Family Skarpenberg

Spøttrup

Gotskalk Skarpenberg
Gotskalk Skarpenberg was of a German noble family from Pommern or Mecklenburg, he came to Denmark together with Valdemar Atterdag. He was also known as a sørøverridder (pirate-knight). He was an ungovernable and violent man , but clever and enterprising; he served the Swedish king Magnus Smek for a period and became høvedsmand (vasal/chief) at Bohus. He was accused of outrage, returned to Denmark and inherited in 1360 Spøttrup in Salling and Lund at Mors after his father-in-law Niels Bugge. Lund was fortificated at that time. Gotskalk entered the alliance with other Jutland magnates and the Holstein grever against the king, who had to negotiate with them and accept. Gotskalk was appointed høvedsmand at Hornborg (Hindborg).
Thiset
Dansk Biografisk Lexicon

(forfædrelinie IV, 2.g.a.)
Gotskalk Skarpenberg was married to Lisbeth (Elisabeth/Else) Nielsdatter Bugge of Hald


Johan (Henneke) Skarpenberg (m. 1389-1421)
rigsråd, from German nobility - the same family as Sharffenberg - he was a son of Gotskalk Skarpenberg of Hald and Else (Lisbeth/Elisabeth) Nielsdatter Bugge. Before he became a ridder (knight) he called himself Heine or Henneke Skarpenberg. He is mentioned for the first time in 1389 in a thing's witness of Nørreherred at Mors, and in 1395 his name is among the several forlovere in the agreement at Lindholm; he is also mentioned when his mother sold Hald to queen Margrethe.

When he became a knight it probably happened at the feasts of the king-election in Kalmar in 1397. At the same time he got a seat as rigsråd in Rigens Råd (State Council) , for during the next 20 years he is mentioned as a witness in a large amount of public and private documents. He seems to be present at the agreements in Flensborg 1405, 1412 and 1413, at the negotiations with the Ditmarsks in 1409 and at the agreement in Kolding in 1411. He must be the Skarpenberg who in 1409 accompanied queen Margrethe to Gottorp and here discovered and warned the queen against a planned treason from hertuginde Elisabeth's side.

In 1410 he was one of the leaders of the 8000 men, king Erik sent to Friesland, he was taken prisoner in the battle at Sollerup Mark and had to pay a considerable ransom of 10.000 mark. From his vasalries is known Trøjborg (1405) and Skive with Hindborg, Rødding, Nørre and Harre herred, which he had as a pawn in 1407. He owned Spøttrup in Salling, Lund at Mors, Utterslevgård at Lolland, which he sold in 1401, and Tranholm, which he in 1406 sold to the Crown, and Højriis at Mors, which he in 1413 exchanged to Børglum Kloster.

The legend says that he lived in the manor Gammellund , but had to leave the country and lost his estates because he - after in vain having complained to the king - killed one of the king's vasals Peder Pykstrud, who had raped a young girl who was a daughter of one of Johan Skarpenberg's men. But in 1417 Johan Skarpenberg was still a rigsråd and he was dead in 1421. So the legend seems to be just a legend or maybe overdramatized rumors. He was buried in Viborg Cathedral which would have been impossible if the legend was true. His estate at Mors and in Salling were for a long time after his death royal vasalries which suggests that the legend might have some truth in it. Half the truth? He seems to have been of a violent nature like his father, the canons of Ribe banned him in 1405, because he when vasal at Trøjborg had assaulted Løgumkloster.
Johan Skarpenberg was married to fru Eibe (Limbek) who still lived in 1427 .
Thiset Dansk Biografisk Lexicon

(forfædrelinie IV, 3.g.a. og 4.g.a.)
Johan Skarpenberg had a daughter, Inger Hennekesdatter Skarpenberg, who was married to Herman Flemming of Knudstrup, a son of Peder Flemming in Sweden.