SKYTTE, JOHAN [SSNE 6280]
- Surname
- SKYTTE, SKYTE, SKEET, SKITTE, SKITE, SCHITT, SCHEYTE, THE YOUNGER, DUDERHOF
- First name
- JOHAN, JOHN
- Title/rank
- BARON, SIR, COLONEL
- Nationality
- SWEDISH AND SCOT
Text source
Johan Skytte was the son of Johan Skytte [SSNE 4754] and his Scottish wife Mary Neave [SSNE 6272]. He was born on 5 December 1612. His brothers were Bengt [SSNE 4842] and Jakob [SSNE 4920]. According to Elgenstierna he attended Uppsala university in 1624 from October and Leiden University from October 1625. He was then the rector of Dorpat university. However this same information has also been published in relation to his brother Jacob [SSNE 4920] so it appears that these two names have been conflated at some point. Johan wrote a Latin account of the battle of Nurnburg to his brother Bengt in London in 1632. One source notes that he was a gentleman of the chamber to Charles I in 1632 and knighted that year on a trip with his father (he was not in England and was not knighted then!). Additional information has come to light which shows that though he was intended to go, it was only Bengt who went to London with his father that year.
Johan himself made an official visit to the Stuart Court in 1634-5 which included a recruitment trip to Scotland. In April 1635 the Swedish Riksråd (state council) specifically wrote to Johan Skytte sr ordering him to ensure that Johan jr. successfully recruited a full regiment. Colonel Alexander Forbes [SSNE 1616] informed him that his brother (William) awaited John's arrival in Scotland, having received Major John Beaton's [SSNE 431] recruitment patent for Skytte's regiment and that Forbes' brother desired to be a captain for him. Skytte's regiment also contained Major Thomas Moffat [SSNE 3018] and captains Arthur Forbes [SSNE 2226], James Dunbar [SSNE 2432], Lachlan Ross [SSNE 3379], lieutenants John Urquhart [SSNE 3718] and David Lindsay [SSNE 2295]. Hector Monro of Foulis [SSNE 3120] was expected to join as a senior officer, but died in April 1635 just as the regiment was being raised. That same month the Privy Seal authorised a payment to Sir Roger Palmer, Cofferer of the Household, for £162, 11s. 9d. "on account of the expenses of the diet of Mons. Skeet, Extraorinary Ambassador from Sweden." It is unclear yet if this is for the father or the son, but most likely the father.
Just before the colonel left Britain, Skytte obtained a letter from king Charles I which naturalised him as a Scotsman (9 May), in order to facilitate his inheritance of lands originally owned by James Neave [SSNE 4218], his maternal grandfather. Skytte was knighted the next day by Charles I on board one of the Royal Navy warships based at Greenwich. Thereafter he set off with his Scottish regiment to Pomerania where they arrived and mustered by July.
The Swedish archives have an English-language document called "The Words of Command Practised in the regiment of S. John Skytte, Baron of Duderof, knight and gentleman of his Maiestie of Great Britain his privie chamber". It is unfortunately undated, but probably originated around this period. He was colonel of a recruited regiment from 1635-6, but died in Pomerania during the siege of Stargaard where he was the commandant in 1636. His funeral oration was held at Dorpat on 9th June 1637. He was buried in Uppsala.
Sources:
Swedish Riksarkiv, Depositio Skytteana, A:5, E5412:
"Charles Rex,
Our Sovereigne Lord Ordanis a letter of naturalizaton to be made and expedited under the great Seale of the Kingdome of Scotland makinge mention that whereas His Ma:ties trustie and welbeloved Sr John Skite knight lawfull sonne to the Lord Duderhoff late Ambassador to his Majestie from the Queene of Sweden hath ben an humble suitor to his highnes for being made a naturalized person of the said Kingdome of Scotland in respect that his desent in blood on the Mother side, is from there, and that he intends an action in lawe for recovery of certaine Lands which (as is affirmed) did belonge unto his goodsir umquhile James Neave. Therefore and for divers other good considerations movinge his Majestie, his highness hath declared and for him and his successors does declare the said Sir John Skyte knight to be naturalized as a native subiect borne within the said kingdome in all time cominge and to be capable of whatsoever dignities offices and benefices within the same and to have full libertie and power not onlye to insist be law for recoverie of what is justlye due unto him but to purchace and acquire within the said kingdome whatsoever lands heretages annulments and other goods and geir movable and imouvable and to the same to possesse and enioye be whatsoever title as well be way of succession as be donation acquisition or otherwise whatsoever and that the heirs of the said Sir John Skyte sall have right and power to succeed to whatsoever lands and heretages to be acquired to them within the said kingdome and shall have libertie to dispose be their Testaments and latter wills upon whatsoever goods and geir which shall happen to appertaine unto them within the said kingdome, and to nominate Executors in their Testaments and to loane and dispone thereupon be legacie to whatsoever person or persons and also to nominate tutors one or more to their children male or female procreated or to be procreated of their bodyes and to bruik possesse and enioye all other priviledges immunities faculties and liberties whatsoever which are competent or may be competent to any Native bourne subiect within the said kingdome And his Majestie wills and commandes that their presents shalbe a sufficient warrant to the wreiter to the great Seale and keep thereof for wreitinge hereof to the said Seale and appendinge the great Seale theireunto without passing any otheir Seale or Register for with these presents shallbe sufficient warrant, Given at his Majesties Mannor of Greenwich the nynthe day of May 1635
Vera Copia James Philp."
Sources: Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1635/26,27,30,31; 1636/19-23,DEAD 24; 1637/15; His Regimental Muster Roll for 1636 is here:
https://sok.riksarkivet.se/bildvisning/A0053320_00199
See also: The National Archives (London), SP95/3 ff.201-202. James Spens to Secretary Conway, Hersbruck, 16 June 1632. " on ye Lordships part I am to reccomend thir two brethren [.] my Lord Skyts sone cum of Scotis be ye mother syd yat wold for my respect be ther frend and countinance them at courtt be your best adwyse" It is clear that Spens states son singular here and that the two bretheren are most likely the two gentlemen from Sweden, Johan snr and Bengt. On f 202 he specifically references only the youngest son "Sir Benedict"; The Swedish Intelligencer: The Third Part (London, 1633), p.46; Swedish Riksarkiv, Depositio Skytteana, A:5, E 5412; C. Gartz, "Äreminne, öfver Riks-Rådet Johan Skytte, Friherre til Duderhoff, Herre til Grönsjö och Elfvesjö; Hvilket vunnit accessit den 20 Marii 1786", Svenska Vitterhets-Academiens Handlingar, del 5, (Stockholm, 1788), pp.116-7; Uppsala Library Pamskioldiska samlingen 356 and same archive, Westimska Samlingen; Swedish Riksarkiv, 1841, Svenske Sändebuds till Utländske Hof och Deras Sändebud till Sverige, pp.77-78; A.J. Loomie (ed.), Ceremonies of Charles I, The Notebooks of John Finet 1628-1641 (New York, 1987), p.317; G. Elgenstierna, Svenska Adelns Ättartavlor, VII, p.319; Krigsarkivet Bestandsoversikt, del 2, Meddelanden fran krigsarkivet XI:2 (Stockholm, 1987), p.626; Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, 1635, p.48; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.58-61, 357-358.
Service record
- SWEDEN, UPPSALA
- Arrived 1624-10-01
- Departed 1625-09-30
- Capacity STUDENT, purpose ACADEMIC
- SWEDEN, LEIDEN
- Arrived 1625-10-01
- Departed 1626-09-30
- Capacity STUDENT, purpose ACADEMIC
- SWEDEN,
- Arrived 1632-01-01, as OFFICER
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, LONDON
- Arrived 1635-04-01
- Departed 1635-07-31
- Capacity AMBASSADOR, purpose DIPLOMACY
- SWEDEN, STARGARD, POMERANIA (Pommern)
- Arrived 1635-08-01, as COLONEL AND COMMANDANT
- Departed 1636-12-31, as COLONEL AND COMMANDANT
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, DORPAT
- Capacity RECTOR, purpose ACADEMIC