Mads Eriksen Bølle (died 1539) 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 a ...

privy councillor, landowner and fiefholder. He was during the

Count's Feud The Count's Feud ( da, Grevens Fejde), also called the Count's War, was a war of succession that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark. In the international context, it was part of the European wars of religi ...

in opposition to

Christian III Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...

and the introduction of

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

but was after the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

nonetheless allowed to keep his fiefs.

Early life

Bølle was the son of Erik Madsen Bølle (died 1492 or later) and Anne Sivertsdatter Blaa. He was the brother of Ejler Eriksen Bølle.

Holdings

He inherited Orebygaard on

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...

and

Fuglsang Manor Fuglsang is a 19th-century manor house now operated by Det Classenske Fideicommis as a cultural centre as an active agricultural estate at Toreby on the island of Lolland, in southeastern Denmark. The estate was owned by members of the de Neergaar ...

after his mother's death. Prio to her death in 1495, he was queen

Dorothea Dorothea (also spelled Dorothée, Dorotea or other variants) is a female given name from Greek (Dōrothéa) meaning "God's Gift". It may refer to: People * Dorothea Binz (1920–1947), German concentration camp officer executed for war cri ...

's '' lensmand'' (''høvedsmand'') at

Haraldsborg Haraldsborg is a historic property located close to Roskilde Fjord in northeastern Roskilde, Denmark. , it is being converted into a Christmas seal home for socially challenged children. History Harald's fortress According to Saxo Grammaticus, ...

. In 1500, he was by the Bishopric of Roskilde granted Hjortholm in

North Zealand North Zealand, also North Sealand ( da, Nordsjælland), refers to the northern part of the Danish island of Zealand which is not clearly defined but generally covers the area north of Copenhagen. The Danish tourist authorities have recently in ...

as a fief. In 1505, Bishop Johan Jepsen Ravensberg, a relative, granted him Tureby, Spanager and Egby for life for himself, his wife and his son Erik. In 1507. he was also granted St. Agnetes' Priory in Roskilde.

Career

Bølle was from at least 1512 a member of the Privy Council and was knighted by Christian II. In 1523, he participated in

Frederick I Frederick I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I, Count of Zoller ...

's siege of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. When Christian II attempted to reclaim the thrones in 1531, he was involved in his arrest in Copenhagen as well as the return of the Church of Our Lady to the Catholic church. During the

, he sided Count Christoffer, but was nonetheless, together with his son, Erik, from January 1535 held in captivity in Copenhagen. In early 1536, they were sent to Mecklenburg. after Copenhagen's surrender, he was handed over to Christian II. He was pardoned by a ''revers'' of 27 October the same year. He was allowed to keep his fiefs but lost his seat in the Priby Council. In 1536, Christian III granted him

Tersløsegaard Tersløsegaard is a manor house located close to Dianalund, Sorø Municipality some 60 kilometres southwest of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was owned by Ludvig Holberg from 1745 to 1756. He left it to Sorø Academy and it has now been converted into ...

Personal life

Bølle married Birgitte Clausdatter Daa of Ravnstrup. They had two children, Erik Madsen Bølle, himself a member of the Pricy Council, and a fiefholder, and a daughter, Dorthe, who married Knud Rud of Vedbygård. Bølle died before 14 November 1539 and is buried in Tureby Church.

References

{{reflist 16th-century Danish nobility 16th-century Danish landowners Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Bølle family