Emerentia Påvelsdotter Krakow née ''Pauli'' (died 1648), was a Swedish heroine, known as the defender of the Gullberg Fortress against the Danish at
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
during the Swedish-Danish
Kalmar War
The Kalmar War (1611–1613) was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark-Norway soon gained the upper hand, it was unable to defeat Sweden entirely. The Kalmar War was the last time Denmark-Norway successfully defended its '' do ...
in 1612.
Life
Emerentia was married to the commendant of Gullberg Fortress,
Mårten Krakow, in 1604 and had six children. In 1612, the fortress was attacked by Denmark during the Kalmar War. After having been wounded, Mårten Krakow left the defence of the fortress to his wife.
At the Danish attack 27 January 1612, she successfully repelled five attacks during a period of six hours : by the help of the soldier's wives, she, among other things, loaded and fired the cannons. By her acts, the Danes were defeated. Her husband was promoted to governor of
Vaxholm
Vaxholm is a locality and the seat of Vaxholm Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is located on the island of in the Stockholm archipelago. The name Vaxholm comes from Vaxholm Castle, which was constructed in 1549 on an islet with this nam ...
in 1612, and when he was retired in 1613, it was pointed out, that he was given his pension in recognition of his ''and'' his wives bravery in their defense of the country.
She became a widow in 1616, and is said to have managed her estates forcefully.
Legacy
Her defence of Gullberg was described by her daughter Cecilia (d. 1683) and published in 1760. In Gothenburg, a road is named after her: ''Emerentias backe'', near
Skansen Lejonet
Skansen Lejonet ("the Lion Sconce"), formally Westgötha Leijon ("the Westrogothic Lion"), is a redoubt on the hill Gullberg in Gothenburg, Sweden, built in 1687-92 on the site of an earlier medieval castle. It was decommissioned in 1822 and has ...
.
References
* http://www.tonnquist.se/artik/5-lys/58_krakow.pdf
* Ingel Wadén: ''Berättande källor till Calmarkrigets historia'' (Lund 1936, s. 60-78)
Further reading
*
1648 deaths
17th-century Swedish people
Swedish military personnel
Women in 17th-century warfare
Year of birth unknown
16th-century births
Women in war in Sweden
17th-century Swedish women
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