Olaf Rye

Olaf Rye by August Jerndorff (1895)
Bust by Herman Wilhelm Bissen at Garrison Cemetery, Copenhagen

Olaf Rye (16 November 1791 – 6 July 1849) was a Norwegian-Danish military officer. He died in battle during the First Schleswig War and is considered to have been a Danish war hero.[1]

Biography

Olaf Rye was born at Bø in Telemark, Norway. He was raised on the Nerbø farm. He was one of the sons of Matthias Andreas Rye (1793-1860) and Elisabeth Johanne Lind. His father was a captain and battalion manager of the Telemark Infantry Regiment (Telemarkens Infanteriregiment). His brother Johan Henrik Rye (1787–1868) was a jurist and civil servant. [2] [3]

In 1804, he started his military career as a cadet with the Norwegian Cadastre Corps in Kristiania (now Oslo). In 1813, he was appointed captain. He left Norway in 1815 and enlisted in the service of the Prussian General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. In 1817, Rye re-joined the Fynian Infantry Regiment of the Royal Danish Army. From 1819-1842, he was assigned to the Oldenborg Regiment. He was nominated for knighthood in the Order of the Dannebrog 1840 and was awarded the Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn in 1848. In 1849, he served as a major-general and played a decisive role in the Battle of Fredericia which broke the Schleswig-Holstein siege of the town. He died during this battle. He was buried at Garnisons Cemetery in Copenhagen. [4] [5] [6]

In his spare time, skiing was his great passion. In 1808, he reportedly launched himself 9.5 metres in the air in front of an audience of other soldiers at a location near the Eidsberg Church.[7]

Legacy

References

  1. ↑ Carl Frederik Bricka. "Olaf Rye (1791–1849)". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ Jon Gunnar Arntzen. "Rye". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Ryes gate Archived 2008-06-13 at the Wayback Machine.. Hosted by Kongsberg municipality.
  4. ↑ "Nerbø. Drangedal herad. Telemark". Matrikkelutkastet av 1950. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  5. ↑ Erik F. Rønnebech. "Olaf Rye". Fredericia Historie. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Garnisons Kirkegård". garnisonskirkegaard.dk. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Verdens første skihopp minnes". Dagbladet. November 12, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2018.

Note

  • This article is based on the corresponding articles on the Danish and Norwegian Wikipedias
  • Nick Svendsen (2010) The First Schleswig-Holstein War 1848-50 Helion and Company) ISBN 9781906033446
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