Marichen Cornelia Martine Altenburg (24 April 1799 – 3 June 1869) was the mother of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and is known as the model for several characters in some of Ibsen's most famous plays, including Åse in Peer Gynt . Through the Paus family —the family of Marichen's mother Hedevig and Knud's stepfather Ole Paus —Marichen was raised as a close relative of her would-be husband Knud Ibsen , although they were not closely related biologically.
12-518: Marichen Altenburg was born in Skien as the daughter of the merchant Johan Andreas Altenburg (1763–1824) and Hedevig Christine Paus (1763–1848). Her father was a shipowner, timber merchant and owned a liquor distillery at Lundetangen and a farm outside of town; her mother had been born in Upper Telemark to a family that belonged to the regional elite there, the " aristocracy of officials ". She grew up in
24-402: A large manor in the center of Skien, where he lived with his family, and also owned one of Århusgårdene outside Skien, which the family used as a country house. He married Hedevig Christine Paus (1763–1848), a sister of shipowner Ole Paus and Martha Paus (married Blom ). His sister, Kristine Cathrine Ploug , lived with him and his family following the death of her husband in 1799. He was
36-525: Is full of unfounded myths about Marichen and her husband Knud. For example, older Ibsen historiography has often claimed that her husband engaged in heavy speculations, and became an alcoholic tyrant who visited "his bitterness and resentment on his wife and children." These claims have been refuted by newer scholarship, in particular the book Familien Ibsen by Haave. Haave has pointed out that unfounded claims have uncritically been repeated in Ibsen scholarship during
48-457: The 20th century. Earlier Ibsen scholarship has claimed that Marichen Altenburg was an avid painter and in love with the theatre, and "worried her upright parents by attending every performance of the travelling Danish troupes, and by continuing to play with her childhood dolls when she was grown." Haave points out that there weren't any theatre troupes active in the area at the time, and argues that her artistic activities amounted to no more than what
60-459: The Altenburg house and her business ventures to Knud, who was Skien's 16th largest taxpayer by 1833. Knud and Marichen had six children: Johan Altenburg Ibsen (1826–1828), Henrik Johan Ibsen (born 1828), Johan Andreas Ibsen (born 1830), Hedvig Ibsen (born 1831), Nicolai Alexander Ibsen (born 1834) and Ole Paus Ibsen (born 1835). Ibsen scholar Jørgen Haave argues that older Ibsen historiography
72-399: The father of Marichen Altenburg (1799–1869) and thus the maternal grandfather of playwright Henrik Ibsen . Following his death and his daughter's marriage to Knud Ibsen in 1825, his considerable fortune passed to his son-in-law , who however went almost bankrupt due to failed speculations in the mid-1830s. Almost the entire family fortune was lost by 1835. The Ibsen family had lived at
84-443: The stately Altenburg house in central Skien. On 1 December 1825, she married Knud Ibsen , who had established himself as an independent merchant in Skien earlier in that year. Knud Ibsen was the step-son of her uncle, shipowner Ole Paus (who was also best man at the wedding), and they had known each other since childhood. Joan Templeton writes that "the marriage was an excellent family arrangement." By 1830 her mother has transferred
96-426: The stately Altenburggården manor in central Skien, until Knud Ibsen's bankruptcy force them to move. Altenburggården manor burned to the ground in the 1886 citywide fire which also reduced much of Skien to ruins after which the center of town was rebuilt. This Norwegian business biographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bratsberg, S%C3%B8r-Tr%C3%B8ndelag Bratsberg
108-483: Was a Norwegian merchant and shipowner . He belonged to the patriciate of the port town of Skien and was the maternal grandfather of playwright and theatre director Henrik Ibsen . Altenburg was born at Lille Ulefos , in Telemark , Norway. He was the son of sawmill manager Diderik Altenburg (1719–1766) and Marichen Johansdatter Barth (1737–1769). His parents died early. After the death of his father, his mother
120-531: Was based on his own mother, "with the necessary exaggerations". Ferguson argues that Marichen also served as the model for Inga of Varteig in The Pretenders . Marichen Altenburg was portrayed by Kjersti Holmen in the 2006 NRK mini series En udødelig mann (Indomitable one). She was portrayed by Cecilie Graasvold in Ibsensafari . Johan Andreas Altenburg Johan Andreas Altenburg (1763–1824)
132-510: Was expected from a girl of her social class. Henrik Ibsen confirmed on several occasions that he both modelled and named characters in his plays after his own family. In a letter to Georg Brandes , Ibsen wrote that his own family and childhood had served "as some kind of model" for the Gynt family in Peer Gynt , and in a letter to Peter Hansen, Ibsen confirmed that the character Åse, Peer Gynt's mother,
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#1733086132942144-405: Was married in 1767 to Engebreth Christopher Blom Bertelsen Bomhoff (1737–1800). After his mother's subsequent death, he and his siblings lived with their stepfather. Johan Altenburg was originally a ship's captain , but stopped sailing at a relatively young age. Altenburg ran a lumber trade, owned several ships, a farm and a large brewery in the community of Bratsberg . He owned Altenburggården,
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