Hans Svane

Hans Svane (Svaning) (27 March 1606 – 26 July 1668) was a Danish statesman and clergy member of the Church of Denmark. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen from 1635 and Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1655 until his death.^[1]

Biography

He was born in Horsens where his father, burgher merchant Hans Olufsen Riber (d. 1615), was burgomaster. His mother, Anna Svane, was a daughter of the historian Hans Svaning, whose surname subsequently altered to Svane, he adopted.^{[2][3] [4]}

At

Yet Svane was not altogether neglectful of them. Especially noteworthy is his plan for the erection of a consistorial college for managing all the temporal affairs of the church, including education and poor relief, anticipating to some extent the modern ministries of education and public worship, which unfortunately was not adopted. Moreover, the privileges which he obtained for the clergy did much to increase the welfare and independence of the Church of Denmark in difficult times, while his representations to the king that Danish theology was not likely to be promoted by placing Germans over the heads of native professors bore good fruit.^[2]

References

Other sources

• Detlev Gotthard Zwergius, Sjellandske clerisie (Copenhagen, 1754).