Godschalk Ericksen (d. 1544), was
Christian II of Denmark
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
's chancellor and later a diplomat at the service of
Emperor Charles V
Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...
.
Life
Ericksen was born in
Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...
. He was Christian II of Denmark's chancellor by 1517 and when Christian went into exile in 1523, he remained by his side despite many others abandoning the Danish king.
Ericksen became a tutor of Christian's children a few months before Christian's son, Prince John, died. When Christian II became a lifelong prisoner in July 1532, Ericksen entered the Emperor Charles V's service, following him to Spain in 1533. He was subsequently sent on missions to
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, 1533, to
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
,
Trier
Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
and
Münster
Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
in 1535, and to the
Hansa Towns in 1535. In the following years he is recorded amongst the administrators of the army, and was sent to levy a corps of
landsknecht
The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were German mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was ...
s in Germany, at the head of whom he preceded the Emperor into
Ghent
Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
in February 1540.
Having fallen from his horse at
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
, he became ill and died on September 28, 1544..
[1. Martin Schwartz Lausten in Bietenholz (1987) – vol.1 pg.443]
References
Bibliography
* Peter G. Bietenholz, Thomas Brian Deutscher Eds. Contemporaries of Erasmus: A Biographical Register of the Renaissance and Reformation, Volumes 1-3. University of Toronto Press (1987).
* Vocht, H. Humanistica Lovaniensia - vol. 16, John Dantiscus and his Netherlandish friends: as revealed by their correspondence 1522-1546. Leuven University Press (1961).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ericksen, Godschalk
Year of birth missing
1544 deaths
People from Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein
16th-century Danish diplomats
16th-century diplomats from the Holy Roman Empire