Torben Oxe
Encyclopedia
Torben Oxe was a Danish nobleman and a member of an aristocratic
family.
Oxe was the son of Johan Oxe of Tordsø and Inger Torbensdatter Bille. Both his father and grandfather had served as Danish Councillors (dansk rigsråd). His nephew Peder Oxe
, would become the future Danish finance minister and Steward of the Realm. Torben Oxe served as a liege man of King Christian II of Denmark
, under whom from 1514, he was governor of Copenhagen Castle
. He also inherited a fief in Kronborg from his father who died in 1490.
During the summer of 1517, Torben Oxe was accused of murdering Dyveke Sigbritsdatter
, King Christian II's mistress, with some poisoned cherries. Dyveke's mother Sigbrit Willoms
, the widow of a Dutch merchant, acted as an advisor to the king, to the displeasure of much of the Danish nobility.
Torben Oxe was first tried and acquitted by the State Council. King Christian II did not accept the judgment and had Oxe indicted by a court consisting of a jury from Solbjerg
outside Copenhagen. Oxe was charged in what amounted to a justice-of-the-peace court with vague offences against his liege lord, Christian II. The verdict as directed by the king was guilty and the death sentence imposed. He was condemned to death, traditionally in the words: "Vi dømmer ham ikke, men hans gerninger dømmer ham" (We do not condemn him - his deeds condemn him) beheaded and buried in the graveyard of St. Gertrude's Hospital
(St Gertruds Kloster) in Copenhagen.
Members of the Royal Council of the State
(Rigsraadet) disapproved of the execution of Oxe, who was a popular figure. The execution further alienated Christian II from the nobles and the people of Copenhagen. Thereafter the king lost no opportunity to suppress the nobility and raise commoners to power.
A famous painting by Eilif Peterssen titled Chrisitian II Signing the Death Warrant of Torben Oxe is present in the Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo, Norway.
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
family.
Oxe was the son of Johan Oxe of Tordsø and Inger Torbensdatter Bille. Both his father and grandfather had served as Danish Councillors (dansk rigsråd). His nephew Peder Oxe
Peder Oxe
Peder Oxe was a Danish finance minister and Steward of the Realm.-Background:...
, would become the future Danish finance minister and Steward of the Realm. Torben Oxe served as a liege man of King Christian II of Denmark
Christian II of Denmark
Christian II was King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden , during the Kalmar Union.-Background:...
, under whom from 1514, he was governor of Copenhagen Castle
Copenhagen Castle
Copenhagen Castle was a castle on Slotsholmen in Copenhagen, Denmark, built in the late 14th century at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace....
. He also inherited a fief in Kronborg from his father who died in 1490.
During the summer of 1517, Torben Oxe was accused of murdering Dyveke Sigbritsdatter
Dyveke Sigbritsdatter
Dyveke Sigbritsdatter or Dyveke Willomsdatter, , in Denmark normally known as "Dyveke" ; in modern Dutch "duifje" means "little dove"), was known as the mistress to Christian II of Denmark....
, King Christian II's mistress, with some poisoned cherries. Dyveke's mother Sigbrit Willoms
Sigbrit Willoms
Sigbrit Willoms , , was a Danish politician, mother to the mistress of King Christian II of Denmark, Dyveke Sigbritsdatter, and advisor and de facto minister of finance for the king between 1519 and 1523....
, the widow of a Dutch merchant, acted as an advisor to the king, to the displeasure of much of the Danish nobility.
Torben Oxe was first tried and acquitted by the State Council. King Christian II did not accept the judgment and had Oxe indicted by a court consisting of a jury from Solbjerg
Solbjerg
Solbjerg is a south-western suburb of Aarhus in Denmark and one of the outer suburbs of Aarhus. It is located 17 km. from the city centre and has a population of 3,144 .-References:...
outside Copenhagen. Oxe was charged in what amounted to a justice-of-the-peace court with vague offences against his liege lord, Christian II. The verdict as directed by the king was guilty and the death sentence imposed. He was condemned to death, traditionally in the words: "Vi dømmer ham ikke, men hans gerninger dømmer ham" (We do not condemn him - his deeds condemn him) beheaded and buried in the graveyard of St. Gertrude's Hospital
St. Gertrude's Hospital, Copenhagen
St. Gertrude's Hospital, Copenhagen was a locally important church and hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark.- History :Saint Gertrude was one of the patron saints of travellers and merchants. She was a Benedictine nun, the daughter of Pepin of Landen and the first abbess of Nivelles Abbey in what is...
(St Gertruds Kloster) in Copenhagen.
Members of the Royal Council of the State
Rigsraadet
Rigsraadet, or Riksrådet, , is the name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that ruled the countries together with the kings from late Middle Ages to the 17th century...
(Rigsraadet) disapproved of the execution of Oxe, who was a popular figure. The execution further alienated Christian II from the nobles and the people of Copenhagen. Thereafter the king lost no opportunity to suppress the nobility and raise commoners to power.
A famous painting by Eilif Peterssen titled Chrisitian II Signing the Death Warrant of Torben Oxe is present in the Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo, Norway.
Other sources
- Lockhart, Paul Douglas Denmark, 1513-1660: the rise and decline of a Renaissance monarchy (Oxford University Press, 2007) ISBN-10: 0199271216
- Bain, Robert Nisbet Scandinavia: a political history of Denmark, Norway and Sweden from 1513 to 1900 (Cambridge: University Press, 1905)