Gödeke Michels (

Low Saxon Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of th ...

; died 1402), also known as Gottfried Michaelsen in

High German The High German dialects (german: hochdeutsche Mundarten), or simply High German (); not to be confused with Standard High German which is commonly also called ''High German'', comprise the varieties of German spoken south of the Benrath and ...

, was a German pirate and one of the leaders of the Likedeeler, a combination of former Vitalienbrüder.

Early life

Career

Together with

Klaus Störtebeker "Nikolaus" Storzenbecher or "Klaus" Störtebeker (1360 – supposed 20 October 1401) was reputed to be leader of a group of privateers known as the Victual Brothers (german: Vitalienbrüder). The Victual Brothers ( la, victualia) were ...

Hennig Wichmann Hennig Wichmann (died 1402) was one of the leaders of the German Likedeelers, an association of former Victual Brothers who had turned pirate. Together with Klaus Störtebeker and Magister Wigbold, he wreaked havoc in the North and Baltic Sea at ...

and

Magister Wigbold Magister Wigbold (died 1401), (alternative spellings: Wygbold, Wycholt), also called “Master of the Seven Arts” was a German pirate who belonged to the famous Likedeeler pirates of Klaus Störtebeker who were active in the North and Baltic ...

, as well as other leaders of the Likedeeler, he raided shipping in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

and

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...

near the end of the 14th century. They possessed fast ships, which easily outmaneuvered the ships of the

Hanse The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German tow ...

. Like many of the Likedeeler, Michels was primarily concerned with capturing valuable

prizes A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

. However, he disdained cowardice and those surviving crewmen who had not resisted were usually thrown overboard.

Death

Gottfried Michaelsen was eventually captured and executed in the year 1402, shortly after Klaus Störtebeker and crewmen were beheaded on the

Grasbrook is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') of Hamburg, Germany within the borough (''Bezirk'') of Hamburg-Mitte. It is situated on the eponymous island between the Northern and Southern branches of the Elbe river (''Norderelbe'' and ''Süderelbe''), together wi ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

References

* Jörgen Bracker, "Klaus Störtebeker – nur einer von ihnen. Die Geschichte der Vitalienbrüder", in: ''Störtebeker. 600 Jahre nach seinem Tod'', Wilfried Ehbrecht (ed.), Lübeck: Porta-Alba-Verlag, 2001, (=Hansische Studien; vol. 15), .

External links

Gottes Freund – Aller Welt Feind
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michels, Godeke 1402 deaths 14th-century births German pirates People executed in the Holy Roman Empire by decapitation Executed German people 15th-century executions Medieval pirates