Lisbetha Olsdotter
Encyclopedia
Lisbetha Olsdotter was a Swedish female crossdresser, who was executed on a number of different charges after having dressed as a man, served as a soldier
and married a woman.
In 24 October 1679 Svea Hovrätt in Stockholm brought the charges, earlier raised in the court of Långhundra Häradsting. Lisbetha Olsdotter is reported to have been originally from Tysslinge torp in Östuna parish in Långhundra Härad.
In 1678, she was a servant in the household of the country administrator Jon Persson in Alby
in Botkyrka under the name Mats Ersson. With the help of the master mariner Erik Persson Arnelii, who knew her biological sex, she enlisted as a soldier, and gave Arnelii some of her salary as thanks for his help and silence.
She was present in all the military drills and performed all her duties as a soldier, and married, according to all traditional ceremonies of the church, the maid Kerstin Ersdotter.
.
Sara and Arnelii, who had helped her, were also arrested. The case, however, was so unusual, that the verdict would be confirmed by the highest Royal court in the country first.
The Royal court confirmed the verdict on 12 November, and ordered the priests to clarify for her what sin she had committed in the eyes of religion. It was decided by the court, that she would go to her execution dressed as a man, but wear a female headgear.
She was decapitated on Hötorget
in Stockholm in 1679.
From the late 16th century to the early 19th century, there were several known cases in Swedish military history of women impersonating men, especially in the early 18th century. The most famous case was the one of Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar
in 1728. An unnamed woman, who served in the Great Northern War
, was whipped as a punishment, but continued to wear male clothing until the 1740s, when she was known on the streets of Stockholm as "The Rider"; Maria Johansdotter
, who was put on trial in Stockholm in 1706 for having dressed as a man and served as a parish clerk, was given a sentence of eight days in jail and then set free. Most of the cases did not lead to execution, as the case of Lisbetha Olsdotter.
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and married a woman.
In 24 October 1679 Svea Hovrätt in Stockholm brought the charges, earlier raised in the court of Långhundra Häradsting. Lisbetha Olsdotter is reported to have been originally from Tysslinge torp in Östuna parish in Långhundra Härad.
Background
Lisbetha had run away from home and abandoned her husband and her children. According to the documents, a soldier's widow, Sara, had originally advised her to dress as a man in order to seduce the vivacious widow Maria.In 1678, she was a servant in the household of the country administrator Jon Persson in Alby
Alby, Botkyrka
Alby is a suburb in Botkyrka Municipality within the Stockholm urban area.Alby has one of the 100 stations of the Stockholm metro system.Alby, a municipal area in Botkyrka, with a population of approximately 10,000, has a very high concentration of immigrants...
in Botkyrka under the name Mats Ersson. With the help of the master mariner Erik Persson Arnelii, who knew her biological sex, she enlisted as a soldier, and gave Arnelii some of her salary as thanks for his help and silence.
She was present in all the military drills and performed all her duties as a soldier, and married, according to all traditional ceremonies of the church, the maid Kerstin Ersdotter.
Charges
She was put on trial for several charges:- AbandonmentAbandonmentThe term abandonment has a multitude of uses, legal and extra-legal. This "signpost article" provides a guide to the various legal and quasi-legal uses of the word and includes links to articles that deal with each of the distinct concepts at greater length...
of husband and children; - Wearing of male clothing, which was forbidden in the BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, and the crime of secular fraudFraudIn criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
by pretending to be a man; - BigamyBigamyIn cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
, as she married when she already had a husband; - Homosexuality, and having ridiculed the holy act of marriage by marrying someone of the same sex;
- TheftTheftIn common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
, after having received salary as a soldier; - FraudFraudIn criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
, for taking a profession she was not capable of performing.
Execution
She was judged guilty of the charges under the law of the act of religion from 1655; for having, with full intent, "mutilated" her gender, "mocked God and the Order of God", and fooled authorities and her "fellow Christians" by impersonating a man. She was sentenced to death by decapitationDecapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
.
Sara and Arnelii, who had helped her, were also arrested. The case, however, was so unusual, that the verdict would be confirmed by the highest Royal court in the country first.
The Royal court confirmed the verdict on 12 November, and ordered the priests to clarify for her what sin she had committed in the eyes of religion. It was decided by the court, that she would go to her execution dressed as a man, but wear a female headgear.
She was decapitated on Hötorget
Hötorget
Hötorget is a city square in the center of Stockholm. During the daytime it is the site of a fruit and vegetable market, except on Sundays, when flea markets are arranged....
in Stockholm in 1679.
From the late 16th century to the early 19th century, there were several known cases in Swedish military history of women impersonating men, especially in the early 18th century. The most famous case was the one of Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar
Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar
Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar was a Swedish corporal and crossdresser who served during the Great Northern War. She was put on trial for having served as a military posing as a man and for marrying a woman...
in 1728. An unnamed woman, who served in the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
, was whipped as a punishment, but continued to wear male clothing until the 1740s, when she was known on the streets of Stockholm as "The Rider"; Maria Johansdotter
Maria Johansdotter
Maria Johansdotter, or Maja Jansdotter, also known as Magnus Johansson, was a Swedish spelman and parish clerk. She was the first woman parish clerk in Sweden. She was put on trial for homosexuality and for having posed as a man in 1705. Maria Johansdotter arrived to Stockholm from Åland with...
, who was put on trial in Stockholm in 1706 for having dressed as a man and served as a parish clerk, was given a sentence of eight days in jail and then set free. Most of the cases did not lead to execution, as the case of Lisbetha Olsdotter.
Literature
- Wilhelmina Stålberg Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor