Gödeke Michels
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Gödeke Michels (died 1402), also known as Gottfried Michaelsen, was a German pirate and one of the leaders of the Likedeeler, a combination of former Vitalienbrüder.
Together with Klaus Störtebeker, Hennig Wichman and Magister Wigbold, as well as other leaders of the Likedeeler, he raided shipping in the North and Baltic Sea near the end of the 14th century.
They possessed lightning-fast ships, which easily outmaneuvered the ships of the Hanse. Like many of the Likedeeler, Michels was primarily concerned with capturing valuable prizes. However, he disdained cowardice and those surviving crewmen who had not resisted were usually thrown overboard.
Michels was eventually captured and executed in the year 1402, shortly after Klaus Störtebeker and 73 crewmen were beheaded on the Grasbrook in Hamburg.
[edit] References
This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia.
- Jörgen Bracker: Klaus Störtebecker - only one of them. The history of the Vitalienbrüder. In: Wilfried honour-break (Hrsg.): Störtebecker. 600 years after its death (Hansi studies; Bd. 15). Porta Alba publishing house, Luebeck 2001, ISBN 3-933701-14-7
[edit] External links
- Gottes Freund – Aller Welt Feind (German)
