Otte Brahe

Otte Brahe was a Danish (Scanian) nobleman and statesman, with considerable influence in the Danish royal court. Both of his grandparents, his father, and he served on the Rigsraad, or Council of the Realm.

Born into the powerful noble family of Denmark, Otte inherited his wealth and social status and augmented it by marrying Beate Bille, also a member of one of the most powerful families in Denmark, in 1544. Otte and Beate built a brick castle at Knudstrup in 1550 to serve as their mansion. The couple were parents to twelve children, of which the most famous is the astronomer Tycho Brahe. Ironically, Tycho was raised by his uncle Jørgen, while Tycho’s brothers were encouraged to learn war skills since their father considered learning Latin, the language of education at the time, a waste of time.

Otte was a close ally of the Danish king and from 1563 he was a member of the Rigsraad oligarchy (about 20 members) that ruled Denmark.