Hartvig Krummedike offers Alv Knutsson a hearing in court
DN 5/834 · Fasten 1461 · Oslo
What the letter says
Provost Ivar Vikingsson, the knight Bo Flemming and four town councillors in Oslo make known that Hartvig Krummedike, commander at Akershus, every day in the first week of Lent 1461 offered to answer to Alv Knutsson in the council chamber in Oslo, as the king's letter of judgement from Tunsberg required. He offered the same before the Council of the Realm in Our Lady's Church and in the Dominican friary. Alv Knutsson refused and answered that since it did not happen on the Saturday, it should not happen now either.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all the good men who see or hear this letter, we, Ivar Vikingsson, provost at Our Lady's Church in Oslo, Bo Flemming, knight, Jesse Jepsson, Brian Bio[illegible], Halvard Hallesson and Truels Askesson, town councillors in the same town, make known: We were in the council chamber in Oslo [illegible] the first whole week of Lent 1461 and heard that the well-born man Sir Hartvig Krummedike, knight and commander at Akershus, offered to answer to the law there every day, as our gracious lord the king's letter of judgement shows, which was issued in Tunsberg between him and Sir Alv Knutsson. Every day he summoned and demanded Sir Alv or his lawful representative to come forward [illegible]. On the Saturday, after Sir Alv had come to the town, he remained in the council chamber until the clock was near nine. Sir Hartvig also offered in the chapter (communet) in Our Lady's Church in Oslo on the Monday after, before the Council of the Realm, which had then assembled there, that he would do for Sir Alv all the right he was obliged to do him according to what our gracious lord the king's letter of judgement determined. Sir Alv then answered that since it did not happen on the Saturday, it shall not happen today either. He did the same on the Tuesday after in the Black Friars' friary (the Dominican friary) in Oslo. In witness of this we have our seals hung on this letter, which is made in Oslo on the day and in the year said before. Endorsement: On the back, contemporary: Letter between my lord and Alv Knutsson.
Original text (excerpt)
For alle the godæ men som thettæ breff see eller hør[æ kwngøræ wij Jfwær] Wikingsson prouest at Varffrv kirkie j Oslo Boo Flæmingh ridder Jessæ Jepsson Brian Bio . . . . . . Haluard Hallesson oc Trwelss Askesson radmen ther sama stadz at wij ware j radstow[en i Oslo . . . . før]stæ fullæ wike ffastæ anno domini mcdlx primo, hørde vpa at welboren man h[er Hartuigh Krumedi]gh riddære oc høwitzman vpa Agershwss bødh sik ther til retthæ huar dagh [effter thy som wor] nadige herre koningenss domsbref
Background
Alv Knutsson of Tre Rosor later became owner of Giske, and at this time he was a powerful landowner in the Uplands. Hartvig Krummedike was a Holstein nobleman who had been given Akershus by King Christian I, and the two were in bitter conflict. Another letter tells that Alv killed Hartvig's bailiff in Hedmarken, and this case probably belongs with that. The king had passed a judgement in Tunsberg ordering the parties to meet in court, and this letter is a letter of witness Hartvig had made to show that he had done his part. When one party appeared and the other stayed away, it could be used against the one who did not come. The letter shows the tension between Norwegian magnates and the foreign noblemen whom the union kings placed in charge of the castles in Norway.
People: Alv Knutsson