HANSdoc Database

15340206HAM00

Transcript available

[1534, before February 6]

Instruction for the Dutch ambassadors for negotiations in Hamburg, which among others claims that the year before Hamburg merchants in Iceland violently took a ship from Amsterdam, and it is demanded that the ship is returned.

15340306HAM00

Transcript available

1534, March 6

Hamburg

Thomas Koppen to Eske Bille, commander of Bergenhus: sends him a copy of his enfeoffment with the Faroes, and asks not to send a ship there to his detriment. Moreover, he sends him two barrels of Hamburg beer and a cake for his wife, as well as news about the political situation in Denmark and Germany.

15340315HAM00

Transcript available

1534, March 15

Hamburg

Gotschalck van Alefelde to Eske Bilde, commander in Bergenhus: as the late King Frederick I of Denmark has given the Faroes to his secretary Thomas Koppen as a fief for his services, he asks to see that no merchants from Bergen will sail there and hinder his business.

15350524BER00

Transcript available

[1535, before May 24]

[Bergen]

Complaints of the Hanseatic Kontor in Bergen, presented at the Hanseatic Diet in Lübeck, among others about trade in Iceland, northern Norway, Orkney, Shetland and the Faroes, which was prohibited by the royal privileges and at the Hanseatic Diet of 1494.

15360525HAM00

Transcript available

1536, May 25

[Hamburg]

Hamburg to Jón Arason, bishop of Hólar: the merchants who come to Eyjafjörður to fetch sulfur each year complained about hindrance by merchants from Holland, who bought all sulfur, and it is asked to prevent this in the future.

15641203STE00

1564, December 3

Stettin (Szczecin)

Stefan Loitz to king Frederick II of Denmark: complains that he cannot pay the expected tolls for the Icelandic sulfur trade, because the demand is falling due to the opening of sulfur mines in Germany. The letter also treats other dealings with the Danish king.

15670902EDI00

Transcript available

1567, September 2

Edinburgh

Verdict of assize of the justiciary court in trial of James Edmistoun and John Blacader, who are accused of piracy of three ships from Bremen in Shetland, a ship from Lübeck coming from Norway, and other crimes, and convicted to execution by hanging from the market cross in Edinburgh.

15810216SKA00

1581, February 16

Skanderborg

King Frederick II of Denmark to Christoffer Valkendorff: after the Faroes have been given to Copenhagen citizens, the previous license holder Magnus Heinason has come to him and complained about the difficulties he had because of illegal competition from a merchant from Hamburg, whom he had captured and taken to Bergen, and therefore he still had many outstanding debts on the islands. As he has been an honest citizen, he should keep his license for the Faroes. Also about illegal sailings of men from Holland.

16020830HAM00

1602, August 30

Hamburg

Hamburg to king Christian IV of Denmark: witness accounts of eight persons who sailed with Johan Holtgreve from Helsingør to Spakenefeldshovede in Iceland, who was accused by Copenhagen merchants that he interfered with their business by visiting the harbour Botsand. They tell how they could not reach Spakenefeldtshovede because of the sea ice, and were welcomed by the locals in Botsand because the Danish merchants in Kibbelwick would not trade with them.

16040317HAM00

1604, March 17

Hamburg

Clawes von Kleve to Hamburg: relates how he has traded in Patersforde and Bildal in Iceland with his father for 40 years, and is now hired by Malmö merchant Olof Zuckerbecker to sail for him to Iceland, but the merchants who used to sail to the harbour Haneforde are obstructing him. He complains that they only do so out of jealousy, as their own license has expired, and that he is not acting against the city law, because he will sail from and return to Hamburg.