Ellen Marsvin

Ellen Marsvin was born on 1 February 1572 at Landskrona Citadel in Scania, a part of Denmark-Norway that later became Swedish. She was the daughter of Jørgen Marsvin, a noble, council and governor, and his wife Karen Gyldenstierne. She married Ludvig Munk, a count and governor, in 1589 and became the mother of Kirsten Munk in 1598. She was widowed in 1602 and married Knud Rud, another noble and governor, in 1607. She was widowed again in 1611 and never remarried. Ellen Marsvin was one of the most successful and influential landowners in Denmark. She inherited, bought and sold many estates and managed them with great skill and profit. She also held several royal counties as administrator and was involved in the women's movement. She was a close ally of King Christian IV, who married her daughter Kirsten in 1615. She had a good relationship with the king and helped him with the upbringing of her grandchildren, who were the king's illegitimate children. She also introduced him to his next lover, Vibeke Kruse, after he divorced Kirsten in 1630. ¹ Ellen Marsvin died on 11 November 1649 at the age of 77. She was buried at Hillerød Cemetery in Denmark. She left behind a large fortune and a legacy of being a powerful and respected woman in a male-dominated society. ¹²