Snapphane
Encyclopedia
A snapphane was a member of a 17th century pro-Danish
guerrilla organization that fought against the Swedes
in the Second Northern
and Scanian War
s, primarily in the former eastern Danish provinces which in the course of these wars became southern Sweden.
The term snapphane, which was used as a pejorative
term by the Swedes to describe the pro-Danish rebels, was originally a word for gangs of bandits that lived in the woods. When Scanian peasants started to organize into battle groups that fought the Swedes with guerrilla methods, they were called Snapphane too.
The Swedes fought the snapphanes brutally, and if one was captured, he was usually executed and the corpse was impaled
and shown where the locals could see it and be intimidated to obedience. Another common method was execution by having them broken on the wheel
.
Snapphanes made an impact on Swedish popular culture. In modern times, the Swedish Navy
patrol boat
P161 is named HMS Snapphanen. It is part of a class of vessels several of which are named after paramilitary professions, like Kaparen (privateer
), Spejaren (scout
), etc.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
guerrilla organization that fought against the Swedes
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....
in the Second Northern
Second Northern War
The Second Northern War was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Russia , Brandenburg-Prussia , the Habsburg Monarchy and Denmark–Norway...
and Scanian War
Scanian War
The Scanian War was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark-Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish provinces along the border with Sweden and in Northern Germany...
s, primarily in the former eastern Danish provinces which in the course of these wars became southern Sweden.
The term snapphane, which was used as a pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
term by the Swedes to describe the pro-Danish rebels, was originally a word for gangs of bandits that lived in the woods. When Scanian peasants started to organize into battle groups that fought the Swedes with guerrilla methods, they were called Snapphane too.
The Swedes fought the snapphanes brutally, and if one was captured, he was usually executed and the corpse was impaled
Impalement
Impalement is the traumatic penetration of an organism by an elongated foreign object such as a stake, pole, or spear, and this usually implies complete perforation of the central mass of the impaled body...
and shown where the locals could see it and be intimidated to obedience. Another common method was execution by having them broken on the wheel
Breaking wheel
The breaking wheel, also known as the Catherine wheel or simply the wheel, was a torture device used for capital punishment in the Middle Ages and early modern times for public execution by bludgeoning to death...
.
Snapphanes made an impact on Swedish popular culture. In modern times, the Swedish Navy
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
patrol boat
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
P161 is named HMS Snapphanen. It is part of a class of vessels several of which are named after paramilitary professions, like Kaparen (privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
), Spejaren (scout
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
), etc.
Literature
- Kim Hazelius, De Kallades Snapphanar.. Bokpro Bjärnum 2006 (ISBN 91-89336-40-2).
- K Arne Blom, Jan Moen, Snapphaneboken.
- Palle Lauring (1952). Danmark i Skåne. Stockholm: Berghs förlag, 1999 (ISBN 91-502-1368-7).
- Herman Lindquist (1995). Historien om Sverige – storhet och fall. Norstedts Förlag, 2006 (ISBN 91-1-301535-4).
- Mats Olsson (2001). "Att icke understå sig att lämna sina hemman: Om bondeklassens frihet och adelns dominans i Skåne". Historisk Tidskrift, 2001 (1): 5–28. ISSN: 0345-469X.
- Sixten Svensson (2005). Sanningen om snapphanelögnen. (ISBN 91-975695-1-8).
- Sten Skansjö (1997). Skånes historia. Lund (ISBN 91-88930-95-5).
- Alf Åberg, (1951).Snapphanarna.Stockholm: LTs Förlag.
- Alf Åberg (1994). Kampen om Skåne under försvenskningstiden. Stockholm: Natur och Kultur (912704355X).
- Alf Åberg (1975). I snapphanebygd. Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren.
- Cederborg, Carl August (1913). Kopparskrinet.
- Cederborg, Carl August (1987). Mickel Göing.
- Cederborg, Carl August (1912). Göingehövdingen I. http://www.omnibus.se/cgi-bin/ebokinfo.pl?eB=474-5
- Cederborg, Carl August (1912). Göingehövdingen II. http://www.omnibus.se/cgi-bin/ebokinfo.pl?eB=498-2