Ellen Marsvin (1 February 1572 – 11 November 1649) was a Danish noble, landowner and county administrator. She was the

mother-in-law A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person is a child-in-la ...

of King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway, the mother of

Kirsten Munk Kirsten Munk (sometimes "Christina Munk"; 6 July 1598 19 April 1658) was a Danish noble, the second spouse of King Christian IV of Denmark, and mother to twelve of his children. Early life and morganatic marriage Kirsten Munk was the daughter o ...

(1598–1658) and grandmother of

Leonora Christina Ulfeldt Leonora Christina, Countess Ulfeldt, born "Countess Leonora Christina Christiansdatter" til Slesvig og Holsten (8 July 1621 – 16 March 1698), was the daughter of King Christian IV of Denmark and wife of Steward of the Realm, traitor Count Corf ...

(1621–1698).

Biography

She was born at

Landskrona Citadel Landskrona Citadel ( sv, Citadellet or ''Landskrona slott'') is situated in Landskrona, Scania, southern Sweden. Much of the original work is intact. Examples remain of all major parts of the fortification, which is uncommon in such an accessible ...

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

(Skåne), a part of Denmark that was conquered by Sweden in 1658 and has been Swedish since. She was the daughter of the noble, council and governor Jørgen Marsvin (ca. 1527–81) and Karen Gyldenstierne (ca. 1542–89). She was married to Count

Ludvig Munk Ludvig Ludvigsen Munk was born in 1537 in Vejle, and died 8 April 1602 at ''Nørlund Slot'' (Nørlund castle) in Funen. He was a Danish official and Count. He was the son of Ludvik Munk (1500-1537), and is also referred to as ''Ludvig Ludvigsen M ...

(1537–1602) in 1589. Widowed in 1602, she married the governor and noble Knud Rud (1556-1611) in 1607. She was widowed for a second time in 1611. In 1615 her only child, Kirsten, married King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway. Ellen had demanded that her daughter be married rather than be mistress to the king; she also formed the marriage contract, in which it was stated that Kirsten should be the legal spouse of the king and receive a county as widow pension. Ellen was made the guardian of her daughter's children with the king, the trustée for her grandchildrens' allowances, and was made responsible for their fortune. From 1620 until 1639, she was administrator of Dalum Kloster manor on the island of

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as o ...

. Marsvin was one of the most successful landowners in Denmark. Through her inheritance, money and connections, she bought, sold and built large estates with great success. In 1625 she was one of the richest landowners in Denmark. In 1629 when her daughter was accused of adultery, she introduced the king to his next lover

Vibeke Kruse Vibeke Kruse (died 1648) was the official mistress of King Christian IV of Denmark between 1629 and 1648 and the mother of one of his three acknowledged, illegitimate sons, Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve. She was described as influential. Life Not m ...

; to justify Kirsten's adultery, or to keep her personal influence over the monarch. The king respected her for her skill as a businessperson. In 1639, however, the king grew tired of her persistent demand that he recognize his wife's youngest daughter Dorothea Elisabeth, (her own youngest grandchild) as his, and as a result, he fired her as county administrator. In the middle of the 1640s, she retired to her manorial estate Ellensborg, the present Holckenhavn on Funen and lived the rest of her life at her estate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsvin, Ellen 1572 births 1649 deaths People from Landskrona Municipality 17th-century Danish nobility 17th-century Danish women landowners 17th-century Danish landowners 17th-century Danish businesspeople 17th-century Danish businesswomen