Olav Nilsson

Olav Nilsson

Amongst the members of the Skanke family that went on to serve as knights of first the Norwegian and later the Dano-Norwegian kings was Olav Nilsson Skanke (? - 1455). Olav is first mentioned in written sources in 1424, as a royal official in the city of Trondheim. Later on Olav became a wealthy landowner in both Norway and Denmark and was made knight in 1430, together with his brother Peder. The king who declared the brothers to be knights was Eric of Pomerania. Some time after 1430 Olav married Elisabeth Eskildsdatter from Skåne, a lady of high nobility who had the right to use in her coat-of-arms the Royal Lion of Denmark. The marriage of Olav and Elisabeth was one of equal partners, this as Elisabeth personally owned large properties in Sweden and was of strong will and determination. Elisabeth's position in the marriage would be clearly portrayed in the pivotal role she was to play in many of the dramatic events that took place in the latter stages of Olav's life.

Olav was a member of the Norwegian Riksråd.

King Christopher wanted to improve his relations with the common people of his realm, having come to power following rebellions against his predecessor, Eric, who had allowed foreign officials and bishops to exploit the peoples he ruled over. One of the main efforts of king Cristopher to mend these relations was to appoint a commission to process the complaints of the citizens of Norway. The chairman of this commission was Olav Nilsson Skanke. Olav was also appointed chief official of Bergen, the main trading centre and harbour of Norway at the time.

Perhaps chief amongst the foreign influences that were detested by the Norwegian people at the time was the Hanseatic League. The League operated outside of Norwegian law and conducted themselves with indecency and violence. The citizens of Bergen complained to Olav, but the knight was not able to get support from either the king or the king's government. Acting alone, and with harsh means, Olav punished those amongst the Hanseatic who had committed crimes against the city's citizens, thus earning the hatred of the League.