{{More citations needed, date=June 2022 Coatofarms-Bielke

Bjelke, also spelled ''Bielke'', was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

and Norwegian noble family, known since the mid-15th century and extinct in 1868.

History

The family's progenitor was Josef Andersen of Gyllarp in

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

, living in the middle of the 15th century. His son Tilluf Josefsen to Gyllarp was the father of Jens Tillufsen Bjelke, who by his marriage to Lucie Nielsdatter

Gyldenløve Gyldenløve, was a surname for several illegitimate children of House of Oldenburg, Oldenburg kings of Denmark-Norway in the 17th century. Kings The surname Gyldenløve was given to the sons of the following Dano-Norwegian kings: * Christian I ...

came to possess Austrått Fortress and Estate i Ørland,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. In the 17th century, this family was among the mightiest in the kingdom. The last man of the family was Carl Frederik Bjelke (1837–1868).

Coat of arms

The family's arms are a silver shield depicting two blue beams ( no, bjelke). The coat of arms appears, among other places, in family members' wax seals, in heraldic artworks at Austrått Fortress, and in a portrait of Ove Bjelke.

Connection to other families

The family has no confirmed connection to the Swedish family

Bielke Bielke is the name of an ancient and powerful Swedish noble family, originally from Småland. History The family was wirst mentioned in the 13th century. It is the second-oldest such family still in existence after Natt och Dag. The comital f ...

. The other Bjelke family in Norway, living today, descends from the Swedish Bielke family known as ''Lilliebjelke'' (‘Lily Beam’).

Prominent members

Jens Tillufssøn Bjelke Jens Tillufssøn Bjelke (died in Copenhagen, 14 October 1559) was a Danish-Norwegian nobleman and a feudal lord of Jemtland, Norway, was originally from Danish Skåne (now Swedish). Jens Tillufssøn Bjelke was one of several notable Danes who ac ...

(died 1559), Feudal lord of Jemtland. *

Jens Bjelke Jens Ågessøn Bjelke (2 February 1580 – 7 November 1659) was a Norwegian nobleman who was Chancellor of Norway from 1614 to 1648, when he was succeeded by Hannibal Sehested. He was the son of Åge Bjelke and Margrethe Thott. At the time o ...

(1580–1659), Chancellor of Norway. *

Ove Bjelke Ove Bjelke (26 October 1611 – 29 March 1674) was a Norwegian nobleman, feudal lord and statesman. He served as Chancellor of Norway (1660–1674). Biography He was born in Trondheim; the son of Jens Bjelke (1580–1659) and Sophie Brocken ...

(1611-1674), Chancellor of Norway. * Henrik Bjelke (1615-1683), Admiral of the Realm. *

Jørgen Bjelke Jørgen Bjelke (2 June 1621 – 17 June 1696) was a Norwegian officer and nobleman. He was born at Elingaard Manor on Onsøy near Fredrikstad, in Østfold County, Norway and died in Kalundborg, Denmark. Early and personal life He was the son of ...

(1621–1696), Commander-in-chief of the Norwegian army.

Gallery

File:Ovebjelke.jpg, Ove Bjelke.
Unknown painter. File:Henrik Bjelke.jpg, Henrik Bjelke.
Painter: Karel van Mander File:Juhl Bjelke Gedde.JPG, From Austrått: Arms of Juel (left), Bielke, and Giedde. File:Tott Bjelke.JPG, From Austrått: Arms of Tott and Bjelke. File:Bjelke Lindenow.JPG, From Austrått: Arms of Bjelke and Lindenow. File:Bjelke Brockenhus.JPG, From Austrått: Arms of Bjelke and Brockenhuus.

Literature

* Danmarks Adels Aarbog * A. Thiset og P.L. Wittrup: ''Nyt dansk Adelslexikon'', Copenhagen 1904 * Hallvard Trætteberg: ''Norges våbenmerker. Norske by- og adelsvåben'', Kaffe Hag, Oslo 1933 *

Sven Tito Achen Sven Tito Achen (born 29 July 1922 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; died 14 November 1986) was an Argentinian-Danish writer and author on heraldry, co-founder of the Scandinavian Society of Heraldry (Societas Heraldica Scandinavica) and the first editor ...