Torsten Stålhandske

Torsten Stålhandske was born 1 September 1593 in Porvoo, Finland. His father, Torsten Svensson Stålhandske, was a recently ennobled peasant from Västergötland, who married Carin Lydiksdotter Jägerhorn. His father was killed in 1597, and his mother remarried Major Robert Guthrie (1560-1637), a Scot serving in the Swedish Army. He had a half sister, Catherine, from this relationship.^[1]

In April 1643, he married Kristina Horn (1604-1673), daughter of his former commander Arvid, in 1643, but they had no children prior to his death a year later. Their tomb can be seen in Turku Cathedral.^[2]

During the first half of the 17th century, Sweden fought a series of expansionist wars against its neighbours. This created a huge demand for soldiers from across Europe, including many Scots like Guthrie, through whom Stålhandske gained a post as page to another Scot in Swedish service, Patrick Ruthven. He served with the latter in Russia during the Ingrian War, and in 1614 accompanied him on a recruiting trip to Scotland.^[2]

Stålhandske participated in the Polish–Swedish War (1621–1625), most of which took place in Livonia. When fighting restarted in 1626, he was a major in an infantry regiment commanded by Arvid Horn. Reforms enacted by Gustavus Adolphus included significant upgrades in the quality and numbers of the Swedish horse.^[3] As part of this process, in 1627 Stålhandske transferred to a cavalry unit led by Åke Henriksson Tott.^[4]

Breitenfeld

Wittstock

Oldendorf

Lützen

Liège

Stettin

River Oder

Nuremberg

Mělník

Chemnitz

Magdeburg

Key locations in text

When Sweden entered the Thirty Years' War under Gustavus Adolphus in 1630, Stålhandske was lieutenant-colonel in a regiment of Hakkapeliitta light cavalry. He fought at First Breitenfield in November 1631, became colonel in 1632, and took part in the siege of Nuremberg. His charges helped the Swedes win a narrow victory at Lützen in November 1632, despite the death of Gustavus Adolphus.^[4]

In July 1633, Stålhandske was slightly wounded in the Swedish victory at Oldendorf. In September, he moved to Liège to support a Dutch assault on Brabant, but his unpaid troops mutinied and were quickly returned to Swedish control.^[5]

At the beginning of the following year, he transferred to Livonia as major-general of cavalry, in preparation for a new campaign against Poland. When this failed to take place, he returned to the main army in Germany led by Johan Banér. Over the next few years, he took part in numerous battles, including Wittstock, Chemnitz, and the capture of Mělník.^[4]

Stålhandske was rewarded in August 1639 with an appointment as commander of Swedish troops in Silesia. Despite shortages of both men and supplies, he maintained his position against Imperial troops until April 1642, when his 5,000 men were joined on the Oder by the main army under Lennart Torstenson.^[6] Following a successful campaign in Silesia, their combined forces won a significant victory at Second Breitenfeld, where Stålhandske was seriously wounded leading a series of charges that broke the Imperial left wing.^[7]

The next few months were spent recuperating in Stettin, where he married Katherine Horn in April 1643. Promoted to general and overall commander of Swedish cavalry in Germany, Stålhandske rejoined Torstensson in May to campaign in Moravia. He was assigned to the surprise attack on Denmark in November, and on 9 January 1644 defeated a Danish force in Jutland at Kolding. He became ill shortly afterwards, and died in Haderslev on 21 April 1644.^[4]