Art & War

Carl Gustaf Wrangel (1613 – 1676), a Swedish field marshal, built the castle.

He became one of the most powerful and influential individuals in Sweden during the mid-seventeenth century. The construction of Skokloster Castle began in January 1654, chosen by Wrangel for its personal significance, as he was born in the old medieval stone house located at Skokloster. The estate had been in his family’s possession since the beginning of the century, inherited from his father, Herman Wrangel.

Skokloster meant much more to Count Wrangel than simply a home; it was intended to be a testament to his own greatness. To achieve this, he amassed a collection of artwork that included some of the finest artists of the era, including Lucas Cranach, Jan Steen, David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl, and Giuseppe Arcimboldo. These painters were individuals whom Carl Gustaf had encountered and admired during his campaigns across Europe.

Nonetheless, the initial inspiration for this collection came from Wrangel’s father, Herman Wrangel.

Herman Wrangel (1587–1643) received Skokloster as a gift from King Karl IX.

He in turn gave it as a morning gift to his wife Margareta Grip. Between 1611 and 1632, he had a successful military career in Sweden under Karl IX and Gustavus Adolphus. Wrangel took part in wars against Denmark and Russia and was appointed commander of Kalmar Castle. In 1621, he became field marshal, and led his officers in the successful siege of Riga.

The Wrangel family executed a shrewd marriage strategy, marrying into powerful noble families that solidified their standing among the elite of Swedish society.

He ardently pursued works of art and even commissioned a series of twenty portraits of his comrades-in-arms to adorn the walls of his residence at Skokloster. Despite his impressive collection, Herman Wrangel was particularly attached to the paintings of these officers.

As Sweden was asserting itself as a great power, the demand for skilled soldiers grew significantly. Karl IX’s policy favoured German-Baltic noblemen, resulting in around fifty of them becoming affiliated with Sweden through generous gifts.

Herman Wrangel himself belonged to an old German-Baltic noble family and the same applied to many of his company commanders, including Jöran Polman (Pålman), Johan Nieroth, Johan Patkul, and Johan Klingspor.

The presence of foreigners was notable within the Småland regiments during the 1620s, with commanders from the Baltic provinces and officers from Scotland, England, and France assuming leadership roles. Lieutenant Colonels Patrik Ruthven and Thomas Muschamp, as well as Captains Charles Campbell and William Man, were distinguished soldiers from Western islands, while Captain Claude de Laval, who became a resident of Grimsgöl in Längasjö parish, was French. The soldiers came from all over Europe to pursue a career in the renowned army of King Gustavus Adolphus.

The Scots Patrick Ruthven and David Drummond were famous for their drinking and smoking habits, respectively. Ruthven — who chancellor Axel Oxenstierna hailed as the most reliable of all the foreign officers in Swedish service — could drink even King Gustavus under the table. He made history as the man who could drink the most of all the men in the entire Swedish army, a feat that earned him tremendous respect amongst his peers.

Drummond, meanwhile, was remembered as the first known tobacco smoker in Sweden. The older generation of Swedes frowned upon this new practice of smoking and worried that the sparks from the smokers’ pipes would lead to continuous fires. Queen Christina herself seriously considered banning tobacco altogether as a “useless commodity” in 1643.

By the early 17th century, Sweden controlled not only Estonia but the whole Baltic Sea. It is easy to forget that Sweden was once a large empire, controlling much of Northern Europe. Under the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, the objective of Sweden’s foreign policy was dominion over the coasts of the Baltic Sea, dominium maris baltici. After the Swedes gained control of Pärnu in northern Livonia, Gustavus turned his attention to Riga. It was here that Wrangel’s officers would wield their might. The king’s troops arrived in the summer of 1621 and, after a siege of just over a month, Riga finally surrendered.

In 1623, Herman Wrangel received orders to protect Kalmar from a potential Polish invasion. He was joined by Kräill, who was tasked with strengthening the city’s fortifications. Soon after, the most courageous soldiers arrived as reinforcements to defend Kalmar, together with their elite supervisors, the famous “model officers” from the siege of Riga. But the enemy never showed up:

In the end, Kräill painted 20 portraits of his comrades-in-arms and friends between summer and fall 1623 at Kalmar Castle.32 The wielding of his paintbrush immortalised the officer’s achievements at the siege of Riga during the Thirty Years’ War.

On the walls of the corridors at Skokloster Castle, there are paintings showing members of Herman Wrangel’s officers’ corps. As you walk upstairs to the first floor of Skokloster, these officer portraits are the first thing to greet you.

All the portraits, except for the ones of Herman Wrangel himself and the self-portrait of Kräill, were painted in 1623. These two portraits are believed to have been painted between 1624-25.35 These portraits originally hung in the governor’s apartment at Kalmar Castle, where Herman Wrangel served as governor from 1616-1625. In 1623, they were moved to the so-called “stone house” (Swedish: stenhuset) at Skokloster, which was the Wrangel family’s residence prior to Skokloster Castle. Herman’s son, Carl Gustaf Wrangel, relocated the paintings to his new castle in 1664, where they have remained.

The 20 portraits, including Herman Wrangel’s, are displayed together, creating a striking effect.37 It is possible that Wrangel wanted to present the image of a commanding military force.38 However, paintings were also a way to achieve immortality, and Wrangel did not have enough portraits from his own ancestors to decorate the old Skokloster home.39 It is more likely that he commissioned these paintings to have a complete gallery to display in his residence.

Notably, there are inscriptions beneath the portraits and under the windows in between. These inscriptions include proverbs in multiple languages, such as Swedish, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, English, and German.

For example, the inscription beneath Jörgen Pålman’s portrait reads: “Facetiarum apud prapotentes in longum memoria, dum acerba sunt” (You don’t soon forget a bitter joke by the powerful).

A second inscription in Latin warns of the dangers of speaking: “Nulli tacuisse nocet, nocet esse locutum” (No harm comes from remaining silent, harm comes from speaking).

Another, in French, says: “Les amis sont comme le melons, Il faut es sayer plusieurs pour Renconttrer un bon” (Friends are like melons. You have to try several to meet a good one).

Jöran Polman served with diligence, and was one of twenty soldiers whose portrait adorns the walls of Sweden’s Skokloster Castle.

Jöran Polman the Younger, also known as Jürgen and Göran, was born into the old Baltic-German family in 1597. He started out as a noble bursch in the bodyguard in 1619, then became a hovjunkare – duties for this rank typically involved overseeing the king’s guest room, serving food to royals, and commanding the horsemen – and worked his way up to become captain of the Kronoberg regiment in 1623. In 1621, Jöran was among the officers under Wrangel who captured the fortress of Riga during the Thirty Years’ War, ensuring Swedish control over the coasts of the Baltic.

Around 1623, Jöran married Christina Lilliesparre af Fylleskog – with whom he fathered three children named Johan, Gustaf and Anna Christina. Notably, through his marriage, he was fortunate enough to become the owner of the Swedish manor Ugglansryd, located in Ryssby in Kronoberg, Småland, which was owned by the Lilliesparre family.

In 1629, Jöran was promoted to the rank of chief quartermaster, and eventually became a major. Jöran left the Kingdom by 1935 and died overseas before 1636, and was buried in the family grave in Ryssby church sacristy.

Get up close and personal with this portrait, learning about the man, fashion, and how to spot the difference between officers of Scandinavian and Baltic German origin. Hover over each arrow to reveal more information.