13. Brita Tott: The Scandinavian Noble Woman who was a Medieval Female Spy
Brita Tott was a fifteenth-century Scandinavian noblewoman who in 1451 found herself caught between two countries. Known as the Lady of Hammersta, Brita was the eldest daughter of two Danish nobles. However, Brita also had significant Swedish connections. She was married to a Swedish noble, related to the Swedish regent consort Lady Ingeborg Tott and owned lands that stretched across Sweden and her native Denmark. These estates made Brita one of the largest landowners in Scandinavia in her own right. So when Denmark and Sweden went to war in 1451, Brita had to choose a side.
Despite the fact she living in Sweden, Brita chose Denmark. While her husband was serving his king as governor of the Swedish municipality of Orebro, Brita was busy passing on information regarding the movements of the Swedish army to her Danish contacts. Her information enabled the Danes to capture the Fortress of Lodose and win a significant victory.
However, Brita’s career in espionage did not last long. In 1452, she was put on trial for high treason in Stockholm. Brita was found guilty and sentenced to death by burning. The sentence then changed. Instead, Brita was to be walled up alive in the city of Kalmar. However, Brita evaded both grizzly fates. Instead- probably because of her wealth and connections, she was imprisoned In St John’s Priory in Kalmar. When she was released, Brita was forced to finance the redecoration of Osmo’s church in Sodermanland as a penance for her betrayal. Brita however, was unrepentant. As a symbol of her defiance, she had one of the figures in the murals painted in her image.
Brita went on to acquire a reputation as a forger of seals, which she reputedly used to obtain large sums of money falsely. Although she was found guilty of this offense, Brita was never imprisoned again. She continued to live in Sweden, managing her considerable estates until her husband’s death in 1469. It was then that Brita’s Swedish relatives began to harry her for rights to her matrimonial lands. So in 1475, Brita signed Hammersta over to the church and left Sweden to live in Denmark. However, she returned to die in the country she had betrayed.