Johan Printzensköld (circa 1615 – December 8, 1658) was a Swedish army officer. As lieutenant colonel he was the commandant of Bornholm between March and December 1658. A revolt broke out on the island against the Swedish occupation, and Printzensköld was killed in

Rønne Rønne ( sv, Rönne) is the largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,807 (1 January 2022). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a county ( Danish: ''Born ...

, the capital of Bornholm, on December 8, 1658.

Career

Little is known of Printzensköld's life. He was the son of a priest by the name Jakob Printz. His noble surname hints that he was nobled for his service in the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

, in which Sweden participated between 1630 and 1648. Denmark declared war on Sweden in 1657, but was defeated by Charles X of Sweden and his battle-hardened veterans. The harsh terms of the

Treaty of Roskilde The Treaty of Roskilde (concluded on 26 February ( OS), or 8 March 1658) ( NS) during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Karl X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish city of Roskilde. After a devastating defeat ...

dictated among other things that Bornholm was to be part of Sweden, starting on March 15, 1658. Printzensköld was named the king's head representative on Bornholm. He arrived with a Swedish military force of 116 men on April 29. At the time Bornholm had a population of around 8,000.

Death

In November 1658, a conspiracy between Bornholmers was started, egged on by the Danish crown which appealed to its loyal citizens to resist the occupiers. A golden opportunity presented itself to the conspirators on December 8. They learned that Printzensköld was to ride, unescorted, from the Swedish headquarters in

Hammershus Hammershus is a medieval era fortification at Hammeren on the northern tip of the Danish island of Bornholm. The fortress was partially demolished around 1750 and is now a ruin. It was partially restored around 1900. History Hammershus was Sca ...

to prepare for reinforcements from Sweden. Five conspirators rode into Rønne, to the mayor's house where Printzensköld was staying. A struggle broke out, with the mayor vainly trying break up the fight. Printzensköld was dragged to Storegade (Main street), where some of the town's burghers had gathered. Shortly afterwards he was shot by Villum Clausen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Printzenskold, Johan 1615 births 1658 deaths Swedish Army colonels