Eric Bielke (died 1511), also known as ''Eerikki Tuurenpoika'' and ''Eric Tureson'',
royal councillor of Sweden, knighted, feudal fiefholder or margrave of
Vyborg Castle
Vyborg Castle (russian: Выборгский замок, fi, Viipurin linna, sv, Viborgs slott) is a Swedish-built medieval fortress around which the town of Vyborg (today in Russia) evolved. The castle became the stronghold of the Swedish real ...
.
Biography
He was the son of
Ture Turesson of Kråkerum and Rävelsta, Lord High Constable of Sweden, and Ingegärd Kyrningsdotter, the daughter of Kyrning Kjeldsen of Färlöv and Karen Björnsdotter. He belonged to the highest nobility of his country and was a descendant of the
Bååt clan.
At a young age, he was appointed as bailiff of the
castle of Stockholm (realm's capital) by Regent
Sten Sture the elder
Sten Sture the Elder ( sv, Sten Sture den äldre; 1440 – 14 December 1503) was a Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden from 1470–1497 and 1501–1503. As the leader of the victorious Swedish separatist forces against the royal unionist fo ...
in 1487, serving until 1490. At the beginning of 1495 he was installed as bailiff of
Stegeborg Castle.
In Summer 1499 he was given the extraordinary governorship of Viborg (present-day
Vyborg
Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus n ...
) and Olofsborg (present-day
Olavinlinna
Olavinlinna (also known as St. Olaf's Castle; sv, Olofsborg; german: Olafsburg; literally ''Olof's Castle'') is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the ...
), meaning the
margraviate of Sweden's eastern border. From 1504, he was holder of all royal castles of Finland, which meant a general-governorship. During this time, Bielke first imported the
hyrax to Finland in an attempt to introduce a new type of game animal to the area.
[Isaacs, Anne Katherine. ''Immigration and emigration in historical perspective''. Pisa University Press, 2007.]
Contrary to his late father's sympathies, lord Eric was
anti-unionist (which meant he opposed Danish attempts to have kingship in Sweden) and supported the
Sture
Sture () was a name borne by three distinct but interrelated noble families in Sweden in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. It was originally a nickname, meaning 'haughty, proud' (compare the Swedish word ''stursk'' and the Old Norse ...
party.
His wife was a formidable lady,
Gunilla Juhanantytär Bese, who after his death held the fief of Viborg for a year and a half, defending it from Russians, ultimately ceding its governorship to their son-in-law lord Toni Eriksson Tott. Their eldest daughter
Anna
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...
acted rather similarly at
Kalmar Castle
Kalmar Castle ( sv, Kalmar slott) is a castle in the city Kalmar in the province of Småland in Sweden.
History
During the twelfth century a round defensive tower was built on Kalmarsund and a harbour constructed. At the end of the thirteen ...
in 1520 as did her mother in Viborg almost a decade earlier: when her husband, the governor, died, the widow continued to rule the castle and fief and led the war efforts (in that case, against the Danish). Their son Axel's descendant became queen
Gunilla Bielke
Gunilla Bielke; Swedish: ''Gunilla Johansdotter Bielke af Åkerö'' (25 June 1568 – 19 July 1597) was Queen of Sweden as the second wife of King John III. Queen Gunilla is acknowledged to have acted as the political adviser to John III and to h ...
, second wife of
John III of Sweden.
References
External links
"Erik Turesson"in ''
Nordisk familjebok'' (1905) (in Swedish)
*Carlsson, G. (1924
"Ture Stensson (Bielke)" ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'', vol. 4, p. 148, Riksarkivet urn:sbl:18190 (in Swedish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bielke, Eric
Swedish nobility
People from Vyborg
15th-century Swedish people
16th-century Swedish politicians
16th-century Finnish people
15th-century births
1511 deaths
Place of birth unknown
Place of death unknown