Family of Magnus HEINESEN and Sophie Axeldatter GYNHTERBERG

A 16th century charming Norwegian swashbuckler called Magnus Heinesson (Danish:

Mogens Hejnesøn).

Magnus Heinesson was born on the Faeroe Islands in 1545. His father, a Norwegian

clergyman, had been swept there by a storm while sailing to northern Norway to take

over a parish. He fell in love with a local girl, and married her. Soon afterwards, he was

appointed the resident pastor of the Faeroes.

Norway, which ruled most of the North Atlantic region during the early Middle Ages,

had, by this time, lost most of its possessions; when Denmark started ruling Norway

during the 1400s, it also acquired, besides the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland.

Growing up on the Faeroes, Magnus was obviously a precocious child. From an early

age, he followed his father on his pastoral travels around the islands. He became an

expert sailor with a thorough knowledge of the surrounding waters. At 18, he was given

command of his first ship.

In 1566, at age 21, he moved with his family to Rødøy in Nordland, which would have

repercussions for the rest of his life, both positive and negative. For here he met

Margrethe Gyntersberg, one of the 6 daughters of a nobleman’s family from Bergen. He

promptly seduced her. The resulting child would die young. Margrethe later married a

man named Peder Hansen.

Moving to Bergen, Magnus started sailing merchant ships back and forth to the Faeroes,

until one day, when his vessel was attacked and plundered by pirates. Greatly chagrined,

he sailed to Holland, and went into Dutch maritime service. Norwegians serving on

Dutch ships were far from uncommon during the turbulent 1500s. At this time, Philip II’s

Spain was ruling most of the known world, with its colonies in the Americas and the

Pacific. He was also subjugating the Low Countries. The Dutch welcomed Norwegian

maritime expertise, and any help they could get to fight the Spanish. The Dutch were also

intermittently engaged in hostile actions with Great Britain. The 1500s was a time of

mercenaries, both on land and sea. Privateering and piracy were rampant.

In 1578, at the age of 33, Magnus Heinesson appeared at the court of Frederik II of

Denmark-Norway. (Historically, Frederik II is known mainly as the father of Christian

IV.) Having terminated his Dutch service, Magnus regaled the easy-going, party-loving,

 

and ardent begersvinger (beaker-swinger) with his many exciting sea-adventures.

Frederik was favorably impressed, so favorably that he made Magnus his personal

emissary to collect debts on the Faeroes.

Magnus attacked this chore with great gusto, especially since his (half) brother Jon had

been appointed Lagmann (Judge) on the islands. The brothers would now wheel and deal

to their own advantage in the trade between Bergen and the Faeroes. The following year,

Magnus Heinesson, received royal sanction for this trade. This meant he could wheel and

deal with greater impunity.

But now a most forceful presence arrives as the new Lensherre (Governor) of Bergen.

His name: Christoffer Valkendorf. Formerly having served as Denmark’s Minister of

Finance (Rigets Rentemester) Mr. Valkendorf was a no-nonsense, morally upright, totally

unbribable, scrupulously honest, highly intelligent, completely uncompromising and a

hard-as-flint administrator. (Replace administrator with pastor, and you have a perfect

model for Brand!) He was sent to Bergen to break the back of the Hanseatic League,

which was harassing the Bergen merchants. In short time, this hard man managed the task

set for him.

Valkendorf then turned his mistrustful and suspicious eyes on the officially-sanctioned

trade carried on by the Heinesson brothers between Bergen and the Faeroes. He did not

like what he saw. And, when he heard complaints about Magnus’ often shady trading

activities, he slowly started building a case against him. Valkendorf would be Magnus’

nemesis.

Meanwhile, the turbulent 1500s, with the constantly-changing political allegiances,

sanctioned and non-sanctioned privateering and piracy continued. The stories of Magnus

Heinesson’s exploits during these years are legion. He traded legally and illegally, he

indulged in piracy, and was both a boon and a bane to his fellow Faeroese. His own crew

once mutinied against him, resulting in 13 men being killed. He was both loved and

feared. Complaints about him were constantly being sent to the King and duly noted by

C. Valkendorf.

In 1580, Magnus was summoned before Frederik II to account for his trading practices.

While he was vague on many issues, he reminded the King of his battles against pirates

and the losses he had suffered thereby. He then volunteered to sail to Greenland to check

on the status of its Norse inhabitants and investigate why no taxes were being paid. The

affable King readily agreed and gladly overlooked Magnus’ dubious financial

accounting. (Also duly noted by Valkendorf.)

But now things start to get complicated. In 1582, in Bergen, Magnus married Sofie

Gyntersberg (Margrethe’s sister). Margrethe’s husband Peder now found out about her

child with Magnus, and went to court to charge Magnus with heresy (kjetteri). According

to the law of the time, having a child with a woman made the father a relative of her

family. Hence, Magnus was de facto Sofie’s brother. In other words, Magnus was now

charged with marrying his own sister.

 

When Magnus swore in court that he had ne ver had sexual relations (beligget) with

Margrethe, Hans Lindenov, the new Governor of Bergen, and a good friend of the

Heinesson family, had Peder arrested and Margrethe thrown in jail (Bergenshus). The

aristocratic Gyntersberg family now made the Heinessons their enemies. But, Sofie and

Magnus stayed happily married and had several children together.

Valkendorf wanted to prosecute Magnus for heresy, which carried a death sentence at the

time, but after a trial in Copenhagen in 1583, Frederik II brushed aside the heresy

charges, and also cleared Magnus of any financial mismanagement.

Finding it expedient to cool things down, Magnus sailed off to Holland again, and

became an officially sanctioned Dutch privateer, licensed to take Spanish ships. But he

also took British, French, and even Danish ships, which resulted in another trial in

Copenhagen, with Frederik II presiding and Valkendorf the Prosecutor. The jury cleared

Magnus of all charges. He then sailed back to Holland and continued privateering.

In 1587, Magnus left Dutch service, and took up residence with Sofie at Hans Lindenov’s

estate on Jutla nd. Magnus wined and dined with the King on Jutland that Christmas for

the last time, for Frederik II died the following spring. His 11-year-old son, Christian IV

became ruler with a 4-man Regency government (formynderregjering) which included

Valkendorf.

Magnus moved back to Bergen in the summer of 1588, and now Valkendorf’s vice began

to tighten. After the solid British victory over the Spanish Armada later that year

Denmark wished to consolidate its friendship with this now great naval power. So when a

British ship owner brought charges against Magnus for taking his vessel, Valkendorf had

Magnus arrested and chained to a cell in Bergenshus. Ironically, this was the same place

as Margrethe once was held. Furthermore, his ships were confiscated.

In the fall, Magnus was sent to Copenhagen and incarcerated in the infamous Blue Tower

(Blåtårn). After a trial, the jury found him liable to refund the Englishman the value of

his ship, and released him for 6 weeks so that he would have the opportunity to procure

the necessary funds. He spent Christmas at the Lindenov estate and early in the new year,

he faced the Court again. On January 16, 1589, Valkendorf sentenced him to death. Two

days later, laughing and joking all the way to the Executioner’s block, Magnus Heinesson

was beheaded.

Then came the aftermath. His untimely death made him a martyr of epic proportions. His

conviction was labeled “a gross miscarriage of justice” (grovt justismord) and pure

revenge by Valkendorf who had been after him for so long and failed to convict him of

any wrongdoing. Sofie came from Bergen and had Valkendorf charged with murder.

During the annual Danish National Assembly (Herredag) in July 1590, Magnus

Heinesson was completely exonerated and Valkendorf humiliated. He was fined 20,000

Riksdalers, plus large restitutional fees, and sentenced to give a large sum in alms to the

 

poor. He lost his job as Finance Minister, but was made a High Court official

(Rikshovmester) a few years before he died in 1601.

Magnus Heinesson’s body was exhumed with great pomp and ceremony, and with flags

flying and church bells ringing, was brought to Hans Lindenov’s estate for a proper

burial. In 1598, at the National Assembly, Lindenov had the English ship owner thrown

in jail when he tried to collect the debt previously awarded him for his confiscated ship.

(It had, after all, been 10 years since the Spanish Armada). Magnus Heinesson is still

revered today as a national hero on the Faeroe Islands. But in Norway his name is

virtually unknown. The stories circulating about him and his fantastic life would fill

volumes.