Snapphane

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The Snapphane Movement was a pro-Danish guerilla organization that fought against the Swedes in the Scanian War of the 17th century.

The name Snapphane, which was used as a pejorative term by the Swedes to describe the pro-Danish rebels, was originally a word for gangs of bandits that lived in the woods. When Scanian peasants started to organize into battle groups that fought the Swedes with guerilla methods, they were called Snapphane too.

The Swedes fought the Snapphane brutally, and if a Snapphane was captured, he was usually executed and the corpse was impaled and shown where the locals could see it and be intimidated to obedience. Another common method was to crush the prisoners limbs under a rolling wagon called "rådbråkning" (Breaking wheel).

Some claim the name Snapphane came from the mechanism of their flintlock rifles.

Despite (or due to) their anti-government activity, the Snapphane made an impact on Swedish popular culture. In modern times, the Swedish Navy patrol boat P161 is named HMS Snapphanen. It is part of a class of vessels several of which are named after paramilitary professions, like Kaparen (Hijacker), Spejaren (scout), etc.

Once, some "Snapphanar" robbed 50 carriages, which countained a lot of copper and money from the Swedish King. Today, if you're lucky, you can still find some money or copper from that time.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Literature

Kim Hazelius, De Kallades Snapphanar.. Bokpro Bjärnum 2006 (ISBN 9189336402).
K Arne Blom, Jan Moen, Snapphaneboken.
Palle Lauring (1952). Danmark i Skåne. Stockholm: Berghs förlag, 1999 (ISBN 9150213687).
Herman Lindquist (1995). Historien om Sverige – storhet och fall. Norstedts Förlag, 2006 (ISBN 9113015354).
Mats Olsson (2001). "Att icke understå sig att lämna sina hemman: Om bondeklassens frihet och adelns dominans i Skåne". Historisk Tidskrift, 2001 (1): 5-28. ISSN: 0345-469X.
Sixten Svensson (2005). Sanningen om snapphanelögnen. (ISBN 9197569518).
Sten Skansjö (1997). Skånes historia. Lund (ISBN 9188930955).
Alf Åberg, (1951).Snapphanarna.Stockholm: LTs Förlag.
Alf Åberg (1994). Kampen om Skåne under försvenskningstiden. Stockholm: Natur och Kultur (912704355X).
Alf Åberg (1975). I snapphanebygd. Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren.
Cederborg, Carl August (1913). Kopparskrinet.
Cederborg, Carl August (1987). Mickel Göing.
Cederborg, Carl August (1912). Göingehövdingen I. [1]
Cederborg, Carl August (1912). Göingehövdingen II. [2]