Brahe

Not to be confused with the Brda river in Poland, also known as "Brahe" in German.

Brahe (originally Bragde) is the name of a Scanian noble family that was influential in both Danish and Swedish history but has its family roots in Swedish origin. The first member of the family is speculated to have been Verner Braghde from Halland. Better documented is Peder Axelsen Brahe who appears in late 14th century records. He fathered two sons, Thorkild and Axel Axel Pedersen Brahe. What later became the Danish branch descended from Axel and what later became the Swedish, descended from Thorkild's daughter, Johanna Torkildsdotter Brahe.

Per Brahe was in 1561 granted dignity as a count by Eric XIV of Sweden and in 1620 was the family introduced on the Swedish House of Knights (Riddarhuset) as the first counts. The family died out in 1930, after which the foremost comital family became Lewenhaupt.

Danish family

• Jørgen Thygesen Brahe (1515–1565): holder of a Seignory
• Otte Brahe (1517–1571): nobleman, governor and member of the Rigsraad
• Tycho Brahe (1546–1601): nobleman, astronomer, astrologer and alchemist
• Jørgen Ottesen Brahe (1553–1601): holder of a Seignory
• Sophia Brahe (1556–1643): horticulturalist, healer, historian and astronomer

Swedish family

• Per Brahe the Elder (1520–1590): statesman
  • Erik Brahe (1552–1614): Count of Visingsborg
  • Gustaf Brahe (1558–1615), riksråd of Sweden – loyal to king Sigismund – and later, Polish general
  • Magnus Brahe (1564–1633): Lord High Steward of Sweden
    • Ebba Brahe (1596–1674): lady-in-waiting and mistress of future King Gustavus Adolphus, wife of Jakob De la Gardie
  • Abraham Brahe (1569–1630): Swedish Count
    • Per Brahe the Younger (1602–1680): soldier and statesman
    • Nils Brahe (1604–1632): general in the Swedish army
      • Nils Brahe (1633–1699): Swedish Count
• Erik Brahe (1722–1756): Marshal and Colonel
• Magnus Fredrik Brahe (1756–1826):Swedish Count,
  • Magnus Brahe (1790–1844): statesman and soldier
    • Marten Westergren Brahe (1973-): Lord Baron and Captain in The Swedish Armed Forces. The Lord Baron is related to both the Danish and the Swedish familyside, but since the last direct dissendent to the Swedish bloodline died in the 1930's, he is considered Lord Baron in both countries. The Lord Baron resides in Scania, Sweden.

Other sources

• Carlsson, Gottfrid Brahe (släkt) Svenskt biografiskt lexikon, bd 5, s. 637-641.
• Weibull, Lauritz (1904) Sophia Brahe. Bidrag till den genealogiska forskningen i Danmark (Historical Journal för Skåne Country, s. 38-71)

External links

• Danmarks Adels Aarbog - Register 1884-2002