Clas Fleming

Clas Larsson Fleming (March 1592 – 27 July 1644) was a Swedish naval officer and nobleman involved in the development of a formal management structure for the Swedish Navy during the reigns of King Gustavus Adolphus and Queen Christina. He is remembered as one of the ablest administrators in the history of the Swedish Navy, and is in many ways a typical example of the type of aristocrat who served the Swedish Crown during the period of Sweden's imperial expansion.

Biography He was the son of Lars Hermansson Fleming, the governor of Åbo (Turku) in present-day Finland. He was born at Villnäs (Askainen) in Finland and began his military career in the army, as a cornet in the Field Marshal's Guards Company. In 1620 he began his naval service as a vice admiral and rear admiral, and served as the commander of a number of squadrons and fleets in the following years. He was away from Sweden with the navy for most of the campaigning seasons in the 1620s, but returned to Stockholm in the winters. Admirals were also administrative officers, and Fleming became a central figure in the administration of naval procurement. When the office of holmamiral, the official responsible for managing the state dockyard and arsenal in Stockholm, fell open in 1625, it was not filled for six years, but Fleming essentially fulfilled the duties of the office. During this period the dockyard was not under direct Crown control but was leased by private entrepreneurs, Henrik Hybertsson and Arendt de Groote. They built the large warship Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. Fleming had been involved in the negotiations of the original contract and in maintaining Crown control over the entrepreneurs, and was present at a demonstration of the ship's lack of stability about a month before the ship sailed.

Personal life Clas was born to Lars Hermansson Fleming and Anna Henriksdotter Horn af Kanckas. His grandfathers were both notable military men and statesmen; his maternal grandfather was Governor-General Henrik Klasson Horn ( – 1595), and his paternal grandfather was Admiral Herman Persson Fleming ( – 1583).

His children included Admiral Herman Claesson Fleming af Liebelitz (1619–1673) and Lars Claesson Fleming af Liebelitz (1621–1699), who served as Chamberlain for Queen Christina.

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