Eske Bille (born ca. 1480, died 9 February 1552) was a Danish diplomat and statesman

Biography

In 1510, he was made governor and commander at

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 1514 he was transferred to Hagenskov on

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...

. He served as Commander of

Bergenhus Bergenhus is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. This borough encompasses the city centre and is the most urbanized area of the whole city. The borough has a population (2014) of 40,606. This gives Bergenhus a popula ...

from 1529 to 1537 and

Steward of the Realm Steward of the Realm ( Danish: Rigshofmester) was an office at the Royal Danish Court. With the coronation of Eric VII of Denmark it became an important office, taking over the role of the Seneschal (Danish: Drost) as the de facto prime minister of ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

from 1547 until his death. He became a member of the

Council of the Realm The Council of the Realm ( es, Consejo del Reino) was a corporate organ of Francoist Spain, created by the Law of Succession to the Headship of the State of 1947. Within the institutional complex created to hierarchize the regime of Francisco Fran ...

in 1523 in Denmark and member of the Council of the Realm in 1533 in Norway. In 1537, he became a knight, the highest rank of Danish nobility. Bille is most famous for the churches he had demolished in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

, when he was Commander of Bergenhus, and he became known by the nickname "Church Breaker". He completed the demolition of Apostle Church (''Apostelkyrkja'') and demolished Christ Cathedral (''Kristkyrkja''). Both churches and other buildings had to be removed in order to enable the defense of the city and port. Eske Bille was a member of the

Bille family Bille may refer to: * Bille (given name) * Bille (surname) *Bille (Elbe) The river Bille () is a small, slow-flowing German river in Stormarn, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, a right tributary of the Elbe. Its source is near Linau, north of th ...

, which became the most politically powerful noble family of Denmark during his lifetime. He was a son of Peder Bille til Svanholm and Anne Knudsdatter

Gyldenstierne Gyldenstjerne, also spelled ''Gyldenstierne'' and in Swedish ''Gyllenstierna'' (English: ''Golden Star''), is a Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish noble family divided into various branches and ranks. It is one of the oldest noble families in Scandi ...

, brother of Bishop Ove Bille and first cousin of statesman Claus Bille.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bille, Eske 16th-century Danish politicians 16th-century Danish diplomats Eske 1490 births 1552 deaths