Early life

Pros Mund was the son of Niels Mund of Bjerkevold
and Ingeborg Prosdatter Hørb. He became naval lieutenant in 1624 and was promoted to captain in 1628. That year he was stationed in the sourthen part of the Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

, where he counteracted the Imperial

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 designs for a fleet based in Rostock

Rostock

Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...

, Warnemünde

Warnemünde

Warnemünde is a sea resort and northmost district of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, situated on the Baltic Sea in the northeast of Germany at the estuary of the river Warnow.- History :...

, Wismar

Wismar

Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...

, and Greifswald

Greifswald

Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...

, also supporting the defense of Stralsund

Stralsund

- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...

.

In 1630 he was sent first to the Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...

 and the coast of Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 to defend trade shipping against piracy and later participated in the fight against Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

 on the Elbe

Elbe

The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...

, where he patrolled with two ships the following year. He then patrolled the North Sea and the Norwegian coast, in 1633 as chief of a fleet squadron. In 1633 he was granted a fief on Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

, on which he spent several winters and where his wife, Edel Urne, daughter of Johan Urne in Valsø, accompanied him in 1638.

Torstenson War

When the Torstenson War with Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 broke out in 1643, he was called in for duty with the fleet. In the beginning of 1644 he commanded a smaller squadron. After having joined forces in May with Ove Gjedde

Ove Gjedde

Ove Gjedde , born in Tommarp in Scania, Denmark , was a Danish admiral and member of the interim government, following the death of Christian IV and the harsh restrictions imposed on Frederick III due to his close ties to Germany.In 1618 he commanded an expedition to Ceylon and India by Christian...

 at Flækkerø (the present-day island Flekkerøy outside of Kristiansand

Kristiansand

-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...

) they sailed together into the North Sea where on May 25 they fought an undecided action against a Swedish-Dutch

Dutch Republic

The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...

 fleet under Martin Thijssen. Upon the return to Flakkerø, Mund accused several of his officers for having betrayed him to the enemy.

On July 1, 1655 he participated in the naval battle of Colberger Heide

Battle of Colberger Heide

The naval Battle of Colberger Heide took place on 1 July 1644 during the Danish-Swedish War , off northern Germany...

, as Quarter Admiral leading the 4th squadron. Again several of his ships' captains neglected their duties; at the very least, king Christian IV

Christian IV of Denmark

Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...

 complained loudly about them, writing that they had used him as a shield between themselves and the enemy. Whether this complaint was justified or not, it did not apply to Mund himself, who participated with great courage in the battle. His flagship S:t Sophie appears to have suffered more casualties than any of the other ships.

Death in the Fehmarn Belt

In September he was ordered to patrol between Fehmarn

Fehmarn

Fehmarn is an island and - since 2003 - a town on this island in the Baltic Sea, off the eastern coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and ca. 18 kilometers south of the Danish island of Lolland...

 and Lolland

Lolland

Lolland is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of 1,243 square kilometers . Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland...

 to keep the waterway clear and observe the movements of the Swedish fleet with 17 ships of the line. While sickness ravaged his squadron, the Swedish main fleet commanded by Carl Gustaf Wrangel

Carl Gustaf Wrangel

Carl Gustaf Wrangel was a high-ranking Swedish noble, statesman and military commander in the Thirty Years', Torstenson, Bremen, Second Northern and Scanian Wars....

 was unexpectedly joined by the auxiliary Dutch fleet under the previously mentioned Thijssen (now ennobled with the name Anckarhjelm). These 42 ships attacked on October 13

Action of 13 October 1644

The Action of 13 October 1644 took place north-west of the island of Fehmarn, now part of Germany, in the Baltic Sea. A combined Swedish fleet, with a large element of hired Dutch ships, defeated a Danish fleet and took 1000 prisoners, including Ulfeldt, Grabov and von Jasmund...

. It is unclear whether the Danes were taken by surprise or whether Mund wanted to avoid an unequal fight. The Swedish-Dutch fleet overpowered the Danes. After stiff resistance, the Danish flagship Patientia was boarded. Mund was killed during the struggle and his body thrown into the sea. Only three ships escaped, the rest were captured or destroyed.

Pros Mund owned the family farm Bjerkevold in Norge and acquired Grevensvænge in Zealand. His widow came into possession of the nearby Rønnebæksholm.