Tryggevælde is a manor house and estate in Faxe Municipality, some fifty kilometres southwest of Copenhagen, Denmark. The estate was a royal fief until the middle of the 18th century and was later owned by the Moltke family at Bregentved from 1751 to 1937. The current main building is from 1849. The Tryggevælde Runestone was from some time during the 16th century to 1810 located in the central courtyard of the old main building.

History

Crown land, 1355–1670

The name Tryggevælde is first mentioned in 1261. The next time it is mentioned is in 1355 when the brothers Bent, Jon and Esbern Grubbe ceded it to

Valdemar IV Valdemar IV Atterdag (the epithet meaning "Return of the Day"), or Waldemar (132024 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance ...

. They had most likely inherited it from their father, Bo Jensen Grubbe, who had been killed on his way home from the Holy Land in 1349. The brothers had also inherited

Alslevgaard Alslevgaard is a manor house and estate located at Karise, Faxe Municipality, Denmark. The estate was for 300 years owned by the Grubbe family and has for long periods of time shared ownership with Tryggevælde. Both estates belonged to the Counts ...

which would remain in the hands of the family for more than 300 years. Tryggevælde was then managed as a royal fief until 1670. Chancellor

Evert Grubbe Evert Grubbe (died after 10 August 1492) was a Danish nobleman who served as Chancellor of the Realm from 1473 to 1486. Biography Grubbe was the son of Peder Grubbe of Alslev and Anne Sivertsdatter Blaa (died 1492 or later.).He is first mentioned ...

was lensmann of Tryggevælde from 1470 to 1489. He was succeeded by Christian Nielsen Dyre (1503-1505) and Gunde Hansen Lange, but then it returned to the Grubbe family. In 1568, Tryggevælde was incorporated in the Fief of Copenhagen (Københavns Len). In 1672 it was again disjoined from the Fief of Copenhagen and expanded with several estates and former church land. The new lensmann of Tryggevælde was

Eiler Grubbe Eiler Grubbe (28 March 1532 – 20 November 1585) was a Danish statesman. He became Master of Finances in 1560 and Chancellor of Denmark and member of the Rigsråd, Council of the Realm in 1570. He was also fiefholder of Tryggevælde, Vordingborg ...

, Chancellor of the Realm. He was after his death in 1585 succeeded by Arild Huitfeldt. He relocated to Vordingborg Castle in 1596 and later to Dragsholm.

Changing owners

In 1670, Tryggevælde was sold to Otte Skeel. His son, Christen Skeel, bought the smaller manor of Alslevgaard and converted it into a tenant farm under Tryggevælde. In 1710, Tryggevælde was acquired by

Peder Benzon Peder Benzon (26 July 1684 – after 13 May 1735) was a Danish landowner and Supreme Court justice. He was the owner of seven manors on Zealand at the time of his death in 1735. Early life Bentzon was born in Copenhagen, the son of Danish Chancel ...

. He ceded it to the crown two years later in exchange for

Vibygård Vibygård is a manor house located in the northeastern outskirts of Viby, Roskilde Municipality, some 30 km west of Copenhagen, Denmark. The estate covers 833 hectares of land and comprises the farms Slåenkær, Ørstedgård, Arnakke og Drags- ...

and it was then included in one of the 12 cavalry districts. In 1747, Tryggevælde was sold to

Peter Johansen Neergaard Peter Johansen (de) Neergaard (24 July 1769 – 9 January 1835) was a Danish landowner. He was one of the largest landowners of his time in Denmark. His father was ennobled under the name de Neergaard in 1788. Early life Neergaard was born at T� ...

The Moltke family

In 1751, Tryggevælde was acquired by Adam Gottlob Moltke. He had the previous year established the Countship of Bregentved but Tryggevælde (with Alslevgaard) remained an unentailed estate. The Countship of Bregentved was as a result of the ''lensafløsningsloven'' dissolved in 1922 and Count Moltke was in the same time required to pay a special tax to the government. 16 smallholdings was in this connection sold off in lots to raise the necessary money for the tax.

The Lemvigh family

Aage Lemvigh, the owner of A. C. Lemvigh-Müller, purchased the remains of the Tryggevælde estate from Moltke in 1937. He was in 1959 succeeded by his son Axel Jørn Lemvigh. He passed it on to his son Jørn Lemvigh.

Architecture

The main building is from 1849. The facade features a gabled median risalit. The Tryggevælde Runestone was for hundreds of years situated in the courtyard of the old main building. It was probably brought to the site from a local hilltop by one of the king's vassals some time during the 16th century. In 1810, it was moved to a site in the former graveyard next to Trinitatis Church in Copenhagen. It is now located in the

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

Today

The Tryggevælde estate has since 1996 been owned by Christian Ivar Schou Danneskiold Lassen.

List of owners

* ( -1349) Bo Jensen Grubbe * (1349-1355) Bent Grubbe * (1349-1355) Jon Grubbe * (1349-1355) Esbern Grubbe * (1355-1670) The Crown * (1670-1695) Otto Skeel * (1695-1709) Christen Skeel * (1709-1716) The heirs of Christen Skeel * (1716-1718)

* (1718-1747) The Crown * (1747-1751)

* (1751-1792) Adam Gottlob Moltke * (1792-1818) Joachim Godske Moltke * (1818-1864) Adam Wilhelm Moltke * (1864-1875) Frederik Georg Julius Moltke * (1875-1936) Frederik Christian Moltke * (1937-1959) Aage Lemvigh * (1959-1980) Axel Jørn Lemvigh * (1980-1996) Jørn Lemvigh * (1996- ) Christian Ivar Schou Danneskiold

References

{{reflist Manor houses in Faxe Municipality Houses completed in 1849 Buildings and structures associated with the Grubbe family Buildings and structures associated with the Skeel family Buildings and structures associated with the Benzon family Buildings and structures in Denmark associated with the Moltke family