![Tre Rosor Norway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Tre_Rosor_Norway.JPG)
The Krummedige-Tre Rosor feud was a feud that took place from 1448 to 1502 between the Norwegian noble families, ''Krummedige'' and ''Tre Rosor''. The feud ended with the extinction of the male ''Tre Rosor'' line in Norway, and a stronger monarchy in Norway.
Background
The feud started in 1448 after the death of King
Christopher
Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
, who was
union king of
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
(1440-1448),
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
(1441-1448) and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
(1442-1448), the Norwegian succession resulted in controversy. In Norway the new king had to be elected by the
Norwegian National Council. There were effectively two parties in the Norwegian National Council: The pro-Danish party (wanted
Christian of Oldenburg as king) led by
Hartvig Krummedige (then the commandant at
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress h ...
) and Bishop Jens of
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, and the pro-Swedish party (wanted
Karl Bonde as king) led by the Archbishop
Alsak Bolt
Aslak Harniktsson Bolt (c. 1380 – 1450) was a 15th-century Norwegian priest who served as Archbishop of the Nidaros.
His parents were Harnikt Henningsson and Sigrid Aslaksdatter Bolt. His mother was a member of a Norwegian noble family.
...
and
Erik Saemundsson (then the commandant at
Tønsberg Fortress
Tønsberg Fortress (''Tunsberghus festning'') was a medieval fortress and castle, located in Tønsberg, Norway which was defended by the fortress for over 300 years.
It includes ruins from ''Castrum Tunsbergis'', Norway's largest castle in the 13 ...
).
The pro-Danish party prevailed and Christian I was
elected king
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected monarch, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and th ...
in 1450, although not without subsequent strife. In 1449
Karl Knutsson
Charles VIII ( sv, Karl; 1408–1470), contemporaneously known as Charles II and called Charles I in Norwegian context, was king of Sweden (1448–1457, 1464–1465 and 1467–1470) and king of Norway
The Norwegian monarch is the head of s ...
invaded from Sweden and proceeded to
Hamar
Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...
, where he called a
thing
Thing or The Thing may refer to:
Philosophy
* An object
* Broadly, an entity
* Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant
* Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...
, and was elected king by Archbishop Bolt, Erik Saemundsson and others who assembled there. King Karl I proceeded to
Trøndelag
Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmar ...
. He then returned to Sweden, leaving Saemundsson as viceroy. Saemundsson invested
Akershus fortress
Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress h ...
, which was held by Krummedige, who still adhered to Christian I. Ultimately Saemundsson was killed by Krummedige, the leading pro-Swedish advocates fled to Sweden, and Karl Knutsson renounced his claim to the throne, in 1450. Saemundsson were member of the ''Tre Rosor'' family, which title comes from their coat of arms, which includes three
roses
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
.
Alv Knutsson and Hartvig Krummedige
![Bishop castle Hamar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Bishop_castle_Hamar.jpg)
Swedish forces again invaded Trøndelag in 1453, but were repelled and were forced to turn south across the
Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell is a mountain range in Central Norway that forms a natural barrier between Eastern Norway and Trøndelag. The mountain range is located in Innlandet, Møre og Romsdal, and Trøndelag counties in Norway. As a result of its central loca ...
and to
Hamar
Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...
, where they captured and occupied the
Hamar Bishop's palace (''Hamarhus''). Hartvig Krummedige proceeded north, expelled the Swedish forces, and killed many of them, including members of the Tre Rosor family. With this act, as well as his previous involvement in the death of Saemundsson, Krummerige earned the lasting enmity of pro-Swedish
Alv Knutsson of Tre Rosor. Alv Knutsson had extensive holdings, was highly influential and could bring substantial pressure to bear. In 1455 he arranged that charges be brought against Hartvig Krummedige by one of the local farmers – as a result Hartvig Krummedige lost all of his fiefs, in 1458. Knutsson also worked through the Pope to obtain a Papal Bull concerning Krummedige's misuse of power. In spite of this dramatic setback, Christian I of Denmark and Norway restored Krummedige to Akershus by 1461. Hartvig Krummedige died in 1476, but his son
Henrich Krummedige
Henrich Krummedige (also recorded as Hinrik, Henrik or Henry with surname variations including Krummedike and Krummendiek), was born circa 1464 in Norway and died in 1530. He was a Danish-Norwegian nobleman and a member of both the Norwegian and ...
remained a firm member of the pro-Danish party — the rivalry with the ''Tre Rosor'' family virtually guaranteed this would be so.
[ Alv Knutsson died in 1496.
]
Knut Alvsson and Henrich Krummedige
Alv's son Knut Alvsson
Knut Alvsson (1455 – 18 August 1502) was a Norwegian nobleman and landowner. He was the country's foremost Norwegian-born noble in his time and served as fief-holder in southern-central Norway.
He was heir of the Sudreim claim to the Norw ...
subsequently led an unsuccessful attempt to gain the crown of Norway. In 1500 King Hans of Denmark, Sweden and Norway made an ill-fated attempt to conquer the Ditmarshes (Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen (, Northern Low Saxon, Low Saxon: ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; da, Ditmarsken; la, label=Medieval Latin, Tedmarsgo) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of ...
) in Northern Germany. Knut Alvsson, who had married the granddaughter of Karl Knutsson, and was involved with the Swedish Independence Party, concluded it was time to act. His rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
began in 1501 in Sweden, but soon came to Båhus Fortress
Bohus Fortress (also known as ''Baahus'' or ''Båhus'', originally: ''Bágahús'') lies along the old Norwegian–Swedish border in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches ( north of G ...
in Norway on the Swedish-Norwegian border, which Henrich Krummedige
Henrich Krummedige (also recorded as Hinrik, Henrik or Henry with surname variations including Krummedike and Krummendiek), was born circa 1464 in Norway and died in 1530. He was a Danish-Norwegian nobleman and a member of both the Norwegian and ...
commanded. Krummedige held his fief at Båhus, but Alvsson captured Akershus Fortress in March 1502, although the citizens of Oslo remained pro-Danish while the nobles and bishops of the country remained neutral—presumably waiting to see which side prevailed.
King Hans dispatched his son Christian (later crowned King Christian II of Denmark and Norway) at the head of forces; they relieved the siege of Båhus Fortress, and then captured and reduced Älvsborg Fortress
Älvsborg Fortress ( sv, Älvsborgs fästning), with its main facility Oscar II's Fort ( sv, Oscar II:s fort) built 1899–1907, is a now-defunct Swedish fortification located at the mouth of the Göta River in the Älvsborg district of Gothenbu ...
across the river from Båhus Fortress in 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 ...
, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. Krummedige then led forces north to finish off the rebellion by recapturing Tønsberg Fortress
Tønsberg Fortress (''Tunsberghus festning'') was a medieval fortress and castle, located in Tønsberg, Norway which was defended by the fortress for over 300 years.
It includes ruins from ''Castrum Tunsbergis'', Norway's largest castle in the 13 ...
and invested Akershus Fortress, which Alvsson was defending.[
When it became clear that the rebellion had failed, Alvsson came on board one of Krummedige's ships under a safe conduct. Krummedige killed Knut Alvsson, either by treachery or, as alleged, in response to Alvsson's own violence. Alvsson was judged a traitor and Alvsson's property was forfeit to the crown. Krummedige had prevailed, although he was compelled to leave Norway and the uprising was not totally quelled until 1504. This ended the male ''Tre Rosor'' line in Norway and the feud.][
]
Aftermath
Norwegian attempts at opposition against the Oldenburg kings were strangled, after the feud, by King Hans's son Prince Christian (afterward King Christian II), who was the viceroy of Norway
The Viceroy of Norway ( Constitutional Danish: Vice-Konge) was the appointed head of the Norwegian Government in the absence of the King, during the era of the Union between Sweden and Norway. The role was essentially the same as that of the Gover ...
from 1506. He succeeded in maintaining control of the country. During his administration of Norway, he attempted to deprive the Norwegian nobility of its traditional influence exercised through the '' Rigsraadet'' (privy council). Prince Christian became king of Denmark and Norway in 1513.[Hannay, Mackie, Spilman, ed., ''Letters of James IV'', SHS (1953), p.xlii]
References
{{Reflist
Medieval Norway
Political history of Norway
Kalmar Union
15th century in Norway
16th century in Norway
Feuds