Jörgen Krabbe facts for kids

Baron Jörgen Iversen Krabbe (1633–1678) was a nobleman from Denmark. He lived in a time when the region he called home, Scania, became part of Sweden. Jörgen Krabbe was a very important person in Scania. He played a big role during the Scanian War (1676–1679). Sadly, he was later executed by the Swedes because they believed he was disloyal to their king.

Growing Up and Learning

Jörgen Krabbe was born in 1633 at Laholm Castle in Halland. This area was part of eastern Denmark back then. His father, Iver Krabbe, later became a high-ranking official in Norway. His mother, Karen Marsvin, was a noble lady from Scania.

The family's old home was Jordberga in Scania. Jörgen had an older brother named Tage and seven sisters. He was especially close to his sister Karen. Jörgen went to a boarding school called Sorö. There, he learned many important skills for young noblemen. These included Latin, geometry, fencing, horse-riding, and dancing. He was a very good student and loved learning Latin and French.

After school, Jörgen Krabbe studied law at famous universities. He went to the University of Bologna in Italy, the University of Orléans in France, and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. He traveled around Europe with his brother Tage. They studied together in France and Italy.

In 1657, the Swedish army invaded Denmark. Jörgen and Tage had to return home. Tage joined the army. Jörgen continued his studies for a while. He was in Copenhagen when the Swedes attacked the city in 1659 (siege of Copenhagen). He likely helped defend the city with other student soldiers.

Becoming Part of Sweden

In 1658, a big change happened: Scania became part of Sweden. People in Denmark were very sad about this. Jörgen Krabbe decided to stay in Scania. He gave up his important job in the Danish government. He promised to be loyal to the King of Sweden. This was because it was against the law for people living in Scania to work for Denmark. The Danish king had offered him a judge's job. But Krabbe chose to return to Scania to be with his fiancée, Jytte Tagesen Thott.

The Krabbe family divided their land between their two sons. Jörgen took over the lands in Scania and became Swedish. Tage stayed Danish and took the lands in Denmark. All the sisters also received a castle each.

Jörgen Krabbe and Jytte Thott got married in Malmö in 1664. They had a very grand wedding party. Guests came from both Denmark and Sweden. However, the celebrations were mostly in Danish. They made three toasts to Denmark and two to Sweden.

Jörgen Krabbe hoped to have a great career as a lawyer in Sweden. But he ended up focusing on farming his large estates. He often complained in his letters about this. Even though he loved Krogholm Castle, where he lived with his wife, he missed his legal career. The couple also managed other estates like Högestad Castle, Baldringe Farm, Tosterup Castle, and Ingelstorp Manor.

In the same year he got married, Krabbe was recognized as a Swedish nobleman. He also became a representative in the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm. In 1676, he became a Swedish Baron. But he felt this title was not as important as the career he had wanted. He wrote to an old friend, complaining about this. This letter was later found by the Swedes. It was used as proof against him in his trial.

Accused of Disloyalty

In 1676, the Scanian War began. This was a war between Denmark and Sweden over Scania. Jörgen Krabbe was accused of helping local resistance fighters. These fighters were called snaphaner. They were locals who supported Denmark. Krabbe was also accused of still having strong feelings for Denmark.

Here are some of the things he was accused of:

• He offered dinner to Danish admirals when they took back the town of Ystad.
• He was present when Danish soldiers and local resistance men captured some Swedes. This happened in his brother-in-law's orchard at Marsvinsholm Castle. One of the captured Swedes was a well-known soldier named Major Adolf Fredrik Klingspor.
• Some of Krabbe's own employees were among the local resistance men who attacked Klingspor.
• His bailiffs (estate managers) at Krogholm and Tosterup rode with the Danish-supporting fighters. They led an attack on a Swedish tax collector named Lorens Basch. Basch was arrested and sent to prison in Copenhagen.
• Later, both Klingspor and Basch gave evidence against Krabbe.

In September 1677, Jörgen Krabbe and his wife's brothers went to the Danish army camp. They wanted help to escape to the Danish side. They felt trapped and believed the Swedes would force them to move to Stockholm. The Swedish government had decided to move noble families from Scania to Sweden. The Krabbe-Thott family wanted to avoid this at all costs. They called it "the Babylonian Captivity." They hoped the Danes could help them move to Denmark.

On September 24, Krabbe traveled to Malmö, which was controlled by the Swedes. He hoped to convince the Swedish governor to let them stay in their homes. Instead, he was arrested and accused of high treason. This meant being disloyal to the king. Basch and Klingspor had been freed from prison and wanted revenge.

On November 6, 1676, Krabbe was sentenced to lose his life, his honor, and his property. He spent several months in a cell at Malmö Castle. On January 16, 1678, he was shot in Malmö's main square. He was buried inside the church at Tosterup, near Ystad.

Krabbe's bailiff, Christopher, gave himself up to the Swedes. He claimed he was the one who planned the captures of Basch and Klingspor. He hoped this would free Krabbe. But Christopher was also kept prisoner for months. He was executed around the same time as Krabbe.

Jytte Thott, Krabbe's wife, begged King Charles XI of Sweden to forgive her husband. But the king said that nothing could save Krabbe. After Krabbe's death, the court said he was a "leader and role model" for all Scanians. They feared that if his actions were not punished, others would follow his example.

Jytte Thott was heartbroken. She spent the rest of her life in black clothes, grieving her husband. She had to leave their home, Krogholm Castle. She moved to a smaller estate called Högested. There, she had all the windows facing Krogholm walled up. Most of her property was taken by Swedish creditors. She then had to move to a farm called Baldringe, where she spent her last years. Jörgen Krabbe and Jytte Thott did not have any children. What was left of their property was inherited by their nephews and nieces.