Klaus Störtebeker

A violent entrepreneur

While doing some research into maritime traditions, I came across an interesting character called Klaus Störtebeker and I thought his story is just too interesting and unusual not to share it with you.

Nikolaus or ‘Klaus’ Störtebeker lived around 1360 to 1401 and was reputed to be leader of a group of privateers known as the Victual Brothers. The Victual Brothers were originally hired during a war between Denmark and Sweden to fight the Danes and supply the besieged Swedish capital of Stockholm with provisions. After the war, they felt they weren’t properly compensated and continued to capture merchant vessels for their own benefit turning them into pirates.

Störtebeker was such a menace that the powerful Hanseatic States set out to capture him as he was hampering trade and profit in the Baltic and North Seas. I’ll let Wikipedia take up the story from here:

‘According to legend, in 1401, a Hamburgian fleet led by Simon of Utrecht caught up with Störtebeker's force near Heligoland. According to some stories, Störtebeker's ship had been disabled by a traitor who cast molten lead into the links of the chain which controlled the ship's rudder. Störtebeker and his crew were captured and brought to Hamburg, where they were tried for piracy. Legend says that Störtebeker offered a chain of gold long enough to enclose the whole of Hamburg in exchange for his life and freedom. However, Störtebeker and all of his 73 companions were sentenced to death and were beheaded on the Grasbrook. The most famous legend of Störtebeker relates to the execution itself. Störtebeker is said to have asked the mayor of Hamburg to release as many of his companions as he could walk past after being beheaded. Following the granting of this request and the subsequent beheading, Störtebeker's body arose and walked past eleven of his men before the executioner tripped him with an outstretched foot. Nevertheless, the eleven men were executed along with the others. The senate of Hamburg asked the executioner if he was not tired after all this, but he replied he could easily execute the whole of the senate as well. For this, he himself was sentenced to death and executed by the youngest member of the senate.’

What’s also interesting is, around the time all of this was happening a brewery was established in Stralsund on the Baltic coast, called Stödebeker and it still very much in production today. In fact, they even have replica vessels of the time which are active and available for charter. See the image above.

Here is an image that was reconstructed of Stœrtebeker from his alleged skull.

fun fact: Störtebeker is both a nickname and a surname, meaning "empty the mug with one gulp" in Low German. The moniker refers to the pirate's supposed ability to empty a four-litre (about 1 US gal) mug of beer in one gulp. At this time, pirates and other fugitives from the law often adopted a colorful nom de guerre.

fascinating fact: Its said that the gold found onboard Störtebeker’s ship was used for the dome of St Catherine’s cathedral.

Do you think Störtebeker was a likeable rogue or did he get his rightful punishment?

If you enjoyed this diversion, let me know and I will post some more interesting nuggets from time to time.