Rolf A. Heyno (Heijno)
CIVILITY FROM SEA TO SEA CIVITATUM MARITIMARUM
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The website of the late Rolf A. Heyno (Heijno) is continued (maintained) by Friends of History for Public Education.
Thank You for visiting the website of the late Rolf A. Heyno (Heijno).
I am one of the very few direct male descendants of the ancient Hanse merchant Patricians of the House of Heijno from The Free Imperial City State of Luebeck.
During the centuries the Heijno has been written in various ways depending on the language and script as Haino, Hainault, Haineault, Heino (1236 A.D.), Heyno with a gothic yot (ÿ), Heijno and Heyno, which all are pronounced as Latin Haino, and originally referred to one and the same prominent family of the Germanic Nervii tribe.
Due to the fact that there is a lot of misinformation regarding the Hanse
Merchants, I decided to write a book for public education.
The Heijno family was annihilated with the exception of Gustav Johann Heijno, who was a sole male survivor of the massacre of Luebeck in November 6-9, 1806, the massacre of Luebeck was under the leadership of Marshal Jean Batiste Bernadotte, who later became the King of Sweden.
Gustav Johann Heijno survived only because he happened to be in Viborg, Finland at that time.
Holstentor as it is today after the ravages of ages.
 A scene from the massacre of Luebeck in November 6-9 1806, by an unknown artist. |
 A scene from the massacre of Luebeck in November 6-9, 1806 by an unknown artist.A scene from the massacre of Luebeck in November 6-9, 1806 by an unknown artist. |
 You see a part of the Acacia Avenue (Allee), this led from the then main road between Viborg and St. Petersburg to the summer estate of The Court of Heyno (Heijno). At the entrance gate of the Acacia Avenue there were two huge granite (stone) pillars, which are not seen in this picture. The winter residences were in St. Petersburg. |
 You may see the Birch Avenue (Allee) which led from The Court to the Lake Vammeljarvi. On the left side you may see the tips of branches of the tree which is in the Picture # 3. |
 I stand with my late older brother Gunnar in Tyrolean dress which we got as a gift from our Austrian grandmother whose mother had been one of the Ladies-in-waiting in the Empress Maria Theresa’s Court. The tree in this picture is North American hemlock which was brought from Canada together with a few poplar trees. In our orchard we had also Siberian “Kedr”, which is a pine family tree with big cones which have small nut like seeds and have a mild tar like taste. I believe that the trees are still there regardless that the rest of the buildings were burned during The Winter War in 1939-1940. In the orchard There was also a fishpond which received its water from a natural spring (well). | |
Excerpts from My Reply to University Professor(s) in Europe
Rolf A. Heÿno
First of all I want to point out few historical facts of which I am sure you are fully aware.
At the time of Emperors (Czars) , King and Dukes who had autocratic power, the rulers had Counsels (advisers).
You also must be aware that the rulers accepted counsel only from their peers.
For example, originally Emperors’ (Czars’) Counsel in commercial matters or Counsel of Commerce (in German Kommerzienrat, in Swedish Commerce-Rad) was an important office or a position (a job) and not just a title of possible achievements.
We have to remember that for example, Finland wasn’t a part of Russian Empire but had a semi-autonomous Grand Duchy’s position and therefore was able to follow the British example where the dominions proposed to the Kings and Queens to grant some of their outstanding citizens a Counsel’s title for their personal achievements. Such were some of the lawyers who had the Q.C. (Queen’s Counsel) title at the end of their names.
We also have to keep in mind that in olden days, in many cases, young people in their teens had to accept adult’s responsibilities. Such were Alexander the Great who started his world conquest at the age of 16; Henry II, the King of England was 15 as he married “Maud of England”; Cleopatra was 17; Gustav II Adolf was 17 as he became the King of Sweden; Karl XII became the King of Sweden at the age of 15, just to mention few.
What concerns Gustav Johann Heÿno, he was born in The Free Imperial City State of Luebeck on the 6th of January 1774. After his formal education he was sent by the Heÿno ( Hainault- Haino) family in 1790,at the age of 16, to Viborg, to manage the eastern part of their enterprise Die Hanse. At that time the ruler of Russia was Empress Catherine the Great who was related to the Heÿno (Hainault-Haino) merchant Patricians (Princes) as I have explained in my manuscript.
At the time as Gustav Johann Heÿno arrived in Viborg only Viborg and its surrounding areas, the Carelian Istmus included, were a part of Russia, the rest of Finland belonged still to Sweden.
Considering that Catherine’s mother was a Princess from Holstein which was ruled by the Heÿno (Hainault-Haino) merchant Princes. And that her uncle, the King of Sweden Adolf I Fredrick, who was the Prince Bishop of Luebeck before he became the King of Sweden, the Empress must have been fully aware of the benefits which commercial activities had on nation’s economy.
She is even credited for creating a free trade in Russia to help the merchants of Russia against foreign exploitation.
Considering also that Gustav Johann Heÿno had a hereditary ducal rank of innumerable centuries, the Empress must have approached her relative for advice in commercial matters and asked him to act as her Counsel.
This is supported by the fact that as Gustav Johann Heÿno requested in 1842 to be relieved from his responsibilities of the Counsel of Commerce, the then Czar (Emperor) Nicholas I appointed Gustav Johann Heÿno’s second son, 19 years old Robert Ferdinand (also known as Fredrick Heÿno) who had inherited his father’s ducal rank. (At the end of the same year Gustav Johann Heÿno passed away).
This clearly indicates that originally Counsel of Commerce was a position or an office and not an honorary title.
We have to remember that the Heÿno (Hainault-Haino) family or clan followed the ancient hereditary system which is also in the Hammurabi’s Code of Laws, whereby every male descendant inherits his father’s rank.
After The Massacre of Luebeck, Gustav Johann Heÿno, who was my great-great grandfather, couldn’t return to The Free Imperial City States of Luebeck, because the “butcher” of the Heÿno (Hainault-Haino) family Jean Batiste Bernadotte was, for a long time, as the Governor of the Hanse Cities. And who also had permitted such brutality and lust against peace loving merchants, who didn`t have anything to do with the ongoing war, that even the battle hardened French officers were horrified.
Therefore Gustav Johann Heÿno married in Viborg Anna Sofia Carolina von Schantz, with whom he had three sons who all inherited his ducal rank, and the daughters were considered as Princesses.
Here I want to explain the significance of the word Patrician.
Around 1000 A.D. all merchants were named by the name of the town they came from, except the Hainault (Haino) merchants who were mentioned by De institutis Londonie of Ethelred as Homines Imperatoris qui veniebant in navibus suis.
At that time the Hainault (Haino) merchants were the leading merchants in Bruegge and because they had a hereditary ducal rank they were called Patricians. Though there were richer merchants than the Hainault (Haino) merchants, for example in Cologne, but they were not called Patricians because they did not have a ducal rank.
About myself I want to mention that I was born on the summer estate of our family known as The Court of Heÿno in the township of Uusikirkko, which today is occupied by Russia who changed the name of township to Poliany (fields).
Originally The Court of Heÿno consisted of three main buildings which all were destroyed by the fire in the summer 1917, therefore we don`t have many pictures available as mentioned in the history section (some other buildings remained until winter war when they were burned down).
To give a faint idea of the summer estate of The Court of Heyno (Heijno) I have enclosed three pictures as above, also see The History section in my website.
