Ove Bjelke (26 October 1611 – 29 March 1674) was a Norwegian nobleman, feudal lord and statesman. He served as

Chancellor of Norway The Chancellor of Norway (modern Norwegian: ''Norges rikes kansler'', "Chancellor of Norway's Realm") was the most important aide of the King of Norway during the Middle Ages, and during the Union with Denmark. He issued laws and regulations, an ...

(1660–1674).

Biography

He was born in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

; the son of Jens Bjelke (1580–1659) and Sophie Brockenhuus (1587-1656). He was the brother of Henrik Bjelke (1615-1683) and

Jørgen Bjelke Jørgen Bjelke (2 June 1621 – 17 June 1696) was a Dano-Norwegian or Norwegian officer and nobleman. He was born at Elingaard Manor on Onsøy near Fredrikstad, in Østfold County, Norway, and died in Kalundborg, Denmark. Early and personal lif ...

(1621-1696), both of whom also held prominent positions. He grew up in a rich and cultured environment. He was educated at the

University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...

in Padua, Italy. His father held the office of Chancellor of Norway from 1614. When his father died in 1659, he took over several of his properties including Austrått manor in

Sør-Trøndelag Sør-Trøndelag (; ) was a Counties of Norway, county comprising the southern portion of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Nord-Trøndelag () county as well as the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, and Hedmark. ...

. Much of the manor as it stands today is the result of his efforts. He also served as

from 1660. In 1666 he was transferred as staple commander from

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

to Trondheim. He was a signatory of the 1661 Sovereignty Act (''Enevoldsarveregjeringsakten''), the new constitution of Denmark-Norway, as one of the representatives of the noble estate.

Personal life

Ove Bjelke was married three times; first time in 1643 with Maren Juel (died 1644), the second time in 1647 with Regitze Geddes (1629-1657), the third time in 1660 with Hedvig Lindenow (1635-1678). He was the father of several daughters.

References

Other sources

*Andersen. Håkon A. (1992) ''Austrått'' (Trondheim: Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum) *Welle-Strand, Erling (1974) ''Museums in Norway'' (Oslo: Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bjelke, Ove 1611 births 1674 deaths Politicians from Trondheim Norwegian civil servants 17th-century Norwegian nobility Chancellors of Norway Signatories of the Sovereignty Act County governors of Norway O