Torbjørn Olavssøn Bratt ( c.1502–1548) was a Norwegian clergyman. He was the first bishop of Trondheim, after the introduction of the

Protestant 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 Norway. He served as Bishop of the

Diocese of Trondhjem Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herborg F ...

from 1546 until 1548. Bratt was born in the fishing village of

Andenes is the administrative centre of Andøy Municipality which is located in the Vesterålen district of Nordland county, Norway. The village of Andenes is the northernmost settlement of the island of Andøya (and in Nordland county). To the east ...

on the island of

Andøya Andøya is the northernmost island in the Vesterålen archipelago, situated about inside the Arctic circle. Andøya is located in Andøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The main population centres on the island include the villages of ...

in Nordland, Norway. He was born into one of the families that constituted the remains of old Norwegian aristocracy and was elder brother of Jens Olavssøn Bratt. He and his brother were both enrolled at the

University of Cologne The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...

thanks to the sponsorship of

Olav Engelbrektsson Olav Engelbrektsson (, Trondenes, Norway – 7 February 1538, Lier, Duchy of Brabant, Habsburg Netherlands) was the 28th Archbishop of Norway from 1523 to 1537, the Regent of Norway from 1533 to 1537, a member and later president of the ''Riks ...

, Archbishop of Trondheim. Engelbrektsson was the last

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

to be the archbishop before he fled to exile in 1537. After the archbishop had to flee, both brothers adapted to the situation and cooperated with the new Lutheran authorities. In 1530, he returned to Copenhagen where he completed his master's degree. For a short time, he held a teaching position 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 ...

. In 1546, Bratt was appointed superintendent (''Decanus capituli''). He was assigned

Elgeseter Elgeseter is a neighborhood in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the western part of the borough of Lerkendal. It is south and east of the river Nidelva, south of the neighborhoods of Midtbyen and Øya, west ...

cloister as a residence. In his new position, he began with a transformation of the

Trondheim Cathedral School Trondheim Cathedral School ( no, Trondheim katedralskole, Latin: ''Schola Cathedralis Nidrosiensis'') is an upper secondary school located next to the Nidaros Cathedral in the center of Trondheim, Norway. History There is great dispute regarding ...

to an evangelical seminary for Lutheran priests. He died of the plague at the age of about 45 years in 1548.

References

1502 births 1548 deaths People from Andøy Bishops of Nidaros 16th-century Norwegian Lutheran clergy University of Cologne alumni {{Norway-reli-bio-stub