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139

Count Magnus III of Sachsen-Lauenburg

139  Count Magnus III of Sachsen-Lauenburg (1543–1603). This is the only royal coat of arms identified on the island. The count´s cousin was King Erik XIV of Sweden, who sent Magnus to govern the Estonian island of Saarenmaa (Ösel). The count was about to start a war with Denmark, but was called home to Stockholm by the King. The carving was hewn in 1575, en route to or from Saarenmaa. The three broken hearts may by Hausen have been rendered out of memory, or the more recent painters of the carving found them healed. The fierce eagle has lost its crown, rather resembling a swan.