- Klas Hansson Bjelkenstjerna
Infobox Military Person
name=Klas Hansson Bjelkenstjerna
lived=24 april, 1615- 30 july, 1662
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=
caption=
nickname=
allegiance=Sweden
serviceyears=
rank=Admiral
commands=
unit=
battles=Thirty Years War
*Battle of Colberger Heide Northern Wars
*Battle of the Sound
awards=
laterwork=Baron Klas Hansson Bjelkenstjerna (also Claës Hansson Bjelkenstjerna or Bielkenstjerna) (
24 april 1615 –30 july 1662 ) was a Swedishnaval officer and civil servant.HIs father,
Hans Klasson Bjelkenstjerna , who also was a high ranking naval officer, died when his son was only 5 years old leaving him to be raised by relatives. Young Bjelkenstjerna soon grew up and followed in his father's footsteps, joining theSwedish navy .He rose in rank within the navy, being appointed
skeppsmajor in 1641. He married baronessBarbro Åkesdotter Natt och Dag in 1643. He participated in the sea campaigns against the Danish and Dutch fleets, in particularBattle of Colberger Heide (1644), and the escape from theKiel Fjord where the Danish fleet tried to trap the Swedish squadrons. Due to his achievements in battle he was rewarded with a promotion toAdmiral-Löjtnant . Years of relative peace followed, with Bjelkenstjerna entering civil service. In 1650 he was appointed toöverhovmästare (tutor) for the crown prince Carl Gustav. Queen Christina I granted him the barony ofPyhäjoki in theNorthern Ostrobothnia region ofFinland . This occurred in the year 1652. The following year Bjelkenstjerna became a member of the Privy Council.Trivia
* At his deathbed the Swedish king
Carl X Gustav called upon his former tutor Admiral Bjelkenstjerna and supposedly bid him farewell with the words: "»Farväl, min hederlige Bjelkenstjerna! Tack för hvar dag vi varit tillsammans!»" which translates to English as "Farewell, my honourable Bjelkenstjerna! I'm thankful for each day that we spent together!" [http://runeberg.org/sbh/bjelkech.html]References
*
Nordisk familjebok , vol. 2 (1878), col. [http://runeberg.org/nfab/0310.html 603f] (in Swedish)
* [http://runeberg.org/sbh/bjelkech.html Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon, article Bielkenstjerna, Claës Hansson] (in Swedish)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.