Arvid Stålarm the Younger
Encyclopedia
Arvid Stålarm, actually Arvid Eriksson (Stålarm) till Lindö i Tenala (c. 1540 or 1549 – May 1620, Gripsholm Castle
) was a Swedish noble and soldier from the Finland
-based Stålarm family. He is sometimes called "the Younger" to distinguish him from his grandfather and namesake who died in 1529.
In his early career, Arvid Stålarm served as a captain in the Swedish navy
. Later, he was promoted admiral
, governor in Narva
and Finland, and during the War against Sigismund
led Finnish forces loyal to Sigismund
against the latter's opponent and successor duke Charles of Södermanland
, the later king Charles IX. Stålarm was taken prisoner and condemned to death in the Åbo bloodbath
(1599) and again in the Linköping bloodbath
(1600), but both times was spared from execution and remained in prison.
In 1602, during the Polish–Swedish War (1600–11)
, he was released to command the Swedish forces in Livonia
, who by then were in a precarious state and position. Stålarm received ambiguous orders and was unable to turn the tide. After a major defeat in September 1604, Charles removed him from the command, and Stålarm was again tried and condemned to death in the spring of 1605. He was, however, again spared, and spent the rest of his life as Charles' prisoner at Gripsholm.
Stålarm family around the years 1540 or 1549. He was the son of Erik Arvidsson (Stålarm, died 1569, son of the elder Arvid Eriksson Stålarm and Christina Knutsdotter) and Beata Nilsdotter Grabbe, her husband's step-sister, daughter of Nils Magnusson Grabbe the Elder and his first wife, Elin Claesdotter (Christina Knutsdotter became Nils Magnusson's second wife). On 9 July 1569, he married Elin Fleming
, a daughter of Herman Fleming and Gertrud Håkansdotter Hand.
) in Nyslötts (Savonlinna) län in 1583. He served in the Royal Swedish navy as a captain, and was promoted admiral of the Finnish navy in 1588. In 1590, at the beginning of the Russo-Swedish War (1590–1595), he was appointed supreme commander in Narva
, where he became governor in 1592. In addition, he became häradshövding of Sexmäki (Sääksmäki)
in 1593 and of Savolax (Savonia)
in 1594. In the same year, king Sigismund
confirmed Stålarm as his governor in Narva and also appointed him commander of all forces in Finland and Livonia
, after he had made Stålarm his envoy to the Russian tsardom
already in 1593. Upon the death of översteamiral (supreme admiral) Clas (Klaus) Fleming
in 1597, he was given supreme command over the naval and land forces in Finland by king Sigismund and became governor of "all Finland." During the War against Sigismund
, he supported Sigismund against his adversary duke Charles of Södermanland
.
In 1597, Charles' forces invaded Finland and in September took from Stålarm the town of Åbo
(Turku), where he gathered the Finnish estates and had them accept his rule. Stålarm however re-took Åbo when Charles left in October, making Finland again one of the strongholds of Sigismund loyalists with the peasantry however tending to support Charles.
In 1598, Sigismund planned to plunge Charles in a two-fold attack, with Sigismund attacking him from the south and Stålarm's forces from Finland and Uppland
attacking from the north. Three days before Stålarm arrived in Stockholm
, however, Sigismund had already been forced to agree to an unfavourable truce in the Treaty of Linköping of 28 September, after Charles had won the upper hand in the Battle of Stångebro
. Stålarm retreated to Finland without the Uppland troops, who defected to Charles, Sigismund retreated to Poland-Lithuania
and never returned, and Charles, who had already detained the leading loyalists at Linköping
, subsequently cleared the western parts of the Swedish kingdom of his opponents before he started a campaign to control the remaining loyalist strongholds in the east.
Together with Axel Kurck (Kurk), Stålarm commanded the forces in Finland, but was taken prisoner after Charles' forces had conquered the loyalist strongholds there in September and October of 1599. Along with other opposition members, Stålarm was sentenced to death by a jury assembled from thirty-seven of Charles' followers in Åbo, but together with Kurck was spared from decapitation
during the subsequent Åbo bloodbath
of 10 November. Instead, Stålarm and Kurck were transferred first to Stockholm
and later to Linköping, where they were again tried and sentenced to death by a jury of 155 men during the riksdag of the estates
of March 1600. Both were already led to the execution site in what became known as the Linköping bloodbath
, but their execution was postponed and Stålarm remained Charles' prisoner until 1602.
in the Duchy of Livonia
. There, Charles had attracted the renowned John of Nassau to command his forces in July 1601. John began to re-organize the Swedish forces in Livonia according to the Dutch model, but due to shortages in equipment, numbers and other problems he gave up and left for Holland in the summer of 1602. He left behind an army reduced to the Livonian strongholds of Dorpat (Tartu) and Pernau (Pärnu) and even losing ground in famine-plagued Swedish Estonia
, which Michal Roberts
described as follows: "The Dutch tactics were worse than useless—indeed, they were positively dangerous—as long as the men had an inferior firearm and no pike-hedge behind which they could take cover. [...] The army had been half-reformed, and the last state of it was arguably worse than the first." Charles then released Stålarm from prison to take over John of Nasau's command.
Stålarm's opponent in Livonia was the Lithuanian
hetman
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
, whose forces until mid-1603 had taken Dorpat and most of Estonia, except for the Reval (Tallinn) and Narva
regions, from Stålarm. Charles ordered Stålarm to take a strictly defensive position and avoid battle until he had raised a mercenary army, but according to Roberts, "simultaneously harrassed him with demands for action, and bitterly criticized him when action proved unsuccessful." Stålarm, though not authorized by Charles, wanted to force a decision in the battle of Weissenstein (Paide) on 15 September 1604, but was utterly defeated by Chodkiewicz. Charles removed Stålarm from the Livonian command, which he took over himself.
In the spring of 1605, Stålarm once again faced a court. Charles had summoned a riksdag in Stockholm after he became aware of an aristocratic conspiracy by the beginning of the year, and Stålarm was among the real and perceived opponents whom Charles had tried by a tribunal composed of 274 men during the riksdag. The tribunal sentenced Stålarm to death, whereupon he was tortured and again brought to the execution site. While the verdict was again not carried out, Stålarm spent the rest of his life imprisoned and died in May 1620 in Gripsholm Castle
Gripsholm Castle
Gripsholm Castle is a castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, in Sweden and is regarded as one of Sweden's finest historical monuments. It is located by lake Mälaren in south central Sweden, in the municipality of Strängnäs, about 60 km west of Stockholm....
) was a Swedish noble and soldier from the Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
-based Stålarm family. He is sometimes called "the Younger" to distinguish him from his grandfather and namesake who died in 1529.
In his early career, Arvid Stålarm served as a captain in the Swedish navy
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy 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 so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
. Later, he was promoted admiral
Admiral (Sweden)
Admiral is a naval rank in Sweden. According to current practice only royalties and the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, if he were to come from the Swedish Navy, has the rank of full, four star, Admiral in Sweden...
, governor in Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
and Finland, and during the War against Sigismund
War against Sigismund
The war against Sigismund was a war between Duke Charles, later King Charles IX and Sigismund, King of Sweden and Poland. Lasting from 1598 to 1599, it is also called War of Deposition against Sigismund, since the focus of the conflicts was the attempt to depose the latter from the throne of Sweden...
led Finnish forces loyal to Sigismund
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
against the latter's opponent and successor duke Charles of Södermanland
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
, the later king Charles IX. Stålarm was taken prisoner and condemned to death in the Åbo bloodbath
Åbo bloodbath
The Åbo Bloodbath of 10 November 1599 was a public execution in the Finnish town of Åbo , then part of the Kingdom of Sweden, in the context of the War against Sigismund and the Club War...
(1599) and again in the Linköping bloodbath
Linköping Bloodbath
The Linköping Bloodbath on Maundy Thursday 20 March 1600 was the public execution by beheading of five Swedish nobles in the aftermath of the Battle of Stångebro and the de facto deposition of the Polish and Swedish king Sigismund III Vasa as king of Sweden...
(1600), but both times was spared from execution and remained in prison.
In 1602, during the Polish–Swedish War (1600–11)
Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611)
-Origins:This conflict between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden can trace its roots to the War against Sigismund, where Sigismund III Vasa, at one time king of both the Commonwealth and Sweden, lost the throne of Sweden during the civil war...
, he was released to command the Swedish forces in Livonia
Duchy of Livonia
The Duchy of Livonia was a territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania — and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth — that existed from 1561 to 1621...
, who by then were in a precarious state and position. Stålarm received ambiguous orders and was unable to turn the tide. After a major defeat in September 1604, Charles removed him from the command, and Stålarm was again tried and condemned to death in the spring of 1605. He was, however, again spared, and spent the rest of his life as Charles' prisoner at Gripsholm.
Family
Arvid Eriksson till Lindö i Tenala was born into the Finland-SwedishFinland-Swedes
Swedish-speaking Finns constitute a linguistic minority in Finland. They maintain a strong identity and are alternatively seen either as a distinct subgroup of the Finnish people or as a separate ethnic group or even as a distinct nationality...
Stålarm family around the years 1540 or 1549. He was the son of Erik Arvidsson (Stålarm, died 1569, son of the elder Arvid Eriksson Stålarm and Christina Knutsdotter) and Beata Nilsdotter Grabbe, her husband's step-sister, daughter of Nils Magnusson Grabbe the Elder and his first wife, Elin Claesdotter (Christina Knutsdotter became Nils Magnusson's second wife). On 9 July 1569, he married Elin Fleming
Fleming of Louhisaari
The Louhisaari noble family, otherwise known as Fleming, is a Finnish family of medieval frälse.Its first certainly known male-line ancestor, knight Peder Klasson , is documented living yet in 1406. He came from Denmark to Sweden during the early reign of king Eric XIII of Sweden and is buried in...
, a daughter of Herman Fleming and Gertrud Håkansdotter Hand.
Naval, Narva, Finnish and Livonian commands, first detention
Stålarm was häradshöfding (chief administrator of a häradHarad
In J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy legendarium, Harad was the name for the immense lands south of Gondor and Mordor. Called Haradwaith from the people who lived there, it literally means "South-folk", from the Sindarin harad, "South" and gwaith, "people"...
) in Nyslötts (Savonlinna) län in 1583. He served in the Royal Swedish navy as a captain, and was promoted admiral of the Finnish navy in 1588. In 1590, at the beginning of the Russo-Swedish War (1590–1595), he was appointed supreme commander in Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
, where he became governor in 1592. In addition, he became häradshövding of Sexmäki (Sääksmäki)
Sääksmäki
Sääksmäki is a village and a former municipality, currently part of Valkeakoski in the Pirkanmaa region of Western Finland. A past president of Finland, Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, the Finnish film producer and director Veikko Aaltonen,eminent Finnish historian Eino Jutikkala, and actress Pirkko Mannola...
in 1593 and of Savolax (Savonia)
Savonia (historical province)
Savonia is a historical province in the east of Finland. It borders to Uusimaa, Tavastia, Ostrobothnia, and Karelia. Largest cities in Savo by population are Kuopio, Mikkeli, Savonlinna and Varkaus.-Administration:...
in 1594. In the same year, king Sigismund
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
confirmed Stålarm as his governor in Narva and also appointed him commander of all forces in Finland and Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
, after he had made Stålarm his envoy to the Russian tsardom
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
already in 1593. Upon the death of översteamiral (supreme admiral) Clas (Klaus) Fleming
Klaus Fleming
Baron Clas Eriksson Fleming was a Finnish-born member of the Swedish nobility and admiral, who played an important role in Finnish and Swedish history during the rise of Sweden as a Great Power...
in 1597, he was given supreme command over the naval and land forces in Finland by king Sigismund and became governor of "all Finland." During the War against Sigismund
War against Sigismund
The war against Sigismund was a war between Duke Charles, later King Charles IX and Sigismund, King of Sweden and Poland. Lasting from 1598 to 1599, it is also called War of Deposition against Sigismund, since the focus of the conflicts was the attempt to depose the latter from the throne of Sweden...
, he supported Sigismund against his adversary duke Charles of Södermanland
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
.
In 1597, Charles' forces invaded Finland and in September took from Stålarm the town of Åbo
Abo
Abo may refer to:* ABO blood group system, a human blood type and blood group system** ABO , enzyme encoded by the ABO gene that determines the ABO blood group of an individual* Abo of Tiflis , an Arab East Orthodox Catholic saint...
(Turku), where he gathered the Finnish estates and had them accept his rule. Stålarm however re-took Åbo when Charles left in October, making Finland again one of the strongholds of Sigismund loyalists with the peasantry however tending to support Charles.
In 1598, Sigismund planned to plunge Charles in a two-fold attack, with Sigismund attacking him from the south and Stålarm's forces from Finland and Uppland
Uppland
Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
attacking from the north. Three days before Stålarm arrived in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, however, Sigismund had already been forced to agree to an unfavourable truce in the Treaty of Linköping of 28 September, after Charles had won the upper hand in the Battle of Stångebro
Battle of Stångebro
The Battle of Stångebro or Battle of Linköping took place at Linköping, Sweden on September 25, 1598, and effectively ended the personal union between Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, that had only existed since 1592...
. Stålarm retreated to Finland without the Uppland troops, who defected to Charles, Sigismund retreated to Poland-Lithuania
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
and never returned, and Charles, who had already detained the leading loyalists at Linköping
Linköping
Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
, subsequently cleared the western parts of the Swedish kingdom of his opponents before he started a campaign to control the remaining loyalist strongholds in the east.
Together with Axel Kurck (Kurk), Stålarm commanded the forces in Finland, but was taken prisoner after Charles' forces had conquered the loyalist strongholds there in September and October of 1599. Along with other opposition members, Stålarm was sentenced to death by a jury assembled from thirty-seven of Charles' followers in Åbo, but together with Kurck was spared from decapitation
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
during the subsequent Åbo bloodbath
Åbo bloodbath
The Åbo Bloodbath of 10 November 1599 was a public execution in the Finnish town of Åbo , then part of the Kingdom of Sweden, in the context of the War against Sigismund and the Club War...
of 10 November. Instead, Stålarm and Kurck were transferred first to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and later to Linköping, where they were again tried and sentenced to death by a jury of 155 men during the riksdag of the estates
Riksdag of the Estates
The Riksdag of the Estates , was the name used for the Estates of the Swedish realm when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King...
of March 1600. Both were already led to the execution site in what became known as the Linköping bloodbath
Linköping Bloodbath
The Linköping Bloodbath on Maundy Thursday 20 March 1600 was the public execution by beheading of five Swedish nobles in the aftermath of the Battle of Stångebro and the de facto deposition of the Polish and Swedish king Sigismund III Vasa as king of Sweden...
, but their execution was postponed and Stålarm remained Charles' prisoner until 1602.
Livonian command, second detention
Stålarm's temporary release in 1602 was due to difficulties Charles encountered in his war against Poland-LithuaniaPolish–Swedish War (1600–1611)
-Origins:This conflict between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden can trace its roots to the War against Sigismund, where Sigismund III Vasa, at one time king of both the Commonwealth and Sweden, lost the throne of Sweden during the civil war...
in the Duchy of Livonia
Duchy of Livonia
The Duchy of Livonia was a territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania — and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth — that existed from 1561 to 1621...
. There, Charles had attracted the renowned John of Nassau to command his forces in July 1601. John began to re-organize the Swedish forces in Livonia according to the Dutch model, but due to shortages in equipment, numbers and other problems he gave up and left for Holland in the summer of 1602. He left behind an army reduced to the Livonian strongholds of Dorpat (Tartu) and Pernau (Pärnu) and even losing ground in famine-plagued Swedish Estonia
Swedish Estonia
The Duchy of Estonia , also known as Swedish Estonia, was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1561 until 1721, when it was ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Nystad, following its capitulation in the Great Northern War. The dominion arose when the northern parts of present-day Estonia were united...
, which Michal Roberts
Michael Roberts (historian)
Michael Roberts was an English historian specializing in the early modern period and particularly known for his studies of Swedish history.Roberts was born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire and educated at Brighton College...
described as follows: "The Dutch tactics were worse than useless—indeed, they were positively dangerous—as long as the men had an inferior firearm and no pike-hedge behind which they could take cover. [...] The army had been half-reformed, and the last state of it was arguably worse than the first." Charles then released Stålarm from prison to take over John of Nasau's command.
Stålarm's opponent in Livonia was the Lithuanian
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz was a famous Lithuanian military commander and one of the most prominent noblemen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.-Biography:...
, whose forces until mid-1603 had taken Dorpat and most of Estonia, except for the Reval (Tallinn) and Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
regions, from Stålarm. Charles ordered Stålarm to take a strictly defensive position and avoid battle until he had raised a mercenary army, but according to Roberts, "simultaneously harrassed him with demands for action, and bitterly criticized him when action proved unsuccessful." Stålarm, though not authorized by Charles, wanted to force a decision in the battle of Weissenstein (Paide) on 15 September 1604, but was utterly defeated by Chodkiewicz. Charles removed Stålarm from the Livonian command, which he took over himself.
In the spring of 1605, Stålarm once again faced a court. Charles had summoned a riksdag in Stockholm after he became aware of an aristocratic conspiracy by the beginning of the year, and Stålarm was among the real and perceived opponents whom Charles had tried by a tribunal composed of 274 men during the riksdag. The tribunal sentenced Stålarm to death, whereupon he was tortured and again brought to the execution site. While the verdict was again not carried out, Stålarm spent the rest of his life imprisoned and died in May 1620 in Gripsholm Castle
Gripsholm Castle
Gripsholm Castle is a castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, in Sweden and is regarded as one of Sweden's finest historical monuments. It is located by lake Mälaren in south central Sweden, in the municipality of Strängnäs, about 60 km west of Stockholm....