Fleming, Klas Larsson

Born in 1592 in Vilnius ( Finland ). His father was the commander of the Abo Castle Lars Fleming (1545-1602), and his mother was Anna Gorn.

After studying for some time at several foreign universities, in 1612 he entered military service and took part in the Swedish intervention in troubled Russia , during which he advanced to the rank of captain. Then he was spotted by the king.

In 1619, he became vice admiral .

In 1625 he was appointed a member of the riksrod, and in 1629 Fleming received the rank of admiral and the post of president of the Accounts Chamber. A year later, he becomes the state chamber adviser , and two more later - the lagman of Södermanland . In 1634, he was appointed lagman of the Søderfin court district in Finland.

As president of the Accounts Chamber, Fleming actively assisted the Palatine Count Johann Casimir , who was appointed to manage the state’s finances, but did not have knowledge of the Swedish language or the laws of Sweden .

In 1634, Fleming was appointed Governor of Stockholm . While at this post, he contributed to the improvement of the layout of the city and the arrangement of streets. Under him, the construction of the Church of St. Jacob was completed, gateways were built, etc. In 1635 he founded an iron-making factory in the estate of Vira . In 1637, Fleming was also appointed president of the Commerce College .

When he was appointed to help riksadmiral Karl Yullenjelmu , he actively began to bring the fleet in combat-ready condition. In 1644, he was entrusted with command of the fleet, which was largely his own creation.

After the battle with the Danes near the island of Fehmarn (July 1, 1644), which did not bring victory to either side, that took place this summer, he took his ships for repair to Kiel Bay . The Danes, who did not know where the Swedes were, on July 4 found the enemy in the bay, followed by a three-week blockade.

July 26, when Fleming was washing his hands in his cabin, a core fired from a Danish battery located on the shore hit it. The servant holding the basin was killed on the spot, but the admiral's leg was torn off, from which he died two hours later.

He was married twice: the first marriage to Anna Jøransdotter Snakkenborg (since 1618), the second - to Baroness Helene Belke (since 1638).

• Nordisk familjebok. B. 8. - Stockholm, 1908.
• Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon. - Stockholm, 1906.