Abel Cathrine (ca. 1626-1676) was a Danish courtier and philanthropist. She was the favorite of the queen of Denmark,

Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Calenberg (24 March 1628 – 20 February 1685) was Queen of Denmark and Norway as the consort of the King Frederick III of Denmark. She is known for her political influence, as well as for her cultural impact: she acted ...

, and known as the founder of Abel Cathrine Foundation (''

Abel Cathrines Stiftelse Abel Cathrines Stiftelse is a listed building at Abel Cathrines Gade 13, between Vesterbrogade and Istedgade, in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built to provide housing for indigent women by a charity established in 1675 b ...

''). Abel Cathrines Gade, a street in Copenhagen, is named after her.

Biography

Abel Cathrine was born in

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

in circa 1626. She never used a surname, but she is believed to have been the illegitimate daughter of a German nobleman of the von der Wisch family. She was likely employed in the household of Queen Sophie Amalie upon her arrival to Denmark in 1643. In 1655, Abel Catherine married the court official Hans Hansen Osten (1617-1672), who was supervisor (''proviantskriver'') at Proviantgården on

Slotsholmen Slotsholmen (English: The Castle Islet) is an island in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, and part of Copenhagen Inner City. The name is taken from the successive castles and palaces located on the island since Bishop Absalon constructed the ci ...

and at the

Copenhagen Castle Copenhagen Castle ( da, Københavns Slot) was a castle on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built in the late 14th century and was located at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace. History In 1167, Bisho ...

in Copenhagen as well as crown manager of Queen Sofie Amalies's estates on

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...

and

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

. In addition to his responsibilities of the royal estates, Osten also accumulated a great fortune through personal investments. Formally, Abel Cathrine left her position as lady-in-waiting of the queen upon her marriage, but in practice she remained the intimate favorite of the queen who showed her many favors. After the death of her spouse in 1672, Abel Cathrine acquired Ulriksholm Manor (''Ulriksholm Slot'') in the parish of Kølstrup. She also used a large part of her wealth for charitable purposes. She founded ''Abel Cathrines Stiftelse'' to provide housing for the poor in Copenhagen. Abel Cathrine died on New Year's Day in 1676. In her will, she also created a hospital at Ulriksholm and a number of scholarships. Both Abel Cathrine and Hans Hansen Osten were buried at the Church of Holmen in Copenhagen where an epitaph with a double portrait was painted by Abraham Wuchters in 1674.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathrine, Abel 1626 births 1676 deaths People from Schleswig-Holstein Danish ladies-in-waiting Danish philanthropists 17th-century Danish women 17th-century Danish people 17th-century philanthropists