The archbishop answers Lunge and Lykke
DN 8/698 · 15 Septbr. 1532 · Stenviksholm
Fru Inger Ottesdatter held Giske in these years. In his answer to her sons-in-law the archbishop promises that her bailiffs shall not be hindered in Stjørdalen and Herjedalen, the fiefs the king had just returned to her.
What the letter says
Archbishop Olav answers the knights Vincens Lunge and Nils Lykke from Steinvikholm on 15 September 1532. He will answer for the complaints about how his fiefs have been run before proper judges when King Christian and King Frederik are finally reconciled. Until then he keeps to the agreement in Oslo, which gives him the right to sit in peace, and afterwards he will be obedient to King Frederik. He promises that fru Inger's bailiffs will not be hindered when she sends them into Stjørdalen and Herjedalen, and that Vincens shall have Vardøhus when the archbishop gets security for his servants there.
The letter in modern English
We Olav and so on greet you, honourable, well-born men and stern knights and lords Vincens Lunge and Nils Lykke, with due greeting. You write to us that you will carry out your orders in the fiefs we hold, honestly and uprightly and not as harshly or unchristianly as we and ours have acted. To this we give you this answer: whatever can truthfully be proven against us or ours in this matter or in others, we will answer for according to the law before proper judges when the high-born princes and lords King Christian, our dearest and most gracious lord, and King Frederik are finally united and reconciled according to the terms of the agreement. What we have done on the orders of our dearest and most gracious lord King Christian will then also become clear. Before that time we do not intend to answer you in any way, for we see from your letter of instruction that you have had no orders from the high-born prince King Frederik since the friendly agreement and settlement was made in Oslo. We will gladly keep it unbroken, unless we are forced and pressed by you to be prepared for something else. You now wish to know our final grounds and intentions concerning the points and articles you have written to us, and an answer to your letter. This is our serious answer, grounds and intention: according to the terms of the agreement we will rely on the day of peace named in the agreement.
Original text
Wii Oluff etc. helse eder erligæ vælbørdigæ mend och strengge riddere och herrer Wincencius Lwnggæ och Nils Lycke med tilbørlig helsen. Som i skriffwe oss till athi [wille ffultgøre eder beffaling i the læn som wii i beffaling haffwe erligen och vpricktteligen och ecke saa vmildeligen eller vcristeligen [offwerffare som wii och wore haffwæ offwerffarid tha geffwe wii eder ther vppaa ffor swar ath hwad oss eller wore i saa maade eller andre paa [med sanninggen bewises kand wille wii sware ther
Background
This is the answer to the letter Lunge and Lykke sent from Trondheim twelve days earlier, and it is a draft that was probably written in the archbishop's own hand. Olav Engelbrektsson had gone over to Christian II in the winter of 1531 to 1532, and now he tried to buy time by pointing to the agreement at Oslo. The passage about fru Inger and Vardøhus was added after the letter itself, which suggests that the archbishop gave way on this point at the last moment. Stjørdalen and Herjedalen were fiefs the king had just given back to Inger, and Vardøhus was the fortress in Finnmark that Lunge was to have. The archbishop went over to King Frederik shortly after, and the settlements with fru Inger in October that year were part of the reckoning.
People: Ingerd Ottesdatter (fru Inger)