Jørgen Bjelke (2 June 1621 – 17 June 1696) was a Dano-Norwegian or Norwegian officer and nobleman. He was born at Elingaard Manor on Onsøy near
Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipal ...
, in
Østfold
Østfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...
University of Leyden
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...
He served as a captain in the Hannibal Feud 1644-45. He subsequently saw Danish-Norwegian imperial service in the fighting against the Swedish forces in Germany.
During what is referred to in Norway as " The Bjelke Feud", lieutenant general Bjelke served as the commander-in-chief of the Norwegian army. In August 1658
Charles X of Sweden
Charles X Gustav, also Carl X Gustav (; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's ...
ignored the recently negotiated Treaty of Roskilde and invaded Copenhagen. The Norwegian army mobilized under the leadership of Jørgen Bjelke. Belke's goal was to recapture
Trøndelag
Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...
in the north and to defend the southern Norwegian border at
Halden
Halden (), between 1665 and 1928 known as Fredrikshald, is both a List of cities in Norway, town and a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The municipality borders Sarpsborg to the northwest, R ...
, an areas which Charles X had demanded be turned over to Sweden as it provided both an excellent port for timber export from the newly acquired
Bohuslän
Bohuslän () is a Provinces of Sweden, Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the ...
and a point from which further invasions of Norway could be launched. He would succeed with this in December. In September 1658 the new Swedish governor of Bohuslän invaded Norway with 1,500 men and attempted to invade Halden. The inhabitants put up a vigorous defense and the Swedes retreated to Bohuslän.Lisk, Jill. ''The Struggle for Supremacy in the Baltic'': 1600-1725.'' Funk & Wagnalls, New York, 1967.Stagg, Frank Noel. ''East Norway and its Frontier'' George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., 1956.
Gjerset indicates that, " Peder Vibe was commandant of Trondhjem, but the expedition against Sweden in this quarter was to be led by Jørgen Bjelke, probably the most able officer in the Norwegian army at that moment. His forces numbered 2000 men, who had been recruited primarily in Trøndelagen. With this force he invaded Jaemtland and Herjedalen, drove out the Swedish garrisons, and returned the two provinces once more under Norwegian administration."*
Five months later, in February 1659, the Swedes again attacked. Since the first attack, Bjelke had directed the garrison to be strengthened. Under the leadership of
Tønne Huitfeldt
Tønne Huitfeldt (20 November 1625 – 12 September 1677) was a Norwegian military officer and landowner.
He is best known for leading the defense of Halden, during the Second Northern War and Norway, Second Northern War. He was a signatory o ...
, the Norwegians again repulsed the Swedish forces. Concurrently, Huitfeldt began construction of fortifications. Cretzenstein, later to be renamed
Fredriksten
Fredriksten is a fortress in the city of Halden in Norway.
History
This Fortresses was constructed by Denmark-Norway in the 17th century as a replacement for the border fortress at Bohus, which had been lost when the province of Bohuslän was ...
, was the citadel of the fortification system. After each attack on Frederiksten, Bjelke invaded the former Norwegian province of
Bohuslän
Bohuslän () is a Provinces of Sweden, Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the ...
and twice succeeded in reconquering most of it.
Rise and downfall
Bielke was one of Peter Griffenfeld's favourites. On 24 May 1658, Bjelke was promoted to general-lieutenant. On 22 November, he was created a pricy councillor. 1661 saw him appointed as vice president of Krigskollegiet. In the same year, he was also appointed as a Supreme Court justice.
His holdings included Aakjær, Trudsholm and Birkende in Denmark as well as Hovindsholm and a number of otherestates in Norway. In 1781, he was appointed as {{List of county governors of Holbæk, county governor of Holbæk, Kalundborg and Sæbygaard. He was later appointed as ''statholder'' of
Zealand
Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...
.
When Griffenfeld was arrested, Bjelke kept defending his own friend and benefactor. This resulted in his own fall from grace and. He settled on his estate at
Kalundborg
Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,659 (1 January 2025),