Lunge and Lykke demand that the archbishop submit
DN 8/695 · 3 Septbr. 1532 · Ved Throndhjem
Vincens Lunge and Nils Lykke were married to two of fru Inger's daughters, and she held Giske in these years. The letter shows that the king returned the fiefs of Stjørdalen and Herjedalen to her after the war, when Lunge and Lykke demanded that the archbishop submit.
What the letter says
The knights Vincens Lunge and Nils Lykke, King Frederik's chief commanders of the troops north of the mountains, write near Trondheim on 3 September 1532 to Archbishop Olav. They have been sent to win the northern lands and fiefs back for the king after the agreement made at Oslo, and send him the king's letter and the commanders' letter to read. They demand that he at once pays homage to King Frederik, summons six good men from every ship district in his fiefs to Trondheim to swear an oath of loyalty, and accepts the extra tax of 2 lodd of silver per man granted by the Council of the Realm in Bergen. They want to know whether he has recalled his bailiffs from Vardøhus and other fiefs, and tell him that the king has again given their mother-in-law fru Inger Ottesdatter Stjørdalen and Herjedalen as fiefs.
The letter in modern English
We, Vincens Lunge and Nils Lykke, knights, plenipotentiaries and chief commanders of the troops of His Royal Majesty here north of the mountains in this His Royal Majesty's realm of Norway, on behalf of the most mighty, high-born prince and lord Frederik, by the grace of God King of Denmark, the Wends and the Goths, elected King of Norway, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein and so on, our most gracious lord, greet you, worthy lord Archbishop Olav of Trondheim, with such greeting as the matter allows. We make known to you that His Royal Majesty, our most gracious lord, has sent us out with some of his men, Danes and Germans, to negotiate and bring all these northern lands and fiefs back to His Royal Majesty. This follows the terms of the upright, Christian and loving agreement made between His Royal Majesty's chief commanders and council on his behalf and the high-born prince and lord Christian, formerly King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Now we hear and learn from many rumours that reach us that you or your people spread rumours and talk among the common people that we mean to rob, seize, kill and ruin them, and that you thereby also secretly stir up the common people against us and tell them that we have not been sent by His Royal Majesty but have taken this upon ourselves. It may well be that much lying talk about us and our business is brought to you.
Original text
Wy efftherschriffne Vincencius Lunge och Niels Lucke ridder(e) stormechtigiste høgborne furstis och heris her Fredrick mett gudz naade Danmarkis Vendis och Gotis koning vtwold koning thiil Norge, hertug vtj Sleswich och Holstenn etc. wor aller naadugiste heris fuldmechtige och øffuerste høffuitzmend føre hans koge mattz. kriigis folck her nordenffieldtz i thette forne hans koge mattz.
Background
In July 1532 Christian II had agreed to a settlement at Oslo with King Frederik's commanders and was promised safe conduct to negotiations. Archbishop Olav Engelbrektsson had supported him and now sat at Steinvikholm with no army behind him. Vincens Lunge and Nils Lykke were married to two of fru Inger's daughters, and here they call her «vår kjære hustrus mor», our dear wives' mother. That the king gave her Stjørdalen and Herjedalen back shows that Inger had held these fiefs before, and that the archbishop had probably taken them from her during the war. A ship district (skipreide) was an old district that had to provide a ship for the leidang (naval levy), and the six men were to swear on behalf of all the common people. The landehjelp was an extra tax, and the phrase «the rich help the poor» means that the rich were to pay more, so that the sum came to 2 lodd of silver on average.
People: Ingerd Ottesdatter (fru Inger)