Landsogne 36:
Side 224b. 1743. 16. Jan.
Lorentz Stefansen, udb. Præstegård grund, Østerlars.
Margrethe Jørgensdatter. Laugv: Hans Hansen, 27. Sg. Østerlars.
Ved første ægt med Bodelle Janusdatter. 2 søn. 1 dat.
A: Joen Lorentsen, f. 1709, udb. Kjeldsbye, Østerlars.
B: Hans Lorentsen, f. 1711, Wallensgård, Åker.
C: Inger Lorentsdatter, gm. Esper Lassen, Frigård grund, Østermarie.
Ved ægt med enken. 1 søn.
D: Jørgen Lorentsen, f. 1741. Værge: ½ bror, Hans Lorentsen
1 MISC Store Bakkegård, 38 Slg. Åker, Bornholm
From the Åker-Åkirkeby kirkebog:
December 26, 1669: Ægte Børn døbte, #54, Fer. 2 Nat., Berl Hansens sønHans.January 10, 1674: Daab, #6, 4' Epiph., Berel Hansens datter Maren.
(Note: I could not find a marriage record for Berild Hansen and AnneBartholomeusdatter/Bertelsdatter in the Åker-Åkirkeby kirkebog, nor couldI find Berild Hansen's burial record. According to the May 28, 1697probate for Anne Bartholomeusdatter's second husband Hans Larsen theprobate for Berild Hansen was held on September 12, 1679. - NormanMadsen, January 14, 2003)
November 2, 1679: Brudepar, #13, 20 Trin., Hans Larsen, AneBertelsdatter.
March 12, 1682: Daab, #11, Remin., Hans Larsens søn Berel.
From Bornholm's Jordebog of 1689:
Sønder Herridt, Aachier Sogen, Bunde, Nr. 9: Hans Laursen.From Bornholm's Jordebog of 1691:
Sønder Herridt, Aackier Sogn, Nr. 9: Hans Laursen, er Self Ejergaard.From the Åker-Åkirkeby kirkebog:
May 15, 1697: Funus, Hans Larssøn af Sønder Ellesgaard, alder 43 aar.Extracted from the probate for Hans Larsen, May 28, 1697, page 216b:
Anno 1697 den 28 May, er evter louglig giorde tillysning, holdenregistering og vurdering sampt skifte g dehling efter sal. Hans Laursen,som boede og døde paa dend 9 Jord Eiendombs gaard i Ellet udi AacherSogn. Imellum denne sal. mands efterlatte hustru Anna Bertelsdaatter, afhende blef begirete till laug verge som og der till anordnedis HellisMefuesen i Østerlaurscher Sogn, paa eene og paa anden side dend sal.mands børn, som er en søn ved naun Berrild Hansen paa 17de aar gammell,for hannem er till verge anordnet hans halfbroder Hans Berrelsen iberørte Aacher Sogn. . . Villum Persen var denne sl. mands Hans Laursenverge for og tilkommer ham efter hans sl. moder efter det er gangneskiftebref, saa og dend for eening som i det skiftebref er passerit efterhans sl. fader Per Villumbsen i Aakierchebye dend 25 Aprill 1695 udi den26 gaard i Vestermarcher Sogn penge 302 Sldr. 2 Mk. . . huilket udleg atimodtage, saa og efter som Villum Persen endnu ike er fuldmyndig er tilfor ordnet Suend Laursen i Boelsker Sogn at verge for hannem og bedragerhus her af boet stædis udleg for i alt 9 Mk. . . Sal. Berrel Hansenefterlatte en søn og en daatter, deris arf angaaende, dafindes derom udidet efter ham erganget skiftebref, Daterit dend 12 September 1679. . .paa daatterens Maren Berrildsdaatters veigne. . . for berørte daatterenMaren Berrildsdaatters anpart endnu udi dend 9de gaard i Aaker Sogn somfor er meldt. . . (Probate witnessed by: Hellis M. Mefuesen, HansBerrildsen, Peder Hansen - egen haand, Mouns Ibsen - egen haand.)From the Åker-Åkirkeby kirkebog:
November 2, 1698: Trolovede, Ungkarl Jørgen Henrikssøn af Rø Sogn ogenke Anna Bartholomæidatter af Syder Ellesgaard.February 2, 1699: Brudevielse, Jørgen Henrikssøn og AneBartholomeusdatter.
November 9, 1712: Funus, Anna Bartholomeusdatter, 75 aar gl.
Extracted from the probate for Anne Bartholomeusdatter, November 18,1712, page 351:
Anno 1712 dend 18de Nouember er efter loulig giorde tillysning holdenregistering og vurdering sampt skifte og deehling efter Jørgen Hendrichssahlig hustru Anne Bertelemeusdatter, og det imellum denne sallig qvindesefterlevende mand bemelte Jørgen Hendrichsen paa dend eene, og paa dendanden side denne s. qvindes efterlatte børn som er 2 sønner og eendaatter. Hvor af dend elste søn er Hans Berildsen sin egen verge efterloven og er boende paa dend 2 Worned i Aachier Sogn. Dend anden sønBerild Hansen sin egen verge efter loven, og er boendis paa det 21Waarnede i Aakier Sogn. Datteren er Maren Berildsdatter som er udiegteskab med Lars Nielsen boende udi Pedersker Sogn paa Krampegaard, somalle møtte og var til stede. . . en sølf stob paa teigned med B.S.J.S.Ao. 1663 til sammen for p. 6 Dr. . . Niels Hendrichsen i Røe Sognfordred. . . Hans Berildsen fordred efter en 8de mænd dom og forrettningdaterit den 12 Juni 1703 af hvis som ham til kommer efter sin sl. fadertilige med det som hans haver indfriet fra sin søstermand. . . (Witnessedby: Hans Berildsen - egen haand, Jørgen J.H.S. Hendrichsen, Berild B.H.S.Hansen, Lars L.N.S. Nielsen.). . . en sølf beger paa tegned B.S.J.S.1663. . . (Probate witnessed by: Berild B.H.S. Hansen, Hans Berildsen,Lars L.N.S. Nielsen.)The church for Åkirkeby township and Åker parish is located just outsideof the township of Åkirkeby proper, so paradoxically enough the town thatdraws its name from the "River Church" (Aae Kirke) does not actually havea church within its municipal boundries at all. Åkirkeby was thetraditional seat of Bornholm's judiciary authority, its "Landsting"(Parliament), and the Aae Kirke was used as their meeting place.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto,Ontario, copyright 2006.
1 MISC Emigrated to Canada
1 MISC Emigrated to Canada
Elene's Banana Bread2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
1-3/4 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups mashed over ripe bananas
1 tablespoon concentrated lemon juice
3/4 cup chopped walnuts and/or raisonsMix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Cream butter,add brown sugar and stir until smooth; add eggs one at a time, stirringuntil creamy. Mash bananas and mix in lemon juice. Gradually add flourmixture to butter-brown sugar mixture, alternating with banana-lemonmash; ending with flour mixture. Add chopped walnuts and/or raisons.Butter and flour a loaf pan and pour batter into pan. Bake for 1 hour to1 hour and 15 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
This database has been researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen,Toronto, Ontario, copyright 2006.
It has been made available for non-commercial, individual use. Pleaserespect the fact that I have put thousands (1,000s) of hours of research,translation, and data-entry into building this database and do NOT uploadmy GEDCOM to any internet library service, or commercial or volunteerGEDCOM database provider without my knowledge. As genealogy is anongoing pursuit, this database is constantly being revised; in order toupdate it I need to be in control of its distribution. I ask you torespect this requirement. E-mail: NormanMadsen@compuserve.com
The following is to explain the terms used and the choices I have made inputting this database together:
Much of the material on my mother's Bornholmer ancestry has been providedto me by two people: my grand-uncle Vilhelm Svendsen (1896-1980) and mycousin's husband Alex Larsen (b.1951). Vilhelm Svendsen did much groundbreaking research on my mother's mother's family. As well as doinggenealogy research himself, Alex has pulled together extensive amounts ofexisting, published material available almost exclusively through theBornholm Genealogy Society. The background material has mostly beentranslated by my mother: Elene Marie Lau.
On my father's side of the family, most of the material is the result ofmy own research efforts, also from some existing family records (i.e.past family genealogists), and my third-cousin Marlene Bruun (who has adegree in Danish history). In my research I am indebted to the Mormon'sFamily History Library in Salt Lake City, UT, and the wonderful (andcheap) service they provide with their local Family History Centers. Ihave made use of micro-film copies of parish registers, census, andmilitary levying rolls.
Although I have tried to be as accurate as possible, of course thisdatabase is not without errors. Most especially for individuals not inour (that being: Norman Madsen, Alex Larsen, Lis Anna Lindberg, MarleneBruun) direct family-lines, check the published sources cited or go tothe original source material.
The Bornholm sources chiefly used include:
"Østerlarsker Slægter" by Vilhelm Svendsen (published 1942-59); "FamilienKoefoed A og B" by Julius Bidstrup (pub. 1886-87); "På Spor af de FørsteKofod'er" by Jørn Klindt (pub. 1979); "1000 Aner til en Skovgårdsslægt"by Edvard Fabricius Sonne Skovgaard (pub. 1989); "Af Oluf KoefoedsEfterslægt" by Louise Skovgaard (pub. 1976); "Slægten Low-Lov-Lou" byElsa Lau; "Pihl (Piil) - Slægten på Bornholm" by Flemming Jørgensen; and"Kjøllerslægterne" by Margit Tobberup (pub. 1980). Also of great valueare Bornholm's published genealogical reference material: "KuresGårdejerfortegnelser" which documents the ownership of Bornholm's farmsover the centuries; and the multi-volume historical publication"Bornholmske Samlinger"; the writings of the respected Bornholm historianDr. M.K. Zarthmann (published in the 1930s). Plus to a lesser extent anumber of others, which are cited along with the individual to which theypertain. Also, via the Danish Demographic Database (DDD), I have oncomputer disk, the complete 1787 and 1845 census of Bornholm.In addition to christening and burial, other information fields are:
Fact Field #1: Chief Occupation (with original Danish term in brackets);
Fact Field #2: Title (i.e. Major, Corporal, Reeve, Mayor);
Fact Field #3: Residence, and date (purchased, inherited, leased);
Fact Field #4: Miscellaneous (secondary employment, other residences,and pertinent miscellaneous facts).I have used the three additional letters in the Danish alphabet: Æ æ, Øø and Å å. In the old alphabet, pre-1900, the letter "å" was written as"aa"; in the past "ø" was written as "ö". These can be made on acomputer key-board (set for the English language) by holding down the Altkey while pressing a series of 3 or 4 numbers: Alt 146 for Æ; Alt 145for æ; Alt 0216 = Ø; Alt 0248 = ø; Alt 143 = Å; Alt 134 = å; Alt 153= Ö; and Alt 148 = ö.
Names and Places:
I have used standard modern Danish spelling for Danish place names (i.e.København NOT Copenhagen - an English spelling of a German name for aDanish city; also Klemensker not Clemens, Danmark not Denmark, etc.). Ithink this will make it easier to find the correct place on maps mostpeople would have access to. Also, in Danmark the names Jørgen and Sørenare always spelled with the letter "ø" never "o". Note, I have usedSchweiz instead of Switzerland, Norge for Norway, Sverige for Sweden, etc.I have used the word "note" in the Reference Number field to provide aquick indicator as to whether or not there is background materialprovided in the Notes field. The most information will be found underthose people who are among my own ancestors, although this is not alwaystrue. The code-letters (i.e. MA) are my own codes for keeping track ofmy own ancestral lines.
Included in this database are the names of over 100 known emigrants tothe U.S. and Canada. They date mainly from the mid- to late-1800's.These people are noted with the term "Emigrated to . . . ." provided inFact Field #6: Miscellaneous.
Danmark changed from using the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendaron February 19, 1700 - that day became March 1, 1700. In other words tendays disappeared from that year! With regards to the dates used herein:in my own research I have taken the dates as they appear in the originalparish records.
For hundreds of years the Danes used the patronymic style of naming;meaning people's names include the fact that they were the son ordaughter of their father. For example, if Niels Larsen had a son henamed Jens, then his son would have been known as Jens Nielsen (adaughter would be Nielsdatter). The Danes used the patronymic suffix"-sen" and "-datter", while the Swedes used "-son" and "-dotter"; anyoneof Danish heritage, born in Danmark would have written their name endingwith "-sen" or "-datter." The noble and upper class families, and thedescendants of immigrants, had long had surnames associated with them(i.e. names that did not end in "-sen", like: Lund, Kofoed, Hvass, Bohn,etc.) Those names might indicate where a person was from (i.e. Lund,which means "woods or grove"), or a family attribute (i.e. Ravn, whichmeans "raven", the person probably had black hair), or an occupation(i.e. Smed). Pre-1800s the "extra" surname of a man of the lower classeswould not necessarily be handed down to his children - they might ormight not take on their own.
The ordinary, lower class Danes began to take fixed (inherited) surnames(using the "-sen" only, and ceasing to use "-datter"), starting in thelarger cities, around 1800; this gradually spread to rural areas. Itbecame the law sometime around 1880. During this confusing period oftransition you will often find that, taking the above example, NielsLarsen had a daughter: Birthe, christened as Birta Nielsdatter (say in1800), but her marriage record (in 1825) might give her name as BirtheLarsen (or Nielsen). And finally, say her husband's name was JensRasmussen, then her death record (in 1875) might give her name as BirteRasmussen (and possibly mentioning her birth surname).
On the pronunciations of Danish names:
When a word ends with an "e", the Danes generally pronounce the "e" as an"ah" sound, i.e. Anne is pronounced Anna. Danes have a difficult timemaking the "th" sound - it comes out sound like "t", i.e. Marthe ispronounced Marta, and Thor is pronounced Tor. The letters "d" and "g",when within the body of a word, are generally silent, i.e. Anders ispronounced Aners, Mads is pronounced Mas, and Mogens is pronounced Mons(which is also how it is often spelled).Old-style Danish use of the alphabet:
In the older Danish records your will find that certain letters were usedinterchangably: "b" and "p", i.e. Ibsen/Ipsen; "d" and "g", i.e.Bendt/Bengt; "ch" and "k", i.e. Christine/Kristine; "i" and "j", i.e.Giertrud/Gjertrud; "f" and "ph", i.e. Christoffer/Christopher; "e" and"æ", i.e. Berild/Bærild; "s" and "z", i.e. Laurits/Lauritz; "v" and "w",i.e. Vilhelm/Wilhelm.In this database the spelling of name has been standardized. This helpsto avoid duplicating people: as censuses and published genealogicalsources will cite varying spellings for the same person's name. In thepast the spelling of names was unofficial and very fluid; the clergymanor clerk recording an event would spell a name in what ever form hethought appropriate - this varied widely. As a result, I have decided touse one spelling for some names: Anne rather than Anna, and Kirstinerather than Kierstina, etc. Variations on the surname Kofoed are: Kofod,Koffod, Koefod, and Koefoed. In the older records, from the 1400-1500s,its spelling is influenced by old low-German (for example: Köfföth andKaafodt). Originally the accepted spelling was: Kofod. Around 1570 thespelling: Kofoed, became dominant. The spelling: Koefoed, was firstintroduced in the 1700s.
There are many myths and errors concerning the Kofoed'er on Bornholm.The widespread circulation of such books as "Familien Kofoed A og B", byJulius Bidstrup (mainly through the IGI), has only served to perpetuatethose errors. The book "På Spor af de Første Kofod'er" by Jørn Klindt(published 1979) is a scholarly examination, which tries to clear up themany errors surrounding this families genealogy. An early genealogistnamed C. Giessing (writing in 1786) tells of an Arnfred Kofod, who wasamong the Norman noblemen who accompanied William the Conqueror when hesailed to England in 1063. It is thought that the ancestors of theKofoed'er of Bornholm originated from the area around Hamburg (Duchy ofHolstein). That they were Hanseatic League merchants; during the1400-1500s their merchants spread east from there along the north Balticcoast-line of present day Germany and Poland. They also spread up theJylland peninsula into Schleswig and Danmark, and of course to Bornholm.
For those individuals for whom there was NO precise information as to thedate of their birth I have given them an "About" or "Before" birth date.I have done this to better fix them in the time period that they lived,as I have found giving no time period at all confusing and thus moremisleading than no estimate at all. I have used all available evidenceto as accurately pinpoint birth periods as possible.
On Bornholm there were three classes of farms:
1) Proprietairgård (Propr.): a freehold estate (thus also called aFrigård), which could only be owned by a freeman (frimand) or a member ofthe nobility (adelsmand).2) Selvejergård (Slg.): meaning a farm owned independently, free ofobligations to an estate owner - it could be occupied by its owner orleased to a peasant farmer (bonde).
3) Vornedegård (Vdg.), two types: a) the first type was part of anestate (i.e. connected to a proprietairgård), the peasants who lived onthem were tenants and were obliged to provide labor, known as the"Herlighedsright" (Glory-right), to the owner of the estate; b) the othertype was referred to as a "Fri Vornedegård", this type of farm was notconnected to an estate and was free of the labor obligation - could beowned by a freeman and leased to a peasant.
A map drawn in 1851 shows 17 estate-farms classified as Proprietair: 3in each of Åker, Ibsker and Nyker parishes; 2 each in Østermarie andKlemensker; and 1 each in Pedersker, Bodilsker, Østerlars, and Olsker.There were hundreds of farms comprising the other two classifications.The typical farm is arranged in a joined U shape, with the farmhouse,barn, pig-stall, and utility-shed all built around a cobble-stonecourtyard. As an aid in compiling this database I have used areproduction of the Bornholm map drawn in 1851, which I purchased at theRønne Museum, Bornholm. It shows the placement of farms, giving theirnames, number and classification. Those interested in obtaining this mapcould write to the museum.
In the past most people in Danmark lived on the land, working on thefarms. So you will often find the term "Bonde" used in describing aman's occupation. I have translated this as meaning "Peasant Farmer",although you would probably find most Scandinavians would say that thebonde did not have the deprived status of other European peasants. To acertain extent this is true, however: they lived hard, poor lives withfew personal freedoms. Although, both men and women had firmlyentrenched property and inheritance rights. Bornholm has its own"special" rules for who inherited the "copyhold rights" to the familyfarm: it is to go to the youngest son! The other children could not beleft out, the inheritor had to pay for the farm out of his share of theestate.
Only five percent of Danmark's populace belonged to the nobility. Therewas little division between upper and lower nobility. The growth of thenobility has been limited; as laws specified which children of thenobility inherited their parents' status. Also, noble-title was awardedon an individual basis by the Danish crown; although, of course, thoseborn into privileged families had tradition and inheritance weighing intheir favour.
In the middle-ages the peasants had been declared "vornedskabe" (bound),this meant that the descendants of tenured peasants could be forced tostay on the "vornedegaard" they were working, and it gave the owner ofthe farms the right to recall a dead peasant's heir to take over workingthe land. By the 1500s those tenured peasants who lived on manor-ownedfarms worked off a portion of their taxes by service in the manor'sfields.
Since the time of Christian VI (reigned 1730-1746) the peasants had been"adscript"; which meant that, partly in order to assure the existence ofa permanent, stable labour force, and partly to facilitate militaryconscription, all men living in rural areas who were descendants oftenured peasants were declared adscript and were forced to remain livingon the same estate, or within the same district, for the entire period oftime during which they were liable for military service.
As Prince Regent, Frederik VI (ascended to the thrown in 1808) had beenresponsible for major reforms, such as freeing the serfs, abolishing theStavsbaand law - which had tied the peasants to the landed estates, andpromoting trade and education. School attendance became compulsory in1814, elementary schools were established and children between the agesof seven and fourteen were required to attend. Now the common farmingpeople were allowed to live wherever they liked, and at the same timetheir relationship to land-owners and to the state was normalized.
Most peasants became tenured copyholders, in other words, a farmer oftenheld a copyhold on the farm he rented so that his son could take it overfrom him at his death. Under certain circumstances a landowner mighttransfer a farmer from a good farm to one that had been neglected inorder that he might re-develop it. A freehold land-owner was known as a"Selvejer"; an upper class property-owner was a "Proprietær", or furtherup the social ladder a "Godsejer" (Squire). After the abolishment ofserfdom the farming descendants of "Bonde" (bound peasants) were knownsimply as farmers (in Danish "Gårdmand", later "Udbygger", "Avlsmand",and "Avlsbruger"), a man who owned his farm was known as a "Gårdejer".
As part of the rent, known as "manorial dues" was worked off by thefarmer on the land belonging to a manor or to the state; this often meanneglecting his own harvest, although the local Squire naturally was notinterested in the farmer's being obliged to neglect his own land to suchan extent that he ended up being unable to meet his rent. It was nowdecreed by law that farmers could buy their own farms and land, and atthe same time agricultural methods generally were revolutionized. Theway rural settlements were organized had not really altered since theMiddle Ages. Peasants lived closely side by side in small villages andhad "co-operated" ever since ancient times. All land belonging to thevillage was cultivated by the community as a whole and in accordance withdecisions made by the peasants themselves at their village "Thing"meetings. But now, each peasant was given the opportunity ofconsolidating his various fields into one whole. Many farms thus movedfrom the village out to the land, whereby the entire Danish landscapebegan to alter in appearance.
In Danmark, a person did not become a citizen (borger) by virtue of beingborn in a place. Citizenship was a valuable privilege that included: theright to engage in business in a community; rights and protections underthe law; permission to reside in a community without being expelled.Citizenship was extended by individual communities to some of theirinhabitants, primarily those who were engaged in business and trade, anddid not pertain to citizenship in the country as a whole. Until thetwentieth century, only males of the middle and upper classes, mostlymerchants and tradesmen, were granted citizenship.
The Reformation penetrated the Scandinavian countries in the early1500s. The introduction of Protestantism was supported by merchants andpeasants, and by devout priests who had become followers of MartinLuther. King Frederik I (reigned 1523-1533), who became quite religiousin his later years, strongly promoted the establishment of the LutheranChurch. He allowed the leading Danish religious reformer, Hans Tavsen,to preach in the church at Viborg and ordered many Catholic churches inthe region destroyed, despite violent protests. It was King ChristianIII (reigned 1534-1559), son of Frederik I, who established the stateLutheran Church in Danmark. With the support of the Rigsrad - hisadvising council of lay members - the king ordered all Catholic propertyturned over to the crown, and declared the Lutheran Church the nationalchurch of Danmark with the king as its head. From 1660 to 1849, a periodof absolute monarchy in Danmark, all Danes were compelled to profess theLutheran faith.
On the expansion of Danish territory:
Under King Valdemar II, reigned 1202-1241, the kingdom reached itsgreatest size. He conquered Pomerania, Estonia, and parts ofMecklenburg; was sovereign over all of Danmark, the south-western coastof the Svensk/Swedish peninsula, and had dominion over the entire Balticcoast-line. The Union of Kalmar, in 1397, united the kingdoms of"Danmark, Sverige, og Norge" for 126 years.On the losses of Danish territories:
The Swedes declared war on Danmark in 1643, invaded Jylland and Skåne andon June 29, 1644 defeated the Danish fleet. In the resulting "Peace ofBrömsebro" of 1645, Danmark ceded to Sverige/Sweden the islands Ösel andGotland, the provinces Jämtland, Härjedalen and Halland - the latter forthirty years (however, it was never returned). Later Skåne, Blekinge,and Bohus, all Danish provinces for 500 years, were lost to Sverige as aresult of the "Peace of Roskilde", signed in 1658. The territory ofSkåne now comprises the counties (läns) of Malmöhus and Kristianstad.The Hanseatic League and its relationship to Danmark:
The Hansa was an association of medieval Germanic cities and merchantgroups which became a powerful economic and political force in northernEurope. With a center for meetings in the city of Lübeck, the membersestablished an important network of Baltic trade, and a string ofcommercial bases stretching from Novgorod to London and from Bergen toBruges. Its earliest union dates to 1241, when Lübeck and Hamburg madeagreements for mutual defense in trading; the first meeting of the "Diet"in 1256 included: Lübeck, Hamburg, Lünenburg, Wismar, Rostock, andStralsund; later other towns joined the league.Lübeck is located on two small streams connecting with Lübeck Bay. Ithas five 13-14th century Gothic churches, a Gothic town hall, and a 13thcentury hospital. Founded in 1143 by the Count of Holstein; it was takenby Henry the Lion in 1158. Lübeck secured final privileges of anImperial free-city in 1226, and became leading center for medieval Germantrade in Baltic region and the "Queen of Hanse". It began its declinefrom power in the 16th century.
The league reached the height of its power in the 14th and 15th centurieswhen it contributed to the defeat of Valdemar IV of Danmark in 1367-68,and secured control of Baltic trade by "Peace of Stralsund" in 1370.Including such widely separated places as: Novgorod, Reval, Riga, Danzig(Gdánsk), Magdeburg, Cologne, Bruges, and London; and gave tradingprivileges to merchants of many other towns. In its heyday during the14th century the Hansa included well over 100 towns; its influencegradually faded with the emergence of powerful competitor states. Thelast meeting of the "Diet" was held in Lübeck in 1669. The term"Hanseatic town" was retained by Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen as long asthey were imperial free-cities.
That the Hansa had a strong influence over Bornholm can be seen in afable dating back to the late 1300s. Lübeck had long had an aggressivehistory of attacking Danish territory, once even sacking København andstealing off with the city's bells! In 1362 the Mayor (Burgomester) ofLübeck, Johann Wittenborg, was in charge of a Hansa fleet whichdisastrously lost a battle with Danmark. This entirely unathenticatedfable relates that Wittenborg had betrayed his trust in return for adance with the Queen of Danmark, promising to her as a reward the islandof Bornholm. That the fable has some basis in truth is proven by thefact that for a long while there survived in Lübeck the expression, "Heis dancing away Bornholm," when some one light-heartedly did anunjustifiable deed. The Lübeck'ers exacted revenge against Wittenborgfor their humiliation: they executed him in the town's square!
The Danish king, Erik VII, built a stronghold at Elsinore, over-lookingthe only sea going access to the Baltic Sea, and in 1426 began to levyduties on all passing ships. The Baltic cities allied themselves withDuke Henry III of Holstein and declared war on Danmark. They did notstrike at once, but delayed until 1427, when they sent out a fleet underseveral commanders, who quarreled among themselves. They plundered andravaged the unprotected islands of Ærø, Møn, Falster, and Bornholm; andthen attacked Flensburg, where during a night attack Henry III lost hislife, which caused the Hanseatic fleet to abandon the siege and sail away.
In 1509 Danmark and Lübeck were engaged in another one of their numerousskirmishes. The Danes had a famous battleship called the "Svane"(English: Swan) - which was reputed to be the largest and most powerfulin the world; but the Lübeck'ers in several small vessels surprised,attacked and destroyed it. After this victory a fleet of 14 Lübeck shipsravaged the Danish islands and did much damage to Danish shipping. NineSwedish ships joined them, and the combined fleet almost ruined Lollandand Bornholm.
Later, in the summer of 1509, a great naval battle took place between 16Lübeck men-of-war and 17 Danish ships of about equal size and strength.One of the latter was a new vessel, the "Engel" (English: Angel), largerthan the unlucky Svane had been. The Lübeck'ers had landed some of theirguns and men to attack the fortress of Hammershus, on the northern tip ofBornholm, when the Danish fleet appeared, quite unexpectedly, andattacked at once. The battle lasted all day, and at night both sidesclaimed the victory. Some days later the fight was resumed, when, afterseveral hours of fierce contest, the Engel had her rudder shot away andwas taken in tow by her companions, and the whole Danish fleet fled.
King Christian II made himself so unpopular that his subjects rebelledand the nobles offered his brother Frederik, Duke of Holstein, thecrown. He accepted and agreed to confirm all of Lübeck's ancientprivileges if they would assist him gain the thrown. In 1523 they sentan army of merchantmen and besieged København, forcing Christian II toflee.
Because of King Frederik I's inability to pay debts owed to the"Lybækkerne" he was forced to forfeited the control of Bornholm to Lübeckfor 50 years, starting circa 1525. The natives of Bornholm are recordedto have groaned under the Hansa's rule, and declared "they would ratherbe under the Turks, than under the German, Christian, imperialfree-city." King Frederik took pity on them and declared the inhabitantsto be under his protection - this was to little avail though.
During those long years the island had been considered theQueen-city-of-the-Hansa's special possession; they had made much profitfrom the enforced payment of dues, and the export of such valuablecommodities as limestone. Poul Kofoed (before 1520-before 1584) wasappointed by King Frederik II to negotiate back control of the island.Also, he was to sit in mediation between the Lübeck Governor SvederKatting and the citizens of Bornholm; this meeting was held on December1, 1572 at the home of Poul Kofoed in Østermarie parish.
A sign of Lübeck's waning powers can be seen in the actions of KingFrederik II concerning Bornholm. First the Lübeck governor was formallyejected by København, then the inhabitants of Bornholm, encouraged ininsubordination by seeing how the authorities in København dealt withtheir masters, refused to pay their dues. Finally, one of the towns evenforcibly ejected some Lübeck traders. An ominous sign of things to comeare reflected in Frederik's opposition to any mention of Bornholm duringpeace treaties.
On September 7, 1575, Frederik II informed Lübeck, "that the fifty years'possession, accorded to them by his grandfather, would have expired onthe 19th of the month, and he intended to retake possession of theisland." The city replied that the Peace of Hamburg extended theirrights of possession which they held for unpaid Danish debts. Frederikreplied the treaty was invalid since his father, who had made it, was notcrowned at the time, and he himself had not been consulted in thematter. Complain as they might the Lübeck'ers had neither the power northe ability to stop the take over.