Meet the Middle Ages
BackAbraham Brodersson Tjurhuvud
Abraham Brodersson Tjurhuvud was a ruthless knight who owned a great deal of property in Möre as well as in other parts of Småland. From 1403 to 1405 he was the bailiff at Kalmar Castle.
Abraham was born in the 1350’s and came from a wealthy, aristocratic family in Halland. He later married into a rich family and through his wife Margareta he became the owner of many estates in south-western and in-land Småland.
Abraham was appointed District Councillor of Halland, Värend and Finnveden. But that did not satisfy him though - he wanted more and more land. He tried to make farmers sell their land very cheaply to him - or even to give their farms up for nothing. Farmers who did not want to give away their farms, were threatened with imprisonment at Kalmar Castle. At the beginning of the 15th century, Abraham owned more than 600 farms. In Möre alone he had an estate consisting of around ten farms. They lay in the parishes of Ljungby, Kläckeberga, Dörby, Mortorp and Voxtorp.
Abraham was knighted in Kalmar in 1397. He was one of Queen Margaretas’ closest men and was a member of her council. Once or twice he led Queen Margareta ’s troops to Gotland and to the County of Holstein in south Denmark.
Abraham was a hard and brutal man who made many enemies. As time went by, King Erik too saw him as one of his most threatening rivals. Abraham was also a great womaniser and had many children born out of wedlock. In the summer of 1410 he was accused of raping a farm-girl on the Danish island of Als. When Abraham was found guilty, he was sentenced to death and King Erik ordered his execution by sword.