DF 6818

Henningus Johannis, a priest from the diocese of Turku, once chaplain in the church of Lappee (Lappvesi), explains that he and the parish priest’s servant once had an argument. This servant had armed himself one night and followed Henningus and waited for him. When he could not get hold of Henningus, he found one of his servants the following day and hit him instead. When Henningus asked him why he had done this, the servant answered him in insulting words and grasped a mace with the intention of hitting Henningus. Some bystanders, however, stopped him, and he dropped the mace but took hold of his crossbow. Again, the bystanders stopped him from attacking Henningus and took the crossbow away from him. Other weapons were shown on all sides. Then Henningus fled to a house, but he could not open the doors. He then ran towards his carriage, where he found an axe that he could defend himself with. But his enemy came running and took an axe from another carriage, ran towards the Henningus with the intention of hurting and killing him. He then raised the axe and tried to hit him. Fearing his own death, and with no other way to escape, Henningus met the blow from his attacker with an axe-blow on his head. A few days later, this servant died. The regent Julianus, bishop of Bertinoro, refers the case to (the auditor) Franciscus Brevius for inspection, and commissions the diocesan bishop to declare Henningus innocent and not irregular or disqualified, on condition that it can be established that he acted in self-defence.