Selius Marselis

Selius Marselis was a Dutch born Norwegian merchant and landowner who became one of the largest property owner in Norway.

Born in Rotterdam in the mercantile family of Gabriel Marselis Senior (c. 1575-1643), Selius inherited and ran in partnership with his brothers a business with Hamburg, Amsterdam and Moscow. They dealt in weapons, copper, grain and timber. The weaponry was exported to England, France and Spain; grain all over the Europe while timber was exported from Norway to the Netherlands. In 1644 Selius settled in Christiania, a present day Oslo, where he gained various personal and business privileges. Serving as financier of royalty, Selius received in return for substantial loans to the Crown large estates and interests in several mining operations. Through business operations and various privileges the brothers Marselis emerged as the biggest landlords in Norway and one of most affluent members of Norwegian society.