Vincens Lunge reports the reconciliation with the archbishop
DN 12/525 · 1 Novbr. 1532 · Throndhjem
What the letter says
Vincens Lunge writes from Trondheim on 1 November 1532 to his kinsman Eske Bille, commander of Bergenhus. Archbishop Olav has pledged loyalty to King Frederik I, and Vincens, Nils Lykke and their mother-in-law fru Inger are reconciled with the archbishop. The royal envoys Bishop Hans Reff, Truid Ulfstand and Claus Bille have granted the archbishop full pardon and are now his guests at Stenviksholm. Vincens will stay at Austrått over Christmas for the sake of his wife Margrete and then travel into Jämtland.
The letter in modern English
Friendly and loving greeting always sent beforehand with our Lord. Dear Sir Eske, kinsman and especially good friend, you should know that my brother Sir Nils [Nils Lykke, his brother-in-law] and I wrote to you fourteen days ago with those servants of yours who followed Otte Stigsen here, and sent you with them true copies of everything we had negotiated with the archbishop on behalf of the king's majesty, our most gracious lord. We did the same to the Bishop of Bergen, and we hope those letters have reached you. You should know that the archbishop had sworn, promised and given us letters of allegiance and fealty on behalf of our most gracious lord King Frederik, and bound himself and with all submission given himself into the hands of his grace's royal majesty's grace and mildness, to do with him as his grace wished, before the good lords Bishop Hans Reff and our kinsmen Sir Truid and Sir Claus came here. Our wife's mother and we were also wholly and fully reconciled with the archbishop beforehand. But the good lords have now, according to their commission on the king's majesty's behalf, forgiven and remitted to the lord archbishop all disgrace, disfavour and ill will, so that it is now a matter settled forever, everything his grace's royal highness could have charged the archbishop with. Today the good lords are the lord archbishop's guests at Stenviksholm.
Original text
Venlig kerlig hiilssen altiitt tilffornn sendt met vor herre. Kere her Eske frende och sunderlige gode vennd moe i viide ath mind broder her Niels och ieg skreff ether til xiiij [dage siiden met the ethers thienere som fwlgde Otthe Stiigsen hiid och skicchede ether met thennom vorafftiige copier til vdaff ald thend deell som vij met erchebispen po konge maits.
Background
Vincens Lunge and Nils Lykke were Danish noblemen married to daughters of fru Inger of Austrått, and here Vincens calls her «our wife's mother». Archbishop Olav Engelbrektsson had supported Christian II when the deposed king came to Norway in 1531, and after Christian was taken prisoner in the summer of 1532, the archbishop had to make his peace with King Frederik I. The letter shows that fru Inger's family and the archbishop were now reconciled after the conflict. Allegiance and fealty here mean that the archbishop once again promised to be the king's loyal subject. Stenviksholm was the archbishop's castle at Skatval on the Trondheimsfjord. The concern for Margrete's «condition» probably suggests that she was pregnant.
People: Ingerd Ottesdatter (fru Inger)