christian I in 1463, was Captain General (rikshövitsman) and de facto regent of Sweden from February to August 1464, stepping down during the brief return of King Charles Canutesson from exile. After falling out with King Charles, Kettil Karlsson was subsequently elected Lord Protector and Regent (riksföreståndare) of Sweden from 26 December 1464 to his death.
Count Axel Lillie, also spelled Lillje was a Swedish soldier and politician. He was appointed Governor of all Pomerania in 1643, Privy Councilor in 1648, Governor General of Pomerania in 1652, Field Marshal in 1657, and Governor General of Livonia in 1661. In the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), he commanded troops at the Battle of Leipzig, in 1642. He had Löfstad Castle built.
Swedish Livonia was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1629 until 1721. The territory, which constituted the southern part of modern Estonia and the northern part of modern Latvia, represented the conquest of the major part of the Polish-Lithuanian Duchy of Livonia during the 1600–1629 Polish-Swedish War. Parts of Livonia and the city of Riga were under Swedish control as early as 1621 and the situation was formalized in the Truce of Altmark 1629, but the whole territory was not ceded formally until the Treaty of Oliva in 1660. The minority part of the Wenden Voivodeship retained by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was renamed the Inflanty Voivodeship, which today corresponds to the Latgale region of Latvia.
Field Marshal and Count Jacob Pontusson De la Gardie was a statesman and a soldier of the Swedish Empire, and a Marshal from 1620 onward.
Axel Julius de la Gardie was a Swedish Field Marshal and was appointed Governor-General over Estonia from 1687 to 1704.
The Duchy of Estonia, also known as Swedish Estonia, was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1561 until 1721 during the time that most or all of Estonia was under Swedish rule. The land was eventually ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Nystad, following its capitulation, during the plague, in the Great Northern War.
Eric "X" was the King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as Eric the Survivor, he was, at his accession to the throne, the only remaining son of King Canute I of Sweden and his queen. The name of his mother is not known, but may have been Cecilia.
The National Archives of Sweden is the official archive of the Swedish government and is responsible for the management of records from Sweden's public authorities. Although the archives functions primarily as the government archive, it also preserves some documents from private individuals and non-public organizations. The mission of the archives is to collect and preserve records for future generations.
The Russo-Swedish War of 1590–1595 was instigated by Boris Godunov in the hope of gaining the territory of the Duchy of Estonia along the Gulf of Finland belonging to Sweden since the previous Livonian War. As soon as the Truce of Plussa expired early in 1590, a large Russian army led by Godunov and his sickly brother-in-law, Feodor I of Russia, marched from Moscow towards Novgorod. On 18 January they crossed the river Narva and laid siege to the Swedish castle of Narva, commanded by Arvid Stålarm. Another important fortress, Jama (Jamburg), fell to Russian forces within two weeks. Simultaneously, the Russians ravaged Estonia as far as Reval (Tallinn) and Finland as far as Helsingfors (Helsinki).
The Battle of Lihula or Battle of Leal was fought between invading Swedes and Estonians for the control of a castle in Lihula, Estonia in 1220. The exact date remains uncertain, though some historians suggest that the battle took place on August 8. The event is described in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia and the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle.
The Livonian crusade consists of the various military Christianisation campaigns in medieval Livonia – modern Latvia and Estonia – during the Papal-sanctioned Northern Crusades in the 12–13th century. The Livonian crusade was conducted mostly by the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Denmark. It ended with the creation of Terra Mariana and the Danish duchy of Estonia. The lands on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea were one of the last parts of Europe to be Christianised. The available information is largely based on Livonian Chronicle of Henry.
The first duke of Estonia was appointed in 1220 by King Valdemar II of Denmark after the Danish conquest of Estonia during the Livonian crusade. The title was resumed by the kings of Denmark since 1269. During the 1266-82 reign of the queen dowager Margaret Sambiria, the title lady of Estonia was used.
The siege of Wesenberg was an abortive Swedish siege of the Russian-held town of Wesenberg in Estonia from January through March 1574, during the Livonian War. The siege is infamous for a brawl and subsequent combat between German and Scottish mercenaries within the besieging army, which claimed the lives of about 1,500 Scots. Wesenberg was seized in a renewed Swedish assault in 1581.
The Treaties of Roskilde of 18 and 22 November 1568 were peace treaties between the kingdoms of Denmark–Norway and the allied Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck on one side, and the Swedish kingdom on the other side, supposed to end the Northern Seven Years' War after the de facto succession of the later king John III of Sweden. Negotiated on John's initiative, he refused ratification, viewing the concessions his envoys made in Roskilde as too far-reaching. Most notably these concessions included Swedish obligations to pay Denmark–Norway her war costs and to cede Swedish Estonia. Thus, the war dragged on until it was concluded by the Treaty of Stettin (1570).
The siege of Varberg was a Danish siege of the Swedish-occupied castle of Varberg in Halland, present-day Sweden by Danish forces under the Danish-German general Daniel Rantzau. Rantzau was killed by a Swedish cannonball on 11 November. Danish commander Franz Brockenhuus and Swedish commander Bo Birgersson Grip were also killed in the battle.
Sophia Eleonora Rosenhane, as married Jennings, was a Swedish patron and noblewoman. At the national portrait gallery at Gripsholm Castle, her portrait was featured amongst six of the most famous Swedish women in history. She became known as a financier and respected patron of the arts. After her death she was buried at the family grave in Husby-Oppunda.
Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna af Korsholm och Wasa, 1st Count of Korsholma and Vaasa, Finnish: Gabriel Pentinpoika Oxenstierna, was a Swedish statesman, jurist and diplomat.
The Invasion of Courland (1658) was a Swedish campaign against the Duchy of Courland in 1658. It was led by Robert Douglas and resulted in the Swedes occupying Courland, capturing Mitau and the Duke of Courland. The initial invasion only lasted a few months, however the Swedes remained in Courland for 2 years.