Henrik Anker Bjerregaard (1 January 1792 – 7 April 1842) was a Norwegian poet, dramatist and judge. Born in

Ringsaker is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Brumunddal. Other settlements in Ringsaker include the town of Moelv and the ...

to Mads Bjerregard and Alet Ørtlien, he grew up in

Vågå Vågå () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo. Other village areas in Vågå include Lalm and Besshe ...

from the age of eight. He studied at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...

, but returned to Norway in 1814 and graduated from the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

with the cand.jur. degree in 1815. He climbed the career ladder as a jurist, was a solicitor and chief justice in the

diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

court of Christiania before being appointed as a Supreme Court Assessor in 1830. He remained in this position until his death. Bjerregaard was also a prominent lyricist. Together with Conrad Nicolai Schwach and

Maurits Hansen Maurits Christopher Hansen (5 July 1794 – 16 March 1842) was a Norwegian writer. He was born in Modum as a son of Carl Hansen (1757–1826) and Abigael Wulfsberg (1758–1823). In October 1816 he married teacher Helvig Leschly (1789–1874). ...

he was among the most important lyricists after Norway's independence in 1814, in the generation before

Henrik Wergeland Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...

and

Johan Sebastian Welhaven Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven (22 December 1807 – 21 October 1873) was a Norwegian author, poet, critic, and art theorist. He has been considered "one of the greatest figures in Norwegian literature." Background Johan Welhaven was born ...

. According to the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', Bjerregaard had a "varied talent", and his body of work contains "some charming studies from nature, and admirable patriotic songs". In 1820, Bjerregaard had entered a contest to write the new

national anthem of Norway "" (; en, "Yes, we love this country") is the Norwegian national anthem. Originally a patriotic song, it came to be commonly regarded as the ''de facto'' national anthem of Norway in the early 20th century, after being used alongside "" since th ...

, and his hymn '' Sønner af Norge'', melody written by Christian Blom, was selected as the winner. The song stood as the national anthem of Norway until 1864, when ''

Ja, vi elsker dette landet "" (; en, "Yes, we love this country") is the Norwegian national anthem. Originally a patriotic song, it came to be commonly regarded as the ''de facto'' national anthem of Norway in the early 20th century, after being used alongside "" since th ...

'' was written. Bjerregaard also wrote plays, including ''Fjeldeventyret'' (1825) and ''Magnus Barfods Sønner'' (1830), and was a theatre critic. However, he largely ceased his literary production after his 1830 appointment as Supreme Court Assessor. Bjerregaard was married to actress Henriette Hansen, who was several years his junior. He died on April 7, 1842, aged 50, and was buried at

Vår Frelsers gravlund The Cemetery of Our Saviour ( no, Vår Frelsers gravlund) is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It is located adjacent to the older Old Aker Cemetery and was created in 1808 as a result of the great ...

. The road ''Bjerregaards gate'' in Oslo has been named after him.

References

External links

Digitized books by Bjerregaard
in the

National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway ( no, Nasjonalbiblioteket) was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjerregaard, Henrik Anker 1792 births 1842 deaths 19th-century Norwegian poets Norwegian male poets Norwegian theatre critics National anthem writers University of Oslo alumni Supreme Court of Norway justices Norwegian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Norwegian male writers Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour