Christoffer Gabel (6 January 1617 – 13 October 1673) was a Danish statesman. He was the father of Vice Governor-general of Norway, Frederik Gabel.

Biography

He was born on 6 January 1617 at

Glückstadt Glückstadt (; ) is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona. Glückstadt is part of the Hamburg ...

.Bruun (2008), p.110Bricka (1891), p.512 His father, Wulbern or Waldemar Gabel, originally a cartographer and subsequently recorder of Glückstadt, was killed at the

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

of the fortress there, by the

German Imperial Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...

, in 1628. Nothing is known of Christoffer's youth, but it is certain he received a university education. Christoffer's name is first recorded in 1639, as overseer and accountant at the court of the

Archbishop of Bremen This list records the bishops of the Archdiocese of Bremen, Roman Catholic diocese of Bremen (), supposedly a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Archbishopric of Cologne, then of the bishops of Bremen, who were in personal union archbishops ...

, Duke Frederick. When the duke ascended the Danish throne as King Frederick III, Gabel followed him to

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 ...

as his private secretary and man of business, holding great influence over the irresolute king.Bricka (1891), p.513 During the brief interval of peace between King Charles X's first and second attack upon Denmark, Gabel was employed in several secret missions to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

; and he took part in the conspiracies that resulted in the autocratic revolution of 1660. While not the originator of the revolution, he was certainly the chief intermediary between Frederick III and the Conjoined Estates in the mysterious conspiracy which established absolutism in Denmark-Norway.Bricka (1891), p.514 His activities won the king's lifelong gratitude. He was enriched, ennobled, and in 1664 made governor of Copenhagen.Bricka (1891), p.515 From 1660 to 1670 he was regarded as the most influential figure at court,Bricka (1891), p.516 and very largely employed in financial and diplomatic affairs. During the early and mid 1660s there was an influential circle around Hannibal Sehested, Frederik Ahlefeldt, Peter Bülche,

Hans Svane Hans Svane (Svaning) (27 March 1606 – 26 July 1668) was a Danish statesman and clergy member of the Church of Denmark. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen from 1635 and Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1655 until his death ...

, Jacob Petersen and Theodor Lente, who became increasingly opposed to Gabel.Jacob Petersen at Dansk Biografisk Leksikon - lex.dk
/ref> During this period he carried out a pro- French foreign policy, while his domestic policy was affected by laziness and corruption.Bricka (1891), p.517 When Frederick III died, in February 1670, Gabel's power was at an end. The new ruler, Christian V did not favour him, and accusations against Gabel poured in from every quarter.Bricka (1891), p.518 When, on 18 April 1670, he was dismissed, there was no public sympathy for a man who had grown wealthy in a time of widespread poverty. He was stripped of all titles and privileges, except the financial control of the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

. He spent his remaining time in Copenhagen, and died on 13 October 1673 and was buried in St. Peter's Church.Thiset (1893) p.141

Sources

*Christian Bruun, "Gunde Rosenkrantz: Et Bidrag Til Danmarks Historie Under Frederik Den Tredie", 2008,
Google Books edition
*

Carl Frederik Bricka Carl Frederik Bricka (10 July 1845 – 23 August 1903) was a Danish archivist, historian and biographer. Biography Carl Bricka was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. His father, Frederik Vilhelm Theodor Bricka (1809–79), was a medical doctor. H ...

, "Dansk biografisk Lexikon : Volume V : Faaborg - Gersdorff", Copenhagen, 189
Online edition
*Anders Thiset, " Danmarks Adels Aarbog : Volume X, Dansk Adelsforening, 1893 * *Dansk Biografisk Leksiko
Online Edition

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabel, Christoffer 1617 births 1673 deaths People from Glückstadt 17th-century Danish politicians 17th-century Faroese people Politicians from Denmark–Norway