Per Stålhammar (born Per Jönsson; c. 1612 – January 8, 1701) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

military officer and soldier under the rule of

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...

, Christina, Charles X, and

Charles XI Charles XI or Carl ( sv, Karl XI; ) was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1721). He was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein- ...

. Stålhammar was born in Angved in Svenarum Parish,

Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...

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 ...

as Per Jönsson. He grew up on a small farm which his father, Jöns Gudmundsson (died c. 1629), leased from the crown. Stålhammar's mother was Karin Pedersdotter. During childhood Stålhammar used to put sheep out to pasture on his father's farm, but already in 1626 Stålhammar followed a local

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of German descent, Caspar Witte (later knighted Caspar von Witten af Stensjö), to the war with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. At this point the young Stålhammar was not a regular soldier but a ''trossdräng'', a menial position in the

supply train In military contexts, a train is the logistical transport elements accompanying a military force. Often called a supply train or baggage train, it has the job of providing materiel for their associated combat forces when in the field. When focuse ...

organization of the army. After the Truce of Altmark was signed in 1629 Stålhammar returned to Sweden. In 1633 Stålhammar became a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

man at the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

''Smålands ryttare'' and his name was changed from Per Jönsson to Per Jönsson Hammar (from Swedish ''hammare'', "hammer"). He was known for his ''excellent bravery'' and was promoted to quartermaster in 1640. In 1644 he became a corporal and in 1650 a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

. Some years earlier, in September 1644, Stålhammar married Caspar Witte's daughter Susanna. She died already on July 7, 1645, and two years later Stålhammar married his second wife Anna Skytte. On August 30, 1650, Stålhammar was knighted and his surname was changed to Stålhammar by adding the Swedish ''stål'', "steel", to his previous surname. In 1656 Stålhammar became a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

, in 1657 a rittmeister, on June 2, 1663, a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, and on March 6, 1677, he became

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of his regiment. He retired in August 1692. Stålhammar took part in many wars. As a teenager he followed ''Smålands ryttare'' on their military campaign against the Poles in

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. Apart from the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

Stålhammar also participated in wars against Poland and

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 ...

. As a colonel in the 1680s Stålhammar introduced the

allotment system The allotment system ( sv, indelningsverket; fi, ruotujakolaitos) was a system used in Sweden for keeping a trained army at all times. This system came into use in around 1640, and was replaced by the modern Swedish Armed Forces conscription s ...

at his regiment. Stålhammar was the founder of the Stålhammar family, and the grandfather of

Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar (1683 in Svenarum – 16 February 1733 at Björnskog in Hultsjö), was a Swedish corporal and crossdresser who served in the Great Northern War. She was put on trial for having served in the military posing as a man an ...

. The Hultsvik mansion which was built by Stålhammar in the 1650s still exists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stalhammar, Per 1610s births 1701 deaths Swedish military personnel of the Thirty Years' War Swedish nobility 17th-century Swedish military personnel Swedish Army colonels