The verdict on the farmers who killed Knut Alvsson's bailiff
DN 21/677 · 5. desember 1498 · [Konghelle.]
What the letter says
In Konghelle on 5 December 1498 the lawmen of Oslo, Tønsberg, Skien and Viken, with the Council of the Realm present, judged the case between Lord Knut Alvsson and the common people of the fief of Akershus, represented by nine men. Knut accused the people of having killed his bailiff Lasse Skjold and of rising against him, and the farmers answered that they had been sorely compelled to do so. Everyone who took part in the killing was sentenced to a quarter of the compensation, tegngilde and fredkjøp, and everyone who had taken part in the rising against Knut was declared outlawed and to forfeit property and peace. The people asked Henrik Krummedike and Master Jens for mercy and offered 10 mark per man, which was accepted on the terms that half was to be paid by Whitsun and the rest by Michaelmas.
The letter in modern English
To all men who see this letter or hear it read, we who are written hereafter, Erik Eriksson, lawman in Oslo, Tormod Jonsson, lawman in Tønsberg, Amund Sigurdsson, lawman in Skien, and Herlaug Ulvhedinsson, lawman in Viken, make known that now on St Nicholas's Eve [5 December], when we sat in judgement in Konghelle by command of our dear gracious lord, there came before us in court, with the Council of the Realm present, the well-born man Lord Knut Alvsson, knight, on the one side, and on the other side these men written hereafter, as our gracious lord's letter of summons shows: Alv in Mo, Per Nilsson, Jon Toresson, Olav Bjørnsson, Tjøstolv Bjørnsson, Jogar Bjørnsson, Jon Amundsson, Erik Helgesson and Tord Jonsson, with full authority on behalf of all the common people of the fief of Akershus. Then the said Lord Knut charged the people with having struck his bailiff Lasse Skjold dead and afterwards having risen against him in an assembly. The people answered that they had been sorely compelled to it. Both sides then laid their evidence before the court. Then it was pronounced in court that for Lasse Skjold they should pay a quarter compensation [a quarter of the mannebot], a quarter tegngilde [fine to the king] and fredkjøp, as many as took part in striking him dead.
Original text
Alle men thette breff seer eller hører læse kennesz vy effterscreffne Ærech erichssøn laghman i osslo thormoth jonssøn laghman i tynsberge Amund sygvrdssøn laghman i skyen herlugh v(l)uedenssøn laghman i vighen gøre vy vitherlicht at nw sti. nicolaui afften tha vy sade for rette vti kongielde effter vor kere nadige herres befelning, kom ther tha j rette for oss rigensradh offuervarendes velbyrdigh man Her knuth Alfssøn riddhere pa then ene syden oc tesse effterskreffne men pa then andhre sydhe
Background
Knut Alvsson, son of Alv Knutsson and Magnhild Oddsdatter, was commander at Akershus. The verdict is the end point of the case of the bailiff Lasse Skjold (see DN 1/993 and DN 2/1001). Mannebot was the compensation to the heirs of the slain man, tegngilde was the fine to the king for killing one of his men, and fredkjøp was what the outlaw had to pay to have his peace restored. Outlawry meant that a man stood outside the law and lost his property. That most of the farmers got off with 10 mark per man suggests that the king's men wanted peace and money. The register of fines (DN 13/162) nevertheless shows that three guarantors were beheaded in Oslo. Henrik Krummedike, who was the king's plenipotentiary here, was the same man who four years later had Knut Alvsson killed under safe conduct.
People: Knut Alvsson