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- A letter dated March 21, 1584 informs us Esbern Kofoed was the crown appointed Customs Officer (Kongelig Tolder) of Bornholm, with a yearly payment (?rsl?n) of 2 barrels of butter. Later that same year he we find him named as an Alderman (R?dmand) in R?nne, as can be seen by the fact that he was one of the delegates from all over Denmark were sent to Lund, in Sk?ne province, to elect Prince Christian's (IV) as heir-apparent on July 20, 1584. Records from this time tell that the following delegates were sent to represent the citizens of R?nne: "Michel Herttuig, Borgemester, Esbern Kofod og Claus Kamitz, Raadm?nd."
He became Mayor (Borgmester) of R?nne in 1590, a position which he held up until 1623. We can see that the seal he used in his official duties as mayor displays the same cow-foot image as that used by Peder Kofoed (1548-1616) of Kofoedg?rd, 23 Slg. ?stermarie. Possibly he is the same person as the "Esbi?rn Kofoed" who was the co-taxpayer, along with Mogens Andersen, of Brandsg?rd, 14 Slg. Knudsker, in 1626, 1627 and 1628. He was married to woman from the Kames-family of R?nne; in Bornholm's museum can be found fragments from his and "Lisbet Kams" gravestone from the church in R?nne, which informs us that she died on July 23, 1617.
As the mayor (Borgmester) he was among the R?nne town-council delegation that in 1608 put their signatures to the election of Prince Christian (1603-1647) as Crown Prince elect, the next in line to be king; the document regarding this reads as follows.
From the original document, in old danish:
"Wi effterschreffne Esbern Kofod, Borgemester i Rothne, Madz Raffn, Anders Jenss?n, Hermand Bohn, J?rgen Franch och Claus Hartvigh, Raadmend ibid., sambt det gandske burgerskaff her wdj Rothne, saa och det gandske gemeine burgerskaff aff Nexe, och denn menig Almue aff de andre smaabyer och fiskeleyer, Hasle, Suannicke och Aakirckebye, som ingen Kongl. Priuilegier haffuer, kiendis och gi?r Witterligt for alle," at da det er dem befalet at sende Fuldm?gtige til Ki?benhaffun paa Trefoldigheds S?ndag, for at kaare Prins Christian; Saa haffuer nu Erlig och Velbyrdig Mand Hans Lindenov til ?rslef, med allis woris guode willie oc samtycke, wdmelt och tilforordnet disse to dannemendt, som er Erlig och Welact Mend Michel Hartuig, Borgemester i Rothne, oc Mauritz Jenssen, Borgemester i Nex?", til paa alles vegne at rejse til K?benhavn.
The above translated to english:
"We the undersigned Esper Kofod, Mayor in R?nne, Mads Ravn, Anders Jensen, Herman Bohn, J?rgen Franck and Claus Hartwig, Aldermen ibid., as well as the entire trade-license holders here in R?nne, and also the entire trade-license holders of Nex?, also the common folk from all the other small towns and fishing-villages: Hasle, Svaneke and Aakirkeby, which have no Royal-Privileges, we hereby declare for One and All that we have been requested to send Delegates to K?benhavn on Trinity Sunday, for the election of Prince Christian; Therefore the Honest and Well-Bred Man Hans Lindenov of ?rslev, has with everyones good will and consent requested these two danish men, whom are the Honest and Well-Respected Men Michel Hartwig, Mayor in R?nne, and Mauritz Jensen, Mayor in Nex?", to travel to K?benhavn on behalf of all Bornholmers. Hans Lindenov was the "lienholder" (vassal) for Bornholm 1594-1610.
From "P? spor af de f?rste Kofod'er" by J?rn Klindt, published 1979:
On the 31st of May 1563 the war started up with a terrible sea battle off the R?nne shoreline. Later that same year the Danish-L?beck fleet, under the command of Peder Skram, patrolled the sea between Bornholm and ?land - wherein, as was the custom, they went ashore and requesitioning heavy taxes. Amid all the skirmishes a small Bornholm fishing boat was trapped by the Swedes of ?land. The Swedish Admiral, Jacob Bagge, had also been taken prisoner by the L?beck commander of Hammershus, Sweder Ketting; who urged his prisoner to write a letter to his superior officer at Kalmar Castle to suggest an exhange of the four Bornholmer fishermen with four Swedish prisoners on Bornholm. In another letter sent at the same time to the Swedish king, he writes: "We are treated well - but for God's sake give the Danish prisoners humane treatment - some are of the nobility and respected men." We find that one of the Bornholm fishermen (the ship's captain?) was named "?sbi?rnn Kofoth" (Esbern Kofod).
The war was full of cruelties on all sides, from the Bornholm shore witnesses viewed the Swedes tie up their L?beck prisoners on thier own ship and then set it on fire. Prisoners of war were slit open and thrown over board, and the L?beck commander Sweder Ketting was horrified to find their remnants washed ashore the next day, writing: "God Almighty help us that we should not alow such horrible transgressions go unpunished." The Danish admiral, Herluf Trolle, was also shocked by the terrible cruelty committed by the Swedes against their prisoners, and together with Jacob Bagge formulated a request to the Swedish king: "Your Royal Majesty's navy has subjected its prisoners to a most cruel, inhumane treatment unheard of in any warring nation. Your Royal Majesty must know that God will surely render His punishment." However, the Swedish king was going insane at that time, so we do not know if the request was heeded.
The cruelties of the war caused an uproar throughout Europe - especially since L?beck, a free-city in the Hoy Roman Empire, was involved. It is not known if the request did any good; it is doubtful that the exchange of prisoners ever took place, nor is it known if "?sbi?rnn Kofoth" ever returned home. Although the researcher M.K. Zarthmann thought that he must be identical to the Esbern Kofod who was a customs officer and later mayor of R?nne until 1623. I have not been able to find any other justification for this hypothesis than the fact that they were both seamen; if Esbern, for example, was 20 years old when taken prisoner in 1563, he would still have been in the office of mayor at age 80 - which seems unlikely. Age-wise a more probable connection is that of the Esbern Kofod, who in 1569 lived at "Kofodgaard" (later known as Frig?rd, 15 Vdg.) in Vestermarie parish - we do not know anything about him, but at least we can allow ourselves the fantasy that he just could be "?sbi?rnn Kofoth", who survived cruel imprisonment and later on abandoned his life at sea to settle on a farm.
According to Dr. M.K. Zahrtmann's article "Frimandssl?gten Kofoeds ?ldste Led" included in Klindt's book, Esbern Kofoed was the first person on Bornholm recorded to have used the cow-foot image in his seal; further, that he was mentioned in an insert to "Herredagen" (Upper Court of Justice) dated 20 October 1636 as being long dead, and that with certainty his heirs included no sons, at the most possibly some daughters, and further that he was a kinsman of Hans Kofoed's son Mads Kofoed (c.1582-1646).
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 21 July 2015.
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1543 - 1630 (~ 87 år)
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