Sunday, October 19, 2008

The Hvide Family in Jutland



The island Hjelm, photo gb.
Marsk Stig Andersen Hvide.
* ca. 1230 + 1293 Hjelm

Danish magnate and marsk, died 1293, according to legend buried by his men in Stubberup Church near Eskebjerg(now Scheelenborg) at Funen.Stig Andersen was a rich man, he owned property in Jutland, at Funen and Zealand. He was one of the mightiest men in the country through many years and the government was often named 'Marsk Stig's Government.' He wasn't just anyone - his ancestors must have been in the top elite, consisting of names we know already.The family line I have suggested can only be a doubtful theory for professional historians, but it is a possibility. No proofs delivered , but this is one of the things, which is so fascinating when dealing with early medieval history - like 'The Regicide in Finderup Lade' - a crime story never to be solved. Discussions and guessing will go on and on - and here is one of my guessings about Stig Andersen Hvide, a great personality who had an immense influence on Danish politics and Denmark's future. He showed strong family traits with the mightiest men of the Hvide-family. He's a typical Hvide-guy.(Stig Andersens father is not known, but his first name must be Anders).

My notes : Stig Andersen's father was Anders Tokesen Hvide,who was a son of Toke Stigsen Hvide.
Toke Stigsen Hvide was a son of Stig Hvidelæder Tokesen and Margrethe of Denmark (daughter of Knud Lavard and Ingeborg Mstislavsdatter). Stig Hvidelæder Tokesen was a son of Toke Skjalmsen and Gyda of Denmark. Toke Skjalmsen was a son of Skjalm Hvide. NB:Stig Hvidelæder Tokesen is not known to have a son by the name Toke (he had two sons, Niels and Aage) but this might be wrong, since his father was 'a Toke' - and it was a common thing to let the name continue in the family. At a point the name Toke wasn't 'modern' anymore, and this might have been around Stig Andersen Hvide's time.
Stig Andersen Hvide married:
1) Ossa Nielsdatter, a daughter of Niels Alexandersen, who was a great-great-grandson of Skjalm Hvide.
2) Ingeborg Pallesdatter Litle, a daughter of Palle Litle, who was a great-great-grandson of Skjalm Hvide.
3) NN (Ingeborg?) Offesdatter Neb , a daughter of drost Offe/Uffe Nielsen Neb, whose father Niels Erlandsen was a great-great-grandson of Skjalm Hvide.
children: Anders Stigsen Hvide ( ~ Margrethe Nielsdatter Lændi), Niels Stigsen, 2 daughters


Møllerup today

Owner of Tygestrup, Eskebjerg, Bjørnholm(now Høgholm), Bjørnkjær and Møllerup (Mylnthorp) in Feldballe parish by Ebeltoft; marsk and army commander latest year 1275; denied together with other magnates to pay tribute to king Erik (5.) Klipping's son Erik as heir to the throne on Danehof in Nyborg 1276; prominent member and possibly the leader of the magnate opposition, which from the king demanded the holding of a Danehof each year, prohibition against imprisonment without preceding conviction on the Thing, without confession or without catching in the act, plus a guarantee against that the king moved a case from the peasants' Thing to the king's Thing, the king's commitment to these demands was confirmed on Danehof in Vordingborg March 1282 on the implementation of Denmark's first constitution, Erik 5.'s coronation charter, signed by the king at Nyborg Castle 29. July 1282.


Møllerup today

A member of the court of arbitration for the reading of the inheritance claims of the members of the royal family, the same year (1282) marsk and leading member of the magnate government, probably in September 1283 together with his father-in-law Uffe Nielsen Neb as drost, bishop Jacob of Schleswig as chancellor and Rane Jonsen of Gjorslev as kammermester (financial leader) ; took part in carrying out a row of statutory instruments in ab. 1284 , among others outlawry punishment for killing in the victim's home, in hostel or church and with reduction of taxes and services to the king, and with major privileges for magnates.


Nyborg castle
After the murder on the king in Finderup Lade 22 November 1286 he was dismissed as marsk together with the rest of the government by the new government under the leadership of drost Peder Nielsen Hoseøl; accused together with grev Jacob of Nørre Halland, the royal vassal Peder Jacobsen, one of hertug Valdemar's knights Niels Knudsen, Peder Porse and Niels Hallandsfar who were also knights, kammermester (the king's financial leader)Rane Jonsen of Gjorslev and the two væbners Aage Kokke and Arved Bendtsen for complicity in the regicide, and on the Danehof in Nyborg 26 May 1287 convicted to have removed peace and property; took flight with the rest of the convicted magnates to Norway and had asylum by the Norwegian king Erik Præstehader in Kongshelle by Gøtaelven; participated in Norway's war against Denmark in 1289 .

Hjelm

Built castle on the island Hjelm east of the Ebeltoft peninsula and fetched wife and children hereto in 1290; from Hjelm he lead expeditions against Samsø, Svendborg, Holbæk, Nykøbing Falster, Middelfart and several other places in Denmark; many magnates joined the outlaws, who had their lost property returned by the peace at Hindsgavl in 1295; Stig Andersen Hvide died before this on Hjelm 1293.Is not mentioned in the earliest and comparative folk songs, but in the following period's songs made the leader of the assassination on king Erik Klipping; in the disputed conviction at the Danehof only one of the accused, Arved Bentzen, was convicted for personally having raised his hand to the king; the regicide was probably exploited in order to bring down Stig Andersen and his government.

photo: grethe bachmann

1 comment:

Fairfax said...

Karen Blixen wrote a short story Fra det Gamle Danmark about Stig Andersen's wife Ingeborg's ring - lost at sea and found in a fish presented to Erik V