Snapphane

A snapphane was a member of a 17th century pro-Danish guerrilla organization that fought against the Swedes in the Second Northern and Scanian Wars, primarily in the former eastern Danish provinces which in the course of these wars became southern Sweden.

The term snapphane, which was used as a pejorative term by the Swedes to describe the pro-Danish rebels, was originally a word for gangs of bandits that lived in the woods. When Scanian peasants started to organize into battle groups that fought the Swedes with guerrilla methods, they were called Snapphane too.

The Swedes fought the snapphanes brutally, and if one was captured, he was usually executed and the corpse was impaled and shown where the locals could see it and be intimidated to obedience. Another common method was execution by having them broken on the wheel.

Snapphanes made an impact on Swedish popular culture. In modern times, the Swedish Navy patrol boat P161 is named HMS Snapphanen. It is part of a class of vessels several of which are named after paramilitary professions, like Kaparen (privateer), Spejaren (scout), etc.

Literature

• Kim Hazelius, De Kallades Snapphanar.. Bokpro Bjärnum 2006 (ISBN 91-89336-40-2).
• K Arne Blom, Jan Moen, Snapphaneboken.
• Palle Lauring (1952). Danmark i Skåne. Stockholm: Berghs förlag, 1999 (ISBN 91-502-1368-7).
• Herman Lindquist (1995). Historien om Sverige – storhet och fall. Norstedts Förlag, 2006 (ISBN 91-1-301535-4).
• Mats Olsson (2001). "Att icke understå sig att lämna sina hemman: Om bondeklassens frihet och adelns dominans i Skåne". Historisk Tidskrift, 2001 (1): 5–28. ISSN: 0345-469X.
• Sixten Svensson (2005). Sanningen om snapphanelögnen. (ISBN 91-975695-1-8).
• Sten Skansjö (1997). Skånes historia. Lund (ISBN 91-88930-95-5).
• Alf Åberg, (1951).Snapphanarna.Stockholm: LTs Förlag.
• Alf Åberg (1994). Kampen om Skåne under försvenskningstiden. Stockholm: Natur och Kultur (912704355X).
• Alf Åberg (1975). I snapphanebygd. Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren.
• Cederborg, Carl August (1913). Kopparskrinet.
• Cederborg, Carl August (1987). Mickel Göing.
• Cederborg, Carl August (1912). Göingehövdingen I. [1]
• Cederborg, Carl August (1912). Göingehövdingen II. [2]

See also

• Snaphance