Axel Juel

Axel Clausen Juel (alternatively spelled Aksel and Juul; 7 July 1655 – 20 January 1720) was a Danish captain and governor of Danish India from 8 October 1681 to 9 July 1686.

Axel Juel was born in Nørre Vosborg, Denmark–Norway, on 7 July 1655, to Lieutenant Colonel Claus Eriksen Juel and Sophie Gyldenstierne. He was the nephew of Niels Juel and Jens Juel, both of whom served as directors of the Danish East India Company.

Axel Juel was accepted into the service of the Dano-Norwegian navy in 1671 and was appointed captain in 1679. It is presumed that Juel was on board the Oldenburg during its voyage to the East Indies from 1672 to 1675. Juel was appointed commander of the Danish Fort Dansborg on 27 September 1681 and became governor of Tranquebar in October of the same year. Juel became increasingly unpopular during his governorship due to his corrupt and tyrannical attributes. Eventually, the Danish East India Company got word of the conditions in the colony and sent Wolf Henrik von Kalnein to investigate Juel's rule. Subsequently, Juel was arrested and sent to Denmark in January 1687, where a major lawsuit concluded that he was to pay 3,000 rigsdaler for his actions.

Juel would spend the rest of his life residing in an estate in Strammelse on Tåsinge, marrying Sophie Amalie Parsberg. Juel died on 20 January 1720 and was buried under Landet Church.

Early life and service in the Dano-Norwegian Navy Axel Juel was born near Ulfborg, Denmark–Norway, in the manor house Nørre Vosborg. He was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Claus Eriksen Juel and Sophie Henriksdatter Gyldenstierne, and nephew of Admiral Niels Juel and diplomat Jens Juel. Axel Juel was accepted into the service of the Dano-Norwegian navy in 1671 and was trained at sea.

Juel had a difficult time acquiring knowledge, and there is little uncertainty that his relation to Niels Juel secured and furthered his career. During the Scanian War, Juel was appointed captain and would be chief of the Svenske Falk in August 1679 and Christianus Quintus in November the same year. Concurrently, he would receive the title of (war captain) and would be on board the warship Mercurius in 1680. An épée, believed to have belonged to Juel, is also mounted on the wall of the church. In 1722, Juel's widow presented a collection bag to the church with items associated with Juel. This included a silver bell featuring Juel and Parsberg's initials and coat of arms, which is now in the collection of Svendborg Museum.

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