Knut Alvsson's men take the royal residence in Bergen
DN 16/339 · [Beg. af June] 1502 · [Bergen.]
Knut Alvsson's family had large interests in western Norway, and here his servant takes the royal residence in Bergen on his behalf. The letter from the Hanseatic merchants shows that Knut had supporters among the farmers there too.
What the letter says
The German merchants in Bergen report to Lübeck at the beginning of June 1502 that on 29 May they received a letter from herr Knut Alvsson. It said that his servant Nils Jonsson was to take the royal residence on his behalf, and that Knut himself would come to Bergen once he had won Båhus. The soldiers in the royal residence fled, and on 2 June Nils Jonsson came with his following and about 300 farmers and took the residence without resistance. At the thing on Jonsvollen the farmers wanted to stand by Knut, while the bishop and his party wanted to wait for the archbishop and herr Nils Henriksson. After three or four days Nils Jonsson left again because there was no food in the residence, and the merchants now ask for two armed ships by Michaelmas.
The letter in modern English
Honourable good friends, the news we have here is unfortunately not the best. We received a letter from herr Knut Alvsson on the Sunday after Corpus Christi [29 May], in many words. It said that his servant Nils Jonsson was to come here and take over and receive our most gracious lord the king's residence on his behalf, and that he, once he had won Båhus and done his business in that part of the country, would come here to Bergen with all his force and take over this part of the country as well. He further asked that we would help his servants. Therefore, good friends, after such news the soldiers in the king's residence left it, since they had no commander. On the octave of Corpus Christi [2 June] the said Nils Jonsson came with his following and about 300 farmers to Bergen, both by water and by land. Without consulting the councillors of the realm here he took the residence at once, because there was no one there to resist him. The Monday after, he held a general thing on Jonsvollen. There came our lord the bishop with all the nordfarere, who at that time were for the most part here in the town, and with the townsmen, all in their armour, against the said Nils Jonsson and the farmers. They heard the said herr Knut's letter read. The farmers wanted to stand by herr Knut.
Original text
Erszamen guden frunde, de tijdinghe de wij hijr hebben js leider de beste nicht wente wij kregen eynen breff van heren Knuth Alffson, am sondage na des hilgen llichames dage, jn lengeren worden jnnholdende, dat sin dener Nyelsz Jonszon hijr komen scholde, vnde nemen jn vnde entfangen van syner wegen vnses gnedigsten heren des koninghes garden, vnde wanner he Bahuszen gewunnen hedde, vnde sin werff jn deme ort landes hedde geworuen, So wolde he myt aller macht hijr tho Bergen komen.
Background
The letter was written by the German Kontor (Hanseatic office) in Bergen, the Hanseatic merchants who controlled much of the stockfish trade, and it shows how close the rising came to the town. The royal residence was Bergenhus on Holmen, and Jonsvollen was the town's thing (assembly) place. Knut Alvsson's family had large interests in western Norway, and the farmers' support suggests that he had followers here too. The nordfarere were probably northerners who came to Bergen with stockfish in the summer. Bishop Hans of Bergen and herr Nils Henriksson, husband of fru Inger of Austrått, were on the king's side. That Nils Jonsson had to give up the residence because there was no food there shows how dependent such a coup was on supplies.
People: Knut Alvsson