Lars Gathenhielm (originally Lars Andersson Gathe; 1689–1718) was a Swedish sea captain, commander, shipowner merchant, and privateer.

Biography

Lars Gathenhielm was born on the Gatan estate in

Onsala Onsala () is a locality situated in Kungsbacka Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 11,951 inhabitants in 2010. It is also a 14 km long peninsula on the west coast of Sweden, facing Kattegat, south of Gothenburg. It dates back to the ag ...

Parish in

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 ...

. His parents were the sea captain Anders Börjesson Gathe and his wife Kerstin Larsdtr Styrman, daughter of a mill owner in Hjälm, Fjärås Parish. Before his knighthood in 1715, he was known as Lars Andersson Gathe or Lasse i Gatan. To protect Swedish shipping from pirates and to harm the enemy, in June 1710 the government of King

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of ...

gave Lars Gathe Letter of marque granting permission to seize ships from enemy nations including Denmark and Russia. His vessels captured foreign merchant vessels and forced them into port where both cargo and ships were sold. The spoils were also sold at

Dunkerque Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France.

in northern France. He had a great deal of early success with his galleon ''Lilla Jägaren'', and as the volume of hijackings increased, many local sailors were quickly recruited to work the privateer ships. He suffered from a hip injury that made him dependent on crutches and may not have spent much time at sea himself, instead directing the work from

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. Gathenhielm was accused of piracy against Swedish ships as well, but was protected by the king himself and therefore never punished. He and his brother Christen (1682-1722) were

ennobled 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 characterist ...

in 1715 under the surname Gathenhielm for their efforts on behalf of Swedish navigation. Gathenhielm was later also appointed

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

in the

Royal Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...

. Lars Gathenhielm died from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

at his house at Lilla Torget in Gothenburg in 1718 at the age of 29. His wife

Ingela Gathenhielm Ingela Olofsdotter Gathenhielm née ''Hammar'' (11 September 1692 – 29 April 1729), was a Swedish shipowner and privateer in service of King Charles XII of Sweden during the Great Northern War.Larsson, Lisbeth, Hundrade och en Göteborgskvinno ...

née Hammar (1692–1729), who he had married in 1711, succeeded him and expanded the various business enterprises. Following their deaths, they were both buried in the Gathenhielm family tomb at Onsala Church.

References

Other sources

*Lars Ericson Wolke (1997) ''Lasse i Gatan. Kaparkriget och det svenska stormaktsväldets fall'' (Historiska Media)

Biography

References

Other sources

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