Plesner is a Norwegian family of Danish extraction, noted for its association with playwright

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

. Many descendants of the family have occupied prominent positions in Norwegian society.

History

Johan Glüsing Plesner (1703–1735) from

Kerteminde Kerteminde (nickname: ''Min Amandas by'', i.e. ''My Amanda's town''), is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality on the island of Funen. The town has a population of 6,128 (1 January 2025).

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

migrated to

Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...

in Norway around 1720, where he became a merchant. He was a son of merchant Bendix Jens Plesner (died 1708) and Anna Dorthe Bager (died 1748) of Kerteminde, and was married to Karen Cathrine Hind, a daughter of Kerteminde's mayor (rådmand) Knud Pedersen Hind. Johan was the father of merchant

Knud Plesner Knut (Norwegian language, Norwegian and Swedish language, Swedish), Knud (Danish language, Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic language, Icelandic) is a Scandinavia, Scandinavian and German language, German first name, of which the anglicised form is ...

(1731–1790), married to Marie Roll (1741–1786).

cites the family as one of the patrician families of Skien.

Descendants

Knud Plesner had numerous descendants who occupied prominent positions in Norwegian society through his two daughters Maria Plesner and Johanne Plesner.Klitgaard, C.: "Familien Plesner", '' Norsk slektshistorisk tidsskrift'', 1956 XV 3 Maria Plesner (1768–1800) was married to

Diderik von Cappelen Diderik von Cappelen (21 June 1761 – 3 April 1828) was a Norwegian wholesaler, merchant, shipowner, estate owner and politician in 1814. He is often referred to as Diderik von Cappelen but he spelt his name ''Didrich von Cappelen'' and is also ...

. Their children were Petronelle von Cappelen (1794–1855), Diderik von Cappelen (1795–1866, married to Edel Severine Margrethe Henriette Løvenskiold), Marie Elisabeth Cappelen (1796–1834), Knud Cappelen (1797–1798), Inger Jørgine Cappelen (1799–1871) and Peder Cappelen (1800–1800). Maria Plesner was the grandmother of painter

August Cappelen Hermann August Cappelen (1 May 1827 – 8 March 1852) was a Norwegian painter. Cappelen was best known for his melancholic, dramatic and romantic landscape compositions. Background Hermann August Cappelen was born in Skien, Norway. He was the ...

and land owner Severin Diderik Cappelen, and great-grandmother of chamberlain

Diderik Cappelen Diderik or Didrik is a Norwegian male given name. In North Germanic languages The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages—a sub-family of the Indo-European languages—along with the West Germani ...

. Johanne Plesner (1770–1847) married ship's captain Henrich

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

(1765–1797) and in her second marriage shipowner

Ole Paus Ole Paus (1947–2023) was a Norwegian singer-songwriter and poet, widely regarded as one of the most innovative Norwegian musical figures of the 20th century and "Norway's most significant troubadour at the time of his death." Emerging during t ...

(1766–1855), and her children were

Knud Ibsen Knud Plesner Ibsen (3 October 1797, in Skien – 24 October 1877, in Skien) was a Norwegian merchant from the city of Skien and the father of the playwright Henrik Ibsen. He is widely considered the model for many central characters in hi ...

(1797–1877),

Henrik Johan Paus Henrik Johan Paus (3 October 1799 – 21 July 1893) was a Norwegian lawyer, government official and the uncle of playwright Henrik Ibsen. He was acting bailiff of Lower Telemark and Bamble in 1818, a civil servant with the Ministry of Finance 181 ...

(1799–1893),

Christian Cornelius Paus Christian Cornelius Paus (18 October 1800 – 8 April 1879) was a Norwegian lawyer, civil servant and politician. From 1847 to 1874 he served as the top civil servant of Skien as city judge, magistrate, chief of police and city recorder. He also ...

(1800–1879), Maria Marthine Paus (born 1802), Christine Pauline Paus (born 1803), Nicolai Kall Paus (1804–1804), Jacob von der Lippe Paus (1806–1826), Mariane Nicoline Elisabeth Paus (born 1808),

Christopher Blom Paus Christopher Blom Paus (8 October 1810 – 28 October 1898) was a Norwegian shipowner, merchant and banker. Biography Paus was born at the estate Rising Nordre in Gjerpen, Norway. Born into the patriciate of the port town of Skien, he was the ...

and Johanne Caroline Paus (born 1813). Her descendants include

Sigurd Ibsen Sigurd Ibsen (23 December 1859 – 14 April 1930) was a Norwegian writer, lawyer and statesman, who served as the prime minister of Norway in Stockholm (1903–1905) and played a central role in the dissolution of the union between Norway an ...

Tancred Ibsen Tancred Ibsen (11 July 1893 – 4 December 1978) was a Norwegian military officer, aviator, film director and screenwriter. Background Ibsen was the son of Sigurd Ibsen and Bergljot Bjørnson. He was the grandson of both Henrik Ibsen and Nobel ...

, Tancred Ibsen, Jr., Nora Ibsen,

Irene Ibsen Bille Irene Ibsen Bille (10 September 1901 – 22 February 1985) (née Irene Ibsen) was a Norwegian novelist and playwright. She was born in Kristiania as a daughter of Prime Minister Sigurd Ibsen. She was a sister of Tancred Ibsen, paternal granddaug ...

Joen Bille Joen Steensen Bille (born 11 April 1944 in Frederiksberg) is a Danish actor. He is a member of the noble Bille family, and is also a great-grandson of Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. He is the son of Irene Ibsen and grandson of Norwegia ...

, Beate Bille, factory owner

, Christopher Tostrup Paus,

Ole Otto Paus Ole Otto Cicin von Paus (26 October 1910 – 6 April 2003), known as Ole Paus, was a Norwegian General, diplomat and NATO official. During the Second World War he was an aide-de-camp to the Norwegian commander-in-chief, General Otto Ruge, during ...

, singer

and

Pontine Paus Cecilie Alexandra Pontine Paus (born 15 June 1973) is a London-based Norwegian designer and shipping heiress. A member of the billionaire Wilhelmsen family on her mother's side, she is one of the owners of Wilh. Wilhelmsen, one of the world's la ...

References

{{reflist Norwegian families Patriciate of Norway Henrik Ibsen