Claus Bille (ca. 1490 – 4 January 1558 atLyngsgård,Scania) was a Danish landlord and statesman.
Claus was born as the youngest son of aDanish nobleman, Steen Basse Torbensen Bille of Søholm (1446–1520) and his wife, MargretheRønnow (1450–1490).
He was a major estate owner, knight (the highest rank of Danish nobility), fief lord ofBåhus Castle and a member of both the Norwegian and the DanishCouncils of the Realm. He was an important participant in theStockholm Bloodbath, when he together withSøren Norby arrested theSwedish nobility. He was a first cousin ofEske Bille, and theBille family became the most politically powerful noble family of Denmark during his lifetime.
Claus was married to Elisabeth Ulfstand (1502–1540), daughter ofKnight andAdmiral Jens Holgersen Ulfstand (1450–1523) and his first wife, Margrethe ArvidsdatterTrolle (1475–1523). Bille was the father ofBeate Clausdatter Bille and thus the maternal grandfather of the astronomerTycho Brahe.[1] Direct notable descendants include British actressJudi Dench and French and Danish lawyer Steen Andersen Oluf Bille (b. 1964).