![Truid Gregersen Ulfstand (gravsten i Lund Domkirkes krypt)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Truid_Gregersen_Ulfstand_%28gravsten_i_Lund_Domkirkes_krypt%29.JPG)
Truid Gregersen Ulfstand (1487 – November 16, 1545) was a Danish nobleman, landowner, and
privy council member.
He was active in
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 the ...
in the 1530s during the time that the country was entering into a
real union
Real union is a union of two or more states, which share some state institutions in contrast to personal unions; however, they are not as unified as states in a political union. It is a development from personal union and has historically be ...
with
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 = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
, and was a commander in the Danish civil war known as The
Count's Feud
The Count's Feud ( da, Grevens Fejde), also called the Count's War, was a war of succession that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark. In the international context, it was part of the European wars of relig ...
.
Background
Ulfstand was the son of the
fief-holder Gregers Jepsen til Torup and Else Torbernsdatter Bille, and the brother of Holger Gregersen Ulfstand. He inherited the
Torup estate in
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne ...
from his father. He married Ide Brock around 1520, and they had four sons and three daughters. In 1522 he was endowed with
Varberg Fortress
Varberg () is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019.
Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from ...
, which he held until his death. He was admitted to the
privy council upon the enthronement of
Frederick I Frederick I may refer to:
* Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht.
* Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978)
* Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105)
* Frederick I, Count of Zoll ...
, and he was made a knight upon Frederick's coronation in 1524.
In Frederick's service
In 1531, Ulfstand participated in the negotiations on
Christian II
Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...
's fate in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
before he was sent to Norway in 1532, together with
Claus Bille to bring the country under King Frederick. In
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 ...
, they held assemblies with the country's inhabitants and succeeded in having the leaders recognize the king. Later they went to
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
, where they reached an agreement with Archbishop
Olav Engelbrektsson
Olav Engelbrektsson (, Trondenes, Norway – 7 February 1538, Lier, Duchy of Brabant, Habsburg Netherlands) was the 28th Archbishop of Norway from 1523 to 1537, the Regent of Norway from 1533 to 1537, a member and later president of the ''Riks ...
.
Ulfstand's first wife died in 1531 or 1532. During a stay in
Stockholm, in 1534 he married again to a young widow,
Görvel Fadersdotter (Sparre). He then went to
Malmø, where he was held captive for nine weeks during
Jørgen Knock's rebellion. He freed himself by swearing loyalty to
Christopher, Count of Oldenburg on August 10 that year.
Count's Feud
Following Ulfstand's captivity, King
Gustav I of Sweden
Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...
sent an army against
Halland
Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömseb ...
, which began a siege of Varberg Fortress on November 10, 1534. Ulfstand defended the fortress until his cousin Claus Bille arranged a ceasefire in exchange for Ulfstand declaring himself neutral.
After the Scania nobility went over to the Swedes, Marcus Meyer was sent to Ulfstand at Varberg. Meyer entered into a secret agreement with the city's inhabitants to overwhelm the fortress. This was successful on March 12, 1535; Ulfstand managed to escape, but his wife and children were taken prisoner. He now opened supported
Duke Christian and he assembled a small army that besieged Varberg. On
Pentecost 1536, Christian sent reinforcements. Marcus Meyer was forced to surrender and was beheaded on August 17, 1536 at
Helsingør
Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northe ...
.
Later life
In 1537 Ulfstand was once again sent to Norway, this time to bring the country under the leadership of King
Christian III
Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...
. He first went to Trondheim and negotiated the terms of surrender with the soldiers at
Steinvikholm Castle, after the
Siege of Steinvikholm. He then went down to
Hamar
Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake ...
, where he headed the Danish-German troops at the
Siege of Hamar
The siege of Hamar was a short siege that lasted for three days in late June 1537, between the forces of Catholic bishop Mogens Lauritssøn and noble Truid Ulfstand. Truid Ulfstand and his forces came down from Trondheim to arrest the bishop as a p ...
and arrested Bishop
Mogens Lauritssøn. He made a new journey to Norway in 1539, to introduce Norway's first
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
Church Ordinance.
Ulfstand died at Torup on November 16, 1545 and is buried in Lund Cathedral in Scania.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulfstand, Truid
Danish nobility
1487 births
1545 deaths
People of the Count's Feud