Knut Jönsson Posse (; died 25 March 1500) was a Swedish general in Sweden and Finland remembered for the Viborg Bang (1495) and for his surprise attack on the Danish Army at the

Battle of Brunkeberg The Battle of Brunkeberg was fought on 10 October 1471 between the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Elder and forces led by Danish king Christian I. Sture won a decisive victory, weakening the Kalmar Union considerably and becoming the effectiv ...

(1471).

Military career

Knut Posse was appointed bailiff of

Stockholm Castle Stockholm Palace, or the Royal Palace, ( or ) is the official residence and major Crown palaces in Sweden, royal palace of the Monarchy of Sweden, Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen ...

in 1466 and in 1472 was bailiff at Hämeenlinna Castle. In 1490 he was appointed courtier at

Kastelholm Castle Kastelholm Castle (, ) is a medieval castle built by the Swedes in the late 14th century. It is located near Road 2 in the municipality of Sund, Åland, Sund in Åland, Finland, about northeast of Mariehamn, overlooking a fjord near the village ...

, and in 1495, Posse was governor of Viborg Castle. He lived until 1500 and died at

. He was buried at

Turku Cathedral Turku Cathedral (, ) is the only medieval basilica in Finland and the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It is the central church of the Lutheran Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Lutheran Archbishop of Turku, Arch ...

Battle of Brunkeberg

In 1471, Regent Sten Sture ordered Posse to load the garrison of Stockholm Castle onto boats to ready a surprise attack on the Danish and German Army of King

Christian I of Denmark Christian I ''(Christiern I)'' (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a German noble and Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), King of Norway, Norway (1450–1481) and King of Sweden, Sweden (1457 ...

. His order were to attack the Danes in the rear from Stadsholmen. The Danes would then be attacked on three sides: Sten Sture would attack from the south, Nils Sture would flank the Danes and attack from the rear, and Posse would attack the Danes from the east flank. The Danish were completely surprised by Posse's attack. Soon after the battle started, Christian I sent more troops to reinforce their position near Sankta Klara kloster. The Danish Armies were no match for Posse's men, whom he led from the front. Posse's legs were hit by several Danish arrows.

Vyborg Bang

From 1495 to 1497, Posse was governor of Viborg Castle, and commanded the garrison during the 1495 siege by forces of the

Grand Principality of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...

. He successfully defeated the much larger Russian army by luring the attackers onto the walls and detonating an

explosive mine A mine is an explosive placed underground or underwater that explodes when disturbed, or when remotely triggered. The term originated from the use of mining to go under the enemy's city walls. Mines, unlike bombs, are placed ''in situ'' and then re ...

under their feet, in what became known as the Viborg Bang (; ).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Posse, Knut 15th-century Swedish people Swedish generals 1500 deaths Year of birth unknown 15th-century Finnish people Military personnel from Stockholm