Sinclairvisan

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A Swedish patriotic song from 1739, written by Anders Odel to the La Folia melody, tells the story of the murder of Swedish diplomat Malcolm Sinclair. The piece, which has many verses, spread widely in Sweden and served as anti-Russian propaganda.

Background: In 1738 Sinclair travelled to Constantinople to seek a safer way to communicate with the Ottoman Empire and to discuss a possible alliance against Russia. He carried a letter for Swedish ministers about these talks. Although the mission was secret, the Russian minister in Stockholm, Bestuzhev-Ryumin, learned of it and passed information to Moscow, including Sinclair’s portrait.

Murder: On June 17, 1739, near Breslau, two Russian officers, Kütler and Lewitzki, sent by Münnich, intercepted Sinclair. They took his diplomatic papers, pulled him from his coach, and killed him in a forest. A French merchant who had traveled with Sinclair, Couturier, reported the murder. Russia denied responsibility in official letters to European courts.

Impact: The killing provoked strong anger toward Russia in Sweden and helped fuel anti-Russian sentiment among the Hats party, contributing to the Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743.

The song’s story: The lyrics are told by a shepherd named Celadon. An old man leads him to a hidden place where a hall of twelve Swedish kings sits. A wounded Sinclair enters and explains how he died and what he did during his diplomatic mission. The Swedish king Charles XII wants to avenge him, but his advisers say revenge must be handled by later rulers. Moved by the tale, Celadon is urged to rally Swedes to avenge Sinclair’s blood.

Publication and authorship: The song spread widely and was included in a major Swedish collection of folk songs by Geijer and Afzelius. For a long time it was thought to be written by Jacob Henrik Mörk, but a draft among Odel’s papers identifies Anders Odel as the author. Some editions include an epilogue that hints at the initials A.O. of the author.

Note: This text is a concise summary of a folk song that became part of Sweden’s memory of the period.