Maerten Thijssen, died 1657, was a Dutch admiral who entered into Swedish service, becoming a Swedish admiral and a Swedish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

under the name Mårten Anckarhielm. He played an important role at the Battle of Fehmarn 1644.

Dutch Service

Thijssen distinguished himself as Dutch vice-admiral at the Battle of Albrolhos 1631. When the fleet returned to the Netherlands in 1634 he became master-attendant and munitions-master at the Admiralty of Zealand in Vlissingen.Meijer & al., Bernhard (1904–1926). ''Nordisk familjebok''. Stockholm: Nordisk familjeboks förlag. Vol. 1, p. 920.

Torstenson War

After the outbreak of the war between Sweden and Denmark-Norway, the Dutch-Swedish industrialist Louis De Geer in 1644 equipped at his own expense, a Dutch squadron under Thijssen, in order to strengthen the Swedish navy. When he learned of the new threat,

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian mon ...

broke the siege of Gothenburg, and sailed to meet the Dutch. The fleets met at Listerdyb, and the Dutch squadron was forced back to Vlissingen. Soon enough it returned to Scandinavian waters, chasing away the Danish ships blockading Gothenburg, then sailing through the

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...

. In October the Swedish main fleet strengthened by the Dutch squadron left Kalmar, and in the following naval battle of Fehmarn the united fleets defeated a Danish fleet; the Dutch squadron taking four Danish ships at the early stages of the battle, and then another four that the Danes had deliberately beached. Hofberg, Herman & al. (1906). ''Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon''. Stockholm: Albert Bonniers förlag, vol. 1, p. 29.

Swedish Service

After the victory at Fehmarn, Anckarhielm brought the Dutch squadron back to Vlissingen, but returned to Sweden in 1645, receiving the naval command at Gothenburg, which he successfully held in face of a siege by Danish naval and ground forces. When the peace with Denmark was concluded, he commanded the naval force that escorted a Swedish trading expedition to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, on the return voyage successfully fending off a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

squadron that demanded salute in the Channel. Anckarhielm remained in command at Gothenburg until his death, and did not participate in the Second Northern War that began in 1655. "Mårten Anckarhielm"
''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon''. Retrieved 2016-12-02.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anckarhielm, Mårten 17th-century Dutch military personnel 17th-century Swedish military personnel 1657 deaths Admirals of the navy of the Dutch Republic People from Vlissingen Swedish admirals Swedish nobility