Negotiating worth

In an undated petition written in Riga in 1655 or 1656, Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie’s beridare (horse-trainer) Bengt Jonsson—a diligent and obedient servant by his own account—described the dire situation he was in, lacking the means to support himself. ¹ Without going into detail, he mentioned that illness had prevented him from fulfilling his duties and he begged his master to support him with ‘great clemency’. ² We possess no documents detailing the decision of Bengt’s situation. He remained in De la Gardie’s service for a substantial period. Recruited in 1653, he was first sent from Dalarö outside Stockholm to Riga, where he stayed until at least 1658, before being moved to Stockholm. ³ According to documents dated 1664, he was the horse-trainer in Stockholm, but a comment in the margins of that year’s accounts stated he was to be slottsloven (castellan) and stallmästare (stablemaster) of Läckö Castle, 350 kilometres south-west of the capital. The job titles implied he would be in a managerial position in charge of Läckö while running the castle stables. He was to have the same wages as his predecessor, meaning his pay would rise. ⁴ The fact that he stayed in this position from 1664 to at least 1679—and was in De la Gardie’s service for over 25 years—suggests he was considered a trustworthy servant. On the face of it, he had a successful career in the De la Gardie sphere.