History during the 14th century can be quite confusing, and it’s more or less impossible to write a chronology in common prose. That is why we have made this timeline. Hopefully it will help you out when trying to understand the different schemes, alliances and events that took place during the period.
Click the tiny image to make it (a lot) bigger.
We all have things to carry with us when we travel. How they did it back in 14:th century is not always easy to know though. A chest is great for packing stuff in, but somewhat unwieldy to lug around. Some sort of backpack would be handy in those cases, but how did they look back in 14th century?
On Martebo church, on the island of Gotland in Sweden, a lady is depicted in a line of travellers. Over her shoulder she has slung a sort of double sack. This sack is perhaps later known as a ‘fässing’ traditionally in some parts of Sweden. Although it might be have just intended for carrying on foot, it is almost perfect for use on horses to. The picture above is from the first part of 14th century. The sack is very versatile and easy to make. The double compartments make it easier to carry and things will not fall out if it is placed on the ground. There are some different interpretations about where the opening is situated, on one side or centred. I have chosen to have it centred on mine since it is easier to pack and unpack. Especially when used on horseback.
If it is loaded heavily it will become a bit straining on an untrained shoulder. Changing shoulders will be needed from time to time. Care should be taken to load each side basically equal in weight. When used on a horse, it might be a good thing to have the opening downwards (that is; facing the horse, not the sky). If you have things you want easy access to though, the opposite will be true. As long as it is not raining it will not matter.
The sack is incredible easy to make. I’ll throw in an instruction just in case someone did not deduct it from the pictures.
This article, written by Johan Käll, was peviously posted on our old webpage.
Denna text är tagen ur en sammanställning av olika medeltida ordspråk från Fornnordisk Lexikalisk databas. Den spänner över hela medeltiden och kommer ur många olika böcker. En del ordspråk känner man igen och används nästan dagligen även idag. Andra har man ingen aning om vad de betyder.
Någon översättning har jag inte orkat mig på, men fornnordiska är inte så svårt att läsa. Se det som en dialekt, läs högt och lyssna på hur det låter. På den här tiden fanns inga stavningsregler och man skrev som det lät. Stavningen av ett och samma ord kan även skilja sig i samma text.
Något hjälp kan man ha av att Å ofta skrivs AA, Ä- AE eller bara som E och Ö- OE. U kan stå för både U och V ljud (och tvärt om). I och J används som samma bokstav. Th är ofta D, men ofta ett mer tonande som i engelskans Them.
1. Mædh lagh skal man land byggia
2. ware ey lagh i lande tha toghe hwar som finge
3. swa gaa lagh som man hawir tygh
4. nødh brythir lagh
5. nu liggia lagh j spyutstangx ænda
6. lagh æru rætsins budh ok kroka forbudh
7. thu skalt land sidh følia ællir land fly
8. Man skal a lande liua som thær ær sidhir
9. hwar som aarla riis han wardhir mangs viis
10. lænth thingh skulu olastadh heem gaa
11. thwa hundh ok kæmb han ær æ hundhir thæn same
12. thy bruna nothen hawir thæn søta kærnan
13. haandaløs æ anbodha løøs man
14. Thu skalt taka swarth salt aff ondom gyællara
15. samarla liggia ætande tidhir
16. lime gør goth barn
17. latan skal man fast køra
18. egh bær hwar man høøk aa hænde
19. skøth ær gagn giorth
20. æ findhir kaka sin maka
21. mø war blygh som brudh hon sprangh i sængh til drængh
22. æ hwilas oxe mædhan annar dræghir
23. man skal ey wræka swarta hustrv til sænga stook
24. gardh kona skal klyppa kwidh wl ok ey bogh vl
25. Math hawir mænska
26. ffaa giwa dumba lamb
27. thæth ær onth at wænia the swiin v aker som i æro w..
28. thæth fætha wil alth vppe flyta
29. ondhe mæn arom spilla
30. thæn pungir ær tombir som annars pæninga æru i
31. thæth ær goth at simma tha annar haldhir huwdhit vppe
32. kaldhir somar gør heta ladhu
33. siildh ær siælfskiptir mathir
34. siil ær matha vildh
35. thæth ær siælsynth at se hwitan rampn
36. kanna offuir gardh oc annur i geen gør godhan vinsk..
37. Mange bækkia ok sma gøra stora aa
38. bætra ær stæmma bæk en aa
39. drothin ær aarsins æghare
40. sanka før hunda æn hari løpir ginom by
41. Mange hundha bryta dør ve ær honum thær inne wardhir | takin
42. før wardhir skon armir æn fothin wardhir warmbir
43. godh ware tiwgha ok haffdhe hon twa grena
44. æ giwir gudh aa gøran teen
45. bætra ær thæth thræ som bøghis æn thæth som bristir
46. æ koxar duwa mædhan bughi bændis
47. man gør egh godhan ærkæbiscoph aff een skalk
48. lønlikin thingh skal man lønlika bæra
49. thæth ær onth at binda hæghir i mees 3
50. æ hwarth hæghrin flyghir tha følghir honum stiærtin
51. radh ær ey bætra æn oradh wtan thæth taks i tidh
52. thør træ kofra latan eledh
53. man blæsir thæth i wædhrith som man enom dara sighir
54. fols mans mathir ær førsth æthin
55. konst ær ey byrdhe at bæra tak til vm thu thorf
56. opta gaar makten offuir konstena
57. strykh aff gulfingran ok arwodha for brødh
58. war gamal til houa ok vnghir til klosthir
59. hundhir ær hema diærwastir
60. godh ordh æro gulle bætra
61. han ær godhir som for gudh ær godhir
62. siælwe riwas vlua tha the ey haua kalua
63. kinfethir hawir tappath sin kniff
64. vili ær ey landz ræth
65. wærsthir planz gør blidhan danz
66. diæwlsins thorn gør hiærtat forn
67. lath han hawa thær gudh an
68. thæth dughir ey at gylla som ær gul wært
69. J thysto vatne æro orma værste
70. skogh hawir øron ok mark hawir øghon
71. wluen bithir ey lamb a the mark som han ær wan
72. flykkit hænghir ey swa høght at hundin væntir sik ey benith
73. hunghir ær i heelbroghdha magha hetast
74. æ røris kiiff aff thæth værra hiwl
75. ondh roth fødhe aldhre godha fructh
76. nødh brythir lagh
77. brunganggol kanna kombir siællan heel heem
78. hwar som olagh fæsthir honum olagh gaar
79. bætre ær thwnth øl æn tompt kaar
80. Man skal smaswen drikka gewa som høkø ok | næpsa som aasna oc fødha som vxa ok kledha som wædhur
81. Jlt ær siwkum at fæktas
82. thæn bænkkir ær væl swawardhir som fatthir ær mædh godhom | quinnom
83. Man kyssir opta the hand man saghe gærna vth aff ware
84. Man skal egh haua twa tunggor i een mun
85. thu skalt ey kiwa mædh thinom foghøta ok mædh thin præst
86. skam ær skæggiothom man ath skælwa
87. alle falla kæmpa sighir løse
88. man githir tampth eth wilt diwr ok egh een ondh quinno
89. han kombir ok fram mædh vxom akir
90. daghs rwm ok natta skal vara mællom hwario bræ ..
91. søth ær at drykka ok surth athir gyælla
92. thæn wardhir tysswa gladhir som a stenen sythir
93. man skal ey vilioghan vxa off fast køra
94. thæth ær ey for godho thæth koon akir i waghne
95. thæn skal til rumpona som kona æghir
96. thæn blæs ey væl at eelde som myøl hawir i munne
97. lika foro ok like funnos fiis fik fiærtins dotthor
98. Man ma ledha vxan til watn ok ey nødha han til at drikka 4
99. aff eth haar ok eth wardhir man skalloth
100. klokir hawir tappath tha owirklokir kombir
101. thæth ær onth byte giwa vth ondh ordh ok taka in stoor | hugh
102. gamblan skal man æra ok thæn vnga læra
103. æ sowir lænia til solin skiin synnan in
104. thæn hawir faa wini som hawir manga grøna graua
105. dødhrin ær os vis ok hans time ær o vis
106. fæghin ær han som fyrme ok findhir han fikh a diske
107. han ær væl værdhir sith køth som supir væl sin kaal
108. Jak dønyr væl hwath thu steekir
109. kasta a krook ok halt vm thu githir
110. langt ær stundom mællom man ok sagha
111. æ ær gamblo træ fal i vaannum
112. hundin skal thiæna hærran ok katthin frwnne
113. æn kombir thæn daghir koon thorff sin stiærth vidhir
114. halfth skræt ordh hawir hwarte stiærth ælla ænda
115. feeto swine ær rat saak giwin
116. wrakt hawir langan stiærth
117. blindhir ær barns maghi
118. døwir hørir nakath ok blindhir seer inthæ
119. thæth ær ængin skam væia them thær bæthir kan
120. bætra ær væia vidh ordh æn vidh hugh
121. syyn ær saghu rikare
122. alth watneth vil til haff flyta
123. ok skal hiælp til gudhz hiælph
124. thæn skal luta som lagha hawir dør
125. thit stundar hwar som børin ær
126. farandæ ær fæstir øre
127. førsta wisin ær borto tha fara biin wil
128. sampnat sil styggir ok stora fiska
129. øl rørir stoor ordh
130. æ wæxæ wælliuga barn tho at the watn drikka
131. thy ær wærldin widh at hwar hawir sina idh
132. gærsam skal man wæl gøma
133. æ kombir frazsare mædh toom bwkh ok hwassan kniiff
134. ondhir ær thæn kniiff ey bithir aff een pungh
135. Thæn skal gøra gagn thær gagn wil hawa
136. æ gaar røkir aff nakro
137. widh æru vægha moth sæl ær thæn som væl gør
138. smam ok smam sankar fatigh kuna sik barn saman
139. honum wardhir radh som rædhis
140. kalt ær qwinno radh
141. radh ær ey bætra æn oradh vtan thæth tax i tidh
142. hwar som hawir flykke ok mølbinga han faar kompana
143. thæth synis wæl a kiin hwar kasi masaar
144. æ vindhir fool førsta leek
145. dødhe æru dødz mansz vini
146. man letar opta æptir thy man vil ey finna
147. siælua riuas wlua ta the hawa ey kalua
148. kombir thu til wlua tha thiwth som the 5
149. æ spør thæn rike hurw thæn fateghe fødhir sik
150. aff hundz stiærth wardhir ey got drykke horn
151. gamul mø slar aal karin syndir
152. krakan ær thy ondh at hoon gaal opta sandh
153. the æra alla glædhi som væl gaar i handh
154. æ gratha karla thørdsmanadha grødha
155. gryn kwærn maal alla handa korn
156. nadhaløst hærskap ær skilth fraan gudz hiælp
157. hwat ær vm hans vredhe som ængin rædhis
158. man skal ey giffnom hæste i mun see
159. hwa fiærran ær diskenom han ær nær skadhanom
160. thæth kostar been at ridha aa staaff
161. gudh weeth hwar bæstir pilagrimeer ær
162. opta faar han fal som adhrom biwdhir fal
163. æ fægnar barn bøttom klute
164. Thær ær goth at væria som ængin vil hæria
165. hwa som ympnith hawir smør han kastar sompt i sin kaal
166. bondin kærdhe jak faar enkte aff søkilsith wtan røkin
167. gæsthir kombir til gardz ok gør sik til hosponda
168. han skal sik siælwir lowa thær onda hawir granna
169. han gaar lankth som makleka takhir sin gangh
170. opta ær wadhin nær sæl ær thæn wælsignadhir ær
171. rør handh ok footh tha hiælpir thik gudh
172. æ ær frwsin jordh for othriffnom swinom
173. thæth faaldir æn hæsthir a fyra been æn hallir ee … | aa..
174. naar milk væxe godz tha væxe mik moodh
175. naar godz gaar aa grundh tha wardhir maalu..dh thyn..
176. førsta strængin ær stinnasth tha bristhir han hælft
177. man kan ey alth i skaalom wægha
178. hundhir løpir om brødhith ok harin vm hwith
179. hwi skal jak taka thorn w annars footh ok sætia i min
180. thæn krokis arla som godhir krokir skal wardha
181. sionghir præstin meer en han gethir jak sprængir ey mina føthir
182. thæth ær onth at dragha widh driiff
183. Mordh maa ey lønas
184. opta giællir dør staffkarla wredhe
185. hwa længe sowir aa sin bæd han faar litit for sith næff
186. Jlt ær ey goth for æn wærra kombir
187. gudh giwir alt goth ok ey ledhir man vxa mædh horn i gardh
188. han giwir litith som siælwir gnaghir sin brødh disk
189. The æru ey alle wini som lee i geen
190. nødh gør næsa diærua
191. thu scal prøua mannen i sith waldh
192. thæn giwir androm litith som sik siælwom goth an
193. fødh kaio hon giwir thik skarn til løn
194. Maal draghir annath fram
195. fførsta goz gaar a grwn tha vaxir fatighdom
196. spoth ok skadhi følias gyærna aath
197. ey kombir skadhi een til by
198. thæth skadha rakkan thæth han leekir mædh hundum 6
199. bætra æro gamwl giæl en gamwl saak
200. thæn pæningh ær ondhir innæ haaldha som wth skal
201. man skal hopas æ thæth bæsta
202. lithit goth skal man høgkth sætia
203. thæn kan illa køra som ey kan wænda
204. thæth ær ilth at wara sinna kunw vndirdaan
205. thæth ær een ondhir fughil som oreenth gør i sith redhir
206. thu skalt taka swarth salt aff ondom giællara
207. mange magha enom hiælpa
208. wluin takir ok taaldh faar
209. man skær langa reem aff annars skinne
210. thæn fughil ær rath krysthir som i handom haffs
211. thæth ær goth i skæro wathne skylias
212. han ær godhir lokka som siælwir wil mædh hoppa
213. enghin frw ær swa bærth hon wil æ hawa een pisse fiært
214. gamul syndh gør nya skam
215. læt saman steen ok jærnstangh
216. æ foorgaar thæth man syn wini sinom
217. hwar skal obudhin sithia
218. førsta twe trætta tha sigha the ey badhe eeth
219. hwar ær sinnæ gawo liik badhe fatigh ok riik
220. hwa wæl æthir han skal wæl drikka
221. ælska skulu vnge sin mæstara grundelika
222. hwilkin kærth vil hawa han skal liwffth lata
223. for eth øgha miste bondin sina kaapo
224. swa fødhir gudh by som biørna
225. litin ær wina røn tho thæth ware ey vtan een bøn
226. man skal sla jærnith tha thæth ær heeth
227. man skal æta korwin mæn han ær heethir
228. førsta howdhit wærkhir tha drøuas alle limine
229. han vækkir iis thær thyrstoghir ær
230. hwa arla wil wardha hærra han ær længe swen
231. thæth køtith ær søtast som næst ær beneno
232. hwa som litith saar han skær litith
233. mærkh storm aff marsswina sprangh
234. thiwin ælska gærna myrkith
235. skyth ær gagn giorth skurith aff flykke
236. aff feete steek drypa søte drupa
237. hwa som nakath wil giwa han skal giwa rath
238. førsta barnith hawir sin wilia tha grathir thæth ey
239. flere æru dagha en thrawa
240. tha jak ma som jak wil tha gør jak som jak ær til
241. faghir ordh frøgdha een dara
242. han hawir æthit skatu ægh som ey kan løna
243. swa gør barn i by som hema ær want
244. hema ær hundir rikast
245. kan thu ey koma owan in thu gak nidhan in
246. langhir siwkdombir ær wiss dødhir
247. længge grathir halffbaart barn
248. nødh gør næsa diærua 7
249. litin hæstir gør stakkota dax leedh
250. man skal blædhia kaalen ok ey skæra op mædh rotum
251. æ kombir winthir ok spør hwat somaar hawir affla
252. thænk at flere æru dagha æn trawa
253. man ma swa dragha fram een skalk at han thænkir sik | wara sin hærra
254. folz mans mathir ær først æthin
255. math kænnir man tala ok kledhe fram gaa
256. wisa barne i by ok gak siælwir æpte
257. een oræthir fangin pænningir han draghir wth adhra tiio
258. hawir jak pæning i punge tha hawir jak math in munne
259. jlth ær at dragha reep widhir rama
260. hwar ær sinne gawo likeer badhe fatikir ok riikir
261. bætra ær een faraosth æn een gasa winge
262. bætre ær heelt æn mædh gulle bøth
263. thæth ær goth at hawa trudith sina barna sko
264. bætræ ær een fughil ij hænde æn fyre i skoghe
265. jlth ær i hwse som ængin ær kwse
266. stakkuth ær høno flugh
267. eykte ær thæth skin ey hawir twa liwska
268. thæth ær synth aa hwsune hwar beenith ær sundhir
269. æ ær thwaghno barne mathir i wanom
270. lithin makth ær vm thæn hedhir æghin dygdh følghir
271. hunda æta annarz manz ærende vp
272. lekarin lekir alt vm vinningena
273. barn sighir gærna santh
274. mykyn ær mathir i gudz kællara
275. litin hundir ær længe vnghir
276. onth ær at wara hwars manz hundh som hwizsla
277. godh ær næpst ær hon ey omykyn
278. thung ær thæn sømpn som syndin søwir
279. for thy æru hws mangh at hwar thykkir sith bæst | wara
280. man throdhir thær gardhin som han ær laghast
281. hwar wte ær stængdhir han ær inne glømdhir
282. jlth ær tome hand at tee
283. man skal fara som førth ær
284. thæth ær een ondh hand ey wær sit eghit howdh
285. thæth ær een vsal man ey kan fly eth hws
286. hwart siw vintra gamalt barn wil sik siæluo bæst
287. soma hawo lykko aa landh ok soma aa strandh
288. wærre ær spot æn skadhi
289. han ær ey bætre som gømer æn thæn som stiæl
290. thær ær onth at stiæla som bondin ær siælwir thiwuir
291. tholik ær thin sannidh som thit fædraaph
292. quarsæta riddar ær raskir vndhir banyel
293. mangh thingh øppas ok sanninden rønis
294. æ geespa fughil aa sith gæth
295. gudh ær allom godhir ok sik siælwm bæst
296. æ kombir weeth mædh vinthre
297. bætra ær swltin hæstir æn toom gryma
298. thær ær ilth i hwse som ænghin ær kwse 8
299. hwa nokath wil giwa lati egh længe dwælia
300. saat ær syzkena wredhe
301. thool ok biidh tha vndhir thu al thingh
302. aff een skalk wardhir ey godh ærkebiscop
303. thæth ær onth skiptæ taka in stoor hug ok wtgiwa ondh ordh
304. hwar som olagh fæsthir han olagh gaar
305. lykkes een dør tha oppas een annor
306. æ wardhir nytthom nakath til wakna
307. swa gør barn i by som thæth ær heema want
308. swa gyrnas soldenar godz som rampn atol
309. æ minnes finghir hwat fordhom giordhe
310. vslo ok arme æru konunga flæste
311. førsta sannind møte tha hawir scrok skam fore
312. æ swikas the sworno ok ey the boorno
313. æ mæn mannen ær onæmdhir tha ær han ooskændhir
314. thw skalt ey allom ordhom æta giffua
315. æ fallir aff fataløs byrdh
316. hwar ær swa hædhir som han ær klæddir
317. widh æro wæghamoth sæl ær thæn som væl gør
318. man maa badhe lee ok hawa een faghir mun
319. bætra ær dyrth køpa æn swælta
320. hwa som gæthir han antigia hughir allir sighir sant
321. thæth staar ey til hunda thæth hors dø
322. æ ær søtgærn tunga j hwars manz høøse
323. hawir jak paning i punge tha hawir jak math i munne
324. thæn ær sæl som hwlt hws søkir
325. grath ær mællan wini naar gawo tælias
326. bætræ ær see widh annars skadha æn widh sin eghin
327. frammælth quinna hawir faa wini
328. opta ær skarlakans hiærta vndhir wadhmals kapo
329. thæth ær eeth onth faar ey gethir burit sina wl
330. bryst raadh ær hwariom manne bæzst
331. thu skalt swa drikka blakko som bruno
332. thu skalt stundom koma mædh tiwgho ok ey altidh mædh riwo
333. thærna sæthir hand vndhir kyn ok sørghir æpte graskin
334. tho ath kyrkian ær stoor tha sionghir præstrin ey vtan i eenom | ændha
335. aal høghfærdh fa ondan ænda
336. kombir thu til een daara skær stykkith ok gak fran honum
337. fatigh man hawir ok hiærta
338. førsta hymildin faller tha bristhir margh gryta
339. tha mannin wandas tha villis honum snildin
340. manne ledhis rat widh een math
341. eth litin grandh spillir opta eth goth øgha
342. gudh giwir allom thøm math han skapadhe mun
343. somi nima book ok somi nima hiook
344. hiona troskaph styrkir væl bondans booskap
345. thæn quærnsteen maal ok thær vndhir ligghir
346. Mange æru wini ok faa fult tro
347. dotthor faar gærna i modhors særk
348. gør ey twa magha aff eenne dotthor 9
349. tiisdagh ær tima dagh
350. gærna wil karl kaku winna
351. faa barne sax vm thu wil thæth blinth hawa ok kniiff eenøgkth
352. bradhe mæn æru alle bæzste
353. trwl hawa træleek
354. tagh watn offwir howdh thæth løpir gærna i ærma
355. bætra ær wara feegh i hws æn wtan hws
356. swik ok sqwaldhir ær nw landhsins aldir
357. baar ær brodhorløs man
358. scorwth howdh ær rat brothit
359. rothit ær ødbrwtith
360. han thænkir swiik som smør ystirløff
361. swik ok fals slaar sin hærra aa hals
362. barn kærær siik gratande ok thighir hwat thæth hawir bruthit
363. blomsthir ær fructsins fæstægift
364. æ giøs thøm gambla tho at han widh eldh sitir
365. thit kombir watn som warith hawir
366. thæn rike spør hwru thæn fateghe sik nærær
367. thæn stæn wardhir ok wathir thær marghe sputta vppa
368. thæn smakar ethir som maknt watn drikkir
369. han wardhir hulpin som gudh vil hiælpa
370. æ fæghnas hioon hullom komande
371. hani ær heema diærwast
372. hwa fool kænnir han køpir han eygh
373. dragh leghodrængh til howa ok haff skam fore
374. ilth ær kynnom kasta
375. meer wil æ meer, swa wil mæt kærlingh grøth
376. onth ær æta kirsebær mædh hærra baarnom
377. wani bidhir bæst
378. thær groor som hængnas
379. fatigman høghburin ær laghir i hedhir
380. barn skal krypa til thæth nimbir gaa
381. lithin thwua vælthir opta storth las
382. affwil følghir wild om thæth wardhir ey spilt
383. godhir wili draghir halfft las til by
384. bætra ær fly æn illa fæctas
385. hærra hyllist ær ey halla langh
386. ørløghs mære æru dødhe mæn ok sare
387. nær herdhin ok wlwin dragha ens tha hawir hiordhin tappat
388. man takir ey stora fiska i grunth watn
389. ilth ær kynnom kasta
390. the lithla scuto ganga tha the stora liggia aa lande
391. swa grympta grise æpte som gamwl swin fyri
392. thæth thiwtir alt aff wluom ær komith
393. man faar oppta loff for litith
394. kasta aa krook ok halt vm thu gitir
395. æptærsta bikarin giwir vth førsta huggit
396. hwa margh jærn hawir i eldhin han kan thom ey allom skøta
397. onda yrthir skal man aff yrtagardh lykkia
398. honum wardhir radh som rædhis 10
399. man skal ok iilla stædhia sompt, som man aftlar
400. hwa alt sith wil gøma han kan ey annarz mans niwta
401. bætra ær køra æn dragha
402. een saar ok annar skær thæn tridhi wæth ey hwat han ffaar
403. glugguth ær gæsta øgha
404. æth som hema staddir ok drik som gæstbwdhin
405. halt thin owin ey alt offsnødhan
406. latir gaar nøghoghir aa stenoghom wægh
407. thæn rædhis koma i sæk thær førra i hawir warit
408. for thy wardhir allir mathir ætin at somi æta kalen ok somi krasen
409. honwm træghar thæth han lewir som ræknar thæth han æthir
410. soma hawa hæl ok somi hængia widhir
411. thæth ær lika at honwm swidhir som vndhir mighir
412. thæn brythir skip som skip hawir
413. hwar ormen trædhir a stiærtin han wændhir æ howdhit in geen
414. tha stekaren kiwar wardhir kalen føthir
415. thæn bidhær ey længe thær godhan faar daghwardh
416. thæn ær næst i handom hawir
417. hwa som kastar bwlyxe t varom hærra han kastar nydhio i geen
418. wani bidhir bæst
419. thæth skal een knekehalz koma i hugh at gaseen lutir vndhir væg
420. thæn kan ey stiæla som ey kan gøma
421. staffrande man skal stydhia sik mædh kæp
422. hemelikin hærra gør otroin hioon
423. wilt thu haua eldin tha leta j askonne
424. wærldin ær all wilia drygh
425. siællan ær rapan godh
426. kærlingh tuttar æptir siine thoskæppo
427. thæth ær een ond mws ey hawir meer æn eth hws
428. thæt veth hand som han hawir
429. thæth skiin wtan hwar innan krystir
430. man skal ey rækia foten længir æn skinfældin rækkir
431. mællom twa stola faldhir stiærtin i eldh
432. wænta kombir ey aal i pungh
433. han bedhis thær thorff thæn wethir som vil
434. opta ær hulth hørande nær
435. hwa som i otiidh athir han skal fasta ætande tiidh
436. hema ær bæst at sofua
437. thæth feta wil alt vppe flyta
438. tholik man gaar til dør som inne ær
439. litin ær wilians røøn
440. j thysto vatne æru orma værste
441. man ma ok forsta halft sakt ordh
442. sla gaman til alwaro
443. alt ær karle køpelicth
444. hwa ey waghar han ey vindhir
445. glømdir ær guldin øre
446. styr hæst mædh belz ok kono mædh kæp
447. orm ær opta vndhir blomstrande buska
448. een skæppa mædh wænto ær ey hand ful mædh wisso 11
449. han skæmmir sin mwn som onth rimar
450. swa godh ær een wik i aar som twa i fiordh
451. dyrka thæth nampn gærna som korn giwir ok kærna
452. thæn ær mykith ræddir som ey thorff skælwa
453. thæn ær godh som for gudh ær gudhir
454. siwkdom ok allir kraka til by, gesta sorg at qwælle, ok æru syszkene | thry
455. thær ær hand som saart ær, hiærta som godz ær, øgha som kært ær
456. hwem syndh ær ey ledh, honum ær gudh wredh
457. thæn witnar ey wæl som vredhir ær wtan skæl
458. harm gør hæluite
459. kærlingh skal æ hawa sina thrætto fram
460. eth ær ræth ok annath ær slæth
461. mædhan siwdhir wrangh gryta owir eld mæn ræt gryta | bedhis i by
462. høgth ær hærra bwdh
463. hwart kaar staar sinom butn
464. domin ær ey kær them sik weth wara oskær
465. budhskap ma jak frambæra answar ma jak ey walda
466. bætre ær nadh æn ræthir
467. man faar, ok redho i handom thæth ær ey lika
468. thæn skal søst lowa thær radh skal styra
469. eld i skøt orm i barm mws i æskio ærw onde gæste
470. gamal kathir lapar ok miølk
471. nænningh hawir pæningh
472. ok kombir skadhi for sputtarans dør
473. thæth kostar ok been at ridha aa staff
474. goth ær wara aff godho tughin
475. thæn skal wara thidhen som ey ær kærkomen
476. opta faar man loff for litith ok last for alzænkte
477. thæn ær godhir som glug fyllir
478. nw ligia lagh i spiutstangs ænda
479. hors gællir ondhan køreswen
480. thæn ær gladh som ey weth aff wanda
481. bætra ær wita eld i by æn ondh wana
482. naar ølit gaar in tha gaar vethith wth
483. man ma swa vænias vidh ilt at onth ær fulgoth
484. man gømir ey væl gul vndir geta tungo
485. frændir æru wslom wærst
486. man weth ey hwar lykkan ær mæst
487. thæn hawir hart delomaal thær skæpnan ær wredh
488. deel ey mædh thin domara
489. ær røris kiiff aff ølkwno bodh
490. hwa arla riis han wardhir manx wiis
491. krakan ær ey thy hwitare at hon opta badhar
492. slippirt ær beto skin kasta mik nw piælt min
493. thorgeth ær i goth at thær kombir mangen snok
494. kasta mik hwart thu wilt ok ey i vatnen saghde w…
495. swa skal wsal vthir fla faa hwaske krop alla skin
496. hwasom hawir bal ok staff han far wæl kompon
497. goth ær at leka nar wæl fallir
498. lætum thæn swæria ænga hafuir siælena 12
499. han ær man som manz gærninga gør
500. bætra ær æplit giwit æn ætith
501. hoffhmanna hæsta vilia alle til harff
502. bætra ær siæluir hawa æn systor vidhirthorffua
503. lithin byrdhe ær langh vægh thungh
504. æ lættis mata byrdhe
505. stor skip liggia a lande mædhan sma gaa til sio
506. Røn ær godh drængh
507. bætra ær lykka æn hundradha mark
508. bætre ær skælgh æn blindh
509. æ kombir kringildriff mædh hwas kniiff ok toom bwk
510. ottosangh ær almosogangh ok mæssan hon ær prydha afftonsagh ær spot ok hadh hwar som thæth vil lydha
511. fødh mik i aar jak fødhir tik at are
512. goth thol giwir godhan ænda
513. æ vithnas goth, gladhv hiærta
514. bæthir quæmmir skrapa osten æn skrædha
515. ondh hustru æthir bloman aff aggit ok bondin thæth hwita
516. litin hæst ær i vadhi mæst
517. mange bryta borghir
518. with skal til wanda
519. thæn mik litith giwir han mik lifwit an
520. jak ær i hughin gladh tha hawir pæninga i min pung
521. kasta j iordhans floodh tho ær han ey bætre æn før
522. hwa litith faar han litith skær
523. æ kombir for ok slækkir andra i gaar miste jak min bonda ok i dagh tappadhe
jak minne naal ær thæ sorgh wærræ | som sidharst kombir
524. æ ær ilt rædhandis ok got ær ey ofmykit
525. læt hundh til hunax kaar han springir j mædh badhon fotom
526. æ følghir agærdh wande køpe
527. førsta howdæt wærkir tha førghæ alle limine
528. howdh løøs hær wardhir ey radh fore
529. tholik war thin sænningh som thith fæ draap
530. thæth ær gamal sidh barn gør barns gærninga
531. hon ær modhor som math giwir
532. Manga mys skulu en kat binda
533. thæth ær mws som ma koma i fatigha konu pusa
534. han giwir mws maat som til morghons gømir
535. Mange æro køre swena værst [ær honum draghir
536. Manga handa værningh ær i kræmara bodh
537. Mange æru manz vægha
538. fro ær frælsis framgang
539. alwara ok gaman fallir væl saman
540. jlth ær til vagn tha alle aka
541. faghir ordh frøghda æn dara
542. alla gawor æru godha wtan køluo hwg
543. loffs visa ær manga lunde quædhin
544. alle dø the som feghe æru
545. hwa kan hawa forbyrdh for dødsins aatstrydh
546. thæn steen wardhir ok wath som mange spotta aa 13
547. honum ær ilt at løpa som nødhis til at løpa
548. Thæn ær een dare swa giwir skip at han liggir siælwir a lande
549. J frost ok i køldh kænnir kærlingh sin son at spara | ok tak æ goth hwar thu kan ffa
Den här artikeln, skriven av Johan Käll, publicerades tidigare på vår gamla hemsida.
Wintertime was a time of travel in Sweden. The frozen riverbeds and bogs supplied virtual highways for sleighs and skiers. Summertime you where mostly restricted to climb the highest ”hole roads” (swe: Hålvägar), suitable only for sumpter horses. Much campaigning was done wintertime because of the ease of transportation. Also, the peasants were not needed to tend crops as much during winter. One drawback would be the lack of daylight, but at full moon and a clear sky the winter night is not very dark. Coping with cold is not as hard either. Firstly the Swedes of that time where used to be outdoors most of the time. Secondly, cold is mainly a factor when you stand still. Down to -15 to -20 degrees Celsius you will do good with just two woollen tunics as long as you are working or are in motion. As soon as you stand still you will need warmer clothes though, as your body will not generate warmth through being active.
Most things concerning winter campaigning is not about to clothes however, but of how you conduct yourself. Don’t stand in snow for long times. Stand on isolating pine branches. Don’t wear warm clothes on the move and get sweaty, put them on during breaks. Drink and eat regularly so the body have energy to keep itself warm you. Change wet socks right away, as getting wet is the best way to freeze. All these things were known even to medieval man as being outdoors was everyday life for them. They where probably more weather resistant and rugged then us normal modern weaklings and may have put up with a bit more discomfort then we are willing to endure. In Albrechts Bössor we are active the year round. Each year we stage a small one day winter march to test our gear to see that it will cope with winter conditions. This would have been vital for Swedish soldiers since, as stated above, many wars where fought wintertime. Thus we have found out some things that will be different from normal campaigning. So, there are some things one can get to make life in the wintertime easier.
Although snow is water of a sort it is not always suitable for drinking. First of all, it cools you, and secondly its dry and don’t quench the thirst as good. For cooking, snow is excellent though, so there is no lack of water when in camp where there is snow. One problem that we encountered was that the water in the leather canteens froze. This resulted in that some of the canteens, that used a cork, was frozen shut and could not be opened at all. The one using a wooden plug could be pried open and the layer of ice that had formed inside hacked through with a dagger to get some drinking water. We recommend that canteens should be carried inside your clothes and let the body heat warm them, as is usual in modern days.
Mittens are a vital part of the winter gear. Hands get cold easily as the body draws heat from the extremities first to preserve it for vital organs. Five finger gloves where used as well as mittens and three fingered mittens. They could be in ordinary wool, felted wool, naalbinded, felted naalbinding or leather. No fur lined gloves have survived but it is very likely they have been around.
The feet are most often prone to getting cold while walking in snow so socks is rather essential. Maybe the medieval hikers made use of straw, stuffing it into oversized shoes, to keep warm. This is known to have been practised later on. However we have no evidence that they did so during the 14:th century. Naalbound socks however seems to have been in use.
The cloak was used in Scandinavia in the 14th century maybe more then down on the continent. Coats also see good use, if we can judge from surviving documents from the time. The scholar Eva Andersson say coats and cloaks have been worn by both sexes even if cloaks seem to have been worn more by women than by men. Men seem to have preferred coats. Winter coats would have been lined for warmth, either with a thicker wool or with fur. Maybe furs have been worn as they where, that is, with the fur out. It is hard to tell from manuscripts as they do not use the terms the same way we do now. Pictures showing men wearing furs is picturing heathens in most cases and it is therefore not easy to use as reference on how ordinary people would dress. It seems to have been most common to wear the collar of the hood under the cloak/coat.
Although most hats used summertime will have been in use even wintertime the hood seems to be very popular during cold and harsh weather. It is also an almost perfect piece of clothing for this and its popularity is understood by all that has owned one. A lined hood, either with woollen cloth or with fur, will keep you warm and snug in winter. Anyone having had a lump of snow dumped inside the collar of your jacket when stirring a tree, will also know to appreciate the hood and its protecting collar. It also serves well to keep the neck warm as scarves don’t seem to be in use. As stated above it seems to have been practice to wear the collar of the hood under the cloak or coat, but over the tunic. This will save you from getting the collar blown up in your face when the wind comes. Other hats can include fur lined hats or just simple woollen ones. Fur lined hats are mentioned in contemporary documents and would have been worn even in summer. Hats with fur on the outside do not seem to have been popular though. On a pillar in the Linköping dome one can see hats on soldiers that are probably naalbound. Naalbound hats might have been more common than we know of now.
Winter shoes differ from summer shoes mainly in that they need to be a bit bigger so that you can fit some kind of extra warming material in them, that is socks or such. An extra thick sole is also preferable to isolate from the ground. A shoe with a thick sole of cork has been found in Stockholm and is dated to around 14th century, as well as a sole with traces och naalbinding on it. Pattens is also of use in that matter. Maybe extra inner soles have been in use, but we know little of that. Traditional soles of birch bark was used in Sweden in old days, but if this habit dates back to 14th century we don’t know. They are excellent in keeping the feet warm though. Winter shoes should also have a bit of shaft on them to keep the snow out.
These are some examples of the winter dress reconstructed and tested in outdoor activity wintertime. In general, they work as good, if not better then modern clothes.
Gloves are vital since the hands get cold fast. Here are two pairs of naalbound gloves, three fingered and thumbed model, and one pair of three finger gloves made of hard felted wool lined with sheep fleece. The fleece lined gloves almost proved to warm. The felt, felted with earth, is very weather resistant.
On march, lighter clothing is worn since activity will keep you warm, especially if you carry a burden. The dress below shows a man on march. He wears a tunic (Swe: Kyrtil) and a super tunic (Swe: överkjortel) or Cote and Surcote. The air trapped between them will keep his body heat. Therefore they should not be to tight. He also sports a hood lined with fur. This one with black fur, being in fashion in late 14:th century. This hood was indeed very cosy in the chill winds. Also, he have double hose. These can be seen on illustrations where you see one pair rolled down. As always in winter clothing, the key here is layers. A pair of naalbound mittens and socks tops him of and makes him ready to travel the woods of King Albrecht’s Sweden.
For taking breaks and standing still this dress in reinforced with a coat. The coat is made of rough felt, felted with earth to make it very weather resistant and water resistant. It is also lined with hare fur. This coat is very warm and will keep out water and wind like a charm. Combined with the hood it is an excellent winter garment.
A coat can also be lined with a thicker wool. Like this coat with a felt outside and a lining of a more ”airy” wool inside. The ”paired” buttons seems to have been more common on these kind of outer garments then on regular cotes.
Although a bit out of fashion the cloak was used during the later 14th century, especially by women. Men carried them as well of course and they are rather good at keeping you warm. The drawback is that it is hard to work in them. As soon as you move too much, the warm air you have collected inside it escapes. Although, we used a cloak to test it. It is made from heavy wool and lined with a nice red and black striped wool. It is a rather heavy piece of clothing buttoned by three buttons. It is better to sleep in it than to work in it.
This article, written by Johan Käll, was previously published on our old webpage.
Denna artikel bygger helt på, och är i många fall tagen rakt av ifrån boken ’Vad kostade det’ av Lars O Lagerqvist och Ernst Nathorst-Böös. En kul bok med prisuppgifter från 1170 till 1995, men även med många bra översikter om gamla mått, vikter och valutor. Jag har tagit bort information om vikter efter medeltid där så förekommer.
Aln – Svealand, Östergötland, Gotland 56cm. Västergötland 64 cm. Öland 52 cm.
Ankare – 39,25 liter.
Bok – 24 ark skrivpapper. 20 bok = 1 ris.
Centner – 100 skålpund = 42,5 kg. Som Bergvikt 8 lispund (60 kg).
Decker (däcker) 10 st (mått för skinn och hudar).
Dussin – 12 st.
Famn – 1,78 m. Som vedmått varierande, mellan 3 och 5.65 m
Fat – 157 liter (flytande) 170 kilo (om Osmundsjärn, dvs järnet i ”råvara”) 1/32 tunna (spannmål).
Fjärding – Våta och insaltade varor, 12 kannor = 32,4 liter. Torra varor, 4 kappar = 18,3 liter.
Fot – 0,2969 meter = 1/2 aln, kan variera.
Gross – 12 dussin = 144 st.
Jungfru – 1/4 kvarter = 8,2 cl.
Kanna – 2,7 liter.
Kast – 4 st. 20 kast = 1 val (om fisk mest).
Kubikfot – 10 kannor = 26,17 liter.
Lass – skattepliktig körning av varor som varierade. Vanligen 2-3 skeppund. För hö mycket varierande.
Lispund – 8,5 kilo.
Lod – 13,16 kilo.
Läst – 12-13 tunnor. Ibland ifråga om vägda varor 12 skeppund.
Mark – 205-210g. Om järn och koppar 340-375 g. Markpund – Lispund om 6,8 kg.
Mil – 10, 689 km. Smålänsk mil 7,5 km. Västergötland 13 km. Dalarna och finland 5-6 km.
Ort – 4,25g. Som rymdmått samma som ’jungfru’.
Oxhuvud – Rymdmått – 90 kannor = 236 liter. Kan vid import av rödvin vara 225 liter.
Pund – Samma som lispund.
Skeppund – Oftast 170 kg. För järn och koppar användes 5 olika viktsystem mellan 136 och 194,5 kilo. 1 skeppund = 20 lispund.
Skålpund – 0,425 gram = 32 lod.
Skäppa – 24,8 liter.
Spann – Mycket varierande, Stockholm 47 liter, södra Norrland 30-60 liter, Götaland över 50 liter.
Stavrum – Mått för ved, varierande, ofta 6m
Stig – Kolmått, ca: 20 hl, Dalarna 17.-18 hl.
Stop -1/2 kanna = 4 kvarter = 1,3 liter.
Stycke (tyg) – 30 m (lärft/ylle) 15 meter (bomull/siden).
Timmer – 40 st. Om skinn.
Tjog – 20 st.
Tum – 2,47 cm.
Tunna – Varierar efter användning. Fisk och Öl – 125,6 liter. Smör – 16 pund. Spannmål – 142-165 liter.
Val – 20 kast á 4 st (om sill med mera).
Åm -144 liter (vin), kan dock vara 157 liter.
Den här artikeln, som är skriven av Johan Käll, fanns tidigare publicerad på vår gamla hemsida.
We could start this text by telling you about the Chinese origin of black powder, as can be found on dozens of pages on the web. But we won’t, because it’s not relevant. This article is about the use of handgonnes and black powder during the European middle ages, and that is a whole other thing. So we’ll start at black powder as a phenomenon.
In medieval Sweden gunpowder was called just ”pulver”, wich translates into ”powder”. There are quite a few old powder recipes still around, and the ones that suits our selected historical period
are referred to as, for example, Rouen, Lille, Rothenburg and Marcus Graecus. They all use the same ingredients, but the amounts differ. In the table below, they are compared to a modern ”perfect”
gunpowder.
Tests made at the Middelaldercenter in Nyköbing, Denmark show a correlation between higher muzzle velocity and higher amount of salpetre. The ingredients were ground up and mixed, resulting in a so called dry mixed powder. This can be used as it is, but it will be more effective if mixed with alcohol, shaped into bars or pellets and then ground again, producing wet mixed powder or meal powder. The alcohol dissolves the salpetre, and lets the tiny sulphur crystals divide and evenly on the grains of charcoal, making the powder burn more even. It is important to note that there has
been some debate about the use of alcohol in medieval gunpowder, as distilled beverages is barely known at the time. However, sources speak of a ”Henricus Brännewattnmakare” (Henricus, maker of burnt (distilled) water, meaning a producer of alcohol) in the city of Lund in the 1350’s, wich means that alcohol was in use at the time. If it was used to make gunpowder we do not know. Sulphur could be collected in volcanic areas in Iceland or Italy, while salpetre was produced by collecting dung and urine from livestock, and processing it, to extract the salpetre. Charcoal was abundant in medieval society.
The name of our group contains the word ”Bössor”, and in modern Swedish ”Bössor” means some sort of handgun like a rifle or shotgun. In the middle ages the term ”bössa” (sg.)/”bössor” (pl.) is applied to both handgonnes and cannons. In other words there are two different types of ”Bössor” in the fourteenth century, and it can be used as a very rough measurement regarding calibre and purpose; ”Stenbössa” – firing stones, and ”Lodbössa” – firing lead shot. The ”Stenbössa” seems to stand for larger calibre – possibly a cannon, whilst the ”Lodbössa” seems to have had smaller calibre – possibly a handgonne.
The handgonne and the medieval cannon fired mainly lead shot (”lod”), stone balls, ”grape shot” or arrows. The use of arrows is a bit peculiar – it doesn’t seem to have any obvious advantages in comparison to stone balls. One theory is that the cannon presented an alternative to the so called ballista (a siege engine for firing huge arrows), and that gunpowder was just another method of propelling the projectile. The lead shot was probably cast by the gunner himself, using a cast made of sand stone, soap stone or bronze – as there was no fixed system for calibre, each man had to provide for himself.
A mould for casting lead bullets. From the National museum in Helsinki
The grape shot (Swe: kartesch) , which turned the handgonne or cannon into sort of a shotgun, was used against people and animals (like war horses) at close range. Virtually anything could be used as grapeshot, but shards of flint seem to have been common, as the razor sharp flint shards inflicted massive damage. The grape shot could be free loaded, or put into a triangular container for bigger guns; the Museum of Medieval Stockholm displays some of these, found on a sunken ship. When fired, the walls of the ”pyramid” fall away some distance from the muzzle, thus giving the grape
shot a longer effective range before it disperses.
15th-16th century grapeshot containers filled with flint
There is an ongoing discussion about the effectiveness of the medieval handgonnes. A lot of people claim the handgonne was a weapon with a mere psychological effect; that the smoke, sound and fire scared enemies, and that the weapon really didn’t have any tactical use. A battlefield is a horrifying place, with death, fear and suffering all over, and even if loud bangs, smoke and the smell of sulphur probably would increase the chaos and confusion, it wouldn’t make a whole lot of difference. Furthermore, soldiers would not have gone into battle time and again with a weapon they didn’t trust, and was just for ”show”, a city would not have bought 500 of them, and the handgonne would not have developed into what it is today. Let’s take a closer look at what a handgonne is really doing.
One of the differences between the handgonne and other ranged weapons of the age is that arrows and crossbow bolts are that the latter do cutting damage, similar to knives or other edged weapons. They harm by puncturing or cutting organs and limbs. The area affected is small, about the size of the arrow head. This means that you have to hit a vital organ or nerve-centre to put an opponent out of action. There is more than one account of people continuing to fight even when pierced by several arrows. The handgonne on the other hand does kinetic damage. The projectile from a handgonne doesn’t pass through the target as easily as an arrow would, and this means it transfers more of its motive energy into what ever is being hit. The motive energy affects a larger area of an opponents body, as it sets the fluids and fat in the human organism in vibrating motion, which in quite a few instances can injure vital organs. How big an area affected depends of the velocity and weight of the projectile – the higher the weight and speed, the worse the effect.
The usual way to evaluate the damage done by modern firearms is to see how many joule of energy it transfers into its target. The higher the amount of transferred energy, the bigger the damage to the tissues of the body. Tests have shown that the energy transferred by a handgonne is about 1000 joule – a modern assault rifle transfers about 1100. Handgonnes also worked like a charm against the armour of professional soldiers and knights. As these were mainly adapted to cope with arrows and sharp weapons, the sheer power of a projectile from a handgonne would strike an unlucky target to the ground, and with great possibility severely injure him, or at least make him unable to continue the fight.
To have a closer look at how effective handgonnes really were, visit Ulrich Bretscher’s page about handgonnes.
Surely, the short barrelled handgonnes would not outshoot a longbow? Perhaps not. The above mentioned Middelaldercenter did some scientifically recorded test firing of a replica of the Swedish Loshultbössan in 2002. It was fired several times with different kinds of gunpowder, based on the recipes above. Also, some shots were fired with modern gunpowder. Different projectiles were used; the handgonne was loaded with 50g of gunpowder, and fired at an angle of 40 degrees. The range of the shots averaged between 600 metres up to 950 metres. Two shots travelled over a 1000 metres, with 1100 being the longest, using modern gunpowder. The muzzle velocity was between 150-250 metres per second. This shows that handgonnes could match longbows as far as range is concerned.
The accuracy of the early firearms might not be excellent, but not totally worthless either. According to Ulrich Bretscher’s experiments, an inexperienced hand gunner would score about 80% hits at a man sized target at a distance of 25 metres, but as the weapons fire a round projectile with the help of non consistent gunpowder from a short barrel, the conditions for marksmanship is limited at the least. The handgonnes, however, seems to have been used mainly in greater engagements, where the target was not an individual but a couple of hundreds in a unit. Even a blind shooter would probably hit someone in a unit of hundreds of spearmen.
So what do we know about this? To be honest, not a whole lot, especially when we are talking about Scandinavia. This has a lot to do with a great fire in the seventeenth century, when the royal castle of Stockholm was burnt to ashes, along with a huge pile of medieval documents. This forces us to use sources from the rest of Europe. Applying theory, we might be able to get a decent picture.
We know that the Europeans have known about black powder since about 1260. Roger Bacon comments on it, but as far as he is concerned, it is only fit for amusement. He is possibly referring to fireworks. In 1326 the Italian city of Florence orders a manuscript (De Nobilitatibus, Sapientis, et Prudentia Regum), written by Walter de Milemete, said to be a member of the English clergy. The text is believed to be copy of an already existing volume, and shows the earliest known picture of a firearm. We see a gunner standing by a vase shaped gun lying on a table. This so called ”pot-de-fer” cannon is loaded with an arrow projectile.
The earliest known European image of a firearm. Circa 1320
1334 cannons are involved in the defence of Meersburg in south west Germany. Next we hear of an English ship carrying guns in 1338. The battle of Crecy in 1346, also saw guns in action. The guns mentioned above, is with great probability cannons rather than handgonnes. In 1360 the Rathaus of Lübeck explodes, probably due to fault handling of gunpowder. Lübeck was a centre for mercenaries, and as all sorts of Germans, mercenaries and merchants, regularly travelled or even moved to Sweden, the use of gunpowder and it’s companion the handgonne, would have been well known in Scandinavia by the time of the Rathaus explosion. In 1362 the Italian city of Pergua purchase 500 handgonnes, giving us a trace to how many handgonnes were used. In the same year, Kristoffer, the son of the Danish king, Valdemar Atterdag, is struck in the jaw by a projectile believed fired by a handgonne, and dies from it the year after. Ten years later, handgonnes are mentioned in a Danish manuscript, and gunners are employed by the German city of Hamburg from at least 1360. 1395 firearms are first mentioned in Swedish sources, when the Swedes ”borrow” a big gun from the Germans administering the castle in Stockholm.
The first guns were cast in bronze. They were often vase shaped, and seems to have been used primarily in some sort of mount. They were fired by sticking a burning match or a piece of red hot iron in a priming hole or sometimes in the front end of the gun. Soon guns made of iron staves held together by iron hoops (much like an ordinary barrel) appear alongside the cast bronze guns. Welding is another known method of making guns – you “simply” take a sheet of iron and fold it into at tube, and weld the seams together. Smaller guns were mounted on wooden shafts and used more or less like rifles by ”handgunners”. In England, these devices were referred to as ”hand gonnes”. Some of these weapons was constructed with a hook, allowing the gunner to hook his weapon over a wall or the like, so that the recoil of the handgonne wouldn’t affect him. As some gunners operated single handedly, holding the gun with one hand and the match with the other, this support was surely appreciated. In the latter parts of the fourteenth century cannons with free chambers appear (called Föglare in medieval Swedish). This construction allowed a hugely increased firing rate, as pre-loaded chambers could quickly be inserted in the cannon. Another advantage was that the crew was not as exposed when reloading. Some evidence however, seems to point to these guns not being as reliable as muzzle loaded guns; they were more prone to explode.
1411 the first known triggers appear in sources. They are little more than just an s-shaped or z-shaped lever pivoting around its centre, not unlike crossbow triggers. When pressing the part under the stock, the upper part (holding the match) descends to ignite the primer, firing the handgonne. Some time later, the stock evolves from having been just a stick held under the arm or like a pike, with the end of the stock in the ground, or atop the shoulder, like a bazooka, into a ”real” stock, made to hold against the shoulder. This model coexists with the earlier type. The barrels tend to get longer with smaller calibre.
The first known possible handgonne to survive to this day is the so called Loshultsbössan (the Loshult gun/cannon), found in the southernmost part of Sweden. It is a small 31 millimeter bore gun cast in bronze. It is dated to the middle of the fourteenth century, and has been extensively examined by Middelaldercenter i Denmark.
The Loshult gun. It is dated to circa 1340-1350. Note the similarity with the earliest known depicted cannon above
Another gun, Mörköbössan (The Mörkö Handgonne), found south of Stockholm, is dated to the last quarter of the fourteenth century.
The beautiful and unique Mörkö handgonne, dated to circa 1380-1400
A third Swedish handgonne, the Borgholmbössan, will soon be presented on this page.
The above indicates that different forms of gunners have been around in Sweden/Scandinavia since the middle of the fourteenth century, but what it doesn’t tell us, is how common they were. They don’t appear in Scandinavian pictorial evidence until the beginning of the fifteenth century, on the brass of bishop Henrik of Finland (at the time, Finland was called ”the Eastern half of the realm”, an integrated part of Sweden). We have a very vague idea of how gunners were organized, thanks to European sources; the most common seems to have been in groups, like bowmen.
Some examples: At the battle of Ravenspur 1471, 320 Burgundian gunners reportedly participated. John of Burgundy allegedly had 4000 handgonnes in his armoury, and at the battle of Stoke, the earl of Lincoln is said to have fielded 2000 handgonnes! In Scandinavia it is reported that Karl Knutsson in his campaign on Skåne, had enough gunners to organize them into one separate unit, marching under the flag of saint Erik, national saint of Sweden. Karl Knutsson is also reported to have brought ”Wagon guns” (kärrebössor)on the above mentioned campaign.
Christine de Pisan, a lady who wrote quite a bit on how war was to be waged in the early fifteenth century, clearly states the necessity of naming the guns and cannons. The reason for this, she claims, is that a commander would have a lot of different calibre guns to keep apart, and since the common soldier could not be trusted to remember calibres it was necessary to be able to refer to the gun by its name: ”I would like Katrina placed over here, and Anna placed over there!”. The soldier would then know what gun was which, and what kind of ammunition would go with it.
The most famous guns in Sweden was ”Diefulen” (”The Devil”) and ”Diefuls Mater” (”The Mother of the Devil”), that protected the Stockholm Castle in the sixteenth century. The named handgonnes of Albrechts Bössor is named Örsdöder (Destrier killer), Keterlin Haverblast, Faule Agnes and Mathilda.
The other guns are yet to be named.
This article, written by Johan Käll & Peter Ahlqvist, was previously published on our old webpage.
Inom rustningsterminologi såväl som kläder från medeltid råder ibland stor förvirring. Engelska och franska termer samsas tillsammans med lokala termer och latin. Dessutom används termer från hela medeltiden och under 500 år ändrades både rustning och termer. Skillnader i rustning som var uppenbara för dem har gått förlorade för oss. Vi har nu föga aning vad som skiljer en aketon från en gambeson. Nya tolkningar har gjorts som vissa använder sig av, vissa inte. Inom Albrechts Bössor försöker vi värna om den svenska medeltida terminologin och letar med ljus och lykta efter samtida termer. Här följer en liten sammanfattning av något vi funnit.
Den medeltida benämningen för krigsmateriel var Tygh, något som i viss mån även gäller även idag. De som gjort värnplikt vet att tygförrådet är det som man hämtar sina vapen ifrån. Detta används i Erikskrönikan ’ok redde sik tha wapn ok tyghe’ på sidan 30.
Vanligen kallad bascinet. 1350 säljer en viss Niklas Pekkilhuva jord i Kalmar. Hans vapen visar en bascinet med fjällanventail (Raneke, sidan 593).
Även kung Magnus Eriksson var stolt ägare till ” jtem vnam pekkelhwæ. cum slappor.”
Uttrycket ’Slappor’ är till viss del höljt i dunkel, men det är mycket sannolikt rör det sig om någon form av skydd för halsen, så som en ringkrage hängande från en hjälm (en så kallad aventail) eller en lös halskrage av läder, tyg, ringbrynja eller lameller.
En rustning för bålen bestående av stål- eller järnplattor nitade på insidan av läder eller tyg. Även kallad coat of plates, Visbyharnesk eller överdragsrustning. Erikskrönikan nämner dessa många gånger: ”mahrg plata bleff ther ospent” (sidan 57), “hielma plator och panzere” (sidan 30), ”min hielm min brynia ok min plata” (sidan 37), ”harnisk plator ok anat meer” (sidan 106) för att nämna några exempel. Även Kung magnus hade en, fast han hade glömt den i Norge: ”et vna platæ remansit in akersborgh.”
En tygrustning, att ha under annan rustning eller för sig själv. Kallas annars gambeson eller aketon. Erikskrönikan kallar den panzar eller panzare; “hielma plator och panzere” (sidan 30). Att den nämns tillsammans med platan visar att den inte bara är ’ett pansar’ utan något speciellt sådant. Under denna tid används bara plata, brynja och tygrustningar vad man vet. Kung Magnus Eriksson hade förutom ovan nämnda rustningstyper ”jtem vnum panzer”. Ett senare omnämnade av panzare finns i Stockholms tänkebok från 1400-talet.
Det finns många omnämnanden om denna hjälm som i olika former lever kvar än idag. Järnhatten var mycket vanlig och kan enklast beskrivas som en järnkalott med brätte. Järnhatten är den hjälm de medeltida landslagarna säger att folkuppbådet skall ha.
Den vanligaste tolkningen av muzza eller muza är att det rör sig om en ringbrynjehuva, en huva av ringbrynja som vanligtvis bärs under en annan hjälm. Det påminner mycket om hur ”mössa” stavas under 1300-tal i olika dokument. Muzzan var en del av den rustning folkuppbådet skulle ha. En riddare vid namn Anders testamenterar 1299 även sin ”cum sella muzam cum plata” Senare skall hans ”armatorum” (rustning) säljas för att ge pengarna till hans biktfar. Muzam var alltså inte del av rustningen, som troligen var en ringbrynja vid denna tid.
Ringpansar, ringbrynja. Ordet nämns ofta i källorna, till exempel i Erikskrönikan: ”min hielm min brynia ok min plata” (sidan 37), i Karl Magnus (sidan 255) ”oc före han i twa brynior” eller i Riddar Ivan – Lejonriddaren (sidan 50) “brynior ok hiälma the sunder slitu”. Rustningstypen benämns malioharnisk i ett brev från 1408: ”för en fating och ena plato och för ett malaharnisk, som han hadhe lanth wårom fadher”
Kung Magnus ägde även ”jtem I. par maliotygh ” och ”I. par maliohuso”.
Harnisk är ett något luddigt uttryck. I Erikskrönikan talar man om ”harnisk plator ok anat meer” (sidan 106), ”man saa ther margt eth harnisk blangt” (sidan 117), något som antyder att ett harnisk var gjort av (putsad metall). Kanske rör det sig om tidiga plåtrustningar för bålen. Ordet kopplas också samman med andra rustningsdelar. I Raven von Barnekows räkenskaper för Nyköpingshus står att Kung Albrecht köper ’benharnesk’ för 4 öre. Kanske är det så att harnisk är en samlingsterm för rustningsdelar i plåt? Detta motsäges av termen Malaharnisk (mala/malia/malja, ring) som nämns i ett brev. Kanske är det bara ett allmänt ord för rustning.
Kopartygh – Hästrustning
Tasteer – Stjärn, skydd för hästens huvud
Båda dessa enligt tolkningar är gjorda av Sven-Bertil Jansson. Han tolkar passagen på sidan 106 i Erikskrönikan. Dessutom nämns begreppen i ovan nämnde riddar Anders testamente: ”confero dextrarium meum cum cuparthyr taster”.
Svenskt diplomatarium
Danskt Diplomatarium
Medeltida romaner 1300-tal
Erikskrönikan
Ivan Lejonriddaren
Karl Magnus
Flores ok Blanzeflor
Medeltida dokument 1300-tal
Raven von Barnekows räkenskaper för Nyköpings Fögderi
Om Koningx Styrilsi
Magnus Erikssons Landslag
Övrigt
Raneke/Svenska Medeltidsvapen III
Kung Magnus boupteckning för Bohus slott
Karl Magnus, en roman från sent 1300-tal
Ivan Lejonriddaren
Den här artikeln, skriven av Johan Käll, var tidigare publicerad på vår gamla hemsida i annan version.
This is merely a a list of some photographs of shoes we have encountered in different museums in Sweden. The shoes used in Sweden was not very different from shoes in the rest of Europe, at least not that we can see from archaeological evidence. In the salary for people working in farms during 14th century usually three pairs of shoes and a pair of pattens a year was included, along with food and boarding.
Some rough shoes for use in less civilised areas.
No reason you can not have fancy shoes just because you live in a barbaric country is there? The Swedes were trying to be part of continental fashion too.
An ‘open work’ cut over piece. Lunds Historiska Museum, Lund
Written by Johan Käll & Peter Ahlqvist
Some of the daggers uncovered at the excavation site
I just found an article about a heap of daggers unearthed in north German city of Stralsund. It just so happens, some of us are going to Stralsund next Friday. Perhaps we could get a closer look at the excavations, if they are still at it?
When you are trying to understand the battle of the crown in 14th century Sweden, you will pretty soon be quite mixed up in relations. This family tree is simplified to show which people held keep positions in the struggle.
In short, ”our” king Albrecht was king Magnus Eriksson’s sister’s son, which meant he could make a (kind of) legitimate claim for the throne. Margareta Valdemarsdotter was married to Håkan Magnusson, Magnus Eriksson’s son, which meant her son Olof Håkansson could make a (kind of) legitimate claim for the throne. When he died at the age of 17, Margareta adopted her sister Ingeborg Valdemarsdotter’s grandson, Bogislav of Pomerania (who was also the grandson of ”our” Albrecht’s brother), which meant that he could claim the throne. Legitimate? Well, you tell me… That was the short version. The more elaborate story begins in this post.
We have chosen to be extra specific when it comes to king Albrecht’s immediate family (his name on this image is Albrecht III von Mecklenburg). Other characters of note is the strongheaded duchess Ingeborg Håkansdotter, mother of king Magnus Eriksson and self-appointed ruler of the realm, and her husband, the duke Erik Magnusson, who was put in a tower to starve to death by his brother Birger. Also, there is Håkan Magnusson – king of Norway and faithful son of king Magnus (not to mention king Erik Magnusson – the unfaithful son of king Magnus). Also, have a special look at the foster relation between Bogislav of Pomerania (to the far left) and his grandmother’s sister – queen Margareta of Denmark; the duo ruled Sweden after the defeat of king Albrecht, and when Margareta died, Bogislav ruled the entire Kalmar union.
Click the image to view a bigger version. We apologize for the colors, which look like they have been stolen from a nursery from the 1960’s…
