See also
Husband:
Wife:
Margrethe Axeldatter GYNTERSBERG (1565-1589)
Status:
Never Married
residence family:
Norway
Name:
Magnus HEINESEN
Sex:
Male
Father:
Mother:
Birth:
Mar 4, 1545
Residence:
Bergen, Hordaland, Norway
Occupation:
trader and privateer
Death:
Jan 18, 1589 (age 43)
Copenhagen (København), Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark1,2
Cause: executed by beheading on Castle Square in Copenhagen, Denmark
Burial:
Ørslev Monastery on Lindenovs estate, Denmark
where they lie under the floor of the monastery church
Name:
Margrethe Axeldatter GYNTERSBERG
Sex:
Female
Father:
-
Mother:
-
Birth:
1565
Norway
Death:
1589 (age 23-24)
Norway
They did not marry, because she accused him of rape
one child that died young
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.
http://en.wikipedia.org, Wikipedia.
Erik Reinert Nielsen, Erik Reinert Nielsen genealogy site www.nogn.dk.