He was born on November 2, 1662, in Unanitz,
Ingria. He was the son of
Joakim Cronman (1638–1703) and
Lunetta Makeléer (1639–1693). Lunetta was the daughter of
John Hans Makeléer who was a merchant and banker who had emigrated from Scotland to Sweden. Johan joined the military and was commissioned as a lieutenant with the
Narva garrison, and second
captain with the
Närke and
Värmland regiments in 1687. He was promoted to
captain with the
Zurlauben regiment in 1699, and was made a
lieutenant-colonel in 1701. He was promoted to colonel of the
Kronoberg Regiment in 1706. On July 11, 1709, he was at
surrender at Perevolochna and held prisoner in
Siberia until 1722. Johan returned to Sweden after his release and was promoted to
lieutenant-general of the infantry in 1722. He was made a
baron in 1727, and named the
Governor of Malmö and
commandant of
Malmö Castle, both in 1727. Through his life, he fought in 13 battles, but was never wounded. He spoke 8 languages: Swedish, Latin, German, Estonian, Polish, Russian, French and Dutch. He died on July 26, 1737, at age 75. He had never married or had children. ==Legacy==