Truid Ulfstand sets out to recover Gjørvel's estate
DN 12/579 · 19 June 1537 · Oslo
What the letter says
The lawman Peder Herlogsson in Oslo and the mayors and council of the town announce that Sir Truid Ulfstand, commander of Varberg, appeared at the town hall in Oslo on the Tuesday before St John's Day 1537. He complained that some landed property south of the mountains, to which his wife fru Gjørvel is the rightful heir, had wrongfully passed away from her and her forebears over some years, especially in the time of the maiden Karine Alvsdatter at Grefsheim. He announced that he would seek the property back from everyone, noble and commoner, cleric and lay, in town and countryside, whether it had been sold, given away or lost in any other way.
The letter in modern English
We, Peder Herlogsson, lawman in Oslo, Bjørn Gunnarsson and Peder Fynbo, mayors, and the council of the same place, make known to all with this our open letter that on the Tuesday before the day of St John the Baptist [19 June] in the year of our Lord 1537 the honourable, well-born man and stern knight Sir Truid Ulfstand, commander of Varberg, came to the town hall in Oslo before us and several trustworthy men who were present there. He complained and protested that he had asked and learned of some landed property here south of the mountains in Norway to which his wife, the honourable and well-born woman fru Gjørvel, is the rightful heir, and which has wrongfully passed away from her and her forebears in some past years, especially in the time of the well-born maiden, the maiden Karine Alvsdatter, at Grefsheim. For that inheritance and property he has, on his wife's behalf, taken the trouble to come here today, and he will seek it back from noble and commoner, cleric and lay, whether in a market town or in the countryside, however it has been lost, by purchase, gift or in any other way, for money or without money, as the law of Norway may direct, so that he may rightfully recover his wife's inherited estate. In further certainty that we have seen and heard this, we hang our seals below this letter, which is given in the year, on the day and at the place stated above.
Original text
Wii effterschreffne Peder Herlogsson lagmand i Oslo Biørn Gunnersson Peder Fynbo burgemes[tere oc] raad ther sammesteds giøre for alle vitterligt met thette wort *obennbrerff att tiiszdagen nest fore s[ancte] Hans baptiste dag Anno domini Mdxxxviio kom paa raadzstwen i fore Oslo for oss oc flere dannemend s[om] tha ther nærwærendis ware erlig velbiirdug mand oc strenge Ridder her Trwdh Wlffstand høffesmand paa Varbergshus klaget oc kierde ther att hand haffde forspurdt oc forfaret om noget
Background
After Karine Alvsdatter died early in 1537, Gjørvel Fadersdatter was the sole heir of Alv Knutsson and Knut Alvsson. Alv Knutsson of Tre Rosor had gathered much land around eastern Norway, and while Karine was alive some of this property had been sold, given away or taken by others. Truid Ulfstand was Gjørvel's husband, and as her husband he pursued her affairs. By announcing the claim publicly at the town hall in Oslo he guarded against anyone later saying that they had held the property unchallenged. The letter was written the day after the Bishop of Hamar gave up Grefsheim (DN 1/1088), and Truid was probably travelling through eastern Norway to gather the inheritance.