Meet the Middle Ages
BackNils Turesson Bielke and Ture Stensson Bielke
Nils Turesson Bielke was a man of great importance. He was a councillor of Öland as well as of central Småland. He was also a close friend of King Magnus Eriksson. Nils was an expert on law, and knew all about crime and punishment. Therefore he played an important part in the development of the common land-law and town-law which replaced the provincial laws in the 1350´s.
Nils was married to Sigrid Håkansdotter. In 1360, King Magnus gave Nils several estates. These lay in the parishes of Böda and Vedborm, to the north of Löttorp. One can still see the remains of a fortified manor house at Vedborm, with foundations and moats. Maybe Nils Turesson Bielke had it built. It would have been a safe place for him to stay at. At certain times the peasants would come to pay their taxes or to do labour. Nils Turesson Bielke owned plenty of land on Öland - in the parish of Norra Möckleby as well as in the parish of Mörbylånga.
Nils Turesson Bielke spent a lot of his time in Kråkerum, in the parish of Mönsterås, on the mainland. Here, he owned ten or so farms as well as several salmon-filled streams in the Emå River. Many farmers were dependent on Nils Turesson Bielke. He died in 1364.
Ture Stensson Bielke enlarged his estate at Kråkerum at the beginning of the 15th century. Nils Turesson was the brother of his grandfather. Ture Stensson managed to make his property in the parish of Mönsterås (60 or so farms) part of the estate at Kråkerum. The Bielke family was very powerful in the parish of Mönsterås from the 1350 ´s, and continued to be so for several centuries.
Nils Turesson lived at Kråkerum in the parish of Mönsterås around 1350. He also owned property in the parishes of Ålem (about ten) and Högsby (around five). The peasants may not have served Ture Stensson by their own free will. The beginning of the 15th century were hard times for the peasants of Mönsterås and Ålem.
Ture was married twice – first to the daughter of Abraham Brodersson (Abraham Brodersson, bailiff at Kalmar Castle, see Möre), Birgitta Abrahamsdotter Tjurhuvud. Birgitta died in 1415 and Ture remarried. His new wife was called Margareta Eriksdotter. Ture and Birgitta had three children, two boys and a girl. Their daughter, Birgitta, eventually married King Karl Knutsson Bonde. Ture Stensson Bielke died in 1425.