Torsten Stålhandske

Torsten Stålhandske and Christina Horn's tomb in Turku Cathedral

Torsten Stålhandske (often called Staalhansch in German literature ; * 1594 in Porvoo ; † April 21, 1644 in Haderslev ) was a Swedish general and commander of the Finnish cavalry troops (called Hakkapeliitta ) from 1642 . He was the son of Torsten Svensso n (Stålhandske) and Katarina Teet . His father died in the Battle of Stångebro in 1598. His mother then married Major Robert Guthrie. He probably put the young Torsten in touch with Patrick Ruthven.

Life

He began his military career as a page in the Scottish regiment of Colonel Patrick Ruthven , whom he accompanied on trips to recruit mercenaries in Scotland, where he acquired language skills. In 1626 he became a major in Gustaf Horn's regiment and in 1629 a lieutenant colonel in the Finnish cavalry under the command of Åke Tott , who became famous and notorious in the battles of the Thirty Years' War with her Germanized battle cry "Hakkapeliter" ("Cut them down"). On September 17, 1631 he took part in the battle of Breitenfeld . In this and the following battles his squadron (250-500 riders) was always positioned on the far right wing, which was a popular target of the imperial cuirassiers under Pappenheim . On April 15, 1632 he took part as a colonel in the Battle of Rain am Lech and then fought in the Battle of the Alte Veste . In the battle of Lützen he could not prevent the death of King Gustav Adolf , even though, when the opposing cuirassiers saw him, he had given him the order "Attack the black boys thoroughly because they are the ones who can destroy us". In 1633, in the battle of Hessisch-Oldendorf , he was wounded. In 1635 he was appointed major general and was assigned to Johan Banér . In the battle of Wittstock he was able to capture 35 banners (field symbols). He was also able to distinguish himself in the battle of Chemnitz .

In 1640 he fought against Count Mansfeld in Bohemia and in 1642 in the army of Torstensson during the conquest of Glogau and in the battle of Breitenfeld (1642) where he was seriously wounded. After his recovery he became a general of the cavalry. In 1643 he fought again with Torstensson in Bohemia and was then transferred to the theater of war in Denmark in the Torstensson War. There he fought in Jutland and confiscated the library of the Aarhus bishop Morten Madsen (1596–1643). The books formed the basis for the new library of the University of Turku in 1646 . In Denmark, he was in Kolding crucial at the Battle of Kolding involved. After the battle he became seriously ill and died on April 1, 1644 in Haderslev (Jutland). He was buried in Turku Cathedral, where Åke Tott's tomb can also be found. He was a member of the Fruiting Society with the company name "The Rejuvenating".

Torsten Stålhandskes is said to have been short and unusually strong. He is said to have greeted prisoners with a handshake and broken their fingers.

family

In 1643 he married Christina Horn, daughter of his former commandant Arvid Horn. She also paid for the tomb in the side chapel of Turku Cathedral , where he was buried with her. The marriage remained childless.

literature

• Torsten Stålhandske . In: Herman Hofberg, Frithiof Heurlin, Viktor Millqvist, Olof Rubenson (eds.): Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon . 2nd Edition. tape 2 : L – Z, including supplement . Albert Bonniers Verlag, Stockholm 1906, p. 558 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).

Web links

Commons : Torsten Stålhandske  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Biography (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Peter Engerisser: From Kronach to Nördlingen. The Thirty Years War in Franconia Swabia and the Upper Palatinate 1631-1635 . Verlag Späthling Weißenstadt 2007, p. 28, footnote 7. ISBN 978-3-926621-56-6
2. ^ Lothar Höbelt: From Nördlingen to Jankau. Imperial strategy and warfare 1634-1645 . In: Republic of Austria, Federal Minister for National Defense (Hrsg.): Writings of the Army History Museum Vienna . tape 22 . Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-902551-73-3 , p. 324 .