This painting most probably does not present a
realistic picture of what happened at Kringen.
Much points to the fact that firearms and choice of
strategy decided the outcome of the Battle.
More about that later on this page. |
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Translation
into English by
Norman Henderson |
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Web:
Geir Neverdal (lektor/cand.philol) - Sel Historical
Society |
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The
Battle at Kringen
26th. August 1612 |
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Background - The
Battle - Myths?
- Significance - Objects - Literature - Scotland
-
Programme2012 |
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Contents of
this page: |
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Tuesday 25th. August - What did the farmers do?
Tuesday 25th. and Wednesday 26th. August - What did
the Scots do?
Wednesday 26th. August - The Battle at Kringen
Thursday 27th. August - What happened at Kvam the
day after the Battle?
What part did the killings at the town "Nya Lödöse"
play?
What
part did Per Klungnes play?
How
much was a human life worth?
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When did the
Battle take place?
The Julian
Calendar
The Gregorian
Calendar
Conclusion
Did the point in time have any significance for what
happened afterwards?
Weapons
Which
weapons were used in the Battle?
What
was the result of the Kalmar War?
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Tuesday
25th. August - What did the farmers do?
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The farmers
gathered at Høg-Kringom during the 25th. of August.
According to Angell (p.54) they came from Lesja,
Dovre, Vågå, Ringebu and Fron together with some from
Lom. He maintains that there was a total of 490 men
altogether. They were basically unorganized and without
anyone with a military background.
Those who distinguished themselves as leaders were the
Sheriff of Dovre Lars Hågå, Per Randkleiv (Sheriff at
Ringebu), and Arne Gunnstad, also from Ringebu. Berdon
Sejelstad from Ringebu is also mentioned as one of those
in command.
They had a
great deal to do during that day and the night leading
to the 26th. of August. A plan of battle had to be
decided upon, men put in position and set to work, in
addition to being given instructions.
Angell, as an Officer, finds it remarkable that the
farmers, completely lacking in any form of military
training or experience of war, were able to conceive and
implement such a well thought out and precisely executed
plan of battle.
“It demonstrates an excellent understanding of the
importance of the use of the terrain, a correct
assessment of the enemy’s and own strength, the
commencement of fighting through a diversionary
attack, the completion of it by a surprise offensive
and finally, a visual order and reporting system
which can do nothing but awaken our admiration”
(p.55).
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In 1838
Krag writes as follows - and quotes the old ballad
about the Battle of Kringen - older than Edvard Storm’s
“Zinklarvise” (p.18):
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“The Farmers near Kringlen waited for them; They
had, at suitable Places above the Road, built up
great Constructions, a type of unstable mass of
Stones and Timber*).
this was built on “Runners” bound together by Rope
and underpinned by Supports so that, when the Ropes
were cut and the supports removed, Timber and Rocks
would pour down the Mountainside.
The purpose was to let this Avalanche shoot down
when the Enemy was underneath, and afterwards to
attack the Survivors with Hand Weapons. The whole
Rock and timber Construction, as well as the
Farmers, who took Position behind this Barricade,
was hidden by Branches of Fir trees so that it
looked like a small wood.
*)Author’s
note: More recently, considerable doubt has been
cast by Bondevik and others, on the authenticity
of the idea that an avalanche of logs was tipped
down the valley side.
The use of so-called “Spanske
ryttere”
(see below) is regarded by many, including
Angell, as being more likely.
A “Spansk rytter” (Spanish rider) is a wooden
construction consisting of one log, laid
horizontally, through which holes are made close
to, and at right angles to, each other. Through
these holes lances or poles approximately two
meters in length and sharpened at both ends were
driven, making an “X” shape along the log’s
length, when looked at from the end. In more
recent times steel versions of these were used
in a variety of ways during WWII, often on
beaches to prevent the landing of amphibious
vehicles, tanks, etc.
A small group of Farmers went into Hiding a
little Way to the North and, when they heard the
Noise of Battle, should move down onto the Road,
preventing the enemy from retreating. The Farmers
also cut down large Trees and constructed “Spanske
ryttere” to tumble in front of and behind the Enemy
on his narrow path, effectively containing him and
preventing him from moving either forwards or
backwards.
An old song, without doubt written by someone from
Gudbrandsdalen, and which is older than Edvard
Storm’s, and of which several incorrect copies have
been made, tells about the Farmers’ Position.”
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(In Norwegian:)
”Der ligger en Klev i Gudbrandsdal
Der monne man Kringlen kalde
Der lagde de Døler sig paa Tal
Henved femhundrede Alle.
De skandsede for sig og gjorde Mur
Og reiste Stener mange
De laage der som Katten paa Luur
Naar den vil Musen fange.”
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A
version of the ballad was written down by Kr. P.
Åsmundstad and printed in the “The Dalesmen’s
Year Book for 1932”. You can read it
here (in Norwegian). Åsmundstad found the song -
more than 20 verses - in a handwritten notebook on a
farm in North Fron several years earlier. He
comments on this version as follows:
“The handwriting was Gothic, beautifully penned and
by a practised hand but, as one can see, very
inconsistent in spelling and approved language form,
in rhyme and rythm. The song has several verses; and
so Andr. Austlid copied at least two for use in
‘Sinklarsoga’ ”.
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Tuesday 25th. and Wednesday 26th. August - What did the
Scots do?
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Krag
writes the following (p. 16): |
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These
(the Scots - Author’s note)
had however, as has already been said, taken to the
mountains in order to avoid Rosten and had come down
to
Horgenlien in North Sell and taken Shelter there
for the Night, after the Farmers had left there in
the Morning. Sinclair slept at Romundgaard, and this
Building which he used is still in existence and now
used as a Barn. The Farmers in Northern Sell had
tethered Oxen to the Fences, to prevent the Enemy
from burning their Farms. Some say that the Scots
stayed at Sell for a Day before moving on. “Now is
the Start of Prosperity” Sinclair is reported to
have said to his Men, “out on Hedemarken it will be
even better”. In the morning before they left Sell,
some hours before the Battle of Kringlen took place,
it is said that he set off Gunpowder in his Hand to
ensure that the March would be successful. When the
Smoke reached his Chest he is reported to have said;
“Today my People will suffer. - How much, remains to
be seen”.
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Romundgard
(Wikipedia) |
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Sinclair was accompanied by a “Veirløber” or “Støver”;
Others call him “Veirkalv”, Others a “Vildtyrk” or
Tryntyrk”, which had the Characteristic, that he “as
a Hunting dog could detect the Enemy”. He had Veir (Lugt)
the smell they say of “Christian Blood”. Moreover it
is said about him, that the heavy (muscular) part of
his Leg was cut away so that he could run with even
greater Ease.
This “Veirløber” was shot that same Morning on the
Ødegaarden Farm. An elderly male Servant had in fact
stayed behind to see what the Enemy would do and had
hidden himself with his “Hornkreik” (Staalbue/steel
bow) in a field of Hemp, and another man who had
also stayed behind had taken up position by a
Stovepipe to give the Archer a Signal. The
“Veirløber” came after having drunk sour Milk in a
Dairy. Both the sour Milk and the Smell of the Hemp
now hindered the “Veirløberen’s” nose from
discovering the man who was Hidden, whose accurate
Shot felled him to the Ground, so that the sour Milk
“spurted out of him”.
Read more about
bloodhounds and “sleuth hounds”
blodhunder og "sleuth hounds" i.e.
dogs used to find people in Scotland at that time.
(The picture is on loan from
Wikipedia).
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A similar “Vildtyrk” was, as has already been said,
previously shot in Romsdalen. It was, according to
the Saga Positive for the Farmers, that these
“Vildtyrker” were shot, as they were dangerous
Scouts. In all probability these “Veirløbere” were
nothing other than Sinclar’s Tracker dogs, which one
must suppose, from both the Description and what has
been told about the one that was shot on the
Ødegaarden farm, because it ran about the Field and
barked”.
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The Scots broke camp at Sell. It was the 26th. of
August 1612*)
a day which has become very memorable in
Gudbrandsdalen’s History. It was a Wednesday. The
whole Scottish army marched Southwards to Military
music.
*)
In his commentary Kruse states the 26th. August,
which is also the day written in the text on the old
Monument at Kringlen which was destroyed by the
flood in 1789, and which is replaced by the existing
Monument, where the text is wrongly inscribed as the
24th. August”.
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Thomas
Michell (Her Majesty's Consul General for Norway)
writes in his book (1886): |
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"... he (Lars Hågå/Lauritz Hage
forf. anm.)
advanced in front (of the Scots) along the road
until he saw his advantage at a fjeld called
Kringelen, situated in Vaage parish, which they were
obliged to pass. Thus he hemmed them in between the
rock on one side and a large river close by on the
other side, in which advantageous position he
quietly encamped in the woods, and there lay with
his men until the foreign soldiers arrived there,
without, however, supposing or knowing aught but
that the Norwegian troops were still withdrawing
along the road before them."
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Wednesday
26th. August - The Battle of Kringen
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Kringen
Georg Strømdal’s (1856 - 1914) painting from 1897
The painting is to be found today in The Scottish March
Collection (Sinclair Inn) at Kvam in Gudbrandsdalen.
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Krag
(1838) describes it in this way: |
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“In order to keep
themselves informed as to how far the Scots had
come, and thereby estimate approximately when they
could expect them, they sent out a Farmer called
Audon Skjenna
from Sell, to scout. He came to the Skjenna Farm
where he saw Sinclar on the other side of the River,
gathering his Men; and when he saw them cross the
Laur bridge, a Bridge which spanned the Laagen
immediately North of the Ulen River, he returned
quickly. However the Scots saw him and supposedly
shouted “Look at the Farmer riding on a Horse”. It
was vital for the Farmers to distract the Enemy’s
Attention from their Ambush and to get to know when
the Enemy’s Main Force was below them; that then was
the Time to begin the Battle. In order to achieve
This the responsibility was given to one of the
Farmers who would be on an island called Storøen in
the Laagen and there, riding a white horse beyond
the Enemy’s range of fire, keep pace with the
enemy’s main force or its spearhead, and when they
had reached an agreed Place, indicate this by
suddenly turning back. To further distract the
Enemy’s Attention he should, according to some, have
sat backwards on the Horse, others say that in this
Respect he had tied a large red Shawl around the
Neck and down the Chest of the white Horse. Other
Preparations were also made to distract the
Attention of the Scots. After Advice given by Arne
Nedre Gunstad from Ringebu
the less skillful of those who were present were
positioned on the aforementioned Storøen, so that
they could deceive the Enemy with a diversionary
Attack, thereby taking his Attention away from the
Place where the real Farmers’ Army lay”.
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This photograph of Mette-Marit and
Håkon at the Pillarguri statue was taken
during the
Royal Visit to Otta on the 19th. of June 2006.
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Krag 1838
(continued):
Furthermore they
let a Girl, with the Name Guri, commonly called
Pillarguri, who could blow a Stut or Horn well, take
up position on a Mountain Peak, Selsjordskampen, on
the west Side of Laagen, from where she could
clearly see the surrounding landscape and the
advancing enemy.
When the main body of
the Enemy had arrived at a place near the Farmers’
agreed Position, she should sound the Horn to
attract the Enemy’s Attention to where she was,
which was in the opposite direction to that of the
Farmers’ army, and give an early warning signal to
the Farmers, who from their Ambush position could
not see the Enemy, about how far they had come. It
is also told that she moreover, in Agreement with
the Farmers, held a long white Towel which hung
down, which she should wind several Times round her
Arm, and in this way shorten it, showing how the
Enemy drew closer.
Now come the Scots. Their Advance Guard of 60, some
say 100 Men, marching a little way
ahead, passed unhindered. The girl on the Mountain
top didn’t blow her lur but waited for the main body
of the marchers. It is decidedly odd that the
advance guard did not notice the Farmers. Then
followed the Scots’ main contingent, but the Farmers
still remained quiet, each one ready at his Post.
Among them was also Berdon, or Bardum, Sejelstad
from Ringebo*),
and in addition there were two other capable
riflemen who had been chosen by one of the leaders
to make Sinclar himself their target. Berdon had
given the order that nobody should open fire before
he did. The Scots, who assumed that the Farmers’
army was somewhere ahead of them and didn’t expect
an attack here, came unsuspectingly closer and were
“in good humour”. When they were close enough they
heard the Girl on the Mountain top play. The Scots
stopped and listened to the unusual and melancholy
Sound. Sinclar’s Musicians answered her by playing a
March. The Girl played the same Notes again and the
Scots answered her once more**).
Then the Attack started from Øen.
*)
Hjorthøy as well as
the Saga refers to him as Berdon; in Grams Census
the Name is spelt Berdum and in Christian IV’s Gift
letter Bardum, which indicates that these
differences in spelling are the result of a
corruption of the original historical name, Baard or
Bárd, due to the passage of time and the development
of the language.
**)
Both
what the Girl played and the Scots’ March are still
in the hands of the Parish’s Players, although the
latter is probably corrupted. Both items are
arranged for piano and are available printed in
lithography and accompanied by descriptive material.
It is possible that in Sinclar’s March the basic
tones are to be found for the real March and that it
is also possible that the original Sinclar March can
be found, since it is to be expected that it was
Clan Sinclar’s Pipe Music. Colonel Sinclar used and
... it is well known that the North of Scotland is
full of pipers who all knew the old melodies and
passed them on from Generation to Generation.
Several Shots were
fired but no Bullet reached its target. Another
Salvo was fired, followed by several more, with the
same Result and the Scots laughed at this, which
they believed to be a cowardly Attack, and they
raised their Bonnets after each Salvo in derision.
But suddenly the Signal was given to the hidden
Farmers and the Scene abruptly changed. Rocks and
Tree trunks poured down the hillside, at the same
time as Sinclar fell to the first Shot. Berdon
Sejelstad had taken up position behind some trees
and had him in his sights, and since Sinclar was
regarded as a great and brave Warrior who could
survive being shot, Berdon, sure in his belief of
this Capacity, took the Silver button which held his
shirt closed at the throat and chewed it into a
bullet, with which he loaded his Rifle*).
Some say that he missed the first time. The shot is
said to have hit Sinclar in the Forehead just above
the left Eye. As he fell he is reported to have
shouted : “This is Berdon Sejelstads Hage”**).
The spot where he fell is still to be seen and is
called “ Sinclarsdokken”. Immediately the Colonel
fell, the others were attacked, and the Farmers
stormed forward with Courage and Speed, Bellowing
and bringing Death by shooting their Rifles and
hacking with their Axes. The Scots were in a highly
unfortunate Situation in the narrow Pass, where they
were crowded together, not organized in a Fighting
Formation and hemmed in by the Steep Mountain. From
the North, South and above the Farmers assaulted
them. The aforementioned song says:
“They were surrounded in the South
and North etc.:
”De vare omringede sønder og nord
Det monne de mest fortryde.
Der skeede paa dem et ynkeligt Mord
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -”
*)
The
Superstition that exceptionally Brave people could
not be hit by bullets and that it was pointless to
use Lead bullets against them, but that Silver ones
were needed, is still occasionally found and is or
has been prevalent in many other Countries.
**)
I.e. Rifle. Hage or Hagebøsse ( in
German Haken or Hakenrohr) was actually the first
firearm, which replaced the Bow or Crossbow.
They ran up the
Mountain side to reform but were pushed back down.
“Those who were not shot, threw themselves into the
River to save themselves and some drowned, while
those who managed to cross the river alive, were
immediately cut down by the Farmers on that Side”(Kruse).
The Dølevisen
recounts the following about the Battle
(in Norwegian):
”Der Oberste red i forreste Led
Han holdt sig saare prægtig.
Han blev først skudt af Hesten ned
Og blev strax ganske afmægtig,
Han døde og der strax paa Stand
Med flere paa de Tide.
Georgius Sinclar hedte han,
Som da blev lagt i Lige.
Der tumled mange stolter Helt
Og dandsed mod deres Villie,
Hest og Mand til Jorden blev fældt,
Saa bøde dem Dølen til Gilde.
De Kugler tykke som Hagl fløi;
Mand maatte der holde og bie,
Der hørtes mangen Vraal og Støi,
Ja værkede mangen Side.
Der svedtes mangen blodig Sved,
De blev i Kinderne hvide.
De gave sig strax ad Klippen op
Død vil de Norske bringe.
Men blev nedkjørte med Steen og Stok
og maatte for Klippen springe.
Hart hos den Klippe rinder en Aae
De Strømme rinde saa strive,
Enhver som ikke kan Landet naa,
Han monne for Strømmen drive.
De svømmede baade hid og did
Paa Ryggen som de og kunde.
Den Konst de havde lært med Flid,
Dog maatte de gaae til Bunde.
De skjøde paa dem ret skarpelig
At Vandet stod dem om Øre,
De maatte blive paa det Sted
Og naaede ei det Tørre.”
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This photograph shows Pillarguritoppen/Selsjordkampen
with the Pillarguri figure made of slate.
It has been taken, using a telefoto lens from down in
the valley, just as the slate figure
reflects the sun’s rays. That is the reason for the
white/shiny look the figure has.
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“The Girl up on the
Mountain top stayed there playing during the Battle,
until she saw the Laagen stained with blood. Then
she threw her Horn over her head and exchanged her
Song for Tears. It is also said by some that
Sinclar’s wife and child were killed during the
Battle. According to the Saga, Kjel Fjerdingreen of
Hedalen Annex to Vaage was persuaded by his Partner,
who had a premonition of Disaster, to stay at home
while the others went to Fight. But when she heard
that Sinclair had his Wife and her newly born Child
with him, she became anxious about that and, as much
as she had begged him to stay at home, she now
begged him just as much to go along, not to join in
the Battle’s Bloodbath, but to save the child if
possible. “You won’t have me Kjel, before you have
saved the Child”, she is supposed to have said.
Therefore he went. Kjel fought his way through the
tumult of battle to fulfil his lover’s earnest
Prayer. The child had just been hit by a bullet.
Kjel found Mrs. Sinclair, who was completely
distraught with sorrow, on horseback, wiping the
blood from the Child. Others say that, in her fear,
she had let it fall out of her hands and that Kjel
caught it and offered it back to her - she thought
that he should harm the child and, driven by Fear
and Mother’s instinct, stuck a Dagger (Flus/Dolk)
which she had in her hand, into her Benefactor’s
Chest. Others say that she stabbed him in the back
with the dagger as he bent down to pick up the
Child. One of Kjel’s men then shot the lady off the
horse and her body was supposedly seen later in the
river Laagen. Yet others say that the Farmers threw
her in the Laagen because they thought her to be a
witch, and she sat there wiping the blood from her
Child and the river carried her a long way before
she died. When the Child was killed, and before she
disappeared in the river, she is supposed to have
sung a wild song in desperation ... . That place,
where she for a short time held herself on the
surface of the water, is said to be immediately
outside the Northernmost Slope in Kringlen. Others
say that she was among the prisoners and that her
life was spared. It is recorded in the Vaage Book of
Records that she kept her Life.
From just North of
this Slope to a place to the South of the highest
point of Kringlen, where the Wooden Tablet is
located, is the area in which the Battle probably
took place.
According to Kruse the fighting lasted for an
Hour and a Half. When the fighting ceased and the
Victory was won, the Farmers took up the chase of
the Advance Guard which they had allowed to pass
unhindered. This Troop had fled when it sensed the
defeat of the others, but was caught on a plain near
the Solhjem Farm, South of Kringlen. When the
Farmers came charging towards them shouting
“Forward, forward, there are more of them who will
flee”, the Scots sent their men towards them saying
that they would surrender. They laid down their
Weapons but when they saw that the Farmers were
fewer than they at first thought, picked them up
again and prepared to fight. The Guide Peder Klognæs
was with the advance guard and almost shared the
same fate as the Scots, but because of his shout “I
am Peder Klognæs, I am Peder Klognæs and am of Your
own People”, he avoided the same fate and could
happily return to his Home in Romsdalen.
The size of the Farmers’ Army, which fought at
Kringlen, was around 400 to 500
*)
men strong, of whom 6 were killed and a few wounded,
according what is reported in Dølavisen:
”Der Dølene havde dette gjort
Og lagt saa Fienden øde,
Jeg haver det for Sanding spurgt
At sex er bleven døde
I Slaget som stod ved den Klev
Og da blev lagt i Lige
Foruden de som saaret blev
Som er faa at sige.”
*)
Kruse (1612) writes
in his Report that the army was “”firehundrede og
fems”? Men strong. In Dølavisen it says 500 Men, and
it seems therefore wrong that the Farmers’ Army is
recorded as 300 Men in the inscription on the
Monument on Sinclar’s Grave.
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Thomas
Michell (Her Majesty's Consul General for Norway)
writes in his book (1886): |
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"... The above-mentioned Lauritz Hage, having made his arrangements and
perceived his advantage, attacked, together with
another lensmand, Peter Rankleff of Ringeboe, and
with all their men together they fired upon the
foreign troops and shot them to death during an hour
and a half. Those who were not shot jumped into the
river to save themselves, but were there drowned ;
and those of them who got alive over the river were
quickly killed by the Bonder on that side ; all of
which happened and occurred on the 26th of August
last. From the Bonder who were themselves present at
the battle, and who buried and counted the dead and
the defeated, we learn that the foreign soldiers
must no doubt have numbered at the least 550 men,
although the Scots who remained alive, and of whom
there are altogether 18, will not admit that they
were more than 350 men strong at the utmost. On the
day the battle took place 134 Scots were taken
prisoners, who were straightway the next day killed
and shot by the Bonder, with the exception of the
above-mentioned 18, the Bonder saying to each other
that His Majesty had enough to feed in those same
18."
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Thursday 27th August - What happened at Kvam the day
after the Battle? |
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Krag
(1838): |
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“The Farmers
immediately left there (Kringen) with the prisoners
and went to Kvam, Annex to Froen. After the
honourable act which they had newly carried out, the
next day the Farmers perpetrated a Bloody Act which
the valley’s inhabitants recounted with disgust and
a wish that it had never happened. - “ The most
senior of them who were present” wanted that the
prisoners, who had been imprisoned in a barn on the
Klomstad Farm - should all be sent to Akershus;
”Men behagede Dølerne ei
At de saa skulde drage
Gjennem den lange og trange Vei
Og gjøre Landet Umage.”
The Crowd, who were
very Angry, shouted that they all should be Killed,
whereupon the prisoners were taken out of the Barn*)
One by One they were shot until 18 were left alive.
Five or Six who survived being Shot “in a mysterious
way”, were stabbed to death with Spears. In the
Dølevisen it says:
”De agted ei Lod eller Krud
Det tørred i deres Pander
Saa haard var deres Kjød og Hud
Det kunde ei gjennem dem gange.
Formedelst List og Troldomskonst
Den havde de lært til Prikke.
Hvad man dem gjorde var omsonst
De monne ei derved hikke
Saa toge de til de skarpe Spjud
Og monne til dennem rende
Da revnede baade Kjød og Hud
Og gjorde med dem en Ende.
Dog af de Fangne beholdne blev
Jeg ved paa en nær tyve
Blandt dennem to Capitainer gik
Jeg vil det ikke lyve.
Den ene Capitain Brynts ved Navn
Den anden Capitain Ramse.”
*)
The Barn still stands (1838) some Way North of
Sinclar’s Grave near Kongeveien.
(The barn was destroyed (fire) during the heavy
fighting in Kvam in 1940 - WWII)
Kruse (1612) writes
about the Prisoners: “While on the day of the Battle
134 Scots were taken prisoner, they were immediately
taken out the next day and all beaten to death and
shot except for 18, saying to each other that the
King had enough to do to feed the 18, despite the
fact that Some of them were wounded and Some still
had bullets in their bodies when they arrived (at
Akershus Castle). Of the aforementioned 18 soldiers
we now send ((i.e. to Denmark) the three most Senior
who are a Captain Alexander Ramsy (Ramsey) and his
Lieutenant, named Jacob Mannerpange, who had
previously been in both Denmark and Sweden and now
on this March had been used as an interpreter: the
third is called Henrich Bryssz, who had been used
because of his reputation as a Soldier in Holland,
Spain and Hungary. With regard to the other 15, some
took employment with the good people of the country,
some I have immediately sent to Elfsborg
(near Gothenburg in today's Sweden)
and who will
willingly serve the King in Jørgen Lunge’s Regiment*).
In the Dølevisen it says about them:
”De blev omsider til Slottet ført
De lysted ei her at blive
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
”De kunde ei lide den Kost saa haard
Som Gudbrandsdølen mon give.
Her vanker ei mange Høns og Faar,
Men Lod og Krud udi Live.”
*)
i.e. enter
Danish Military Service. Jørgen Lunge was a Danish
Nobleman who was at that time Commandant of Bahuus
Castle.
That at least 18 survived can be seen from
Kruse’s account (1612),
and that several even remained in the valley is told
in the Saga; Storm sings that none of the Scots ever
saw their homeland again; there is nevertheless an
account of one who did reach home*).
The Place in Kvam near Laden, where the dead Scots
were buried, is to be seen North of Laden and is
called Skothaugen.
The Farmers’ conduct towards the Scots can in no
way be justified, but as long as there is much which
speaks for excusing the behaviour, one should be
careful about making a categorical judgement.
According to the Saga, there was anger caused by the
treatment of Peder Klognæs, who had witnessed so
many of the gruesome deeds perpetrated by the Scots
during the March and who himself had suffered from
them. It is possible to see that the connection
might have been as follows: The Farmers, tired after
several days’ march and the Battle, arrived at Kvam
with the prisoners, and had begun to be bored with
the thought of taking them further, added to which
it was the busy harvest time and food was perhaps
short. Some of them might have been drunk, as they
had been previously in Sell and, influenced by the
alcohol and tales of the Scots’ supposed attrocities,
believed that they deserved to die and immediately
set about killing them, without the leaders
attempting to stop them. Perhaps the prisoners
themselves, during their transport, gave reason for
added exasperation. Such an assumption is within the
bounds of possibility because it seems extraordinary
that the Farmers, after the occurrance at Solhjem,
didn’t immediately do away with the prisoners given
that their anger was so great the following day, but
that they took them about 10 kilometres on the road
to Akershus. Special circumstances, about which we
no longer know, could have been contributing factors
to the deed. Before one passes final judgement on
the whole occurrance and the Farmers from
Gudbrandsdalen, it should be remembered that war at
that time, and the Kalmar War in particular, brought
with it considerable cruelty in addition to turning
the clock back in terms of the spirit of the times,
and it should not be forgotten that more than two
centuries have passed since then. Despite the fact
that present times exhibit a higher cultural level,
similar acts of Barbarism are still committed. One
readily remembers what has been told of the cruelty
of the Duke of Cumberland after the Battle of
Culloden in 1746 in Scotland, the murder of General
Torrejos and his 60 unfortunte troops on the plains
outside Malaga by General Morenos in 1832, General
Minas’ cruelty in Lacarotz in 1835 and the
attrocities committed against the English prisoners
by the Carlites near Tolosa in 1837.
*)
Slange tells that
they “All were shot or cut down, except twenty”; but
deserves less credibility in this connection than
Kruse or the Legends. Slange also maintains “that
one of the prisoners was a skilled glass craftsman
who settled in Norway and died here and that another
was sent to Scotland. This is recounted in legend,
but that the last man was sent home “so that he
could tell his countrymen what had happened” is
probably Slange’s own addition. As examples of how
several later historians have described the
occurrance, Fred Snedorff’s lectures about
Fædrelandets Historie 2 B, p.106 and later even
Werlauff in his own publication of the 4th. printing
of Munthe’s Levnedsbeskrivelser (Munthe’s Biography)
p.191, has distorted his narrative about Slange,
that the Scot who settled here as a skilled glass
craftsman - established a glassworks in Norway.
“The saga tells that One of
the surviving Scots, when he saw the Rifle pointed
at him, ran to Ingebrigt Valde from Vaage*)
and with Beseeching Gestures, begged for his Life
and Rescue, and sought Shelter under his Horse,
whereupon Ingebrigt raised his Axe in his Protection
with the Threat that he would cut down whoever
killed him. This Scot was reportedly a Master glass
worker and later settled in the Country and to Prove
his Gratitude sent several Windows to Ingebrigt
Valde, whom in his Letters he always referred to as
his “Lifefather”. Of these same Windows, one is
still shown on Valde, in which some decorations with
etched work on a Rough Shape, which represents a
Shield, on which can be seen a Mark like a Signet
(perhaps Ingebrigt Valde’s) and an Angel which
appear to hold its hands in a protective manner over
it”.
*)
Hjorthøy calls him
Ingebrikt Sørvold; in Grams Mandtal (Grams Census)
neither this name or Ingebrikt Valdes is to be
found. On the other hand the tenant farmers Oluff
and Knud Valde are both named.
Krag
1838
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What part did the killings at the town "Nya Lödöse"
play? |
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In the
winter of 1612 the Danish/Norwegian forces had occupied
the town of Nya Lödöse near Gothenburg. A troop of 1000
men (700 German mercenaries and 300 Norwegian farmers)
remained in the town while the remainder marched on.
At the end of February however, the Swedes recaptured
the town and the 700 soldiers surrendered based on the
assurance that they could go free. The 300 Norwegian
farmers who, according to information handed down, had
sought refuge in a church, were brutally executed. There
were supposedly farmers from Gudbrandsdalen among them,
according to Angell.
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On the “Gustav
II Adolfs Fotfänika i Göteborg” net pages, the story
is told in this way: |
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“On the 26th of February Jesper Matsson arrived at
Nya Lödöse with a troop of soldiers. During the
night siege preparations were made and three cannon
were brought from Älvsborgs Castle. Early in the
morning the Swedes opened fire, whereupon the
complement of 700 soldiers surrendered against free
passage. Some 200 of them entered Swedish service.
The 300 Norwegian farmers who were in the town were
not included in the surrender, so they were killed”.
(Read more: The
fighting in 1612 and the Älvsborgs Castle surrender
- in Swedish:
http://www.giia.nu/sv/History/1612.php )
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It is
assumed that the killings in Nya Lödöse were known about
in Gudbrandsdalen - and can have been a contributing
factor to what happened at Kvam the day after the Battle
of Kringen.
Lonbakken is of the opinion that what happened at Nya
Lödöse also acted as motivation before the actual
battle.
Read more about the fighting around Gothenberg in 1612
on the net pages
"Gustav
II Adolfs Fotfänika i Göteborg" (in Swedish) |
Click for a large version of the map
of Nya Lödöse
(Map:
Wikipedia. |
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What part
did Per Klungnes play? |
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(Coming later |
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How much was
a human life worth? |
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Per Steffensson |
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“In 1628
( sixteen years after the battle) Per Steffensson had
been drunk and blasphemed against God” (i.e. he had
sworn) Ivar Teigum recounts in “The Parish Record Book
for Sel and Vågå” (volume 2, p.34).
The Clerk of the Court and Jury sentenced him therefore
to hanging.
Punishment was later reduced to expulsion - and then to
a fine of 20 daler for swearing.
However, 20 daler corresponded to approximately half of
what it cost to build a new church in Sel the same year.
Draconian punishment for lapses which we today almost
ignore - a person’s life was worth little.
A result of that attitude to the worth of a human life
can be seen in what happened at Kvam the day after the
Battle. |
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When did the Battle take
place?
Did
the point in time have any significance for what
happened afterwards? |
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The
Battle took place on the calendar date
the
26th. August
1612,
BUT...
...at that time the Julian Calendar was still in use
in, amongst other countries, Denmark/Norway and
Sweden. As it was in England and Scotland.
The Roman Catholic countries in Europe had already
started to use the Gregorian Calendar in 1582. It
took however many years for some of the Protestant
countries to follow suit.
Denmark/Norway
started to use the Julian Calendar in
1700,
almost 90 years after the Battle of Kringen, and
Sweden followed later in 1753.
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The Julian
Calendar |
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The Julian
Calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar from the year
46 BC.
“The calendar was based on the Egyptian calendar and
during its development Caesar had the help of the
astronomer Sosigenes from Alexandria.
The new calendar follows the sun’s year and the
average length of the year is 365.25 days; of four
years three have 365 days, and the fourth year, (a
Leap Year), 366. The months were given their present
lengths, but two have since changed their names,
July and August...
The calendar was adjusted back to its proper place
in the sun’s year when, in 46 BC, three months
totalling 90 days were inserted ((Confusion’s Year).
Because of a mistake, each third year up to 8 BC was
given 366 days. Keiser Augustus corrected this by
removing every Leap Year between 8 BC and 8 AD. The
calendar was later used unchanged until it was
reformed in 1582”. (SNL)
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Julius Caesar (100-44 BC)
Photo: Wikipedia |
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The Gregorian
Calendar
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“At the large meeting of Churches in Nikaia in 325
AD a resolution was passed about the Festival of
Easter which presumed that the Vernal Equinox should
always fall on the 21st. March. The average year
according to the Julian Calendar is however 0,0078
days longer than the tropical year, a difference
which, after 128 years, amounts to a whole
day. Consequently the Vernal Equinox, after 128
years, goes one date back in the calendar and in
1582 it was pushed back to the 11th. March. Pope
Gregory the 13th. decreed the introduction of a
revised calendar, the Gregorian Calendar. To bring
the Vernal Equinox back to the 21st. March 10 days
had to be “lost” in 1582 (the day after the 4th.
Oct. was written as the 15th. Oct.). In Norway and
Denmark the calendar was taken into use in 1700 by
the day after the 18th. February being written as
the 1st. March.
” (SNL)
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Pave Gregor 13. (1502-1585)
Photo:
Wikipedia |
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Conclusion
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The Battle
took place some 11 days later. According to our
contemporary calendar it was around the 6th. September.
However, it will be an almost impossible task to
recalculate calendar dates for historic events in the
individual countries to the calendar we use today. As
has been said above, different countries started to use
the Gregorian calendar in different years.
Therefore, all calendar dates in the various countries
which used the Julian Calendar will, from a short time
after the birth of Christ and up to 1582, be displaced
from by one to ten days - in relation to the sun’s year.
In countries which took the Gregorian Calendar into use
after 1582 the difference will be equivalently greater.
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It
is therefore normal that calendar dates for
earlier historical occurrances are related to
the recorded time - and for the Battle of
Kringen that is
the 26th. August.
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A
list of countries from
SNL
showing when some countries started to use the
Gregorian Calendar (our contemporary calendar):
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Denmark
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1700
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Albania
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1912
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Norway
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1700
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Bulgaria
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1916
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Great
Britain
(incl. Scotland)
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1752
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Soviet Union
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1918
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Sweden
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1753
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Romania
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1919
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Japan
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1873
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Greece
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1924
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China
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1929
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Turkey
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1927
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Read
more about this:
English Wikipedia and
German. Wikipedia
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Did the point in time have any significance for what
happened afterwards?
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Corn
(i.e. barley) was the life saver |
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Sjur Lonbakken
points out that the types of corn used in the 1600s
needed a longer time to ripen than those we cultivate
today. |
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“It is therefore to be believed that the Battle at
Kringen took place just before the major task of
harvesting should begin...The binding and stacking
of the corn was just around the corner, if it had
not already started, and if the corn was to be saved,
each and every farmer had to make sure it was done.
The farmers were clear enough in their thinking as
to have another explanation for doing what they did,
and that was that they should prevent the King from
being burdened by unnecessary expenses. But the
farmers’ problem was surely that they themselves
would have had the problem of feeding more than 100
men on the journey to Akershus. In fact they also
acted this time to their own advantage, based on
local interests and motives. Understandable, but
what they did seems brutal. The 1600s were brutal
times, and the farmers possibly feared that the
Scots might overpower them. They were probably
afraid for their own lives”. (Lonbakken p.91)
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In
order to keep control of 130 prisoners on such a long
march as it was to Akershus, many of the farmers would
have been required to make a journey lasting several
weeks - from the 6th. September - to and from Oslo, in
the middle of the most important harvest season.
(Tracks/roads did not follow the fastest route so, in
comparison to the 550 km length of a round trip Kvam-Akershus
on today’s E6 main road, their journey would have been
considerably longer.
Lesja-Akershus-Lesja along today's roads is a distance
of about 680 km. |
How long was a day’s march?
Dr. phil. Fartein Valen-Sendstad explains in
his article “Commerce in Oppland in the 1800s” that
for many hundreds of years a good day’s journey was
regarded as three Norwegian miles (30 km.) .
On horseback, given good conditions, it could be up
to 50 km. Journey time between Oslo and Vågå was
normally regarded as being 10 days, one way, and
often more. (“Oppland fra istid til
nåtid” utgitt av Opplandsbanken i 1979 s.112 -
“Oppland from the Ice Age to the present day”,
published by Opplandsbanken in 1979 p.112)
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A
marginal area for corn (i.e. barley) production
North
Gudbrandsdalen has historically always been a marginal
area for corn production, - and corn, “God’s gift”, was
at that time a deciding factor in being able to survive
throughout the year. Hunger, famine and resulting death
were not unusual in the centuries before the potato came
to Norway - if the corn harvest wasn’t brought in. (The
potatoe first came to Norway in the latter half of the
1700s).
The farmers
could have seen it as decisive for their own survival
that they avoided that transport - a factor which could
have contributed to what happened at Kvam the day after
the Battle.
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Barley in Vågå 2010 |
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The fear of
losing control and being overpowered during such a long
march, added to the fear of not being able to secure
food supplies for their families for the coming year,
can have had an effect on their actions. |
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Weapons? |
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Firearms - some history:
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Proper handguns
were developed during the 1300s, when gunpowder was
first used.
“ The first hand-held firearms were handpipes which
consisted of a barrel which was closed at the rear
end with either a welded wedge or a screw, and was
called a haker (Halfhaker, Singlehaker and
Doublehaker) or hakebørse, because it was equipped
with a support which was used to steady the weapon
against something solid (e.g. the parapet) during
the actual discharge and which absorbed the recoil.
The barrel had a vent, and later a pan for priming”
(SNL)
Hakebørse - illustration from
Wikipedia
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“Not until the fuse lock,
fitted with a trigger which lead a burning fuse to
the primer, was invented at the beginning of the
1400s, was it possible to aim during shooting and
use both hands to handle the rifle. The fuse lock
remained in use for almost 300 years. Arkebusen with
a fuse lock was up to 2 metres in length, weighed
approx. 8 kilograms and fired lead bullets which
weighed from 36 to 66 grams. It could fire up to 10
shots an hour.” (SNL).
Fuse lock - illustration from
Wikipedia
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The wheel lock was invented at
the beginning of the 1500s and worked in the same
way as a modern cigarette lighter, where a toothed
wheel made sparks by grinding against a stone. The
weapon was gradually made lighter, renamed a musket,
and was in use especially during the reign of Gustav
2. Adolf. It weighed 6-7 kilograms, had an 18-25 mm.
calibre and shot ca. 50 gram projectiles
approximately 200 metres. The stusser was developed
about the same time. It had rifling in the bore, was
shorter and lighter than the musket”. (SNL)
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"Five rifles are mentioned in
the Artillery Museum catalogue of 1904 : "Smoothbore
rifles with wheel locks, long barrels.
Left behind by the Scots during the fighting in
Gudbrandsdalen in 1612". Total length of the rifle:
205 cm (80.7 inches).
These five rifles are preserved - four are owned by
the Ministry of Defence, the fifth is in the
Scottish March Collection,
Kvam. That particular rifle had previously been
given to the then, but now long since deceased, Head
of the Air Force,
Generalløytnant Odd Bull" (Scottish
March Collection Kvam)
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“ The snaplock was invented
during the 1500s and was improved around 1650 into
the flintlock. In this construction the cock which
held the flint was pulled forward by a spring. The
flintlocks were in use for more than 150 years, from
the Thirty Years War and throughout the Napoleonic
Wars. The musket with flintlock and bayonet was
called a bayonetflint, or rifle, and from the
beginning of the 1700s was the Infantry’s weapon.
The bayonet replaced the pike or spear and the long
stabbing blade, used by Gustav 2. Adolf, and which
was attached to the musket in a somewhat uncertain
fashion”. (SNL)
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Illustration of a Snaplock rifle. -
Maihaugen |
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An old rifle from The Scottish March Collection at the
Sinclair Inn at Kvam
From about 1650 onwards, (about 40 years after the
Kringen battle) flintlocks were used. |
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Which
weapons were used in the Battle? |
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Firearms
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In 1604
Christian IV imposed stricter demands on farmers with
regard to weapons, Sjur Lonbakken tells us in his
Masters paper:
“Apart from other demands,
every fullsize, halfsize and quartersize farm must
possess at least one serviceable rifle to be
available at any given time. A weapons court should
be held and heavy fines imposed for non attendance,
lack of weapons, or that weapons were not properly
maintained”. (Lonbakken p.14)
It can
therefore be deduced that many who were at Kringen
carried rifles. Similarly, when one knows that the
hunting of reindeer has been an important item in the
food supply for those who lived here in the mountain
communities, it is logical to assume that they could
handle these weapons - also that they knew how to avoid
detection, either by a hunted animal or an enemy which
was drawing near. |
A wheel lock
From The Scottish March Collection
at the Sinclair inn in Kvam. |
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70% of the
farmers had a firearm
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Lonbakken
writes:
"The
majority of farmers in Gudbrandsdalen had farms
which met the criteria for keeping a firearm on the
farm.
According to
the Tax List of 1612, of the 530 farmers in Lesja,
Vågå, Fron and Ringebu, only 151 were either farmers
on isolated farms or farmers “tied” to owners. That
is to say approximately 72% of the farmers in the
district were obliged to have a firearm”. (Lonbakken
p.82)
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Halberd,
spear, tessak and axe
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Farmers on
isolated farms and those who were “tied” to owners were
required to have a halberd, tessak or axe. Even servants
should have a spear and a tessak or an axe, according to
whether they had full or half pay. (Lonbakken p.82). |
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“Tessaks were purchased by the Danish/Norwegian State at
the end of the 1500s and additional purchases made
between 1612 and 1628. Several hundred (m.u.) of these
weapons are to be found at Maihaugen. Tessaks are the
people’s weapon, while swords or rapiers were more
likely to be associated with the upper classes such as
officers, civil servants and city dwellers”.
(maihaugen.no) |
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The
Sinclair Hilt |
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"The
Sinclair Hilt was one of the earliest basket-hilt
designs and was of south German origin. On average the
blade of a Sinclair or "compound" hilt sword measured
38in.
It had long quillons and an oval leather-wrapped grip
that was originally designed for falchion blades but was
soon applied to the broadsword.[5] It had a large
triangular plate very similar to the ones used on main
gauche daggers and was decorated with pierced hearts and
diamonds.
Hilts of this design were also used on other weapons
including sabres, cutlasses, rapiers, backswords and
civilian hunting hangers.
A similar
weapon was the Pallasch which had the same hilt and
straight blade but was single-edged. It was used until
the mid-18th century by the Austrian army and inspired
the British 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sabre." (Wikipedia
- Eng.) |
George Sinclair's forces land in Norway, 1612.
The soldier is armed with a
Sinclair hilt broadsword
and wears a
comb morion.
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"It is believed that these swords were brought back to
Scotland by George Sinclair's mercenaries who had served
on the continent.
The
Sinclair hilt broadsword influenced the development
of the Scottish basket-hilted claymore, which was used
by Highlanders in the 17th. and 18th. centuries. After
the Jacobite Wars it became a symbol of Scotland”.
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How well
armed were the Scots? |
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It has been
argued that the Scots were lightly armed - and that they
expected to be furnished with more weapons when they got
to Sweden. (More
about this later) |
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Illustration: Halberd from The Scottish March collection
at the Sinclair Inn in Kvam.
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What
was the result of the Kalmar War?
When
peace was made in 1613, Sweden was required to
abandon their claim on Finnmark and pay the sum
of one million Riksdaler in compensation.
Denmark/Norway emerged strengthened from the
conflict,
There were no changes in borders as a result of
the war.
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Background - The
Battle - Myths?
- Significance - Objects - Literature - Scotland
-
Programme2012 |
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Siden ble
sist oppdatert:
06. mai 2012 |
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Web: Geir Neverdal (Lektor/Cand.Philol.)
- Sel Historielag
www.otta2000.com |
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