Setesvein

A svein was originally an armed page who was in the service of and resided at the court of a chieftain.[2] Subsequently, they separated into a secular and a clerical section. In the High Medieval Age (1130–1350) and in the Late Medieval Age (1350–1537), a page was normally one who had entered the court of a bishop or of a feudal lord. It was customary that young men of lower nobility and of local and wealthy families served at the court of the Archbishop (as a svein) until returning to his district, where he acted as his lord's representative (as a setesvein).

In Celestine III's papal bull of 15 June 1194, secular officers of the Archbishop received freedom from all taxes and military duties. According to the Sættargjerd of 1277 (a concordat between the Church and the King), which was approved by Pope Gregory X, the Archbishop had the right to have 100 setesveins, and this without paying taxes. Likewise, each bishop could have 40 setesveins.

In the years of the Black Death (c. 1348–1353), setesveins in the service of secular noblemen (knights) were placed under the direct control of the King. This represented the end of group of secular setesveins.

In the Late Middle Ages, clerical setesveins were seated mainly along the coast, from Sogn in Western Norway to Finnmark in Northern Norway.[3] Their function was to administer the Archbishop's estate, for example by collecting taxes.[3] In addition, they traded, partly themselves and partly on behalf of the Archbishop.[3] In the 1530s, there were at least 69 setesveins in Norway, whereof 49 in Northern Norway.[3] The reason for their numerous presence in this region were the important fisheries and the thereto belonging export to Continental Europe.

Whilst they were not noble ex officio, setesveins had, in general, the same social and economical position as lower nobility.[3] It is known that a few setesveins received 'noble freedom' from the Archbishop.[4] Clerical setesveins were recruited mainly among lower nobility and very wealthy farmers.

Alike the nobility, setesveins enjoyed full tax freedom for their seat farms. They had freedom from leidang (military service); however, the Archbishop could order them into military service for the Archdiocese.

After the Reformation in 1537, when the Archbishop went into exile and the Catholic Church of Norway was dissolved and replaced by the Church of Norway, setesveins lost the legal foundation on which their positions rested. Furthermore, King Christian III did send soldiers to raid the coast, punishing and confiscating goods of setesveins who had supported the Archbishop.[3]

In the following years, most setesveins continued being traders and shippers.[3] Some of them apparently remained local representatives of the Church,[3] now under the new, Lutheran Superintendent and the canons in Nidaros. Members of this class of ex-setesveins were known as pages (Norwegian: knape, knabe; lit. 'boy') and are today known under the non-official term page nobility (Norwegian: knapeadel, knabeadel). They were part of the upper social class in Northern Norway in the 16th and 17th centuries,[3] and several Nordland families descend from them. Their social significance and their impact on culture have been considerable in the region.

The following list is based mainly on Ludvig Ludvigsen Daae's presentation of the 1533 list of setesveins. The presentation is a part of an article named Den Throndhjemske Erkestols Sædesvende og Frimænd (1890). Daae's presentation contains additional comments and references. These are not included in the list below.