Anne Lykke (30 April 1595 – 1641) was a Danish noblewoman and royal mistress of Christian, Prince Elect of Denmark.

Early life

Anne Henriksdatter Lykke was born into one of Denmark's more prosperous noble families. She was the daughter of the noble statesman Henrik Lykke (1555–1611) and Karen Frandsdatter Banner (1559–1616). She was born at Vordingborg Castle, where her father was sheriff. During 1615, Anne married nobleman Cai Rantzau (1591–1623), governor of several royal palaces. In 1616, her only child, daughter Sophie, (1616–1635) was born at Copenhagen Castle where Rantzau was sheriff. In 1621, Rantzau was appointed General Commissioner of war for Danish troops in

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

. He died in 1623, when Anne was 27 years of age. Following his death, Anne took over the administration of the tenancies until the accounts had been settled.

Relation with Prince Christian

During May 1625, King

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...

embarked on a military campaign which was later known in Denmark and Norway as The Emperor War (''Kejserkrigen''). With King Christian commanding on the battlefield, Prince Christian was installed as acting head of government. During 1626, Anne was arrested by order of King Christian, who thought the influence she had on his son made his son incapable of ruling while the king was abroad. Anne abducted in

Nyborg Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg Municipality on the island of Funen and with a population of 17,990 (2025). It is the easternmost settlement on Funen. By road, it is located 34 km east of Odense, 35 km north of ...

, arrested and sent to the Bohus Fortress. The arrest caused a conflict between the monarch and the noble council of state since it was a clear breach of the law to imprison a noble without trial. She refused to accept the king's initial terms for her release. The king accused her of having hired a

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

, Lamme Heine, to harm him. He planned to have her put on trial for sorcery. During the summer of 1627, the trial was prevented because of the German invasion. Both

Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly (; ; ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's forces in the Thirty Years' War. From 1620 to 1631, he won an unmatched and demoralizing string of important victo ...

and

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

had occupied the duchies and the whole peninsula of

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

. There was also opposition and intervention of powerful people in Denmark, including the king's own mother,

Queen Dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...

Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...

. In 1628, Anne was released with the condition that she accept house arrest on her estate.

Later life

In 1629, Anne married the wealthy nobleman Knud Ulfeldt (1600–1646), the son of Chancellor of the Realm Jacob Ulfeldt. Knud Ulfeldt lost his position of marshal of the court and only after Anne's death in 1641 did he return as Lord Chamberlain.''Anne Lykke''
(Dansk Biografisk Leksikon)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lykke, Anne 1595 births 1641 deaths 17th-century Danish nobility 17th-century Danish women Mistresses of Danish royalty Mistresses of Norwegian royalty People accused of witchcraft People from Vordingborg Municipality

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

Witch trials in Denmark