After the forum hack the whole post about the german pirate Klaus Störtebeker and his pirate companionship called "The Victual Brothers" or later "The Likedeelers" was gone. I luckily found the text in my basket so I can recover it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
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So here we go again.
<!--sizeo:5--><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><u><b>The Victual Brothers / Likedeelers</b></u><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
The Victual Brothers resp. Vitalians or Vitalian Brotherhood (swedish: fetaliebröder; vitaliebröder, german: Vitalienbrüder; Viktualienbrüder, polish: bracia witalijscy) were a companionship of privateers. They were hired in 1392 by the Dukes of Mecklenburg to fight against Denmark, because the Danish Queen Margaret I had imprisoned Albrecht of Mecklenburg and his son to subdue the kingdom of Sweden. Albrecht was King of Sweden since 1364 and Duke of Mecklenburg since 1383.
When Queen Margaret and Albrecht of Mecklenburg were battling for Scandinavian supremacy and Margaret's forces had besieged Stockholm, privateers named Victual Brothers acceded sea-war-activities and the shipping of goods to keep the city supplied with food. The name Victual Brothers is derivated from the Latin word "victualia" which means provisions and refers to their first mission, which was to bring supplies to the besieged town of Stockholm.
Victual Brothers were organised as a brotherhood or guild and attracted people from all over Europe. Their main naval enemy in 1392 was the powerful Hanseatic town of Lübeck, which supported Denmark. Apart from Lübeck, the Hanseatic League encouraged the Victual Brothers at first. Most of the Hanseatic towns had no desire to see Denmark victorious, because its location was strategic for the defence of the seaways. For several years from 1392 on the Victual Brothers were a strong power to be reckoned with in the Baltic Sea. They had safe harbours in the cities of Rostock, Ribnitz, Wismar and Stralsund. Soon they went their own way, more or less turning to open piracy and coast robbery. In 1393 they sacked the town of Bergen for the first time and in 1394 they conquered Malmö. They also plundered Åbo, Vyborg, Faxeholm, Styresholm and Korsholm and occupied parts of Frisia and Schleswig for some time.
At the climax of their power the Victual Brothers occupied Gotland in 1394 to set up a stronghold headquarters on their own in Visby. On the whole Baltic Sea maritime-trade collapsed and the herring industry suffered from their depredations. Queen Margaret even turned to King Richard II seeking to charter some English ships to combat the pirates. From 1395 on Queen Margaret gained the upper hand politically. She united Denmark, Sweden and Norway and formed the Kalmar Union. Therefore the Hanseatic League was forced to cooperate with her, evading its eventual decline. At the same time the Victual Brothers went on impartially raiding everyone. Their famous shibboleth was "<i>God's friends and the whole world's enemies.</i>"
Queen Margaret and King Albert of Sweden conceded Gotland to the allied Teutonic Order as a pledge (similar to a fiefdom). The two rulers and the Hanseatic League expected that the Teutonic Knights would challenge the Victual Brothers on Gotland island to wipe them out and to destroy their fortified sanctuary. An invasion army under Konrad von Jungingen, the Grand Master of the Order, conquered the island in 1398, destroyed Visby and drove the Victual Brothers out of Gotland. Many of the Victual Brothers managed to escaped and some of them returned home.
After the Victual Brothers's expulsion from Gotland in 1398 the Hanseatic League tried repeatedly to end the anarchy in the Baltic Sea, but with little luck. Many discharged Victual Brothers remained at sea. When they lost their influence in the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and Gotland, they operated from the Schlei, the mouth of the river Ems and from other locations in Friesland. The successors of the Victual Brothers gave themselves the name Likedeelers (literally "equal sharers"), which means that they divide their loot in equal parts and every crewmember got the same share. They expanded their field of activities into the North Sea and along the Atlantic coastline, raiding Brabant, France and as far south as Spain. Their most famous leaders were the captains Klaus Störtebeker and Godeke Michels.
<!--sizeo:5--><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><b><u>Klaus Störtebeker</u></b><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
Klaus Störtebeker could be born around 1360 in Wismar; he died 20th October 1401 in Hamburg. Klaus Störtebeker was a leader and the best known representative of a companionship of privateers known as the Victual Brothers or later the Likedeelers.
A large number of myths and legends surround what little facts exist on Klaus Störtebekers life. The real origin of Klaus Störtebeker is unknown. There are more than twenty possible different birthplaces that were mentioned in the literature. But the most plausible source is the "<i>Liber Proscriptorum</i>" from the city of Wismar. The "<i>Liber Proscriptorum</i>" is a kind of book, where all judgements put down to writing.
In year 1380 two men were banned from the city of Wismar on account of a tavern brawl. They beat up a third young men, broke him several bones and knock him out two of his front teeth. The victim was named "Nicolao (or Nikolaus) Stortebeker". It is highly possible that this young men was later known as Klaus Störtebeker.
Even the name Störtebeker could be only a nickname meaning "empty the mug with one gulp" in old German. The moniker refers to the pirate's supposed ability to empty a four-liter mug of beer in one gulp. At this time, pirates and other fugitives from the law often adopted a colorful nom de guerre. He got his name allegedly because he could swill down four litres of beer without taking the beaker from his mouth, but it might be a family name from Wismar. The Low German word "Störtebeker" means in English: "Down the drink of the beaker". ("Störten" means the same as the Old English word "styrtan").
First time Klaus Störtebeker namly mentioned connected with piracy was in the year 1394 in a statement of claim from Henry Bolingbroke, later known as Henry IV. King of England. He complains about the robbery of several ships and goods by the Victual Brothers and claim compensation from the danish Queen. The name Klaus Störtebeker were mentioned 14 times in different spellings. The only name that was mentioned more often in this statement was the name Goddekin Mighel which is highly probable Störtebekers companion Godeke Michels.
Queen Margaret of Denmark and King Albert of Sweden conceded Gotland to the allied Teutonic Order as a pledge (similar to a fiefdom). The two rulers and the Hanseatic League expected that the Teutonic Knights would challenge the Victual Brothers on Gotland island to wipe them out and to destroy their fortified sanctuary. They also feared an alliance between the Victual Brothers and the new formed union between Poland and Lithuania. So the Tetonic Orders Grand Master, Konrad von Jungingen, gathered a huge fleet of 84 ships to eridicate the pirates. On March 21st, 1398 he landed on Gotland with 4000 men and 400 horses. On April 5th, 1398 the battle was over. The city of Visby was destroyed but many Victual Brothers managed to escape.
Störtebecker entered public consciousness around 1398, after the expulsion of the Victual Brothers from the Baltic island of Gotland.
During the following years Störtebeker and some of his fellow captains (the most famous of whom were Godeke Michels, Hennig Wichmann and Magister Wigbold) captured hanseatic ships no matter their origin.
A millitary operation against the pirates in the North Sea in spring 1400 organized by the hanseatic city of Hamburg forced Klaus Störtebeker to flee to Holland. His companion Godeke Michels flee to Norway but return later in 1400 to join up the Likedeelers and his companion Störtebeker again.
In Holland Störtebeker signed a agreement or treaty with Duke Albrecht of Holland that guaranteed him and 114 of his men the full protection of the Duke. By order of Duke Albrecht, Klaus Störtebeker sail to Helgoland, a small island in the North Sea, which has become his stronghold from where he starts again capturing hanseatic ships. Especially the tradelines between Hamburg and England where his prefered hunting areas. He was so succesfull, that the city of Hamburg decided again to start a millitary operation against Störtebeker.
In 1401 a large fleet from the city of Hamburg led by Simon of Utrecht caught up with Störtebeker's force near Helgoland. According to some stories Störtebeker's ship had been disabled by a traitor who cast molten lead into the links of the chain which held the rudder of Störtebeker's ship. Störtebeker and his crew were ultimately overcome and brought to Hamburg where they were condemned to death. Legend has it that Störtebeker offered a chain of gold long enough to enclose the whole town of Hamburg in exchange for his life and freedom. But the mayor of Hamburg refused his offering and Störtebeker and all of his 73 companions were sentenced to death and were beheaded outside of Hamburg. Among them was Godeke Michels, the companion of Klaus Störtebeker.
But the huge treasure of the Likedeelers was still missing so the city of Hamburg sold his ship to private person who give it to a shipwright or a carpenter to wreck it. When he starts sawing the masts he discover some hard material inside the masts. The first mast was filled with gold, the second was filled with silver and the third was filled with copper. The lost treasure of the Likedeelers were found. With the gold the owner of the ship make a crown for the tower of the Hamburgian St. Kathrines Church.
<img src="http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/34/2801134/1280_3363303964353438.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
The most famous legend of Störtebeker is about the execution itself. It is said that Störtebeker asked the mayor of Hamburg to release as many of his companions as he could walk past after being beheaded. The rather riskless request was granted. After he was beheaded Störtebeker's body allegedly got up and walked past twelve of Störtebeker's companions before the body was tripped by the executioner by throwing a block of wood to his feet. The twelve men however were executed along with all of the others and the knocked off heads of the 73 men were spiked along the river Elbe as a warning for other pirates.
In 1878 some spiked skulls where found on a construction site outside the city of Hamburg. With high probability that are the skulls of Klaus Störtebeker and his Likedeelers. One skull fit very well with the discription in the "<i>Liber Proscriptorum</i>" from Wismar. Remember the knocked out teeth?
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The scientist believe that the left skull was the head of Klaus Störtebeker and right one could be the head of his companion Godeke Michels.
CSI- like many forensic and criminal experts try to reconstruct the face from this skull.
They work over two years to give him a face.
And that's what they think Klaus Störtebeker looked like. Nice guy, huh?
<img src="http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/34/2801134/1280_3332343464656231.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
Btw it is not a mask for real human. It is a puppets head. And it is not proven that this guy was truly Klaus Störtebeker but he was surely one of the Likedeelers maybe Klaus Störtebeker himself.
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