Axel Urup
Encyclopedia
Axel Urup was a Danish
military engineer and commander, Rigsmarsk
and Supreme Court
justice.
defence of Bergen
and Zoom
. Later he continued to England
, France
and Italy
before returning home where he served as an ensign
under Enevold Kruse in the Danish branch of the Thirty Years' War in 1625 and 1626. He was taken as a prisoner of war by Tilly at Battle of Lutter
on 27 August 1626 but was part of an exchange of prisoners on 10 December.
In 1627 he was engaged as a military engineer but returned to the Netherlands in 1629 where he from 1 October participated in the Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch
and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
in Holger Parsberg's Danish regiment.
In 1630 he was charged with the fortification of various strategic localities in Jutland
. In 1631 he founded the fortress of Christianspris just north of Kiel
and was in 1635 granted it as a fief with title of Guvernor and Engineer of the Realm. On 7 April 1638 he was promoted to Colonel
and ordered to establish a regiment of German soldiers. In December 1643, at the outbreak of the Torstenson War, he was taken prisoner when General Lennart Torstenson
suddenly burst into Jutland but later set frii at Lübeck
. From 1645 and until the fortress was abandoned in 1648, he served once again as governor of Christianspris. In 1647 he was in Copenhagen where he worked on the fortifications and completed the rebuilding of Christian IV's Arsenal
.
On 25 November 1648 he was created Knight of the Order of the Elephant
and granted Christianopel as a fief and in 1651 also the Fief of Copenhagen.
1653 he became commander of an infantry regiment on Zealand. During the plague of 1654 he remained in Copenhagen and governed the city in the abscense of Joachim Gersdorff
.
On 3 August 1655 he became a member of the Privy Council and that same year received large fiefs in return for the Fief of Copenhagen. He accompanied Crown Prince Christian
to Hyldingen in Norway
.
On 22 January 1657 he became commander of the Danish army in Scania
during the Scanian War
.. Oberst og Chef for skaanske Reg. Sogneryttere.
On 12 April 1657 he was granted the Fief of Malmø, 25 maj Generalissimus
of the Danish troops in Scania. In 1658 he succeeded Anders Bille
as Rigsmarsk.
On 13 January he became a member of the new War Council and participated in the defence of the Copenhagen during the siege and was at the king's side during the Assault on Copenhagen on 11 February 1659. The following year he took part in the negotiations which led to thje Treaty of Copenhagen. From 1661 to 1670 he was a justice in the new Supreme Court
.
In 1659 and 1550 respectively, he was granted Dalum Abbey (ntil 1662) and St. Canute's Abbey, both on the island of Funen
.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
military engineer and commander, Rigsmarsk
Rigsmarsk (Denmark)
The Marsk, from 1536 the Rigsmarsk, was in Denmark the head of the armed forces from the beginning of the 13th century until the introduction of the absolute monarchy in the 1660s. It was the third highest office in the country after the Steward of the Realm and the Chancellor. The Rigsmarsk was...
and Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Denmark
The Supreme Court of Denmark is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Denmark. It is based at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen which also houses the Danish Parliament.-History:...
justice.
Biography
In 1621 he travelled abroad and served in the DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
defence of Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
and Zoom
Zoom
Zoom is an onomatopoeiac sound that indicates swiftness.Zoom may also refer to:-Technology:* Zoom lens, a lens assembly allowing for adjustable focal length* Digital zoom, an electronic emulation of focal length change...
. Later he continued to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
before returning home where he served as an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
under Enevold Kruse in the Danish branch of the Thirty Years' War in 1625 and 1626. He was taken as a prisoner of war by Tilly at Battle of Lutter
Battle of Lutter
The Battle of Lutter took place during the Thirty Years' War, on 27 August 1626, between the forces of the Protestant Christian IV of Denmark and those of the Catholic League...
on 27 August 1626 but was part of an exchange of prisoners on 10 December.
In 1627 he was engaged as a military engineer but returned to the Netherlands in 1629 where he from 1 October participated in the Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch
Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch
The Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch was in 1629 an action of the Eighty Years' War in which a Dutch Republican army captured the city of 's-Hertogenbosch which had been loyal to the King of Spain since 1579 and thus part of the Spanish Netherlands.-Background:...
and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in Holger Parsberg's Danish regiment.
In 1630 he was charged with the fortification of various strategic localities in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
. In 1631 he founded the fortress of Christianspris just north of Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
and was in 1635 granted it as a fief with title of Guvernor and Engineer of the Realm. On 7 April 1638 he was promoted to Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and ordered to establish a regiment of German soldiers. In December 1643, at the outbreak of the Torstenson War, he was taken prisoner when General Lennart Torstenson
Lennart Torstenson
Lennart Torstenson, Count of Ortala, Baron of Virestad , was a Swedish Field Marshal and military engineer.-Early career:He was born at Forstena in Västergötland - he always wrote his name Linnardt Torstenson...
suddenly burst into Jutland but later set frii at Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
. From 1645 and until the fortress was abandoned in 1648, he served once again as governor of Christianspris. In 1647 he was in Copenhagen where he worked on the fortifications and completed the rebuilding of Christian IV's Arsenal
Christian IV's Arsenal
Christian IV's Arsenal , is a historic building on Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built by Christian IV of Denmark in 1604 as part of a grand scheme for the construction of a new naval harbour. The arsenal, along with several other buildings, surrounded the harbour basin which...
.
On 25 November 1648 he was created Knight of the Order of the Elephant
Order of the Elephant
The Order of the Elephant is the highest order of Denmark. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in 1849, is now almost exclusively bestowed on royalty and heads of state.- History :A Danish religious...
and granted Christianopel as a fief and in 1651 also the Fief of Copenhagen.
1653 he became commander of an infantry regiment on Zealand. During the plague of 1654 he remained in Copenhagen and governed the city in the abscense of Joachim Gersdorff
Joachim Gersdorff
Joachim Gersdorff was a Danish politician, from 1650 to 1660 Steward of the Danish Realm. It was Gersdorff who negotiated the Treaty of Roskilde on Denmark's part during the Second Northern War, a war he had himself been in favour of entering...
.
On 3 August 1655 he became a member of the Privy Council and that same year received large fiefs in return for the Fief of Copenhagen. He accompanied Crown Prince Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
to Hyldingen in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
On 22 January 1657 he became commander of the Danish army in Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
during the Scanian War
Scanian War
The Scanian War was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark-Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish provinces along the border with Sweden and in Northern Germany...
.. Oberst og Chef for skaanske Reg. Sogneryttere.
On 12 April 1657 he was granted the Fief of Malmø, 25 maj Generalissimus
Generalissimo
Generalissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...
of the Danish troops in Scania. In 1658 he succeeded Anders Bille
Anders Bille
Anders Bille was the Danish Rigsmarsk, the officer leading the entire armed forces of Denmark, from 1642.From 1635 to 1643 he was the Governor of Ösel ....
as Rigsmarsk.
On 13 January he became a member of the new War Council and participated in the defence of the Copenhagen during the siege and was at the king's side during the Assault on Copenhagen on 11 February 1659. The following year he took part in the negotiations which led to thje Treaty of Copenhagen. From 1661 to 1670 he was a justice in the new Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Denmark
The Supreme Court of Denmark is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Denmark. It is based at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen which also houses the Danish Parliament.-History:...
.
In 1659 and 1550 respectively, he was granted Dalum Abbey (ntil 1662) and St. Canute's Abbey, both on the island of Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
.