Chronicle of The Expulsion of The Greyfriars - Chapter 12 Concerning The Friary in Ystad

Chapter 12 Concerning The Friary in Ystad

This is the story of the inhuman and sorrowful ways the Grayfriar monks were persecuted or hounded out of Ystad Friary by the Lutheran sect in the Lord's year 1532, shortly before the Annunciation of the birth of Jesus1 to the blessed Virgin Mary. The following events will make it clear for the reader to see how unrighteously and unChristian they were dealt with.

First one must make it clear that already before the brother's expulsion the Lutheran citizens had used violence against them, despite that they (the brothers) had complained to the king and the State Council. The first violent episode took place when the Lutheran party driven and inflamed by a devilish and fire-spouting spirit came to the Ystad Friary, encircled it, and forced their way inside, and it would have succeeded if the brethren had not strengthened the gate and church door with heavy beams and pieces of wood and personally offered strong resistance.

But the Lutherans began to smash the planks of the church door and tore down the enclosure surrounding the friary and invaded the servants quarters. But because of the brothers' resistance, they could not get into the interior of the friary. Therefore they filled the brothers' ears with scolding and mocking; they called them murderers, robbers, thieves, blood suckers, and soul destroyers.

The second violent episode against the brothers was by the same Lutherans who determined to enter the friary and write down all the friary contents without authority. At that time a certain Søren Jepsen and another citizen named Ingvard destroyed the door and lock to the dormitory. These things and many unkind words were used against the Ystad brethren before their expulsion.

Now follows a short account of the expulsion.

The year after the above-named events, that is 1532, before the Feast of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary1 just as we were finished with vespers and the official service, the town mayor, Hans Hjort, came together with his Lutheran party and a great part of the citizens and pounded violently on the gate and demanded to be admitted. That was denied them, and they ran to the church grillwork2 with burning rage and shouting. They shook the grillwork so that it was nearly broken it into pieces by force.

When the Guardian, Brother Anders Bertelsen, heard it, he hurried together with some of the other brothers to the grille and asked them why they had come with such anger and such rage, and what they wanted. They all shouted that they had a royal letter (indicating) that all the brothers should be expelled and the friary remodeled into a hospital for the poor and the sick. They asked if they might come in, but when the Guardian would not permit them, they said they would force their way into the friary. When the Guardian heard that, he demanded to see the royal warrant that ordered such an expulsion, and if they could not show it, then they (the monks) would under no circumstances leave the friary. The citizens replied that they would under no circumstances show him the letter.

After this exchange of words, Hans Hjort together with all the others went back to the gate and asked if he and a few other people could enter the friary and speak peacefully with him and the brothers without violence or wrong. And he promised on his faith under oath, yes under the loss of his position, that he would keep his word. And then under those assurances of his trustworthiness the guardian opened the gate.

But when the door was opened, Hans Hjort with all his followers ran raging into the friary and tore the keys violently from the porter. When they had done that, Soren Jepsen demanded of the Guardian the founding charters of the friary, its keys, and the accounts concerning the properties which had been recorded in the royal register previously.

But the Guardian demanded two or three times that someone should read aloud the royal warrant. At last the town scribe, Søren was his name, took out a wad of paper without a seal and read aloud to the Guardian and his brothers the articles and reasons for which they should be expelled:

First, the brethren did not preach the holy Gospel. For the second, all the citizens desired that the brethren be expelled. For the third, the brethren had no way to sustain themselves. When this was read out and heard, the Guardian asked Master Niels Vinther and the town council if the brethren had preached anything other than Christ's holy Gospel and the holy scriptures.

Whereupon they replied that the brethren had preached correctly and Catholic for them and had lived uprightly among them and said: We do not at all wish that the brethren should be chased away." The Lutherans contradicted them, and there arose a great internal division among the citizens. When quiet was restored, the Guardian appealed to the king and State Council; he would reply to these false charges. And he said that those here (referring to the warrant) have spoken to the king in error.

Thereafter Søren Jespen ran forward in great haste toward the Guardian and tore the keys violently from him. When the brethren saw that, they ran away, all of them; some up into the choir, others into the dormitory, but the Lutheran citizens hunted them forcefully out of the cells, dragged them out and struck them with their axes.

But one brother, called Søren Jacobsen, they threw to the floor near the stair to the dormitory several times, stomped on him with their feet and in the cloister smashed him against the walls and dragged him around the cloister by his arms like a dumb ass. When he finally escaped from them, he said to his brethren: "I tell you, brothers, and it is true, that I feel my death is near after such blows and bumps as I have taken; I am so poorly that I can hardly draw a breath." Several days afterwards this brother went to bed and began to be very ill, such that he spit up blood continually and often fell unconscious to the floor. When Brother Søren lay in his final hours a few (citizens) came to him, councilor Algod Nielsen, Mogens Johansen, Tycho Laurentsen, Tue Sutor, and Peter Olsen came to (see) the aforementioned Brother Søren.

He said to them: You dear men and friends! See how un-Christian your fellow citizens have mishandled me! Especially Peter Nielsen, Oluf Maler, Lars Bønder, and many others I do not know, who have struck me, so that I cannot but suffer death." At last the town bailiff, Peter Madsen, came to the aforesaid Brother Søren together with a few other citizens and asked him if he would accuse anyone of causing his death, in case he should suffer death. But Brother Søren replied: "You should know that if I had remained in my friary, then I wouldn't be so weak and sick as I am now. But though I harbour no hatred or resentment against those who mishandled me so inhumanly, I would like to forgive them for the love of Jesus Christ's sake, he who has suffered even more for my sake. I have enough to think about with the pains in my body until I can overcome even that. But their judgement, who have mishandled and beat me so cruelly, I leave to the righteous judge who shall judge all things righteously. I will not craft my words, so that I run into difficulties if I survive, though I don't believe that I shall survive."

Also (there came) two of the aforesaid persons or men to Brother Søren, who had struck him. They acknowledged their guilt and asked for his forgiveness which they also obtained. But others of those who had struck him continued in their stiff-necked wickedness and did not come to ask for forgiveness.

(Returning now to the account of the expulsion) Also many citizens struck nearly all the other friars to the ground, they were mistreated as if attacked by wolves, they were struck with swords, and like miserable asses dragged by the arms out of the friary. Yes, so cruel and inhuman were they mistreated that I believe fully and completely that if a Jew or a heathen had seen such actions and so miserable a sight that they could not withhold their tears.

The king's mercenaries and knights who witnessed it were extremely saddened and felt the greatest sympathy and said: "O, how cruel and inhuman are the citizens of this town!" and "How hard a people there are in this Danish land! In our homelands when the virtuous ones were driven out, no one struck them so, or mistreated them in such a manner; just the opposite, people assisted them with clothing and money and other things necessary to the sustenance of life." Such things and many others said the leaders of the mercenaries to the brethren to comfort them. Also Master Niels Vinther and many other good people had much compassion with the brethren and wept. A few days after the expulsion two other brother priests, Thomas and Kristoffer died because of their wounds and blows which they received from the cursed Lutherans, but that must be left to the righteous judge, he who knows the depth of all things.

At the holy time of Easter when all true Christians who have reached the age of understanding were used to partaking of the most important communion, the brethren were unable to receive the sacred and honourable sacrament when they celebrated services behind closed doors, the Lutherans had forbidden it (communion) as if the brethren had been heathens, excommunicated, or cursed.3 They also held the Guardian, Brother Anders Bertelsen imprisoned for eight weeks and threatened him with the bread of persecution and the drink of tribulation. Of real bread whereby they could maintain life in him, he received none, not so much as a crumb and that doesn't happen even for law breakers who shall be hanged or racked.

Therefore he was forced to beg from good Christian people for life's sustenance and (received) that only if he gave assurances that he would not run away. And despite the fact that the good Father Guardian and the brethren left good provision in the friary at the time they were driven out, they could obtain no provisions from there. That and much else must the Ystad brethren at the time of the expulsion endured from the unholy Lutherans side; and this has Father Anders Bertelsen himself told me, Brother Erasmus Olavi in good faith and forthrightly; he protested and proved it with word and script and called upon the Almighty God to witness that the preceding explanation is true as spoken.

1: The Feast of the Annunciation was most often celebrated on 25 March, essentially New Year's Day in the old calendar.

2 Grillwork or the 'grille' is a loose translation of the Danish word 'gitter' which denotes a wrought iron fence or gates. This refers to the practice of gating off the monk's part of the church from the rest of the congregation which normally came to hear mass in the friary church. Aarhus Cathedral still has the grille in place as a work of medieval art. Many churches in Denmark 'gate off' chapels, funeral monuments, and other spaces to prevent unwanted intrusion with similar wrought iron gates or fences.

3 One might ask the question, given the violent treatment the Franciscans had received at the hands of the citizens of Ystad, why were they still there weeks later? It may well be that they were awaiting some word about Father Bertelsen's appeal 'to the king and State council', but Frederik I had less than a year to live, the State Council was in the process of gathering support to prevent Duke Christian from taking the throne and tipping the balance of power in favor of the Lutherans. Certainly the brethren remained at Ystad for some time after the expulsion. The expulsion happened before the Feast of the Annunciation and at Easter they were celebrating mass behind 'closed doors' perhaps a reference to the friary. Brother Søren Jacobsen's reference, "If I had remained in the friary..." indicates that he was perhaps taken in by more compassionate citizens of Ystad. Guardian Anders Bertelsen remained imprisoned eight weeks before he was released and went to tell his story to Brother Erasmus Olai.