Christen Friis (1581–1639) was a Danish nobleman, politician, and patron of arts and science. He was a son of

Jørgen Friis Jørgen Friis til Krastrup was a Danish lord and Governor-general of Norway from 1601 to 1608. He was probably born in Nes Castle, Denmark and died in 1616 in Skørping. His father Ivar Friis (died 1557) was the lord at Nes, and his mother was Sop ...

and Else Bjørn, and a nephew of

Johan Friis Johan Friis (20 February 1494 – 5 December 1570) was a Danish statesman. He served as Chancellor under King Christian III of Denmark. Biography He was born at Lundbygård manor as the son of Jesper Friis til Lundbygård and Anne Johansdat ...

, from whom he inherited

Borreby Castle Borreby Castle ( da, Borreby Slot, ) is a fortified manor house located near Skælskør, Slagelse Municipality, in the south-west corner of the island of Zealand, in eastern Denmark. History Early history First mentioned in 1345, by the end of th ...

. He inherited the manor of Kragerup in 1610. He bought Lindholm manor in 1633. Christen Friis was Chancellor of Denmark from 1616. Friis was an opponent of the continuation of the

Kalmar War The Kalmar War (1611–1613) was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark-Norway soon gained the upper hand, it was unable to defeat Sweden entirely. The Kalmar War was the last time Denmark-Norway successfully defended its '' do ...

and advocated peace measures to

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

. He was a patron of the astronomer Christen Sørensen Longomontanus and the historians Johannes Pontanus and

Johannes Meursius Johannes Meursius (van Meurs) (9 February 1579 – 20 September 1639) was a Dutch classical scholar and antiquary. Biography Meursius was born Johannes van Meurs at Loosduinen, near The Hague. He was extremely precocious, and at the age of s ...

, and a friend of the natural historian

Ole Worm Ole Worm (13 May 1588 – 31 August 1654), who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician, natural historian and antiquary. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen where he taught Greek, Latin ...

. He married Barbara Wittrup (d. 1653). Their children included Hans Friis.Thomas Riis, ''Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot'', vol. 2 (Odense, 1988), p. 285. He died in 1639.

References

External links

History of Lindholm manor (Danish)

Engraving of 'Christen Friis' by Simon van der Passe, British Museum

Epitaph and tomb of Christen Friis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friis, Christen 1581 births 1639 deaths 16th-century Danish nobility 16th-century Danish politicians 16th-century Danish landowners 17th-century Danish nobility 17th-century Danish politicians 17th-century Danish landowners People of the Kalmar War