Klaus Störtebeker
Heligoland, North Sea, Germany (according to tradition)
What happened
In the late 1300s, a group called the Victual Brothers was hired to help in a war between Sweden and Denmark. Later, they began attacking merchant ships in the Baltic and North Seas, and Klaus Störtebeker became their best-known leader. According to the traditional story, a fleet from the city of Hamburg captured him near the island of Heligoland in 1401, and taken to Hamburg.
Why it matters
Störtebeker became one of the most famous figures in northern German folklore. His story shows how pirates threatened the Hanseatic League, a powerful network of trading cities.
What came next
Many legends grew up around him, some showing him as a Robin Hood of the sea, but historians say these stories are not reliable. A skull said to be his was displayed in a Hamburg museum, but no one has proven it is really his.
Did you know?
The Victual Brothers called themselves 'Likedeelers', meaning 'equal sharers', because they divided what they took equally.
Timeline
- c. 1360Klaus Störtebeker is born, according to tradition.
- 1398The Victual Brothers are driven out of Visby on the island of Gotland.
- 1401According to tradition, a Hamburg fleet captures Störtebeker near Heligoland.
- 2010A skull said to be Störtebeker's is stolen from a Hamburg museum.
- 2011The skull is recovered.