Lynching in Sweden

[Eskilsson]

My mor-far-mor-far-bro was lynched in Klippan, Skåne in 1723.  When was lynching eliminated in Sverige?

[Jojje Lintrup]

The death penalty, by decapitating, in Sweden was eliminated 1921, but was left in the war laws until the 60:s (I think). Nowadays Sweden and Swedes are very much against killing as a punishment.
The Swedish law of 1734 punished adultery with death, and even small crimes (among the poor) could lead to decapitating and burning and other nasty things (some thievs got the hand chopped of before the head)...

[Elisabeth Thorsell]

It would be interesting if you could give more details about this lynching. Lynching in the American sense was very unusual in Sweden, as the state had the monopoly of taking the life of criminals and others. The most famous lynching in Sweden occurred in 1810 when count Axel von Fersen was killed by a mob in Stockholm.

[Eskilsson]

Sorry - had the date wrong.  Anders Eskilsson was lynched in Klippan on November 23, 1831.  I believe he is buried in the Vedby Parish cemetary.  He was accused of murdering his landlord or the person from whom he was renting land.  He was married and had at least one child.  I cannot find any trace of this wife or family.  Anders parents were living in Klippan when this event occured.

[Jojje Lintrup]

According to the Swedish National Encyclopaedia, death penalty became popular at late Middle Ages, and meant decapitating (honourable), or hanging (dishonourable). The punishment became accentuated by tortures, or mutilating, at the time of the execution, and was called qualified death penalty. The most horrible methods of using qualified death penalty, was to stone the victim, to burn or to bury it alive. Sometimes they even got skinned, or had their bones shattered. alive of course! [As a curiosity I can mention, that King Charles IX:th favourite, Jöran Persson, got a real cruel punishment, when he became ex favourite. First he got his ears cut far into the head, then hanged by his waist to be spitted at by the people, then stretched between four poles, then he got the bones of his arms and legs shattered, and finally, he got his breastbone crushed, before the king admitted him (still in full consciousness) to get the mercy of death by decapitation.] But as Sweden was a civilised country, the most common way to humiliate the victim, and absolutely a way to fright the very religious public, was to punish the already dead body. The men were chopped into five-six pieces and left on a wagon wheel, high up in the air, where the ravens and craws could have a nice fresh meal, and the women where burnt in a big fire. As they never were buried at the graveyard, the punishment followed them into eternity.
At the XVI:th and XVII:th centuries, there was a Dark Age of this country, and the death penalty became a common solution to solve many crimes. King Charles IX of Sweden, provided that the Law of Moses should be the model of the Swedish tribunals, but qualified death penalties became less common. Some year's later higher courts gradually started to reprieve capital punishments judged by lower courts.
The national law of 1734 stipulated death sentence for 68 different crimes (e.g. adultery, sorcery, sodomy, blasphemy, treachery, abuse against the king and the authorities, mutiny, homicide, arson, rape, etc.). But rather soon King Gustaf III, influenced by Beccaria and the Age of Enlightenment, abolished death penalty for about ten of those crimes.
As soon as the 1830:s the Royal Committee of Laws suggested the final abolition of capital punishment in Sweden, but it took 90 years of political discussions to do it. Mean time it was practised until 1910 when the last victim (Alfred Ander) was executed.
Execution by a firing squad was stipulated as capital punishment at war times until 1972 (!), but 1976 death penalty was definitively prohibited according the Swedish Constitution.

[Carl-Fredrik Hanzon]

Jorge, you´re writing about King Charles IX:th favourite, Jöran Persson. Well.., according to my opinion, Jöran Persson (not to be mixed up with the present Prime Minister of Sweden) was not exactly what we can call one of Charles IX:s favourits. On conterary, they were as much enemys as anyone could ever be. I´m suggesting that probably you´re mistaking Charles IX for his elder brother, King Erik XIV. Jöran Persson was indeed one of HIS favourites.

[Jojje Lintrup]

You are absolutely right! He was Eric XIV:th favourite, and was executed by the royal council (which took over the throne during Eric´s mental illness) to which the king had to surrender him, as he got the blame of the kings hard rule.

[Jojje Lintrup]

But it was indeed Charles who admitted him the mercy of decapitation, so he could escape the pain from the cruelties they did to him...

[Oss]

In the USA each state controls whether or not capital punishment can be used in sentencing.  Minnesota outlawed capital punishment in the late 1800's, the last 'public hanging' in Elk River, MN, I believe in 1888.  However, federal laws for felons committing federal felonies may be executed even though the crime was committed in Minnesota.  In 1956 a bank robber in Thief River Falls, MN was found guilty of murder of a bank employee [which is a federal felony].  Case was tried in St. Louis, MO, and eventually the felon was executed.  I am sure you swedes are familiar with Joe Hill, who spent most of his time in Minnesota, but was convicted sentenced to death in a Utah Federal Court.