Axel Jönsson Kurck (also known as Akseli Kurki in Finnish), born 1555, died 30 March 1630 in Nakkila) was a colonel in the

Swedish army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

and nobleman. He was a member of the

Kurki of Laukko The Kurki or Kurck family, also known as the family of Laukko, is a medievally-originated Finnish noble family that produced several historically prominent persons. It is documented in the late 14th century. The family is usually divided in seve ...

family. Since 1582 Kurck was the lord of Koporye fortress in Ingria and later served as a judge in the Finnish hundreds of Upper Satakunta and

Vehmaa Vehmaa (; sv, Vemo) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population dens ...

. In 1593 he was invested with the lordship of Hermann Castle in Narva, Estonia. 20 November 1598 King Sigismund named him as the commander-in-chief of Finland.Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon
(in Swedish). Retrieved 17 September 2013.Finnish National Biography
(in Finnish). Retrieved 17 September 2013. At the war between Duke Charles and Sigismund he was defeated on 29 August 1599 by the troops of Duke Charles in Marttila, Finland. Kurck retreated to the

Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...

n town of Viborg (now Vyborg, Russia) and was later captured. He was sentenced to death in Åbo (Fi. Turku), but managed to survive the Åbo Bloodbath on which 14 supporters of Sigismund were beheaded. Kurck and captain

Arvid Stålarm Arvid, Arved, Arnvid or Arvydas is a male given name, most common in Scandinavia but also in Iran and Lithuania. In Scandinavia it is derived from Old Norse and means "forest of eagles" or 'eagle wood'. Arvid is a royal male name that is composed ...

were sent to Linköping where they were tried and condemned along with other captured opposition leaders. Stålarm and Kurck also survived the subsequent Linköping bloodbath but remained imprisoned in the Gripsholm Castle. Kurck was released in September 1602 as Stålarm died in prison in 1620. During the Ingrian War Kurck served as a captain under the command of Jacob De la Gardie. Kurck spent his last years at the Anola estate in Nakkila, Sweden (now Finland). He is buried at the St. Olaf's Church in the Western Finnish town of Ulvila.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurck, Axel 1555 births 1630 deaths Swedish generals Finnish generals 16th-century Finnish nobility Swedish-speaking Finns 17th-century Finnish nobility Finnish prisoners of war Finnish genealogists Prisoners sentenced to death by Sweden Finnish prisoners sentenced to death Recipients of Swedish royal pardons People of the War against Sigismund