Tallinn Town Gaol

Story Natural
Country
Estonia
Year
2019
Storyteller
Anneli Jalava
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Overview

In the 14th century, a Town Gaol was built behind the Tallinn Town Hall. It was a remand prison and to this day, five volumes of the records of the Tallinn Town Court have been preserved and some of the stories are directly related to the people, who have been subjected to the pre-trial investigation. The film, created on the basis of the criminal protocols of the Town Gaol, opens a historical context that binds Tallinn to other cities in the union of that time and introduces to the local and foreign guests the functioning of the Lübeck law during the Hanseatic League. The film’s activities are taking place in medieval Tallinn in 1526, when the Hanseatic town’s economic life was flourishing and the town’s bourgeoisie was very prosperous. In medieval Tallinn, two prostitutes and a crook are meeting for a fleeting moment. Women are enticing the crook, to get his beautiful clothes and a dazzling diamond dagger, without knowing the obscure origin of his items. Soon, the crook is getting caught and earning his punishment, however his desirable objects will begin to live their own lives. Nowadays, the rare buildings of the Northern Europe architecture history associated with the administration of justice – the Town Gaol and the quarters of the gaoler – are housing the Museum of Photography, the affiliate museum of Tallinn City Museum, The former prison building, constructed at the beginning of the 14th century, was rebuilt at the beginning of the 15th century, however the old gaol has still been preserved within the new building.

This story was written by Holger Loodus based on the criminal records of Tallinn Town Hall Gaol (which currently houses the Museum of Photography) from the 13th to 16th century. The film tells the short story of the final days of a thief; however, the actual main character of the story is a gemstone attached to the dagger of the court clerk. A gemstone that can affect people around it, without saying or doing anything itself. This film is also topical in our time, reflecting upon the influence of things. SYNOPSIS Two prostitutes and a rascal have a short encounter in medieval Tallinn. The women lure the rascal, hoping to have his fancy clothes and a dagger with a sparkling gemstone, unaware of the dark background of these items. Soon the rascal is arrested and imprisoned and will receive his well-deserved punishment. His coveted possessions, on the other hand, start living a life of their own. Characters: BERNE HANS, rascal, about 30 years old DORTY, blonde frivolous woman, 23 years old GRETE, brunette frivolous woman, 25 years old COURT CLERK POPPIUS, balding or bald man, 45 years old GOAT OF COURT CLERK, white young male goat BAILIFFS NEW COURT CLERK EXECUTIONER’S SERVANTS CITY GUARDS CITY PEOPLE The story takes place in medieval Tallinn in 1526. The economy of the Hanseatic city is booming and the citizenry are wealthy. Prostitution is flourishing in town and different criminals may also be encountered. This story is assembled based on the criminal records of Tallinn Town Hall Gaol. 1. A play of reflective light beams appears on the screen, followed by the title of the film: “SPARKLE”. 2. A dimly lit vaulted cellar in Tallinn Town Hall Gaol in 1526. Camera follows the dust particles caught in a beam of light to the source of the light – a tiny window in the upper part of the room. Moving down along the beam of light, the camera finds the naked back of a young woman, covered in blood and bruises. Suddenly a stick hits her back. We see the stick whistling through the air, and for a brief moment also the bearded man wielding it. The man’s face is covered in beads of sweat and he has a business-like expression on his face, like people when they are focused on hard work. There are two men in the room: these are the executioner’s servants executing the sentence. Two young women are being punished. They are tied to benches, wearing ragged garments that were once light-coloured. Their hair is tangled. We can see bruises and wounds from the flogging on their exposed backs. Then we are shown a close-up of the faces of the punished women. They are young women in their twenties: one with fair hair, resembling a farm girl, the other a mysterious-looking girl with darker skin. The darker girl looks at her companion; their eyes meet. There is no sign of suffering in their eyes. They only wince in silence as the stick lands another blow across their back. When their eyes meet, they smile at each other so lightly it can hardly be noticed, having a conspiratorial glint in their eyes. 3. Screen text: Three days earlier. Berne Hans arrives in town. It is afternoon. A flamboyantly dressed man of about 30 years of age approaches the Nunne Gate under Toompea Hill from the direction of medieval Kalamaja. He wears strikingly fancy clothes: a pair of long pointed shoes and velvet stockings, a beautiful coat with puffed brocade sleeves and a bold billowing cape on his shoulders. On his head, he is wearing a hat with a large white feather. All these elements emphasise high status, yet there is something dubious about the man – his foppishness is overly unnatural, and his attitude is insistently arrogant. This man is Berne Hans, a rascal and a thief who has arrived in town. He is followed by a young white male goat with a small golden chime dangling from its neck. There are also other people around the city gate – farm women heading to the market with baskets of eggs, some kids scrambling around and a couple of citizens out for a stroll. Just before the gate, right before the city wall, Hans is addressed by two idle young women, Dorty and Grete. We can recognise the girls from the first scene, but their frivolous dresses made of simple fabric are yet unripped (albeit worn) and their hair is nicely arranged. They approach Berne Hans and pull his coat. Hans seems perplexed for a moment. Flirtingly, the women stroke his clothes. Fair-haired Dorty slips her hand over the velvety surface of Hans’ coat lapel and admiringly touches his brocade sleeve. An almost child-like admiration shines from Grete’s eyes. Dark-skinned Grete is fingering Hans’ cloak, then slips her fingers beneath the coat and pulls out a valuable dagger. A gemstone on its handle sparkles dazzlingly in the sunlight for a moment. The women’s eyes shine. Sensing an easy catch, they cling to Hans and push him against the city wall. At the same time, the goat is watching the scene incomprehensibly. But Berne Hans has regained his control. He decidedly shakes the women’s hands from his clothes and sticks the dagger back under his coat. Snorting disdainfully, he wraps the coat closer around him and holds his head high. 4. The man proceeds towards the city gate. The goat bleats happily and follows him. The two proceed through the gates and walk proudly along the busy medieval Nunne Street. The camera takes in the citizens running their daily errands. One, a dignified lady, is thoughtfully looking at the goat. Suddenly, her eyes go wide with a frightened recognition, and she starts shouting something to people around her, fiercely gesturing. The goat incomprehensibly looks at the shouting woman. Citizens gather in a tight circle around Hans and the goat. 5. Screen text: A clue to Berne Hans’ black past The subsequent shots with blurry edges show a quick recollection of past events. It is late night. Outside, a black horse is standing in the dim light that glows from the tavern windows. Suddenly, someone starts fussing around the animal. We can see a man’s feet in boots, they go tense, as if he were pulling something in front of him. Then we can see the legs of a horse, reluctant to move. The puller is Berne Hans, now pulling the horse even more forcefully from its harness. Hans is wearing simple linen clothes. We can hardly recognise the flamboyant fop from the previous scene. Eventually the horse gives in and takes a step. At the same moment, the light from a lantern falls on Hans and the horse. At once, Hans is surrounded by an angry group of men who tie his hands. 6. The door of the gaol cell opens and two guards push the prisoner into the cell. The door closes with a bang behind the frightened thief and the room is buried in darkness. 7. In the moonlight, we can see Berne Hans through the barred window of the gaol cell, contemplating. He is tugging at the bars to assess their strength. His fingers find a weak spot in the fastening of the bars. A foot kicks the bars and they fly off. Then the face of Hans appears; he is squeezing himself through the small window and jumps out on the cobblestones. However, the two guards have heard the noise and already appear from around the corner, holding torches. The thief is running, glancing over his shoulder. He jumps over a low wall into a courtyard, and seeing a window open, climbs into a house. For a moment Hans peeks outside to make sure the guards are gone. Then he looks around in the room. 8. A dignified middle-aged man is laying in the bed with a night cap, sound asleep. This is court clerk Poppius, a respectable and wealthy citizen. Even when snoring, the high official gives off an air of sternness. There aren’t many items in his simply furnished bedroom. At the foot of a wide bed with columns, there is an open clothes chest with a fancy costume folded on top. We can recognise the exquisite vest, shirt with puffed sleeves and hat with a white feather, worn by Berne Hans in the first part of the film. Next to the bed, on a carved wooden bench lies a dagger. The court clerk keeps it there to protect himself from burglars. A large gemstone on the handle shines in the moonlight falling from the window. We can see its glow reflecting in Berne Hans’ eyes, going wide with greed. Hans moves his hand towards the dagger; his fingers are already grasping the handle with the gemstone. All of a sudden, a hand in a nightgown grasps the thief by his wrist. The court clerk has awakened. There is a fight. Berne Hans has still got the dagger in his hand. In a frame showing silhouettes we can see how the dagger in the thief’s hand is stabbed into the court clerk’s neck. Blood bursts from the wound. 9. Silence. The crime has been committed. View from above. The dead court clerk is lying on the bed; the murderer bends over him for a moment, contemplating the situation. But there seems to be someone else in the room. A young male goat has appeared from who knows where, with a little golden chime dangling from its neck. Hans takes no notice of the goat. He grabs the blood-covered dagger, fancy clothes from the chest and escapes through the door. We can see Berne Hans running along the streets with a dagger in his hand and clothes under his arm. The little goat has decided to follow him. We can see the two of them running through the Old Town by night, until they vanish in the darkness. End of recollection. A short pause. 10. Screen text: Will the crime be punished? We are back at the scene where Berne Hans and the goat are surrounded by citizens. People shout and gesture angrily with their hands. We can sense violence sizzling in the air. Two city guards step through the crowd with spears in their hands. They twist Hans’ hands behind his back and walk him away. 11. Tallinn Town Hall. We can see three gloomy bailiffs sitting at the table in high-collared official robes. The thief has been brought in front of the court. A new court clerk in a dark velvet costume reads out the verdict. His eyes are furious and he exudes aggressiveness. The last words of the court clerk are powerful and spat out with saliva: “To be hanged!” 12. Gallow Hill by the Viru Gates. We can see from above the vengeful peasants and citizens who have come to watch the execution. The executioner’s hands in wide black sleeves place a loop around Hans’ neck. He is trying to fight back. One more time the rascal looks with pleading eyes at the crowd, then the executioner pushes a ladder from under his feet. His feet twitch a few times and then remain hanging loosely. A view of the deserted Gallows Hill. The executed man is left hanging there as a reminder to the city folk. We can see a flock of crows taking off. 13. It is evening. Two women pass Berne Hans’ hanging body in the glow of the setting sun. They have covered themselves with hooded cloaks, but when the camera moves closer, we can recognise Dorty and Grete. The women stand in front of the hanged man and slip their hoods back on their shoulders. They are gazing thoughtfully at Berne Hans’ stiffened face. Yet it seems that it is his clothes that they are really interested in. Dorty reaches up to touch the lapel of Hans’ coat, like on their first encounter. Grete climbs up the ladder and slips her hand under Hans’ coat. A victorious smile appears on her face: she pulls out the dagger with the sparkling gemstone. A third visitor has appeared by the gallows: a little white goat is eating grass by the women’s feet. The little chime dangling from its neck is tinkling softly. Grete hides the dagger in her bosom and nods at Dorty, who has removed Hans’ shirt with brocade sleeves. She then looks over her shoulder, startled, as her face is lit by the light of a torch. Without them noticing, the city guards have appeared. Grete drops the dagger on hardened soil – the women are caught in the act of robbing a hanged man. 14. The Town Hall again. The same bailiffs. Guards bring forth Dorty and Grete. The court clerk reads the verdict, this time looking weary. He is at the same time doing three whipping gestures with his hand. The women are taken away. The dagger lies on the table in front of the judges, but this time it does not glint. The gemstone is missing. 15. We return to the opening scene. Dorty and Grete are being punished, flogged with sticks. We can see beads of sweat and blood on the women’s faces, shown in close-up. Their faces wince as the sticks hit their bare backs. Then they exchange looks. A conspiratorial smile appears on their faces. Grete opens her smiling mouth. We can see something glittering on her tongue. The camera shows in close-up a gemstone on Grete’s tongue. Its shine also strikes Dorty’s sweaty and bruised face. There is something gratifying and pleasurable about it. Little by little, the shine turns into an abstract glow of light on the wall, just like in the opening titles. In the final frame, the camera shows the enraged eyes of the executioner’s servant flogging the women. We can see blood and wounds reflected in his eyes.

European Dimension

Since the 13th century, Lübeck’s law was applied to Tallinn and from the 14th century the city was also joined in the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic League was a collective cultural, legal and commercial environment in the 13th–17th century, leaded by the city of Lübeck that united Tallinn and about hundred other Hanseatic cities located alongside and close by the Baltic and the North Sea. The Western European law, as well as the cultural and commercial area, began to apply in Tallinn at the beginning of the Danish era, resulting the development of a decent European urban society. In the middle of the 16th century the city of Tallinn and its trade were flourishing. Tallinn was a multinational city with about 7,500 inhabitants, of whom more than half were Estonians, about a quarter were Germans and the rest were Finns, Swedes, Dutch and others. The transaction of affairs was held in German and the Germans were the majority of the elite of the city, however the Estonians in the lower and middle class also had all the citizens rights and many of them were economically prosperous.