Christen Lindencrone (24 December 1703 – 17 August 1772) was a Danish landowner and

supercargo A supercargo (from Italian or from Spanish ) is a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo carried on a ship. The duties of a supercargo are defined by admiralty law and include managing the cargo owner's trade, selling the mer ...

of the

Danish Asia Company Danish Asiatic Company ( Danish: Asiatisk Kompagni) was a Danish trading company established in 1730 to revive Danish-Norwegian trade on the Danish East Indies and China following the closure of the Danish East India Company. It was granted a 40 ...

. He owned Gjorslev Manor on Stevns and constructed the

Lindencrone Mansion The Lindencrone Mansion (Danish language, Danish: Lindencrones Palæ) is a historic building located on the corner of Bredgade and Sankt Annæ Plads in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Completed in 1753, it is one of many town mansions which were buil ...

() on

Bredgade Bredgade (literal translation, lit. "Broad Street") is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden, Copenhagen, Esplanaden ...

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 ...

. He was ennobled in 1757 with the surname Lindencrone.

Biography

He was born Christian Jensen Lintrup on 24 December 1703 in the village of

Løgstør Løgstør is a town in Denmark with a population of 3,969 (1 January 2025) It is located 47 km west of Aalborg and 64 km north of Viborg. Løgstør's city centre consists of old streets with small houses built in the 19th century for fishermen an ...

in Vesthimmerland, Denmark. His parents were Jens Christensen Lendrup (ca. 1668–1716) and Anne Povelsdatter. He participated as a second assistant on the ship '' Cron Printz Christian'' on

Danish Asiatic Company Danish Asiatic Company (Danish language, Danish: Asiatisk Kompagni) was a Denmark-Norway, Danish trading company established in 1730 to revive Danish-Norwegian trade on the Danish East Indies and China following the closure of the Danish East Ind ...

's first voyage to China in 1730. By 1738 he had been promoted to 1st supercargo with responsibility of loading and purchase of goods. He had become a wealthy man by the time he completed his fifth voyage to China in 1740–1742.

Honours

He was appointed counselor () in 1743, appointed to the Justice Council () in 1750 and granted the title in 1766. He was ennobled in 1756 with the surname Lindencrone. His estate was turned into a title estate (), meaning that it could not be sold or divided between heirs.

Property

After completing his last voyage to China in 1742, he purchased the three estates

Gjorslev Gjorslev is a cruciform medieval castle located 17 km south-east of Køge, on the Stevns Peninsula, Stevns Municipality, some forty kilometres south of Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally owned by the Diocese of Roskilde (Roman-Catholic), Bishop ...

, Søholm and Erikstrup. He refurbished the neglected buildings on the estates which had been part of Tryggevælde cavalry district. He was known for treating the peasants on his estates well, introducing agricultural reforms and building schools for their children. He constructed a town mansion in Copenhagen's new

Frederiksstaden Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V of Denmark, Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century, it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe and was in ...

neighbourhood in 1751. It was built at the corner of

and

Sankt Annæ Plads Sankt Annæ Plads (English language, English: St. Ann's Square) is a Town square, public square which marks the border between the Nyhavn area and Frederiksstaden neighborhoods of central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a long narrow rectangle which e ...

to design by the leading architect

Nicolai Eigtved Nicolai Eigtved (4 June 1701 – 7 June 1754), also known as Niels Eigtved, was a Denmark, Danish architect. He introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo or late baroque style in Danish architecture during the 1730s–1740s. ...

and with the use of limestone from his estates on Stevns.

Personal life

He married Mette Holmsted (172–-1793) on 7 November 1742 in the

Church of Holmen The Holmen Church () is a Parish church in central Copenhagen in Denmark, on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by Christian IV. It is famous for having hosted the weddi ...

in Copenhagen. She was a daughter of the mayor of Copenhagen Frederik Holmsted (1683–1758) and his wife Anna Martha Holmsted née Brinck (c. 1696–1758).

References

External links

Christian Lindencrone

Christian Lindencrone

Source (furniture)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindencrone, Christian 18th-century Danish landowners 18th-century Danish businesspeople * Danish Asiatic Company people Danish businesspeople in shipping Danish merchants People from Vesthimmerland Municipality People from Stevns Municipality Businesspeople from Copenhagen 1703 births 1772 deaths Supercargos