Ygo Gales Galama (c. 1443 – 25 January 1492) was a 15th-century Frisian

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

and Galama-patriarch.

Family and marriage

He was the son of Gale Yges Galama and Trijn Douwesdr Harinxma. The marriage of Gale and Trijn was an attempt to create a provisional peace between the warring factions of the Vetkopers and Schieringers. Gale came from a Vetkoper line and Trijn from a line of Schieringers. Ygo Gales Galama was married to Goslinga. The marriage is mentioned in the "Stamboek van de Friese Adel", which traces the genealogy and history of the Frisian nobility. The couple possessed fortified homes at

Koudum Koudum is a village in the northern Netherlands. It is located in Súdwest-Fryslân, Friesland. Nearby villages include Molkwerum to the west, Workum to the north and Hemelum to the south. The population of Koudum was 2,700 in 2019. The nearest t ...

Hemelum Hemelum ( fry, Himmelum) is a village in Súdwest Fryslân municipality, in the province Friesland of the Netherlands. It had a population of around 610 in January 2017.Oudega. From this marriage they had four children: Trijn, Otto, Maaike and Juw.Langenaberg Family Genealogy

The ''forest viking''

Ygo was a rich, powerful and war-skilled Vetkoper with a notorious reputation. To his compatriots he was known as "the forest viking' but to his enemies ''het woudzwijn'', the 'forest swine'.

Late middle-ages

The late Middle Ages were an important period in the development of

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

. Monks ensured dike construction, new agriculture methods and an increase of written sources. Some of the oldest records of Frisian text originate from this period. The eleven Frisian cities got their town rights, trade contacts were extended and a money economy arose. The 14th and 15th centuries however were dominated by fighting between competing noble families. The cause of the fighting, aligned along two monastical orders, the Schieringers and Vetkopers, was due to complex family relations in which family loyalty, honour and blood revenge played an important role. In particular the fighting took place between important noble families and the influential monasteries. The Schieringers had their largest group of followers in Westergo. The Vetkopers had their power base in the east of the province. The name Schieringers refers to the grey garments of the

Cistercians The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

(Middle Dutch ''schiere'' = grey). The Vetkopers ("buyers of fat" – trading in butter, cheese etc.) were associated with the

Norbertines The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

, who supposedly obtained their income from livestock-farming. In 1439 the factionalism which had abated for some years started once again in Gaasterland: the Vetkoper Galamas against the Schieringer Harinxmas. A violent conflict that continued until 1456. The dispute in Oostergo (1441–1444) was settled through a court of law under the influence of

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

. On August 15, 1456, the threat of Duke

Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...

led to a new alliance against all landlords and the formation of a council 'of the Common Land of Vrieslandt'. Shortly thereafter the Donia War (1458–1463) began, followed by an explosion of other disputes; the towns

Sneek Sneek (; fy, Snits) is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and the seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. As of 2011 it is the seat of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân (Southwest Friesland). Th ...

now played a large role, some actively, some passively (

Dokkum Dokkum is a Dutch fortified city in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland. It has 12,669 inhabitants (February 8, 2020). The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the ''bolwerken'' (bulwarks). ...

1470, the Beer Uproar of

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of the ...

in 1487). Attempts by the Emperor to settle the dispute proved fruitless.

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

could not supply the Vetkopers the help they needed, from which the Groningers profited until they themselves were defeated while laying siege to

Franeker Franeker (; fry, Frjentsjer) is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about 20 km west of Leeuwarden. As of 1 January 2014, it had 12, ...

and had to abandon Westergo (1496).

Later years and death

The arrival of duke Albrecht in 1498 ensured a central authority that not only provided a visible presence, but also provided clear legislation and jurisdiction. The duke introduced general governing board measures, such as laws and taxes. The arrival of Albrecht and the setting-up of a governing board appropriate for Friesland however did not go without problems. Fragments from the ' doodtboeck ' (deathbook) of Ernestus van Harinxma. In 1613 Ernestus van Harinxma van Donia, a descendant of

Haring Harinxma Haring Harinxma (1323–1404) was a powerful Frisian chieftain and Schieringer who lived during the 13th and early 14th centuries. Haring also used the surname Donia, and is considered the patriarch of this well known Frisian family. Another titl ...

(Haring Donia) wrote a book concerning the deaths of Frisian nobles. In the 'Doodtboeck' he describes the violent struggle between the Schieringers and Vetkopers. Below is a report of the assassination of Ygo Gales Galama. From the 'Doodtboeck': Transcription (in Middle Dutch) ''Anno 1492 Den 25 januari worde Ygo Galama in een slach by Worckum van den Schyringers gevangen ende dootlyck ghewont ende naedat hy ghebiecht hadde is hy des selven nachts tot 9 uren van Seerp Beyma knechten noch dootgheslaegen. Alsoo dat die stoute helt ende het hooft der Vetcoepers in Westerghoo aldaer sijn affganck ende eynde ghecreegen heeft.'' English translation: In the year 1492 on 25 January Ygo Galama in a battle near

Workum Workum () is a city located in the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân in Friesland, Netherlands. It received city rights in 1399 and is one of the eleven cities of Friesland. It had a population of 4,435 in January 2017.otmortally wounded. And after he had confessed, he was yet beaten to death on the same night at 9 o'clock by the soldiers of Seerp Beyma. Thus that this brave hero and leader of the Vetkopers in Westergo there met his passing and end.

Ancestry of Ygo Gales Galama

*Direct descendant of Ygo II Galama (died 910) fifth Potestate of Friesland. *Great grandson of

(Haring Donia) (abt. 1323–1403), Potestate of Friesland in 1398. *First cousin 3 times removed of

Pier Gerlofs Donia Pier Gerlofs Donia ( 1480 – 28 October 1520) was a Frisian rebel leader and pirate. He is best known by his West Frisian nickname ''Grutte Pier'' ("Big Pier"; in the pre-1980 West Frisian spelling written as ''Greate Pier''), or by the Dutch ...

(abt 1480–1520), Frisian freedom fighter and leader of the infamous Arumer Black Heap. *Direct descendant of Ige Galama (also known as Ygo Joukes Galama, see

Frisian Crusaders Frisian involvement in the Crusades is attested from the very beginning of the First Crusade, but their presence is only felt substantially during the Fifth Crusade. They participated in almost all the major Crusades and the ''Reconquista''. The Fr ...

) died in 1099 during the

first crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

and buried in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

,De Vrije Fries. ord-Nederland En Kruistogten by J. Dirks Pg.143Mengelingen, Uitgeven door het Provinciaal Friesch Genootschap, Ter Beoefening der Friesche Geschied-, Oudheid- en Taalkunde (Leeuwarden), 1842 see

Siege of Antioch The siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098, on the crusaders' way to Jerusalem through Syria. Two sieges took place in succession. The first siege, by the crusaders against the city held by the Seljuk Empire, last ...

Sources and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galama, Ygo Gales 1440s births 1492 deaths Frisian warriors Dutch generals Dutch military commanders Medieval Dutch nobility 15th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire Medieval West Frisians