Jens Tillufssøn Bjelke
Encyclopedia
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including the originally Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
nobleman and a feudal lord of Jemtland
Jämtland
Jämtland or Jamtland is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders to Härjedalen and Medelpad in the south, Ångermanland in the east, Lapland in the north and Trøndelag and Norway in the west...
, 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...
, was originally from Danish
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...
Skåne (now Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
). His parents were Thilluf Josefsson of Gyllarp and Gunhild Ovesdatter Bing. Together with his wife Lady Lucie Nilsdatter, he resided at Austrått Manor
Austrått
thumb|The manor’s entry portal with the coat of arms carved in [[soapstone]].Austrått or Austrått Manor is a manor in Ørland municipality, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. Since the 10th century Austrått has been the residence for many noblemen, noblewomen and officials who played a significant role in...
beginning in 1540 and owned the manor from 1552 until his death on 14 October 1559.
The first recorded mention of Jens indicates that he was a secretary for the bishop in then-Danish Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
in 1534. He came to 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...
in 1537 in Christoffer Huitfeldt’s service, when Lutheran Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
was being promoted in the Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
region. During the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, Nidarholm Abbey
Nidarholm Abbey
Nidarholm Abbey was a Benedictine monastery located on the island of Munkholmen in the Trondheimfjord on the sea approach to Trondheim, Norway.-History:...
on the island of Munkholmen
Munkholmen
Munkholmen is an islet north of Trondheim, Norway. It sits in the Trondheimsfjord about northwest of the island of Brattøra and the mouth of the river Nidelva. The islet has served as a place of execution, a monastery, a fortress, prison, and a World War II anti-aircraft gun station...
, was the stronghold of Olav Engelbrektsson
Olav Engelbrektsson
Olav Engelbrektsson was the last Catholic Archbishop of Norway. As well as being a religious leader, Olav was also a political figure;...
, the last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Nidaros . Bjelke served in the fleet led by Jens Splid which besieged Archbishop Engelbrektsson’s men at Nidarholm in 1537; they were forced to surrender. Bjelke was awarded the Abbey and its property as compensation for his services. He exchanged Munkholmen for Tautra
Tautra
Tautra is an island in the municipality of Frosta in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Trondheimsfjord, just north of the city of Trondheim. The island is connected to the rest of Frosta by a long causeway bridge....
island; from there he served as the feudal overlord of Jemtland
Jämtland
Jämtland or Jamtland is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders to Härjedalen and Medelpad in the south, Ångermanland in the east, Lapland in the north and Trøndelag and Norway in the west...
, on the Norwegian-Swedish border beginning in 1542 and continuing until his death .
As a Protestant, Jens naturally came into contact with Nils Henriksson
Nils Henriksson
Nils Henriksson was a Norwegian knight, landowner, National Counselor and Lord High Steward of Norway who married Ingerd Ottesdatter ....
and Lady Ingerd Ottesdatter
Inger, Lady of Austraat
Inger, Lady of Austraat [Rømer] was her era's wealthiest landowner in Norway, a daughter and ultimate heiress of the Younger Rømer family of Norway, a political intriguer , and her fame was the inspiration for Henrik Ibsen's somewhat fanciful play Lady Inger of...
as well as their daughter, Lucie Nilsdatter. Lucie was the center of a social scandal of some substance for the age. Niels Lykke (1492-1535) had married Eline Nilsdatter, the third of five sisters of Nils Henriksson. After her sister Eline’s death in 1532, Lucie cared for Eline’s children and ultimately conceived a child by Niels Lykke. Niels was put to death for incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
by Archbishop Engelbrektsson in 1535. Jens and Lucie subsequently married in 1540, and his correspondence thereafter came from Austrått Manor. In 1545 Jens Tillufssøn requested and received a royal pardon for himself, his wife and their children, in which King Christian III affirmed there would be no indictment against Lucie for incest. Lady Inger formally transferred the title of Austrått to Lucie and Jens; records show that the transfer was confirmed by the king in 1552. There has been speculation that Lucie’s scandal allowed Jens, who descended from lesser nobility, to be considered "good enough" for Lucie.
Lucie drowned in 1555 while on a voyage off Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal, Sande, Skodje, Haram, Stordal, Stranda, Sula, Sykkylven, Ulstein, Vanylven, Volda, Ørskog,...
and Jens died in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
five years later. Åge Bjelke (1552–1603), who was the youngest of five sons, took over the Austrått Manor at the age of 7 years. Åge’s maternal uncle Henrik Nielssøn served as his guardian.
Jens Tillufssøn Bjelke was one of several notable Danes who acquired land, resided permanently in Norway, became thoroughly Norwegian and founded new Norwegian noble families, which replaced the old nobility of the first rank. He was the grandfather of Chancellor Jens Ågessøn Bjelke and great-grandfather of Governor (Jorgen Bjelke.