Skull alleged to have belonged to Störtebeker, found in 1878. Photo by
Michail Jungierek - Ausstellungsstück im Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte
Nikolaus Storzenbecher aka Klaus Störtebeker (Wismar, 1360-1401) was the leader of a companionship of privateers known as the Vitalienbrüder. They were hired during a war between Denmark and Sweden to fight the Danish and supply the besieged Swedish capital Stockholm with provisions. After the end of the war, they continued to capture merchant vessels for their own gain and named themselves Likedeelers (’equal sharers’), so they were something between pirates and Robin Hoods.
Many myths and legends surround the man’s life. Störtebeker is both a nickname and a surname. In 2015, there were about 200 persons in Northern Germany with that surname. It means something like "empty the mug with one gulp" in Low Saxon - referring to the pirate's supposed ability to empty a 4-liter mug of beer in one gulp. At the time, pirates and other fugitives from the law often adopted a colorful nom de guerre. Born in the Baltic port of Wismar, Störtebeker entered public consciousness around 1398 after the expulsion of the Victual Brothers from the island of Gotland, where they had set up a stronghold in Visby. In the following years, he and his fellow captains captured Hanseatic ships, irrespective of origin. They had a stronghold in Marienhafe, East Frisia, from 1396. He married the daughter of an East Frisian chieftain - there still is a tower bearing his name at the Marienkirche church in Marienhafe today. According to legend, in 1401, a Hamburgian fleet finally caught up with him near the island of Helgoland. Apparently, his ship had been disabled by a traitor on board, so he and his crew were captured and brought to Hamburg, where they were tried for piracy. Legend has it that Störtebeker offered a chain of gold long enough to enclose the whole of Hamburg in exchange for his life and freedom, but he and all of his 73 companions were sentenced to death and they all were beheaded on the Grasbrook in 1401.
The character of Klaus Störtebeker has appeared in many publications, incl. Die Vitalienbrüder: Ein Störtebeker Roman, a German language novel by Willi Bredel (Hinstorff Verlag, 1996, ISBN 978-3356006582). He was portrayed on TV in Störtebeker, a 2006 miniseries based loosely on his life. He was also the subject of a 2007 docu and of the 2008 feature-length film 12 Paces Without a Head. The German punk band Slime made a song about him on their album Alle gegen alle. There’s another song by the heavy metal band Running Wild on the album Death or Glory. Achim Reichel made “Das Störtebekerlied”.
There’s an annual festival held in his honor in Northern Germany. Their official website here. :)
