Egeskov Castle (Denmark)
Funen See list of castles in Danimarca
There Egeskov Castle is now located, there was a large farm already in the 1400s. In an old document from 1405 you can learn to farm, Egeskovgaard then belonged Skinkel Ludeke, who was from an old Holstein noble family. He had in his younger years living from piracy but had in the late 1380s made peace with both Queen Margrethe and the Hanseatic towns. Egeskov farm owned by the family Skinkels male and female members until 1545th
When the famous Danish warlord Frands Brockenhuus in 1545 married Anne Tinhuus (Skinkel) brought her through her marriage to the farm at Egeskov given to her by her parents.
The same year that Frands married Anne, he had been appointed sheriff in Nyborg. Since there are many similarities between Nyborg Castle and Egeskov are likely to Frands used by the royal builder Morten Bussert (also mentioned that Martin Bussart) when he behaved Egeskov. Bussert may not have been to the castle was completed before he died in 1553, which means that another builder must have completed the work.
Egeskov was completed in 1554 - and since there were troubled times had built it as an impregnable fortress in the middle of a lake. Frands Brockenhuus can not have spent so much time on his new castle as his position demanded that he spent elsewhere. As so often in the old days it was because women, in this case, Anne, who had to take the daily management of the farm and the people. Anne sat as mistress of Egeskov until 1565 when she died and was buried in Kværndrup church.
Frands Brockenhuus was highly valued by the Danish king and was used for many different tasks. In 1562 he became a member of the War Council, and two years later he was appointed commander of the infantry in the war against Sweden. For its rescue of Akershus Fortress, he became in 1567 riksmarsk. He also participated in the train to Sweden from 1567 to 1568. During the Northern Seven Years' War and the siege of Varberg Frands was hit by a bullet in the leg (31 October 1569) which ended his life 14 days later in Halmstad.
Frands and Anne's only son, Laurids Brockenhuus, thus became an orphan at age 17, when he also inherited Egeskov. He grew up to be quite a violent young man who came in several conflicts, including femicide had one on his conscience. In 1570 also issued an arbitration letters between he and Ivar Kraas "about fights."
Nineteen years old (1571) Laurids celebrated her wedding at Egeskov with the eight-year old Karen Skram. They got together nine children but only five daughters reached adulthood.
One of Laurids and Karen's daughters was named Rigborg and she was sent to court to woo the queen. There, she met Frederik Rosenkrantz she began a relationship with. They had a son together, and since the child was born outside of marriage, it was obviously a great scandal. Frederik was additionally already betrothed to another woman as a marriage could not be included to dampen the scandal.
Rigborgs father, Laurids, was totally crazy and asked that they should be tried in a real court - he took no account of it was his own daughter. The event also went to both the process and the verdict - Rosenkrantz was sentenced to be dishonored and losing two of his fingers. The latter penalty was mitigated that he would go to Hungary to fight against the Turks, which he did. In 1602 he died, 28 years old, in an accident when he wanted to separate the two duel constants ate.
Rigborg sentenced to life imprisonment - she was detained in a room at Egeskov where she received food through a hole in the bricked up door. She sat there for five years until her father died when she was released again. The son, Holger Rosenkrantz, who Rigborg and Frederik received in 1599, was taken away from them, of course, but he grew up and became an accomplished officer. Eventually, he was also recognized as a "genuine" Rosenkrantz and became the progenitor of the Norwegian dynasty Rosenkrantz at Rosendal.
Many believe that it was Frederik Rosenkrantz trip to London, along with his cousin Knud Gyldenstierna that inspired William Shakespeare to the use of the names Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Hamlet.
In 1616 Jacob was Ulfeldt (51) owners of Egeskov. That he was going to move and reside at the castle became clear when he did move all their dead ancestors' coffins from Vindinge Church to the closer church Kværndrup, where he also sounded decorate a mausoleum for his family.
Together with his wife, Birgitte Brockenhuus he had 17 children, including the famous Corfitz Ulfeldt as 30 years old married Christian IV's 15-year-old daughter, Leonora Christina.
After Jacob Ulfeldts death in 1630 took his children in common Egeskov for ten years, and during the rest of the 1600s the castle changed owners five times.
Castle Park at Egeskov was founded by Niels Krag D. Y. between the years 1722-1740, when he took the castle. After Niels death in 1740 Egeskov was taken over by his widow, Sofie Juel, who then had it as her jointure in 44 years. In 1784, she sold the castle to Henrik Bille-Brahe (75). Bill The family owns the castle today.
Between the years 1884-1886 the castle underwent a radical rebuilding and restoration carried out by the Swedish architect Helgo Zettervall.
Egeskov is famous for being Europe's best preserved Renaissance castles with moats and park at Egeskov has among other things been called "Denmark's most beautiful park". In 2006 was awarded the park "Havens Time Price".
To the castle also includes three large halls that can accommodate veterans museums where among other things can see the cars, fire trucks, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and air. There is also a farm museum, doll houses, horse carriage museum and an old forge. All this, as well as the castle and the park, one can visit from late April to late September.