Brigitta Scherzenfeldt
Encyclopedia
Brigitta Christina Scherzenfeldt, as married Bernow, Lindström, Ziems, and Renat, (Bäckaskog
, Sweden
, 1684 – Stockholm, Sweden, 4 April 1736), was a Swedish
memoir
ist and weaving
teacher
who was captured during the Great Northern War
and lived as a slave in the kingdom of the Kalmyk
s in Central Asia
. Her story is regarded as a unique source of information about life inside the historic Kalmyk Khanate
.
Manor in Scania
in Sweden as the child of the noble Lieutenant
Knut Scherzenfeldt and Brigitta Tranander, she married the military Mats Bernow at the Livgardet in 1699 and followed him to war in 1700. She mainly lived in Riga
, and when her spouse died in Thorn
in 1703, she married the military officer Johan Lindström. They were both taken prisoner at the fall of Narva
in 1704 and taken to Moscow
, where she became a widow in 1711. She remarried again in 1712, this time to a lieutenant, Michael Ziems, a German
who had been taken prisoner of war in by the Russians during his service in the Swedish army; they were subsequently both deported to Tobolsk
in Siberia
.
Ziems, who was clearly not a Swedish subject, joined the service of the Russia
n army in 1715 to gain their freedom. In 1716, Ziems was a part of the reinforcements sent to the garrison
of Ivan Bucholtz at Jarmyn Lake, above the Irtysh River, by Governor Gagarin. Scherzenfeldt, as well as several other Swedish and German people in Russian service, was a part of that convoy. At the same time, the garrison was attacked and captured by the Kalmyks, who also met and defeated the convoy, killing Michael Ziems during the conflict.
with the other survivors and presented to the Khan
, Ayuka Khan
, himself; he curiously asked her why she had resisted the rape so forcefully, and when she told him about the customs of her country, he ordered that she should never be sexually attacked in the future. The Khan then gave her as a gift to one of his wives, a Princess from Tibet
, who gave Scherzenfeldt clothes to wear. The story about the rape attempt is not in her official story, but was told to an English woman, Mrs. Vigor, several years later in Moscow.
Scherzenfeldt was made teacher in weaving
and knitting
, and soon became appreciated for her knowledge in these crafts and her good manners; she was appointed knitting instructor to the Kahn's favorite daughter, Princess Seson, and was soon regarded as more of a lady-in-waitng than a slave; during a period of two years, she was the official representative for the purchases from the Princess' dowry in Jarkend in Xinjiang
in China
, where she would have been the first Swedish person until the 1890s. She was also active in making a better life for other slaves belonging to the Kalmykians.
Among them was a Swedish man named Johan Gustaf Renat
(born 1682 in Stockholm), the son of Dutch Jewish
immigrants who converted nationalities in 1681, and he was then captured during his service in the Swedish army; he became an instructor in the making of cannons and the printing of books, and led an attack during a battle against the Chinese
; he also made some of the weaving-looms for Scherzenfeldt's workshop
s.
Princess Seson wanted Scherzenfeldt to come with her when she was to marry the Khan of the Volga Kalmyks, but she refused, as she feared she would never again see Sweden if she did so, and instead, she "married" Renat (the marriage never actually took place), and left the court of the Princess.
Shortly after this, in 1727, the Khan, Tsevans Arabtay died, and the Princess, her mother, and everyone belonging to her court were accused of having poisoned him in order to place Seson's brother on the throne; they confessed, and were tortured and executed.
Scherzenfeldt was the target of many suspicions and intrigues, but survived due to her good sense and great care, and even managed to get the new Khan to agree on her demand that the eighteen Swedish and one hundred and thirty four Russian slaves be released.
in the company of a Russian ambassador
and twenty Kalmyk slaves, which were given to them upon their departure; six of them were subsequently kept by the Russians, but several others died before arriving in Moscow. They had been allowed to leave only to visit their home country; they were expected to return. In Moscow, she told an English woman, Mrs Vigor, some about her experiences, which were published by Vigor in a book about Russia. When the survivors entered Stockholm in 1734, the three remaining Kalmyks (Altan, Iamakiss and Zara) were baptized to become Anna Catharina, Maria Stina and Sara Greta; they then became maid
s in the Renat household.
Scherzenfeldt died in 1736. Her Kalmyk costume of red silk is now on display in the Livrustkammaren
in Stockholm.
Bäckaskog
Bäckaskog is a locality situated in Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, between Ivö Lake and Oppmanna Lake, with 293 inhabitants in 2010.The village has developed around the castle and the Premonstratensian monastery...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, 1684 – Stockholm, Sweden, 4 April 1736), was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
ist and weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
who was captured during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
and lived as a slave in the kingdom of the Kalmyk
Kalmyk people
Kalmyk people is the name given to the Oirats, western Mongols in Russia, whose descendants migrated from Dzhungaria in 1607. Today they form a majority in the autonomous Republic of Kalmykia on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Kalmykia is Europe's only Buddhist government...
s in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. Her story is regarded as a unique source of information about life inside the historic Kalmyk Khanate
Khanate
Khanate, or Chanat, is a Turco-Mongol-originated word used to describe a political entity ruled by a Khan. In modern Turkish, the word used is kağanlık, and in modern Azeri of the republic of Azerbaijan, xanlıq. In Mongolian the word khanlig is used, as in "Khereidiin Khanlig" meaning the Khanate...
.
Background
Born in BäckaskogBäckaskog
Bäckaskog is a locality situated in Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, between Ivö Lake and Oppmanna Lake, with 293 inhabitants in 2010.The village has developed around the castle and the Premonstratensian monastery...
Manor in Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
in Sweden as the child of the noble Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Knut Scherzenfeldt and Brigitta Tranander, she married the military Mats Bernow at the Livgardet in 1699 and followed him to war in 1700. She mainly lived in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, and when her spouse died in Thorn
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
in 1703, she married the military officer Johan Lindström. They were both taken prisoner at the fall of Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
in 1704 and taken to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where she became a widow in 1711. She remarried again in 1712, this time to a lieutenant, Michael Ziems, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
who had been taken prisoner of war in by the Russians during his service in the Swedish army; they were subsequently both deported to Tobolsk
Tobolsk
Tobolsk is a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh Rivers. It is a historic capital of Siberia. Population: -History:...
in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
Ziems, who was clearly not a Swedish subject, joined the service of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n army in 1715 to gain their freedom. In 1716, Ziems was a part of the reinforcements sent to the garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
of Ivan Bucholtz at Jarmyn Lake, above the Irtysh River, by Governor Gagarin. Scherzenfeldt, as well as several other Swedish and German people in Russian service, was a part of that convoy. At the same time, the garrison was attacked and captured by the Kalmyks, who also met and defeated the convoy, killing Michael Ziems during the conflict.
Slavery
Scherzenfeldt was captured, abused with iron and ropes, stripped and almost raped, but she defended herself so forcefully that she tore a piece of flesh from the leg of her attacker. The attacker then wished to kill her, but was stopped by a comrade, and she was then taken naked to the Khanate in IliIli Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture , in northernmost Xinjiang, is the only Kazakh autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China.-Geography and coordinates:The following figures excludes both Tacheng Prefecture and Altay Prefecture....
with the other survivors and presented to the Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
, Ayuka Khan
Ayuka Khan
Ayuka Khan was a Kalmyk leader under whose rule the Kalmyk Khanate reached its zenith in terms of economic, military, and politic power. On behalf of Russia, Ayuka Khan protected the southern borders of Russia, engaging in many military expeditions against the Muslim tribes of Central Asia, the...
, himself; he curiously asked her why she had resisted the rape so forcefully, and when she told him about the customs of her country, he ordered that she should never be sexually attacked in the future. The Khan then gave her as a gift to one of his wives, a Princess from Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, who gave Scherzenfeldt clothes to wear. The story about the rape attempt is not in her official story, but was told to an English woman, Mrs. Vigor, several years later in Moscow.
Scherzenfeldt was made teacher in weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
and knitting
Knitting
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
, and soon became appreciated for her knowledge in these crafts and her good manners; she was appointed knitting instructor to the Kahn's favorite daughter, Princess Seson, and was soon regarded as more of a lady-in-waitng than a slave; during a period of two years, she was the official representative for the purchases from the Princess' dowry in Jarkend in Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where she would have been the first Swedish person until the 1890s. She was also active in making a better life for other slaves belonging to the Kalmykians.
Among them was a Swedish man named Johan Gustaf Renat
Johan Gustaf Renat
Johan Gustaf Renat was a Swedish military and cartographer. He is mainly known for his role in bringing detailed maps of Central Asia to Europe after several years in captivity.-Early career and Russian Captivity:...
(born 1682 in Stockholm), the son of Dutch Jewish
History of the Jews in the Netherlands
Most history of the Jews in the Netherlands was generated between the end of the 16th century and World War II.The area now known as the Netherlands was once part of the Spanish Empire but in 1581, the northern Dutch provinces declared independence...
immigrants who converted nationalities in 1681, and he was then captured during his service in the Swedish army; he became an instructor in the making of cannons and the printing of books, and led an attack during a battle against the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
; he also made some of the weaving-looms for Scherzenfeldt's workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s.
Princess Seson wanted Scherzenfeldt to come with her when she was to marry the Khan of the Volga Kalmyks, but she refused, as she feared she would never again see Sweden if she did so, and instead, she "married" Renat (the marriage never actually took place), and left the court of the Princess.
Shortly after this, in 1727, the Khan, Tsevans Arabtay died, and the Princess, her mother, and everyone belonging to her court were accused of having poisoned him in order to place Seson's brother on the throne; they confessed, and were tortured and executed.
Scherzenfeldt was the target of many suspicions and intrigues, but survived due to her good sense and great care, and even managed to get the new Khan to agree on her demand that the eighteen Swedish and one hundred and thirty four Russian slaves be released.
The release
In 1733, Scherzenfeldt and Renat left Central AsiaCentral Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
in the company of a Russian ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
and twenty Kalmyk slaves, which were given to them upon their departure; six of them were subsequently kept by the Russians, but several others died before arriving in Moscow. They had been allowed to leave only to visit their home country; they were expected to return. In Moscow, she told an English woman, Mrs Vigor, some about her experiences, which were published by Vigor in a book about Russia. When the survivors entered Stockholm in 1734, the three remaining Kalmyks (Altan, Iamakiss and Zara) were baptized to become Anna Catharina, Maria Stina and Sara Greta; they then became maid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
s in the Renat household.
Scherzenfeldt died in 1736. Her Kalmyk costume of red silk is now on display in the Livrustkammaren
Livrustkammaren
The is a museum in the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. It contains many artefacts of Swedish military history and Swedish royalty. Seen from an international perspective, the Royal Armoury's collections are of world-class...
in Stockholm.
See also
- Lovisa von BurghausenLovisa von BurghausenLovisa von Burghausen was a Swedish memoirist who became famous for her story about her time in captivity as a slave in Russia after being taken prisoner by the Russians during the Great Northern War...
- Brita OlsdotterBrita OlsdotterBrita Olsdotter was an old Swedish woman who, according to legend, saved the city of Linköping from being burnt by the Russians during the Great Northern War....
- Ulrika Eleonora StålhammarUlrika Eleonora StålhammarUlrika Eleonora Stålhammar was a Swedish corporal and crossdresser who served during the Great Northern War. She was put on trial for having served as a military posing as a man and for marrying a woman...
- Yefrosinya Fedorov