Setesvein or setesvenn is the name of medieval and pre-reformatory armed pages who acted as local representatives of a bishop or of a feudal lord in Norway. Setesveins between 1350 and 1537 are commonly associated with the Catholic Archbishop, on whose behalf they exercised administrative and military functions in their respective districts. Clerical setesveins were especially numerous in Northern Norway, where they constitute an important part of the regional upper-class history.
The word setesvein consists of sete, meaning 'seat, residence', and svein, meaning 'young servant' or 'page'. It descends from Old Norwegian setusveinn. Under Danish influence, the word was spelled sædesvend, from which the modern, but today less used form setesvenn derives. Whilst svein is considered as Norwegian Nynorsk and svenn is mainly used in Norwegian Bokmål (including Riksmål), the form setesvein is predominant in both languages.
In general, a svein or a huskarl (housecarl) was a page residing at a court, whilst a setesvein was attached to a court, but had his own residence; thus the word sete. Johan Fritzner's dictionary of Old Norwegian defines a setusveinn as a housecarl who is in the service of a lendman or of a bishop without living at his master's residence or court.
Among other places, setesveins are mentioned in several Diplomatarium Norvegicum documents and in the Codex of the Hird. Examples are:
A svein was originally an armed page who was in the service of and resided at the court of a chieftain. Subsequently, they separated into a secular and a clerical section. In the High Medieval Age (1130 - 1350) and in the Late Medieval Age (1350 - 1537), a page was normally one who had entered the court of a bishop or of a feudal lord. It was customary that young men of lower nobility and of local and wealthy families served at the court of the Archbishop (as a svein) until returning to his district, where he acted as his lord's representative (as a setesvein).
In Celestine III's papal bull of 15 June 1194, secular officers of the Archbishop received freedom from all taxes and military duties. According to the Sættargjerd of 1277 (a concordat between the Church and the King), which was approved by Pope Gregory X, the Archbishop had the right to have 100 setesveins, and this without paying taxes. Likewise, each bishop could have 40 setesveins.
In the years of the Black Death ( - 1353), setesveins in the service of secular noblemen (knights) were placed under the direct control of the King. This represented the end of group of secular setesveins.
In the Late Middle Ages, clerical setesveins were seated mainly along the coast, from Sogn in Western Norway to Finnmark in Northern Norway. Their function was to administer the Archbishop's estate, for example by collecting taxes. In addition, they traded, partly themselves and partly on behalf of the Archbishop. In the 1530s, there were at least 69 setesveins in Norway, whereof 49 in Northern Norway. The reason for their numerous presence in this region were the important fisheries and the thereto belonging export to Continental Europe.
Whilst they were not noble ex officio, setesveins had, in general, the same social and economical position as lower nobility. It is known that a few setesveins received 'noble freedom' from the Archbishop. Clerical setesveins were recruited mainly among lower nobility and very wealthy farmers.
Alike the nobility, setesveins enjoyed full tax freedom for their seat farms. They had freedom from leidang (military service); however, the Archbishop could order them into military service for the Archdiocese.
After the Reformation in 1537, when the Archbishop went into exile and the Catholic Church of Norway was dissolved and replaced by the Church of Norway, setesveins lost the legal foundation on which their positions rested. Furthermore, King Christian III did send soldiers to raid the coast, punishing and confiscating goods of setesveins who had supported the Archbishop.
In the following years, most setesveins continued being traders and shippers. Some of them apparently remained local representatives of the Church, now under the new, Lutheran Superintendent and the canons in Nidaros. Members of this class of ex-setesveins were known as pages (Norwegian: knape, knabe; lit. 'boy') and are today known under the non-official term page nobility (Norwegian: knapeadel, knabeadel). They were part of the upper social class in Northern Norway in the 16th and 17th centuries, and several Nordland families descend from them. Their social significance and their impact on culture have been considerable in the region.
In a list of 1533, named Sancte Oluffz domkirkis Szeteswenne (Setesveins of the Cathedral of St. Olaf), one finds that Olav Engelbrektsson, Archbishop of Nidaros had 69 setesveins. Ending with 'etc.', the list is apparently incomplete.
| Region | District | Number | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Norway | Finnmark | 18 | ||
| Troms and Senja | 16 | |||
| Vesterålen and Lofoten | 5 | |||
| Salten and Helgeland | 10 | |||
| Central Norway | Fosen | 3 | ||
| Gauldalen | 1 | |||
| Western Norway | Nordmøre | 2 | ||
| Romsdal | 1 | |||
| Nordfjord | 1 | |||
| Sogn | 1 | |||
| Eastern Norway | Gudbrandsdalen | 1 | ||
| Opplanda | 9 | |||
| Overseas | Iceland | 2 |
The following list is based mainly on Ludvig Ludvigsen Daae's presentation of the 1533 list of setesveins. The presentation is a part of an article named Den Throndhjemske Erkestols Sædesvende og Frimænd (1890). Daae's presentation contains additional comments and references. These are not included in the list below.
| Name (original orthography) | Name (modern or alternative orthography) | Place (original orthography) | Place (modern orthography) | Comments | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mogns Laffrinsen | Mons Lavransson | Wordøyn | ||||
| Halword Søgnn | Hallvard - | Wordøyn | The list contains further information. | |||
| Henrick Ysackson | Henrik Isaksson | Wordøyn | ||||
| Oluff Keelsson | Olav Kjellsson | Matkowr | ||||
| Erlend Skott | Erlend Skotte | Umgong | 'Skott' means 'man from Scotland'. | |||
| Peder Iffversson | Per Ivarsson | Umgong | Omgang | His name is struck out in the list. | ||
| Jon Goutisonn | Jon Gauteson | Skitningsberg | ||||
| Oluf Alffzon | Olav Alvsson | Skitningsberg | Skjøtningsberg | The list contains further information. | ||
| Reider Andersonn | Reidar Andersson | Kelwiken | Kjelvika | |||
| Lasse Jute | Lasse Jyde | Tuffuenes | 'Jute' means 'man from Jutland'. | |||
| Laffrens Bentsson | Lavrans Bentsson | Tuffuenes | Tunes | His name is struck out in the list. | ||
| Welick | Tuffuenes | Tunes | His name is struck out in the list. | |||
| Saxe | Helmisøynn | |||||
| Mogns Olufson | Mons Olavsson | Ingen | Ingøya | |||
| Stein Halvordson | Stein Hallvarsson | Ingen | Ingøya | |||
| Andor Siurdson | Andor Sjursson | Søderwer | Sørvær | |||
| Peder Booson | Søderwer | Sørvær | ||||
| Jacop | Jakop | Søderwer | Sørvær | |||
| Peder Hemmingson | Per Hemmingsson | Trumsen | The list contains further information. | |||
| Matz Scriffuer | Mats Skriver | Trumsen | Troms | 'Scriffwer', with other spellings, is a family name and a profession meaning 'writer'. The list contains further information. | ||
| Torstein Engelbretson | Torstein Engelbrektsson | Trumsen | Troms | A brother of Archbishop Olav Engelbrektsson. | ||
| Jon Skarffw | Jon Skarv | Trumsen | Troms | His name is struck out in the list. | ||
| Ammund | Amund | Trumsen | Troms | |||
| Oluf Ericsonn | Olav Eiriksson | Trumsen | Troms | Apparently added to the list later. The list contains further information. | ||
| Aslak Engelbrictson | Aslak Engelbrektsson | Trondenes | The list contains further information. A brother of Archbishop Olav Engelbrektsson. | |||
| Oluf Tordson | Olav Tordsson | Trondenes | Trondenes | |||
| Oluf Engelbrictson | Olav Engelbrektsson | Trondenes, Roglen | Trondenes, Rogla | |||
| Oluf Amundson | Olav Amundsson | Trondenes | Trondenes | |||
| Nils Seborg | Trondenes | Trondenes | His name is struck out in the list. | |||
| Oluf Halvordson | Olav Hallvardsson | Trondenes | Trondenes | His name is struck out in the list. | ||
| Lasse Jenson | Lasse Jensson | Trondenes | Trondenes | The list contains further information. | ||
| Oluf Halvordson | Olav Hallvardsson | Torsken | ||||
| Nils Seborgh | - | - | ||||
| Jens Jwte | Jens Jute | - | - | 'Jwte' means 'man from Jutland'. | ||
| Oluf Person | Olav Persson | Andenes | ||||
| Rasmus Scriffwer | Rasmus Skriver | Westeraalen | 'Scriffwer', with other spellings, is a family name and a profession meaning 'writer'. | |||
| Sylvester | Sylvester | Lofothen | The list contains further information. | |||
| Jens Nilsson | Jens Nilsson | Røster | ||||
| Iver Jonson | Ivar Jonsson | Løddingen | ||||
| Jon Haagenson | Jon Håkonsson | Salten | ||||
| Nils Degen | Nils Degn | Salten | Salten | 'Degen' means 'deacon'. | ||
| Knudt Torleffzon | Knut Torleivsson | Salten | Salten | |||
| Jens Jwte | Jens Jute | Salten | Salten | 'Jwte' means 'man from Jutland'. The list contains further information. | ||
| Steffan Anderson | Steffan Andersson | Gildeskaalen | The list contains further information. | |||
| Michil Teyste | Mikkel Teiste | Rødøyn | Teiste was a noble family. | |||
| Peder Gouteson | Per Gauteson | Rødøyn | Rødøy | The list contains further information. | ||
| Stig | Stig | Rødøyn, Nesøyn | Rødøy, Nesøya | The list contains further information. | ||
| Olwff Kuse | Olav Kusse | Alstehough | Kusse was a noble family. The list contains further information. | |||
| Nils Smydht | Nils Smidt | Alstehough | Altstahaug | 'Smidt', with other spellings, is a family name meaning 'smith'. | ||
| Anders Amundson | Anders Amundsson | Fosen | ||||
| Jacob Syndmør | Fosen | Fosen | The list contains further information. | |||
| Haftor Keelson | Havtor Kjellsson | Fosen | Fosen | The list contains further information. | ||
| Nils | Nils | Qvernes, Ykersøyn | Kvernes, Ekkilsøy | The list contains further information. | ||
| Nils Benctson | Nils Bentsson | Qvernes | Kvernes | |||
| Elef | Eiliv | Søndmør, Sunnes | Sunnmøre, ... | The list contains further information. | ||
| Esbjørn Erichsen | Asbjørn Eiriksson | Romsdalen | The list contains further information. | |||
| Jens Klokkegyther | Nordfjord | |||||
| Gunnar Ragnesson | Gunnar Ragneson | Sogn | ||||
| Erik | Eirik | Gouldalen, Vinsnes | Gauldalen, Vinsnes | The list contains further information. | ||
| Erre | Doffre | |||||
| Østen Kloot | Øystein - | - | - | |||
| Oluf Siurdsøn | Olav Sjursson | Haghe | ? | |||
| Oluff | Olav | - | - | |||
| Henning Munk | Henning Munk | Lwm | The list contains further information. | |||
| Tord Vidersonn | Tord Vidarsson | - | - | His name is struck out in the list. The list contains further information. | ||
| Endrit Jensson | Eindride Jensson | - | - | The list says 'Endrit Jensson Anno MDXXXV'. | ||
| Søffwerin | Søren | Gyle | ? | The list contains further information. | ||
| Oluff Lagmand | Olav lagmann (Norwegian) Ólafur lögmaður (Icelandic) | Ysland | A 'lagmand' was a lawspeaker. | |||
| Jørgen Halsteinsson | Jørgen Halsteinsson | - | - |
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]