Jacob Ulfeldt (1535 – 8 October 1593) was a Danish diplomat and member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

from 1565. He is mostly known for his very troubled diplomatic journey into

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

in 1578 during which he concluded an unfavourable treaty with Tsar

Ivan IV Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Iva ...

(1530–1584) that brought him to disgrace at home. His bitter attempts of getting satisfaction only damaged his case. However his account of his Russian travels (published by Melchior Goldast in Latin during 1608) is still considered a main source of Danish-Russian relations as well as of 16th Century Russia. He was the father of Jacob Ulfeldt (born 1567).

Early life and education

Ulfeldt was the son of Knud Ebbesen Ulfeldt and Anne Eriksdatter Hardenberg. He studied at

Louvain Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

in 1551 and

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north of ...

in 1554.

Diplomatic career

Ylfeldt entered the state service in 1562. In 1566, he became a member of the Rigsrådet. He is mostly known for his very troubled diplomatic journey into

in 1578 during which he concluded an unfavourable treaty with Tsar

(1530–1584) that brought him to disgrace at home. His bitter attempts of getting satisfaction only damaged his case.

Property

Ylfeldt's wife brought the estate Bavelse into the marriage. In 1566, Ulfeldt inherited Kogsbølle on

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as o ...

and

Selsø Selsø (''Selsø Slot'') is a historic manor house located near Skibby, on the Hornsherred peninsula, Frederikssund Municipality, some west of Copenhagen, Denmark. The estate traces its history back to the 13th century. The current main buildin ...

Hornsherred Hornsherred () is a peninsula between Roskilde Fjord and Isefjord on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. It falls within the expanded Frederikssund municipality and includes Jægerspris and Skibby and before 1 January 2007 a part of Bramsn ...

. He constructed new main buildings on all three estates. He purchased

Dronninglund Castle Dronninglund Castle (Danish: Dronninglund Slot) is a former royal residence located in the town of Dronninglund in the northern part of the Jutland Peninsula, Denmark. History The castles history goes back to the 12th century, when it was the Bene ...

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

in 1563 but sold it again in 1568.

Personal life

Ulfeldt was married to Anne Jakobsdatter Flemming (1544-1570) and had three sons; Mogens Ulfeldt (1569–1616), Jacob Ulfeldt (1567–1630) and

Corfitz Ulfeldt Count Corfits Ulfeldt (10 July 1606 – 20 February 1664) was a Danish statesman, and one of the most notorious traitors in Danish history. Early life Ulfeldt was the son of the chancellor Jacob Ulfeldt. He was educated abroad, concluding wi ...

(1559–1614). Mogens Ulfeldt reached the rank of Admiral of the Realm. Jacob Ulfeldt was a diplomat and chancellor of King

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian mona ...

Legacy

Ylfeldt's account of his Russian travels (published by Melchior Goldast in Latin during 1608) is still considered a main source of Danish-Russian relations as well as of 16th Century Russia.

References

Other sources

*''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon'', vol. 15, Copenh. 1984. *

External links

''Hodoeporicon Ruthenicum''
(The Voyage to Russia), by Dr Rima Greenhill, Stanford University. ucd.ie * Nobiliss. Et Strenvissimi Eqvitis Dani, Iacobi Vlfeldii, Domini in Vlsfeldtzholm Et Selsovia &c. Regii Danorum Consiliarij
Legatio Moscovitica Siue Hodoeporicon Rvthenicvm
: In Qvo De Rvssorvm, Moschorvm Et Tatarorvm, Regionibus, Moribus, Religione, Gubernatione, & Aula Imperatoria quo potuit compendio & eleganter exsequitur. Francofvrti, Apud Matthævm Merianvm. M. DC. XXVII. (Book title of second edition in Latin from 1627), worldcat.org

(Ulfeldt's journey into Russia.) This page includes Ulfeldt's account in Latin along with a translation into Danish. - crassus.dk (in Danish)
Danish Impressions of Russia in 1578.
A Comparative Analysis of Three Travel Descriptions (Jacob Ulfeldt, his Priest and NN), by John H. Lind (U. of Copenhagen) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulfeldt, Jacob 1535 births 1593 deaths 16th-century Danish diplomats 16th-century Danish politicians 16th-century Danish memoirists 16th-century Danish nobility Jacob, 1535