Hans Svane

Hans Svane (Svaning) (March 27, 1606 – July 26, 1668) was a Danish statesman and ecclesiastic, born at Horsens, where his father, Hans Riber, was burgomaster.

His mother Anne was a daughter of the historian Hans Svaning, whose name, subsequently altered to Svane, he adopted. At Copenhagen Svane devoted himself to the study of Oriental languages, and between 1628 and 1635 completed his education abroad, at Franeker in Friesland, Wittenberg, Oxford and Paris. After seven years' residence abroad Svaning returned to occupy the chair of Oriental languages at the university of Copenhagen. In 1646, finding promotion slow, he turned to theology and was "created" Dr theol. by his old patron Jesper Brochmand, now bishop of Sjælland, whom he succeeded in the metropolitan see of Denmark on January 26, 1655.

As a theologian he belonged to the severely orthodox Lutheran school. His scholarship, despite the erudition of his commentary to the prophet Daniel in two huge folio volumes, is questionable. But in Latin and Danish he won distinction as a speaker, and his funeral orations in both languages were admired by his contemporaries. At the famous risdag of 1660 he displayed debating talent of a high order and played an important political role. It was Svaning who, at the opening of the rigsdag, proposed that only members of the council of state should be entitled to fiefs and that all other estates should be leased to the highest bidder whatever his social station.

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