- Lars Gathenhielm
Lars Gathenhielm, (Halland,
1689 -1718 ), before knighthood 1715 Lars Andersson Gathe, aka Lasse i Gatan, whas a Swedish pirate and a Priveteer.Biography
Lars Gathenhielm was born on the estate Gatan in Onsala Parish in Halland. Parents were the skipper Anders Börjesson Gathe and his wife Kerstin Larsdotter, daughter of a mill owner in Hjälm, Fjärås Parish.
To protect the Swedish navigation from pirates and to harm the enemy, the government of
Charles XII of Sweden began a piracy campaign, and in June1710 gave Lars Gathe from Onsala permission to act as aPrivateer and attack ships from enemy-nations such as Denmark and Russia.He gained lots of early successes with his galleon Lilla Jägaren. The hijacked ships increased in numbers and many of Onsalas sailors were quickly re-educated to pirates. Lars suffered from a hip hinjury that made him dependent on croutchs to walk and therefor he probably didnt spend much time on the sea himself, but rather directed the work from
Gothenburg . His strength was probably as shipowner while the practical stuff was handled by his serfs. Lars were at a few times accused of pure piracy (hitting Swedish ships as well) but he was protected by the king himself and was therefor never punished.Lars and his brother Christian were in
1715 knighted as Gathenhielm for their efforts in the Swedish navigation; the name Gathe was taken from Lars father to mimic the farms name, and Gathenhielm was created as a mix of his grandparents homes. Lars was later also appointed commandor in the West Coast Marine District.Lars Gathenhielm died in 1718, only 29 years old from tubercolosis but the piracy empire he had created continued under his wife, Ingela Hammar. He and his wife are buried in Onsala Church.
References
*Göteborg - handbok för resande, Octavia Carlén 1869 s.125-130
*"Berättelser ur Göteborgs Historia under envåldstiden", H.Fröding 1922 s.300-315
*Majornas Kyrkokrönika, Per Pehrsson 1926
*Det forna Majorna, Axel Rosén 1940
*Kronologiska anteckningar om viktigare händelser i Göteborg 1619-1982, Göteborgs Hembygdsförbund 1982
*Göteborg berättar, Bengt A. Öhnander 1991
*Göteborgs gatunamn, Greta Baum 2001
*"Lasse i Gatan - Kaparkriget och det svenska stormaktsväldets fall", Militärhistoriker Lars Ericsson/Historiska Media 1997 s.77-87
* [http://genealogi.aland.net/discus/messages/44/24912.html?991988783 Ingela Hammar, Rötter - Anbytarforum]
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