Albret Skeel (23 November 1572 – 9 April 1639) was a Danish nobleman who held the office of Admiral of the Realm from 1616 to 1623.

Early life and travels

The son of Privy Councillor Christian Skeel, Albret Skeel was born at Fussingø on 23 November 1572. He attended Viborg School from the age of 9 and until 1585 when he was sent abroad to further his education, studying in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

Padova Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of ...

and

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

before returning home by way of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Back in Denmark, Skeel was appointed

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Boys served a knight as an attendant, doing simple but important tasks such as saddling a horse or caring for the knight's weapons and armour. Terminology ''Squire'' ...

at King

Christian IV 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 and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...

's court. In 1597 he escorted the king on his journey to

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

to marry

Anne Catherine of Brandenburg Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (26 June 1575 – 8 April 1612) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1597 to 1612 as the first spouse of King Christian IV of Denmark. Life Anne Catherine was born in Halle (Saale) and raised in Wolmirstedt. Her p ...

, and the following year the king's brother, Duke Ulrik, on a journey to France, England and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. In 1599 he was appointed royal

cup-bearer A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person had to be regarded as thor ...

and over the next few years accompanied the king on several more journeys.

In war and politics

In 1616, after distinguishing himself in the

Kalmar War The Kalmar War (1611–1613) was fought between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark-Norway soon gained the upper hand, it was unable to defeat Sweden entirely. The Kalmar War was the last time Denmark-Norway successfully defended its '' ...

from 1611 to 1613, he was appointed as Admiral of the Realm and a member of the Privy Council. In 1618 he was sent on a mission to

Gottorp Gottorf Castle (, , Low German: ''Slott Gottorp'') is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein, and has been rebuilt and expanded severa ...

and in 1620 to

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

and that same year he commanded a fleet in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

. In the 1620 he embarked on criticism of Christian IV's foreign policies and, after a confrontation with the king, was forced to resign. In 1629 he was a commissioner at the peace negotiations at

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

, and in 1631 and 1632 he was present at the Swedish peace negotiations at Lübeck. He died on 9 April 1639 and is buried at

Ribe Cathedral Ribe Cathedral or Our Lady Maria Cathedral ( or ''Vor Frue Maria Domkirke'') is located in the ancient city of Ribe, on the west coast of southern Jutland, Denmark. It was founded in the Viking Age as the first Christian church in Denmark by Ansgar ...

Holdings

Skeel held

Riberhus Riberhus was a royal castle situated on the western outskirts of Ribe, Esbjerg Municipality, Denmark. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was one of the more important royal castles in Denmark. In 15371543, Christian III undertook a renovation of th ...

as a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

from 1601 to 1627 and again from 1628 to 1639. He acquired Katholm Manor in 1616.

Family

He had the following children: * Christen Skeel, b. 27 July 1603, Riberhus, d. 30 March 1659, Copenhagen * Christoffer Skeel, b. 24 November 1604, Riberhus, d. 16 June 1622, Tübingen Baden-Württemberg * Otte Skeel, b. 29 November 1605, Riberhus, d. 26 May 1644, Gjorslev Manor * Anne Albretsdatter Skeel, b. 24 Feb 1607, Riberhus, d. 1662 * Margrethe Albretsdatter Skeel, b. 1626, Riberhus, d. 19 July 1647, Odense

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skeel, Albret 16th-century Danish nobility 17th-century Danish nobility 1572 births 1639 deaths 17th-century Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy officers Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy admirals Burials at Ribe Cathedral People of the Kalmar War Skeel family