Meet the Middle Ages
BackThe Castle of Stäkeholm
The Castle of Stäkeholm was built around 1360. It was probably constructed by Duke Albrekt, father of the Albrekt who later became King of Mecklenburg. The castle was strategically placed on the estuary of the Gamlebyviken (the bay at Gamleby). Here it was possible to cut off ships trying to enter the bay in order to reach Västervik. In this way, one could control trade and shipping.
The castle was built in the German manner which was fashionable at the time- it was a sturdy, square fortress with towers in each corner.
When the building of the castle was finished, it became the centre of a new county, the county of Stäkeholm. Tjust and the southern parts of Östergötland were separated from the county of Kalmar. Tjust was ruled and controlled from Stäkeholm.
The first bailiff mentioned is the knight Henrik Parrow in the year 1370. The castle then belonged to King Albrekt. The same year, both the fortress and county were handed over to the brothers Johan and Vicke Ummereise. At the end of the 1370 ´s, Bo Jonsson Grip took power of the entire county.