Baron Klas Kristersson Horn (1517 – September 9, 1566) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

-born Swedish nobleman and naval admiral who fought for Sweden in the

Northern Seven Years' War The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War,'' the ''Seven Years' War of the North'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden (1523–1611), K ...

of 1563–1570.

Biography

Horn was born at Åminne Manor in

Halikko Halikko () is a former municipality of Finland that existed until December 31, 2008. On January 1, 2009, the municipality was merged with the larger neighboring Salo. Before the merge Halikko had become a rapidly urbanizing rural area. It was ...

, Finland. He was the son of Krister Klasson Horn and Ingeborg Siggesdtr Sparre. He received his early education in the court of

Philip I, Duke of Pomerania Philip I of Pomerania (14 May 1515, in Szczecin, Stettin – 14 February 1560, in Wolgast) was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast. Life Philip was the only surviving son of Duke George I, Duke of Pomerania, George, from his first marriage to Amalie of t ...

. In 1550, King

Gustav I of Sweden Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföreståndare'') from 1521, during the on ...

made him the head of the district of southern Finland at

Raseborg Raseborg (; , ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Raseborg is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Raseborg is approximately , while the Raseborg sub-region, sub-region has a popul ...

. He participated in the expeditions of

Jakob Bagge Jakob Tordsson Bagge (1 May 1502 – 14 January 1577) was a Norwegian born, Swedish admiral and nobleman. Biography Bagge was born as the son of Norwegian nobleman Thord Olofsson Bagge and his wife Ingeborg Jakobsdotter. Both he and his father ...

during the fall of 1555. In 1556, he was sent to

Viborg Castle Vyborg Castle (; ; ) is a fortress in Vyborg, Russia. It was built by the Swedes during the Middle Ages around which the town of Vyborg evolved. The castle became the stronghold of the Swedish realm in the Karelian region. Throughout the centur ...

and the following year was made commander. In 1559, he won a number of battles against Danish naval forces under

Herluf Trolle Herluf Trolle (14 January 1516 – 25 June 1565) was a Danish naval officer, Admiral of the Fleet and co-founder of Herlufsholm School (''Herlufsholm Skole og Gods''), a private boarding school at Næstved on the island of Zealand in Denmark. ...

and the

Free City of Lübeck Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, the ability to act or change without constraint or restriction * Emancipate, attaining civil and political rights or equality * Free (gratis), Free (''gratis''), free of charge * Gratis versus libre, the di ...

. Horn was sent to Reval (now

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

) by King

Eric XIV of Sweden Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He w ...

in March 1561. By June,

Toompea Castle Toompea castle () is a medieval castle on Toompea hill in the central part of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. In modern times, it houses the Parliament of Estonia (''Riigikogu''). History The Toompea castle's predecessor, an ancient Estoni ...

was conquered by his troops and Reval became a dominion of Sweden. Klas Horn was raised to

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

(''Horn af Åminne'') and made a baron in June 1561. After Jakob Bagge was captured, Klas was promoted to admiral in the Royal Swedish Navy in the fall of 1564. In January 1565, forces under his command sacked the Danish provinces of

Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

and

Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Br ...

. He won a decisive victory over the Danish navy at Bornholm on July 7, 1565 and on July 26, 1566 in the third battle of the northern part of Öland. He died shortly after being called to command Swedish land forces.

Personal life

In 1551, he married Kerstin Krumme (1532–1611). He died at Stora Åby parish in

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

, Sweden and was buried at

Uppsala Cathedral Uppsala Cathedral () is a cathedral located between the University Hall (Uppsala University), University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in t ...

Legacy

Baron Klas Kristersson Horn has been recognized as a naval hero, with both the Royal Swedish Navy and Finnish Navy naming vessels in his honor: ''HSwMS Klas Horn'' (1929) and ''

Klas Horn Baron Klas Kristersson Horn (1517 – September 9, 1566) was a Finland under Swedish rule, Finnish-born Swedish nobleman and naval admiral who fought for Sweden in the Northern Seven Years' War of 1563–1570. Biography Horn was born at Åminne ...

'' (1892).

Biography

Personal life

Legacy

See also

References

Related reading