the svea court of appeal in the early modern period 142 his property to King JohnIII in 1582.388 Later, in 1615, at the instigation of Claes Claesson, Gustav II Adolf had persuaded King John III’s son, Duke John, to grant the landed property to Claes Claesson (or, strictly speaking, his wife). Elin Eriksdotter Stålarm, apparently feeling threatened by the relatives of her late husband,389 had also given away her morning gift property (morgongåva) to Claes Claesson and his wife. She had thus favored her own family of birth, possibly because of attachment and perhaps in the hope of protection. The morning-gift, given by the husband after the wedding night, was an important asset for the woman as a widow, because she could use and grant this property freely and thus find a protector or an ally if she found herself in trouble.390 Now, appearing before the Svea Court of Appeal, Joen Planting claimed that the donated estates should have been inherited by his wife, all the more so as her grandmother, Agneta Torstensdotter, had been done great injustice by her brothers and been left without her lawful inheritance rights. According toÄrvdabalken, the Chapter on Inheritance, each brother and sister should have inherited their share of the landed property of the family. Every brother’s share was to be equal in size, while each sister’s share was to be one half of that of the brother’s.391 In this case, according to Planting, the sons of Birgitta Johansdotter Fleming and Torsten Salomonsson Ram had violated the rights of their sisters. Even the morninggift of Elin Eriksdotter Stålarm was questioned, as Planting claimed that it had been given against the will of the female relatives.392 Claes Claesson defended the rights of his wife in several ways. First, he said that no wrongdoing could be proved and that if 60 years of undisputed ownership did not count, then he did not know what would. Then he questioned whether Anna Johansdotter really was the immediate and only heir with rightful claims on the property. Next, he questioned whether Anna’s father or paternal grandfather had been noble at all, insinuat388 Will of Lars Torstensson Ram, a copy, 17 May 1582, RA, SHA, E VI a 2aa, Liber causarum 26. 389 See the previous observation about the conflict between Hans Johansson Stålarm and Elin Stålarm. 390 Korpiola, Mia 2009 pp. 78-85; Lahtinen, Anu 2009a pp. 63, 110; Lahtinen, Anu 2011 pp. 269–273. See also Elsa Trolle Önnerfors’s article in this volume. 391 KrL, Ärvdabalken (Chapter on Inheritance), sections 1 and 2. 392 Court session 20 May 1622, RA, SHA, E VI a 2aa, Liber causarum 26.
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