Claus Christoffersen Lyschander (also ''Lyscander, Lyskander''; 1558–1623/4) was a Danish poet and historian. A native of Nørre Vram,

Skåne Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

, Denmark (now in Bjuv Municipality, Sweden), his boyhood was affected by the

Northern Seven Years' War The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War,'' the ''Seven Years' War of the North'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden (1523–1611), K ...

, some of his older siblings and his mother fell victim to the epidemics which accompanied the war. After the war, he was schooled in Herrisvad convent school. His earliest known period in Danish and Latin was composed at the age of 20. He studied at

Rostock university The University of Rostock () is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the List of universities in Germany#Universities by date of establishment, third-oldest university in Germany. It is ...

under David Chytraeus. He spent several years in Germany, possibly studying at the university at Wittenberg. In January 1587 wrote a letter of recommendation for Lyschander to Frederick II. Lyschander was made pastor of Herfølge and Sædder parishes, one of the more prestigious positions in Zealand, where he replaced Jon Jakobsen Venusinus whom he later also succeeded as Royal Historian. Lyschander married in 1588 and was appointed dean at Bjæverskov Herred ( Præstø County). He published several historiographical works in verse form between 1608 and 1623. He was appointed Royal Historian (''kongelig historiograf'') by

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 ...

in 1616, charged with compiling a national historiography of Denmark "after Saxo" (i.e. covering the 13th century onward). The work was scheduled for six years, but Lyschander laid out a plan of 116 volumes. Maybe because it seemed unlikely that Lyschander was able to complete the national history within the appointed time, royal chancellor Christian Friis appointed Johan Isaksson Pontanus with the same task as Lyschander, but Lyschander was allowed to continue to work on his own project. In 1619, Lyschander presented a draft version of his ''Synopsis Historiae Danicae'', which was published in 1622 (now known under the title of ''Danske Kongers Slægtebog'' "Genealogy of the Danish kings").

References

*Holger Frederik Rørdam,
Klaus Christoffersen Lyskanders levned
', 1868. *Carl Frederik Bricka, ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon'' 10 (1896)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyschander, Claus Christoffersen 16th-century Danish historians 17th-century Danish historians Danish male poets 17th-century Danish poets 1558 births 1623 deaths 17th-century male writers 17th-century Danish Lutheran clergy 16th-century Danish Lutheran clergy