Constantin Marselis, or Constantijn Marselis (28 November 1647 - 16 June 1699), was a nobleman of the wealthy Dutch

Marselis Marselis is a Dutch surname, given to the wealthy Marselis family. Notable people with this surname include: *Gabriel Marselis, Dutch tradesman and landowner *Constantin Marselis, Dutch nobleman * Selius Marselis, Dutch-Norwegian tradesman * Gabrie ...

family.

Biography

Constantin Marselis was born in Amsterdam as the younger son of Gabriel Marselis (1609–1673) and Isabeau van Straaten. He had an elder brother Vilhelm Marselis (1643-1683) who was fief baron of Güldencrone. In 1667, the King of Denmark Frederik III sent for both Constantin and Vilhelm, to take over two of their father's Danish estates near Aarhus; ''Stadsgård'' and ''Havreballegård''. At the same time, they were appointed as

Junker Junker ( da, Junker, german: Junker, nl, Jonkheer, en, Yunker, no, Junker, sv, Junker ka, იუნკერი (Iunkeri)) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German ''Juncherre'', meaning "young nobleman"Duden; Meaning of Junke ...

s of the Danish court. In 1668 they were appointed as

Kammerjunker ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply waited on t ...

s. Shortly after the King's death in February 1670, Constantin Marselis married Sophie Elisabeth Charisius (1647-1706). He and his wife took residence on Stadsgård. After years of neglect from his father and damages from the constant wars with Sweden in the Second Northern War, Constantin renovated Stadsgård extensively. When the manor was finished in 1677, he renamed it to Constantinsborg, a name it retains to the present. In 1680, he became a baron of the Havreballegård estate just south of Aarhus and at the same time renamed the manor '' Marselisborg''. Constantin died childless in 1699, and the barony of Marselisborg went to the Crown. After his death, his widow Sophie initiated a sepulchral for him, herself and her new husband Peter Rodsteen in the

Aarhus Cathedral Aarhus Cathedral ( da, Århus Domkirke) is a cathedral in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the longest and tallest church in the country, at in length and in height. The construction of Aarhus Cathedral began in the 12th century and it is the main edific ...

and a richly decorated

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

can be seen here today.

Constantinsborg

Constantinsborg Manor house is situated just south of the new lake of Årslev Engsø, a few kilometres west of Aarhus. It is still a manor for the Constantinsborg Estate and is currently owned by the Holch Povlsen family. The estate is part of the Global Gap certified food production company ''De 5 Gaarde'' (lit.: The 5 Farms), in collaboration with four other Danish Estates.GLOBAL G.A.P.
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References

Other Sources

* Harris, Poul: ''Marselis-slægten, blade af dens historie'' Viby J, Centrum 1980. * Lauridsen, John T.: ''Marselis konsortiet: En studie over forholdet mellem handelskapital og kongemagt i 1600-tallets Danmark'' Aarhus, Jysk Selskab for Historie 1987 (disputats). * Jensen, Bernhardt og Peder Jensen: ''Marselisborgskovene'' Aarhus, Universitetsforlaget Aarhus 1974. 1647 births 1699 deaths Nobility from Amsterdam People from Aarhus Barons of Denmark 17th-century Danish landowners {{denmark-bio-stub