The Rogge Family of Stockholm: Pious Foundations, Social Advancement and Marian Devotion in Late Medieval Sweden

The article examines the lives of two members of the Rogge family of Stockholm, a father and son, in the fifteenth century.It investigates how the trade activities conducted by the father, Stockholm merchant Kort Rogge the Elder, in Danzig (Pol.Gdask) and his involvement in the foundation of the chapel of St Eric therein facilitated his son's ecclesiastical walk of life.Kort Rogge the Younger, the Stockholm burgher's son, pursued an ecclesiastical career and achieved social advancement.Eventually, he ascended to the position of the bishop of Strngns.Subsequently, Bishop Kort Rogge made pious gifts of his own, some designed to ensure personal and familial commemoration in Stockholm and to promote Marian piety there demonstrating his enduring connection with his hometown.Both father-burgher and son-bishop viewed pious gifts not only as a source of liturgical commemoration, but also as a means by which to achieve both worldly and personal-spiritual goals: the acquisition of prestige, social advancement and the promotion of a particular devotion.