Jørgen Friis

Who was Jørgen Friis?

Jørgen Friis was a Danish lord and Governor-general of Norway. He was probably born in Nes Castle, Denmark and died in 1616 in Skørping. His father Ivar Friis was the lord at Nes, and his mother was Sophie Andersdatter Glob. He was married three times, first on 2 August 1573 with Anne Pallesdatter Juel, daughter of Palle Juel til Pallesbjerg, the judge in Nordjylland and Anne Lykke. His second marriage was to Else Bjørnsdatter, daughter of national counselor Bjørn Andersen of Bjørnsholm and Sidsel Truidsdatter Ulfstand. His third marriage was to Lisbeth Christoffersdatter Galle, daughter of the lord of Steinvikholm, Christoffer Galle and Birte Clausdatter Bille. She served as Acting County Sheriff of the County of Vinstrupgård, Denmark, taking charge of the tenantry after the death of her first husband, Eggert Ulfeldt. She and Jørgen Friis were buried on the same day in 1616.

The Danish nobility of the period had secured to themselves a monopoly on a number of administrative offices; this preference continued until 1620. Jørgen Friis was a member of that small class of upper nobility whose members could aspire to the highest positions in Denmark-Norway, including membership on the national council. He became Governor-general of Norway in 1601 and initiated a major effort to revise the Norwegian law. His activity led to issuance of Christian IV’s Norwegian Law of 1604, which as essentially a translation into Danish of the older Norwegian law of Magnus law-mender established and recorded in Norwegian in 1274 and 1276.