Christoffer Valkendorff
Encyclopedia
Christoffer Valkendorff was a Danish
statesman and Steward of the Realm
.
He descended from a German
immigrant aristocratic family. During the 1550s he made himself a career in Norway
where he successfully opposed the last remains of Hanseatic
influence, which earned him the benevolence of King Frederick II
. He also worked as a squire
and local official. Relatively late, after the death of Peder Oxe
, he became a leading man of the government. From 1575 to 1590 he was the Treasurer
and Statholder at Copenhagen
Castle (a kind of “Minister of the Affairs of the Capital”) by virtue of which he was in reality a kind of a prime minister without being appointed. However, he shared this position with the Chancellor Niels Kaas.
As a state official Valkendorff showed himself energetic, able and reforming, but often offensive and reckless, a fact that created frictions with some of his colleagues and occasionally also with the king. To Copenhagen his work was very important. He founded students’ dwellings, supported the education, maintained justice and in many ways anticipated the activities of Christian IV
, sometimes paying for it out of his own pocket. In foreign politics he supported the neutral line of the king and avoided taking part in the wars of religion.
After the death of Frederick II in 1588, Valkendorff assumed control of the guardianship of Christian IV but this position led to his downfall. In 1590 he had to vacate all his offices after accusations of abuse of power and the judicial murder of Magnus Heinason
. Though not quite unjustified these accusations were probably mostly politically motivated.
For some years Valkendorff kept in the background but gradually he regained his influence and at the accession to power of the young Christian IV in 1596 he was at last appointed Steward of the Realm, a post he kept until his death. During these last years of power he still showed himself energetic but somewhat more cautious.
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...
statesman and Steward of the Realm
Danish Steward of the Realm
Steward of the Realm was an office at the Royal Danish Court. With the coronation of Eric VII of Denmark it became an important office, taking over the role of the Seneschal as the de facto prime minister of the country. Prior to that the Rigshofmester had merely been the administrative leader of...
.
He descended from a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immigrant aristocratic family. During the 1550s he made himself a career 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...
where he successfully opposed the last remains of Hanseatic
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
influence, which earned him the benevolence of King Frederick II
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
. He also worked as a squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
and local official. Relatively late, after the death of Peder Oxe
Peder Oxe
Peder Oxe was a Danish finance minister and Steward of the Realm.-Background:...
, he became a leading man of the government. From 1575 to 1590 he was the Treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
and Statholder at 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...
Castle (a kind of “Minister of the Affairs of the Capital”) by virtue of which he was in reality a kind of a prime minister without being appointed. However, he shared this position with the Chancellor Niels Kaas.
As a state official Valkendorff showed himself energetic, able and reforming, but often offensive and reckless, a fact that created frictions with some of his colleagues and occasionally also with the king. To Copenhagen his work was very important. He founded students’ dwellings, supported the education, maintained justice and in many ways anticipated the activities of Christian IV
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
, sometimes paying for it out of his own pocket. In foreign politics he supported the neutral line of the king and avoided taking part in the wars of religion.
After the death of Frederick II in 1588, Valkendorff assumed control of the guardianship of Christian IV but this position led to his downfall. In 1590 he had to vacate all his offices after accusations of abuse of power and the judicial murder of Magnus Heinason
Magnus Heinason
Magnus Heinason was a Faroese naval hero, trader and privateer. He was the son of Heine Havreki, a Norwegian priest from Bergen who emigrated to the Faroe Islands and who helped introduce the Lutheran Reformation to the Faroe Islands, and Gyri Arnbjørnsdatter, Havreki's second wife from a...
. Though not quite unjustified these accusations were probably mostly politically motivated.
For some years Valkendorff kept in the background but gradually he regained his influence and at the accession to power of the young Christian IV in 1596 he was at last appointed Steward of the Realm, a post he kept until his death. During these last years of power he still showed himself energetic but somewhat more cautious.