Nils Bielke
Count Nils Bielke | |
---|---|
Born | Stockholm, Sweden | 7 February 1644
Died | 26 November 1716 | (aged 72)
Allegiance | Sweden |
Service/ | Swedish Army |
Years of service | circa 1670–1697 |
Rank | Field marshal |
Commands held | Mounted Life Regiment |
Battles/wars | Scanian War |
Relations | Carl Gustaf Bielke (son) Ture Gabriel Bielke (son) |
Other work | Governor-general of Pomerania |
Count Nils Bielke (7 February 1644 in
Born the eldest son of Baron Ture Nilsson Bielke, who died in 1648,
Nils Bielke entered the service of the Swedish Army and the Royal Court in the 1660s. He was appointed
During the Scanian War (1675–1679), he made important contributions both as a troop organizer and as an officer on the field. He especially distinguished himself at the Battle of Lund in 1676 as the commander of the Royal Cavalry Guard (Livregementet till häst).
He was Sweden's ambassador in France from 1679–1682 and 1684–1687, he took part in
Nils Bielke was dissatisfied with Charles XI's despotic policy towards the old aristocracy. As the governor of Swedish Pomerania it was only reluctantly that he took part in the reduction of property belonging to the nobility. In addition to this, he undertook private negotiations in order to push Sweden towards a pro-French policy against the wishes of the Swedish government.
As a result of this, he lost his position in 1698 and after a long legal process, he was sentenced to death in 1705. He was, however, pardoned and in 1715, he was redeemed.
References
- ^ a b "Bielke, Nils Turesson", Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon, 1906 (in Swedish)
Sources
- The article Bielke, Nils in Nationalencyklopedin (1990)
External links
- Media related to Nils Bielke (1644-1716) at Wikimedia Commons
- Nils Bielke, Historiesajten (in Swedish)