Jørgen Lunge

Jørgen Lunge (11 October 1577 – 19 August 1619) was a Danish nobleman who served as Marshal of the Realm from 1616 until his death in 1619. Lunge owned estates and large amounts of land in Vendsyssel-Thy.

Having been born into the Lunge noble family, he received an extensive education before entering into military service in 1600. Following his success in the Kalmar War, Lunge was appointed to the Council of State and made Marshal of the Realm by King Christian IV. During his tenure as Marshal of the Realm, the council was increasingly at odds with the crown. Lunge was in favor of a comparatively pacifistic approach to foreign policy, which would have offered economic stability to noble estate owners like himself.

Lunge strategically married into the Brahe family by marrying Sophie Brahe in 1605. The couple had nine children together. Their only son died without any heirs. Therefore, Lunge's vast estate was inherited by his wife and their daughters.

Early life and education

Lunge was born in near Hjørring on 11 October 1577 to Ove Lunge (1548–1601) and Anne Maltesdatter Sehested (1554–1621). Jørgen was the third of nine children. After receiving his schooling at home in Viborg and at Sorø Academy he spent six years abroad with his older brother, Christoffer Lunge. Arriving in the Netherlands in 1605, he served under Maurice, Prince of Orange.

Sophie Lunge, née Brahe.Following continued requests from his mother, Lunge returned home and promptly was married to Sophie Brahe in September 1605. In 1601, he became the owner of Førslevgaard in Nykøbing Mors.

At the end of his life, Lunge acquired a philanthropic interest in public education. In 1619, he advocated for the education of gifted, impoverished schoolchildren and donated 1,000 Rigsdaler to Aalborg Cathedral School. Jørgen's wife, Sophie, survived him by forty years. Through inheritance, she owned more than 2000 hectares of hard grain, making her a large-scale land owner in her own right.