Clas Åkesson Tott (c. 1530–1596) was a military Field Marshal (1572) and member of the

Privy Council of Sweden The Council of the Realm, or simply The Council ( sv, Riksrådet or sv, Rådet: sometimes in la, Senatus Regni Sueciae), was a cabinet of medieval origin, consisting of magnates ( sv, stormän) which advised, and at times co-ruled with, the Ki ...

(1575). In the

Russo-Swedish War (1554–1557) The Russo-Swedish War of 1554–1557, considered a prelude to the Livonian War of 1558–1583, arose out of border skirmishes. It ended when the parties agreed on a truce in the Treaty of Novgorod (1557). Prelude Relations between Sweden and Ru ...

, he was the

rittmeister __NOTOC__ (German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...

of the cavalry

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

''Upplandsfanan''. He became responsible for the enlistment of army personnel in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, in 1563. At the

Battle of Axtorna The Battle of Axtorna or simply Axtorna, was a battle fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and Denmark-Norway 20 October 1565 at Axtorna, a small village in what is today Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County in south-western Sweden. Back ...

, in 1566, he was taken as prisoner of war, but he was released in 1569. As the commander-in-chief of

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

(1572–1574), he defeated the Russians at the Battle of Lode in 1573, before he was displaced by

Pontus de la Gardie Baron Pontus De la Gardie (c. 1520 – 5 November 1585) was a French nobleman and a general in the service of Denmark and Sweden. Life and career He was born Ponce d'Escouperie in Caunes-Minervois (Aude), Languedoc, a son of Jacques Escop ...

due to the disastrous outcome of the

Siege of Wesenberg (1574) The siege of Wesenberg (Rakvere, Rakovor) was an abortive Swedish siege of the Russian-held town of Wesenberg in Estonia from January through March 1574, during the Livonian War. The siege is infamous for a brawl and subsequent combat between ...

.* He became the stadtholder of

in 1576, but he fell out of grace with John III which led to his losing his titles in 1589 and his membership in the Privy Council.

Sources

;Notes ;General reference *The article ''Tott, Clas Åkesson'' in ''

Nationalencyklopedin ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 1 ...

'' (1995). *The article ''Tott, Clas Åkesson'' in ''Biografiskt lexikon för Finland'' (2008). {{DEFAULTSORT:Tott, Clas Akesson Tott Akesson, Clas Tott Akesson, Clas Tott Akesson, Clas Tott Akesson, Clas 16th-century Swedish politicians 16th-century Swedish military personnel