Preben von Ahnen

Preben von Ahnen

Preben von Ahnen (18 September 1606 – 15 November 1675) was a Norwegian civil servant and landowner.[1]

Biography

Preben von Ahnen was born on the island of Rügen, off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea. He was a son of Pomeranian nobleman Staffen von Ahnen (born c. 1580) and nephew of Claus von Ahnen (c. 1560–1628), who was a bailiff of Sem in Tønsberg in Vestfold and Eiker in Buskerud. He was the father of Iver von Ahnen (1659–1722), a Norwegian military officer who served as Governor of Romsdal.[2]

Preben von Ahnen became a sizable landowner as a result of his two marriages. From his first marriage to Else Urne (1595–1643), he acquired Dønnesgodset på Helgeland, an extensive estate located along the coast of Nordland.[3] Through his marriage in 1657 to his second wife, Karine Iversdatter Vind (1626–1705), he became the owner of Kaupanger Hovedgård in Sogn og Fjordane.[4]

In 1657, he established the iron foundry Ulefos Jernværk at Ulefoss in Nome, together with Ove Gjedde. He served for 20 years as bailiff and district governor in Nordland. He retired from public service as county governor of Bratsberg amt where he had served from 1669 to 1675.[5][6]

References

1. Godal, Anne Marit (ed.). "Preben von Ahnen". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
2. "Iver von Ahnen", Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian), 22 August 2023, retrieved 23 November 2023
3. Dønnesgodset. Coldevinske godsarkiv fra Dønnes (Axel Coldevin, Universitetsbiblioteket i Trondheim. 1980)
4. Kaupanger Hovedgård (NRK). Archived 2014-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
5. Ulefos Jernværk (Store norske leksikon)
6. Supphellen, Steinar. "Preben Von Ahnen". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

Government offices
Preceded by Johan Frederik von Marschalck	County Governor of Bratsberg amt 1669–1675	Succeeded by Niels Sørensen Adeler