with the Hanseatic League. The League pressured the Danish king into firing Olav after he had made attempts at reducing their autonomous status in the city. In response to this, Olav carried out a prolonged private war of piracy and raiding against both the League and Sweden, in the end forcing the Danish king into restoring his former position. After returning to Bergen, however, Olav was murdered by the League's men, together with his young son and his brother Peder, as well as the bishop of Bergen and many monks in Munkeliv Abbey which was burned. After these murders the family, led by Olav's widow Elise Eskildsdatter (d. ca. 1492) and her children, continued to fiercely battle the League through piracy until receiving compensation and restoration of status some years later. Modern era The Skanke Family Association in Norway is open to any person holding the Skanke or related surnames. It encourages genealogical and prosopographical research into the family. References Other sources de Robelin, Roger (1995) Skanke ätten, Engdal, Odd G. (2006) Norsk marinehistorisk atlas 900–2005 (Bergen: Vigmostad & Bjørk) Hetland, Ingebrigt (2008) Pirater og sjørøvere i norske farvann (Oslo: Pantagruel Forlag) Øye, Ingvild (1994) Bergen and the German Hansa (Bergen: Bryggens Museum) Young, G.V.C. (1997) A Brief History of the Isle of Man (Mansk-Svenska Publishing Co Ltd) Young, G.V.C. (1981) History of the Isle of Man Under the Norse: Or, Now Through a Glass Darkly (Mansk-Svenska Publishing Co Ltd) Young, G.V.C. (1981) The three legs go to Scandinavia a monograph on the Manx royal family and their Scandinavian descendants (Mansk-Svenska Pub. Co. Ltd) External links Skanke-foreningen i Norge website Norwegian families Norwegian noble families