Bille (noble family)
The Bille family belongs to the ancient Danish nobility . The earliest mention mentions a Jakob Bille in 1246 . It is one of the few Danish families that has kept its name unchanged from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Many spiritual and secular persons of this name are known from the 14th century. During this time the family belonged to the lower nobility, the urban patriciate and the lower clergy. The social rise began with the election of Peder Lykkes (1359-1436), whose father Jon Nielsen Bille was, as archbishop. His mother was probably a sister of the knight Iver Lykke, from whom Peder inherited the name. The archbishop's brothers married into the Galen family in Skåne . By marrying into the sexes with large estates and by filling offices in the central administration of the Danish Empire, the sex was able to move into the upper echelons of society and stay there over the centuries. Thanks to this continuity, the largest and most important archives from before 1660 come from this family.
In 1784 the privy councilor and bailiff Henrik Bille-Brahe (1709–1789) bought Egeskov Castle . In 1787 he had acquired the loan patent from the extinct noble Brahe family . Egeskov Castle remained in the possession of the Bille-Brahe family until 1882, when a female descendant, Count Julius Ahlefeldt- Laurvig-Bille, took over the castle, which this family still owns today.
Relatives
- Christian Høyer Bille (1799-1853), Danish diplomat
- Eske Bille († 1552), Norwegian Imperial Council
- Michael Bille (1769–1845), Danish-Norwegian and Prussian naval officer
- Steen Andersen Bille (1797–1883), Danish Vice Admiral and Minister of the Navy
literature
- Thelma Jexlev: Article “Bille” in: Dansk biografisk leksikon , accessed on January 22, 2012.
