Ove Bjelke (26 October 1611 – 29 March 1674) was a Norwegian nobleman, feudal lord and statesman. He served as

Chancellor of Norway The Chancellor of Norway (modern Norwegian: ''Norges rikes kansler'', "Chancellor of Norway's Realm") was the most important aide of the King of Norway during the Middle Ages, and during the Denmark-Norway, Union with Denmark. He issued laws and r ...

(1660–1674).

Biography

He was born in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

; the son of

Jens Bjelke Jens Ågessøn Bjelke (2 February 1580 – 7 November 1659) was a Norwegian nobleman who was Chancellor of Norway from 1614 to 1648, when he was succeeded by Hannibal Sehested. He was the son of Åge Bjelke and Margrethe Thott. At the time o ...

(1580–1659) and Sophie Brockenhuus (1587-1656). He was the brother of

Henrik Bjelke Henrik Bjelke (13 January 1615 – 16 March 1683) was a Norwegian military officer who served as Admiral of the Realm of Denmark-Norway from 1662 to 1679. He was in command of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy from 1657 to 1679. Early life and ...

(1615-1683) and

Jørgen Bjelke Jørgen Bjelke (2 June 1621 – 17 June 1696) was a Norwegian officer and nobleman. He was born at Elingaard Manor on Onsøy near Fredrikstad, in Østfold County, Norway and died in Kalundborg, Denmark. Early and personal life He was the son of ...

(1621-1696), both of whom also held prominent positions. He grew up in a rich and cultured environment. He was educated at the

University of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...

Padua, Italy Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

. His father held the office of Chancellor of Norway from 1614. When his father died in 1659, he took over several of his properties including

Austrått Austrått or Austrått Manor ( no, Austråttborgen) is a manor in Ørland municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. Since the 10th century, Austrått has been the residence for many noblemen, noblewomen, and officials who played a significant rol ...

manor in

Sør-Trøndelag Sør-Trøndelag () was a county comprising the southern portion of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Nord-Trøndelag county as well as the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, and Hedmark. To the west is the No ...

. Much of the manor as it stands today is the result of his efforts. He also served as

from 1660. In 1666 he was transferred as staple commander from

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 of ...

to Trondheim. He was a signatory of the 1661 Sovereignty Act (''Enevoldsarveregjeringsakten''), the new constitution of Denmark-Norway, as one of the representatives of the noble estate.

Personal life

Ove Bjelke was married three times; first time in 1643 with Maren Juel (died 1644), the second time in 1647 with Regitze Geddes (1629-1657), the third time in 1660 with Hedvig Lindenow (1635-1678). He was the father of several daughters.

References

Other sources

*Andersen. Håkon A. (1992) ''Austrått'' (Trondheim: Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum) *Welle-Strand, Erling (1974) ''Museums in Norway'' (Oslo: Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bjelke, Ove 1611 births 1674 deaths People from Trondheim Norwegian civil servants 17th-century Norwegian nobility Chancellors of Norway Signatories of the Sovereignty Act County governors of Norway O