MAKELEER, PETER [SSNE 3027]

Surname

MAKELEER, MACLEAN, MACKLEER, MACKLEIR

First name

PETER, PETTER

Title/rank

COLONEL

Nationality

SCOT

Region

GOTHENBURG

Social status

OFFICER

Text source

Peter Maclean was born in 1644, the son of the Gothenburg burgess and nobleman, John Maclean [SSNE 1631] and his first wife Anna Gubbertz. Peter took Swedish military service in 1657. He then was an ensign with Halland brigade in 1658-60, then a captain in the Älvsborg regiment between 1663-69. He appeared on the Gothenburg shipping lists in 1666, freighting goods to Hamburg and London that year. Maclean became major in Östgöta regiment in 1671-4 and a lieutenant colonel in Ture Oxenstierna's recruited infantry regiment in 1674. Maclean became colonel and chief of his own regiment in 1676 when Oxenstierna's regiment was renamed in his honour. He may also have been colonel and chief of a recruited infantry regiment from 1684 until 1697. He served as Commendant of Stralsund from 5 October 1679. Maclean undertook some diplomatic duties. In May 1688 he served as a Swedish envoy to Brandenburg. A letter from Berlin dated 23 May 1688 to Nils Bielke complains of lack of finances as credit is not extended and only cash accepted, and how he and his family are barely subsisting. Around 1680 he married Abela Sofia, widow of Major-General Barthold Hartvig von Bulow (who died in 1667). He died on 19 March (although one source says May)1697 at Stralsund. There is a portrait of Peter by R. Sylvius from 1675 which is kept in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. A portrait of him from 1675 was painted by Richard Sylvius. 

Sources: Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll,1658/6;1659/7; 1660/8; 1663/5,7; 1664/4; 1665/6; 1666/4; 1667/4; 1668/4; 1669/14A; 1671/1; 1672/5,7,9; 1674/4,7; 1676/1; 1677/10; 1678/16; 1680/5-7; 1681/4-7; 1682/1,8-10; 1683/22-24; 1684/1; 16-19; 1685/22-25; 1686/14-17; 1687/13-16; 1688/12-16; 1689/13-18,21; 1690/1,9-14,18-20; 1691/15-20,22,23,25; 1692/14-19,22; 1693/7,10-15; 1694/1,15,17-22,24; 1695/14-22; 1696/13-18,20; 1697/9-14,17,DEAD 19.3 or 14.3. SUCCEEDED BY HANS ISAK RIDDERHIELM; Swedish Riksarkiv, Bielkesamlingen E2095; Swedish Riksarkiv, Militära chefer i svenska arméen och deras skrivelser.

Svenska Adelns Ättartavlor, vol. 5, p.142; J.N.M. Maclean, The Macleans of Sweden, (Edinburgh, 1971), p.27; C. Dalhede, Handelsfamiljer på Stormaktstidens Europamarknad (3 vols., Partille, 2001)III, cdrom. With thanks to Nigel Alington for updates.

Service record

SWEDEN, HALLAND

Arrived 1658-01-01, as ENSIGN

Departed 1660-03-19, as ENSIGN

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, ALFSBORG

Arrived 1663-01-01, as CAPTAIN

Departed 1669-01-01, as CAPTAIN

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, OSTGOTA

Arrived 1671-01-01, as MAJOR

Departed 1674-12-31, as MAJOR

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, TURE OXENSTIERNA

Arrived 1674-01-01, as LT. COLONEL

Departed 1674-12-31, as LT. COLONEL

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, PETER MAKELEER, STRALSUND (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)

Arrived 1675-01-01, as COLONEL

Departed 1697-12-31, as COLONEL + CHIEF, GOVERNOR

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, BRANDENBURG

Arrived 1688-05-01

Departed 1688-12-31

Capacity ENVOY, purpose DIPLOMACY