Thomas Neijman

About me

In my phd project The to Sweden migrated German nobility in the 14th Century: Networks, positions and spatiality, movements in the nobility during the 14th century are studied. This is a turbulent century of rebellions and depositions of kings. King Magnus Eriksson was deposed in favor of Albrecht of Mecklenburg in 1364, who in turn was deposed by Queen Margaret in 1389. The poor economy led to large parts of Sweden being pledged in various rounds to Swedish nobles and other actors from the church, Hanseatic league, Holstein, Mecklenburg and Denmark. With the pledges and regime changes, groups of nobility came into Sweden from Germany and Denmark. Some of these were in Sweden for a shorter time, while others remained longer.

It is this phenomenon I want to investigate in this dissertation´s topic by studying how the newly established nobility acted; how their networks and economic, social, symbolic, cultural and military capital developed over the change of power. Both in Sweden and in the countries they came from. This can provide new knowledge about the actions of the nobility in the turbulent events of the 14th century, which also influenced the actions of those in power. But also provide a better understanding of the power structures and dynamics of pre-modern society.

My previous research has dealt with various aspects of the invasion of Gotland in 1361. During this invasion by the Danish king Valdemar IV several battles were fought on Gotland. One of these stood outside Visby gates on July 27 and ended with a huge Gotlandic loss. Mass grave finds from this battle show the cruelty of the war and are world famous due to a large number of armor objects. About this event there are well-spread and strong narratives today. My research has been about gaining new knowledge about the events of 1361 through an interdisciplinary approach.