Norway was overrun by pirates in the 17th century

His secretary Jonas Charisius, who was with the expedition, noted that “there is an unbearable stench from the fish.”

“However, the worst stench came from the fish heads and bones that dried on the beaches. The sheep and goats munched on this. They get no other food all year round.

The houses did not impress Charisius either: “We saw only huts.” Some are underground and simple, others are made of wood, but they are small and weak.

Pirate Storm Vardo

In the Barents Sea, Christian hoped that his fleet could catch some pirates red-handed, but they were defeated.

In those years, pirates regularly entered the Barents Sea, but they also went ashore to plunder villages.

In 1602, a pirate captain sailed his ship to Vardohos Castle, accompanied by a captured English merchant ship.

On shore, he watched the evil islanders execute the Englishmen and throw them into the water, and then storm the castle to get money, weapons, or at least something to eat.

Christian’s plan to build a new castle had failed, so Vardo had nothing to offer the thieves. For this reason, the pirates captured only one fisherman and his two workers.

They were probably sold into slavery and were never seen again.

In about 1605, a new cruel pirate captain appeared in the Barents Sea: Jan Mandus (possibly a corruption of Juan de Mendoza). People who lived to tell the story of their encounter with Mandos said he had claws instead of nails, and his blades protruded from his elbows and knees.

The pirate captain loved to plunder Dutch merchant ships carrying silver to pay for goods in Arkhangelsk. But he also attacked the ships of Norwegian merchants who had the exclusive right to trade with places as far away as Vardo.