Christen Friis (4 November 1581 – 1 October 1639) was a Danish nobleman, politician, and patron of arts and science.

Biography

Friis was born on 4 November 1581 in

Kastrup Kastrup () is a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, on the east coast of Amager in Tårnby Municipality. It is the site of Copenhagen Airport. In Danish, the airport is often called ''Kastrup Lufthavn'' (Kastrup Airport) or ''Københavns Lufthavn, Kast ...

to Jørgen Friis and Else Bjørnsdatter. He attended

Sorø Academy Sorø Academy ( Danish: ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...

. In 1610 he inherited Borreby Castle from his paternal uncle,

Johan Friis Johan Friis (20 February 1494 – 5 December 1570) was a Danish statesman. He served as Chancellor under King Christian III of Denmark. Biography He was born at Lundbygård manor as the son of Jesper Friis til Lundbygård and Anne Johansda ...

. He later also inherited Kragerup in 1610 and purchased Lindholm manor in 1633. He married Barbara Wittrup (1591–1653) on 8 May 1614, with whom he had several children, including Hans Friis and Else Friis. Friis became Chancellor of Denmark in 1616. He was an opponent of the continuation of 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 '' ...

and advocated peace measures to

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 ...

. He was a patron of the astronomer

Christen Sørensen Longomontanus Christen Sørensen Longomontanus (also as Longberg or Severin) (4 October 1562 – 8 October 1647) was a Danish astronomer. The name Longomontanus was a Latinized form of the name of the village of Lomborg, Jutland, Denmark, where he was born. H ...

and the historians Johannes Pontanus and

Johannes Meursius Johannes Meursius (van Meurs) (9 February 1579 – 20 September 1639) was a Dutch classical philology, classical scholar and antiquary. Biography Meursius was born Johannes van Meurs at Loosduinen, near The Hague. He was extremely precocious, ...

, and a friend of the natural historian

Ole Worm Ole Worm (13 May 1588 – 31 August 1654), who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician, natural historian and antiquary. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen where he taught Greek, Latin ...

.Karen Skovgaard-Petersen, 'By the direction of the most noble and distinguished Christen Friis: The influence of Chancellor Christen Friis on the histories of Denmark by (1571-1639) and (1579-1639)', ''Daphnis'' 32 (1-2), (January 2003), pp. 199-229. Friis died on 1 October 1639 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

References

External links

History of Lindholm manor (Danish)

Engraving of 'Christen Friis' by Simon van der Passe, British Museum

Epitaph and tomb of Christen Friis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friis, Christen 1581 births 1639 deaths 16th-century Danish nobility 16th-century Danish politicians 16th-century Danish landowners 17th-century Danish nobility 17th-century Danish politicians 17th-century Danish landowners People of the Kalmar War People educated at Sorø Academy Politicians from Denmark–Norway