Sara Simonsdotter, called ''Tjocka Sara'' (Fat Sara) (

floruit ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1619), was a Swedish brothel owner and procurer in 17th-century Stockholm. Her brothel had clientele among the royal court and became the centre of a scandal when it was revealed in 1618. On 4 November 1618, a married woman, Margareta Henriksdotter, was arrested in Stockholm for prostitution. Among her clients were people in high positions, such as Adam Richard de la Chapelle, a captain in the royal guard. Her arrest led to the discovery of a brothel at the ill-reputed street

Kindstugatan Kindstugatan is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching west from Brända Tomten to become Tyska Brinken in its western end, it is crossed by Svartmangatan and Skomakargatan. Origin of the name The oldest ...

, as well as the arrest of Simonsdotter and her employees. The brothel, which also functioned as a place to sell stolen goods, was managed by Sara Simonsdotter, while the town executioner, Master Håkan, acted as a pimp. Her prostitutes worked at the brothel but also visited clients in their homes and at other locations. Among her employees were several women who were not career prostitutes but rather married women who earned money without the knowledge of their spouses. The mistress of

John, Duke of Östergötland John of Sweden, Duke of Östergötland (in Swedish ''Johan'') (18 April 1589 at Uppsala Castle – 5 March 1618 at Bråborg Castle in Östergötland) was a Swedish royal dynast. He was titular Duke of Finland 1590–1606 and reigning Duke ...

was also seen there, though it was unknown in what capacity. The clients were often deprived of their clothing to prevent them from leaving before payment. Among the clients of her brothel were the Dutch ambassador and a courtier. While in prison, several of the women escaped in a prison break with a group of male prisoners, assisted by three soldiers, who helped them dig a tunnel under the wall. Several of the former prostitutes seem to have been banished from town, a sentence carried out by Master Håkan, who does not seem to have been punished for his part in the affair. The clients were all fined, with a higher fine for the married clients than for the unmarried. Sara Simsondotter herself was sentenced to time in the pillory and to be whipped, a sentence which was carried out on 19 May 1619. She was afterward deported to her home parish

Kimito Kimito (; fi, Kemiö ) is a former municipality of Finland. On January 1, 2009, it was consolidated with Dragsfjärd and Västanfjärd to form the new municipality of Kimitoön. Prior to the consolidation, it was one of the four municipalities ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, with the warning that she was to be executed if she ever returned.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sara Simonsdotter 17th-century Swedish businesspeople Swedish brothel owners and madams 17th century in Stockholm 17th-century criminals