Joachim Irgens von Westervick


Joachim Irgens von Westervick , born as Jochum Jürgens, was a Dano-Norwegian nobleman, a Danish official and an estate owner in Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands. The Danish variant of his name by birth was Joachim Irgens.

Biography

Early life and family

Joachim Jürgens was the son of merchant Heinrich Jürgens and Catharina Fruchtnichts in Itzehoe in Holstein. He married in 1656 Cornelia Bickers, the daughter of the Mayor of Amsterdam, Andries Bicker. Like his brother Johannes Jürgens, he studied medicine. However, after having travelled around the world, he became in 1634 the Lord Chamberlain of King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway and later Frederick III of Denmark and Norway.

Land estates and business

Joachim Irgens was early involved as an owner of various mines, among others Røros Copperwork.
Due to in the 1650s having provided the King's wars with considerable amounts of deliveries, Joachim Irgens received as payment, on 12 January 1666, all the crown estate in Helgeland, Salten, Lofoten, Vesterålen, Andenes, Senja, and Troms in Norway. It was and is the biggest single sale of land ever to happen in the Nordic countries. This sale represented 50 percent of all property in Northern Norway, and the value was calculated to 100,000 riksdaler, equivalent to 2,700 kilogrammes of gold. Together with the properties, Irgens got the right to all annual rent fees as well as e.g. tithe, the Lap tax and leidang.
He had estates also in Denmark, the Netherlands, and the Eastern Indies.

Ennoblement

On 4 October 1674, Joachim Irgens was ennobled under the name von Westervick, thus becoming a member of the Danish and the Norwegian nobility.

Loss of land estates

Joachim von Westervick died in Copenhagen 1675. He was then bankrupt, wherefore the estates were dissolved. For example, his properties in Helgeland were sold to Lorentz Mortensen Angell in Trondheim. His widow managed to buy back some of the land, among other the Tromsø Estate, and remained standing as a proprietarian until her death in 1708. Some properties were then inherited by Baron Jacob de Petersen from Amsterdam.

Literature and sources