FORBES, ERNST JOHANNES [SSNE 2230]

Surname

FORBES

First name

ERNST JOHANNES, ERNEST

Title/rank

COLONEL

Nationality

SWEDISH

Social status

OFFICER

Text source

Born on 7 October 1624, Ernst Forbes was the eldest son of Mattias Forbes [SSNE 2248], He studied at Dorpts Akademi before becoming a captain in his father's regiment  - a muster roll for his company surviving from 1639.

Ernst was present at his father's death in 20 March 1641.  He thereafter transferred to Hugo Hamilton's recruited infantry regiment in Riga in 1641 and returned to Sweden in 1642. He moved to Stralsund to seek out his uncle in 1642, and from there served as a volunteer in the army under Torstensson at Leipzig on 23 October. He returned to serve with Hugo Hamilton throughout 1643-1644 before becoming a captain in the Svea Livgarde, His promotion continued, becoming a major in Karl Ruuth's recruited infantry squadron in 1646. He retired from the army around 1648, but was involved in the later Danish wars he certainly attained the rank (honorary) of colonel by 1669. This is probably the same man whose son, Matthew, is listed in 'Åbo Akademis Student Matrikel, 1889-91', the son of Colonel Ernst Forbes who died in 1677 and is buried in Åbo Cathedral. See no.4115. If this is so, this man is a great-grandson of the Scot, Matthew Forbes. 

Sources: Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1639/22; 1642/9; 1645/1; 1646/1,17; 1647/17; 1648/19. For the 1639 muster see: https://sok.riksarkivet.se/bildvisning/A0053388_00314

Willhelm Ridderstad (ed.) "Gula Gardet": bidrag til Kongl. Svea Lifgardes Personal Historia (Stockholm, 1903), p.12; A. and H. Tayler (eds.), The House of Forbes (Bruceton Mills, 1987), pp.469-471; Register till Sveriges Ridderskaps och Adels Riksdags-Protokoll (17 vols, Stockholm, 1910), vols for 1647, 1650, 1660; P. Wieselgren (ed.), De La Gardiska Archivet, (Lund, 1837), p.65. 

Thanks to Dr Bernd Warlich for providing the following reference: Detlev PLEISS, Das Kriegstagebuch des schwedischen Offiziers William Forbes: Von seiner Landung an der Unterelbe im Sommer 1634 bis zu seiner Rückkehr nach Stade im Winter 1649/50, in: Stader Jahrbuch Neue Folge 85, (1995), pp. 135-153, p. 152.

Service record

SWEDEN, MATTHIAS FORBES, HUGO HAMILTON

Arrived 1639-01-01, as CAPTAIN

Departed 1644-12-31, as CAPTAIN

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, LIFEGUARD

Arrived 1645-01-01, as CAPTAIN

Departed 1645-12-31, as CAPTAIN

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, KARL RUUTH

Arrived 1646-01-01, as MAJOR

Departed 1669-12-31, as COLONEL

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY