Povel Ottesen Huitfeldt | |
|---|---|
 Huitfeldt's gravestone in St. Nikolai church,Halmstad depicting him and his wife Margrethe Breide. | |
| Governor-general of Norway | |
| In office 1572–1577 | |
| Monarch | Frederick II |
| Preceded by | Christen Munk |
| Succeeded by | Ludvig Munk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1520 |
| Died | (1592-09-21)September 21, 1592 aged 72 Tryggevælde,Denmark |
Povel Ottesen Huitfeldt (c. 1520 – 21 September 1592) was aDanish-Norwegiangovernor-general of Norway.[1]
Povel Huitfeldt was born around 1520[a] to Otte Clausen Huitfeldt (who died between 1517 and 1529) and Barbara Eriksdatter Blaa (who died in 1558 at the earliest). He was the youngest of four boys, includingChristoffer Huitfeldt (c. 1501–1559) andPeder Huitfeldt (who died in 1584).
Around 1548, Huitfeldt relocated toBergen to join his brother Christoffer, who was serving as a bailiff in theBergenhus Fortress at the time. In the summers of 1552–54 and over the winter of 1554–55, Povel served asChristian III of Denmark's representative toIceland,[2] an officiallyCatholic nation that had been resisting thekingdom's forceful efforts to convert them toLutheranism, which had become the Dano–Norwegian state religion following theProtestant reformation.[3] Accompanied by a military force, Povel successfully squashed what remained of Catholic resistance in Iceland after the 1550 execution of their bishop,Jón Arason.[1]
On 4 February 1554, Huitfeldt married Margrethe Breide, the daughter of Hans Breide and Thale Emmiksdatter. She was alady-in-waiting of the king's wife,Queen Dorothea.
Between 1556–59, Huitfeldt served as sheriff atCopenhagen Castle. Upon Christian III's death, the queen lent himKoldinghus, the last of the ancient royal castles inJutland, for the period from 1559 to 1563.[1]
Following the breakdown of theKalmar Union early in the 16th century, war broke out between its two main constituents, Denmark–Norway andSweden, on 13 August 1563. In the ensuingNorthern Seven Years' War, Povel Huitfeldt was put in charge ofHalmstad, a port town in the then-Danish province ofHalland, which he held during a siege by Swedish forces in the autumn of 1563.[1][4]
Until 1572, the position of governor-general was only symbolic, and Norway lacked a central government altogether. As such, there was nothing linking the king inCopenhagen to his Norwegian subjects. Each feudal lord (lensherre) was the highest authority in his district and was responsible only to the king. However, the war with Sweden highlighted the strategic weaknesses of this approach; the fact that Norway lacked its own standing army had made the invasion of its territories by even small Swedish forces possible, leading to, among others, the burning ofHamar Cathedral and the destruction of the bishop's fortified palace,Hamarhus.[5]
Following thewar, Huitfeldt was dispatched to Norway and assumed the role of feudal lord of Brunla Manor inLarvik from 1570 to 1574. In April 1572, he was also appointed as the feudal lord forAkershus andTromsø.
On May 10, 1572, Huitfeldt was appointed as the newfangledgovernor-general of Norway (stattholder).[1] As governor-general, he was responsible for the courts, the supervision of the church and clergy, the resolution of complaints from the various provinces under his jurisdiction, and the management of royal property, which consisted of traditionally owned crown lands in addition to the large amounts of church land that had been confiscated during theReformation.
He also oversawfeudal lords, with the aim of preventing abuses of power and ensuring faithful and prompt collection of the king's taxes.[6] Simultaneously, he was designated as a judge atlagtings taking place inOslo,Bergen, andTrondheim. The latter two cities were where Huitfeldt commuted to for administrative meetings, though in 1575 he was granted an exemption by the king from traveling to Bergen due to health issues.[1]
Given his control over the judiciary, it is likely that Huitfeldt played a part in Chancellor Johan Venstermand's ouster in the autumn of the same year.[1]
Huitfeldt struggled to exert control over local officials;Ludvig Munk and others persisted in their misuse of tax collections and harsh suppression of peasant resistance, particularly inTrøndelag. Munk would later go on to succeed Huitfeldt as governor-general in 1577.[1]
In church administration, Huitfeldt's efforts yielded better outcomes. In 1574, he appointed three officials to oversee the collection of church tithes and manage the church economy. They also compiledcadastral surveys (jordebøker) that provided comprehensiveland registers delineating themetes-and-bounds of ecclesiastical property in Norway. These compilations, entitledPovel Huitfeldt stiftsbok, were published for theDiocese of Oslo in 1575 and for the Diocese ofHamar in 1577. While the originals have been lost, a 1601 copy has been preserved, encompassing additions and corrections up to and including the year 1600. Ajordebøker was also prepared for the Diocese ofStavanger, but it has since been lost. This data collection was discontinued after Huitfeldt's tenure as governor-general ended in 1577, resulting in the control of the economy reverting to local church officials and bailiffs.[1]
Huitfeldt was an avid proponent of education, with the city of Oslo purportedly surpassing Bergen, at the time the largest city in Norway, in terms of educational establishments.[7]
In 1576, Huitfeldt chaired a meeting inSkien between farmers and delegates of the clergy inStavanger county to mediate a conflict regarding tithes. The outcome of the meeting was an agreement that farmers would retain a quarter of the tithe traditionally allocated for the poor, but in return would have to contribute funds to support students at Stavanger Cathedral School. The accord was ratified by the king and adopted as national policy.[1]
Povel Huitfeldt stepped down from all roles in 1577 due to health complications and the arduous travel conditions in Norway, characterized by inadequate roads, perilous bridges, and steep cliffs. Post-retirement, he primarily resided inHalland, where he owned property.
From 1581 onward, he held the title of feudal lord ofTromsø.
On 21 September 1592, Huitfeldt passed away atTryggevælde Manor during a visit to his nephew, chancellor and historianArild Huitfeldt. He was interred atHalmstad Church in modern-daySweden.[1]
Although smaller than Bergen, Oslo surpassed that city as a seat of learning, partly due to the support of the Danish governors Povel Huitfeldt and Aksel Gyldenstjerne
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
