Baron Hans Gustaf von Blixen-Finecke (25 July 1886 – 26 September 1917) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

officer and

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

who won a bronze medal in dressage at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He died in an aeroplane crash in 1917.

Early life

Von Blixen-Finecke was born on 25 July 1886 at Näsbyholm Castle, Sweden. He was the grandson of Carl Frederik Blixen-Finecke, and the son of Baron Fredrik von Blixen-Finecke, a ''

Hovjägmästare Hovjägmästare in Sweden was a court official who supervised the '' Kungliga Hovjägeristaten'' at the Royal Court of Sweden and the royal hunting parks. The first ''hovjägmästare'' was originally the title of the head of the ''Kungliga Hovjä ...

'', and his wife Countess Clara Krag-Juel-Wind-Frijs. He was both the twin brother of

Bror von Blixen-Finecke Baron Bror Fredrik von Blixen-Finecke (25 July 1886 – 4 March 1946) was a Swedish nobleman, writer, and African professional hunter and guide on big-game hunts. He was married to Karen Blixen (née Dinesen) from 1914 to 1925. Personal ...

, a famed professional hunter in Africa, and a brother-in-law of writer Karen Blixen. Hans had experienced a failed love affair with Karen Blixen, who then accepted an offer of marriage from Hans' brother. Von Blixen-Finecke passed '' mogenhetsexamen'' on 29 May 1906 and became a volunteer in the Scanian Dragoon Regiment (''Skånska dragonregementet'', K 6) on 31 May 1906.

Career

von Blixen-Finecke was commissioned as an officer on 19 December 1908 and served as an ''

underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 192 ...

'' in the Scanian Dragoon Regiment from 31 December the same year. He was promoted to lieutenant there in 1910. He was a rare equestrian talent, especially on the racetrack, where he 1910-15 was the foremost in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, with 57 victories in 171 races. One of his achievements was when he in 1914 after a victory in Gothenburg flew to

Klampenborg Klampenborg is a northern suburb to Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in Gentofte Municipality, directly on Øresund, between Taarbæk and Skovshoved. Like other neighbourhoods along the Øresund coast, Klampenborg is an affluent area with many ...

and where had his second victory of the day. von Blixen-Finecke won a bronze medal in dressage at the 1912 Summer Olympics. His best horses were those on his father's estate Näsbyholm, Aimable, Baccarat, Hops and Hilarion.

Personal life

On 15 July 1915 at Trollenäs Castle he married Hilla-Brita Trolle (born 4 April 1894), the daughter of ''överhovjägmästaren'', baron Nils Axel Arvid Trolle and baroness Anna Eleonora Sofia Leijonhufvud. Their son,

Hans von Blixen-Finecke Jr. Baron Nils Gustaf Fredrik Bror "Hans" von Blixen-Finecke Jr. (20 July 1916 – 16 February 2005) was a Swedish Army officer and horse rider. He competed in the three-day eventing at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics and won individual an ...

, won two gold medals in

eventing Eventing (also known as three day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combine and compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This ...

at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

Death

Hans von Blixen-Finecke Sr. died in an aeroplane crash on 26 September 1917 and was buried at Gärdslöv Cemetery in

Trelleborg Municipality Trelleborg Municipality (''Trelleborgs kommun'') is the southernmost municipality of Sweden, in Skåne County. Its seat is located in the city Trelleborg. The present municipality was created in 1967 through the amalgamation of the ''City of T ...

In popular culture

In the film ''

Out of Africa ''Out of Africa'' is a memoir by the Danish author Karen Blixen. The book, first published in 1937, recounts events of the seventeen years when Blixen made her home in Kenya, then called British East Africa. The book is a lyrical meditation on ...

'', which is based on Karen Blixen's memoir of the same name, the role of Hans von Blixen-Finecke is played by Austrian actor

Klaus Maria Brandauer Klaus Maria Brandauer (; born Klaus Georg Steng; 22 June 1943) is an Austrian actor and director. He is also a professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar. Brandauer is known internationally for his roles in ''The Russia House'' (1990), ''Mephisto'' ...

, who also plays the role of his brother Bror — he was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role.

References

External links

profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blixen-Finecke, Hans 1886 births 1917 deaths Swedish nobility Swedish Army officers Swedish dressage riders Equestrians at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic equestrians of Sweden Swedish male equestrians Olympic bronze medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in equestrian Swedish twins Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Sweden Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1917