Sivert Beck (18 November 1566 – 2 January 1623) was a Danish civil servant and landowner. He served as treasurer (''rentemester'') from 1596 until his death.

Early life

Beck was born in the Bishop's House in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

, the son of district judge Lauge Beck (c. 1530– 1607) and Agate Grubbe (1533–1623). He spent 1580–88 abroad, partly accompanied by his nephew, Sivert Grubbe. He studied at the universities in Wittenberg, Leipzig and Jena.

Career

In 1589 Beck began working at the Danish Chancellery. In 1590 he assumed the title of secretary. In this capacity, he was sent to Ribe to oversee that Anders Sørensen Vedel transferred his historical collections to Dr. Niels Krag (1595). On 16 November 1596, he was appointed treasurer (''rentemester''). He remained in the office until his death. Beck was granted a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

at Aarhus Cathedral in 1594 but in 1608 exchanged it for a canonry at Roskilde Cathedral. In both cases he was required to stay at the cathedral when no longer in royal service. Late in life, he acted as guardian for Christian IV's illegitimate søn,

Christian Ulrik Gyldenløve Christian Ulrik Gyldenløve (3 February 1611 – 6 October 1640) was a Danish diplomat and military officer. He was one of three acknowledged illegitimate sons of Christian IV of Denmark— the only one by Kirsten Madsdatter. He died in a fight ...

Property

Beck was a major landowner. He inherited

Førslevgaard Førslevgaard is a manor house and estate located close to Fuglebjerg, Næstved Municipality, approximately 90 kilometres southwest of Copenhagen, Denmark. It has since 1803 been owned by members of the Neergaard (noble family), de Neergaard famil ...

, Vibygård and Tågerød from his father in 1607. His wife brought Herlufstrup on Zealand and Vandås, Næsbyholm, Klabberup and Frenderup in

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

into the marriage. In 1599–1623, he was

lensmann in modern Norwegian or in Danish and older Norwegian spelling (; ) is a term with several distinct meanings in Nordic history. The Icelandic equivalent was a . Fief-holder The term traditionally referred to a holder of a royal fief in Denmark ...

of Giske in Norway.

Personal life

Beck married Lisbet Bille (14 April 1576 – 1656), a daughter of Steen Bille (1527–86) and Kirsten Lindenov (died 1612), on 5 September 1602. He was the father of Lauge Becj (1614–59) and Steen Beck.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Sivert Danish civil servants 17th-century Danish landowners People from Roskilde 1566 births 1623 deaths