Elise Eskilsdotter

Elise Eskilsdotter or Elise Eskildsdatter (died circa 1483), was a Norwegian noble.

Elise was the daughter of Eskild Ågesen and Elisabeth Jakobsdatter Hegle. Her father was a knight from Scania. About 1420, she married the Norwegian nobleman Olav Nilsson (ca. 1400-1455) who was a member of the Skanke noble family. Olav served as a member of the Riksråd of Norway. He was knighted by King Eric of Pomerania in 1430. In 1438, he was appointed captain of Bergenhus. Around 1440, he became feudal overlord at Ryfylke in Rogaland, Norway. He was a wealthy landowner with properties in both Norway and Denmark. Olav later served King Christian I of Denmark as a privateer during the Dano-Hanseatic War (1426–35). After king Christian made peace with the Hanseatic League, Olav continued to attack German merchant ships against the wishes of the king. Olav conducted a personal war of piracy. As a consequence, in 1453 the king dismissed Olav. In 1455, Olav Nilsson was assassinated at Munkeliv Abbey together with his son Nils, his brother Peder Nilsson Skanke, as well as Thorleiv Olavsson, Bishop of Bergen.

Following his death, Elise Eskilsdotter and her children led open warfare against the German merchant class of Bergen by means of piracy against their trade. Her eldest son, Olav, was killed by a shipwreck in 1465, but the youngest son Axel continued the business. Like many other members of the Norwegian nobility, she also opposed Danish rule over Norway. In 1468, king Christian I of Denmark confiscated her fief because he no longer trusted her loyalty. Elise died circa 1483.

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