Background
She was the daughter of the noble, council and governor Jørgen Marsvin and Karen Gyldenstierne.
She was the daughter of the noble, council and governor Jørgen Marsvin and Karen Gyldenstierne.
She was the mother-in-law of King Christian IV of Denmark as the mother of Kirsten Munk. She was twice widowed in 1611. She was made county administrator of Dalum Kloster 1620 (until 1639), unusual for her gender in the 17th-century.
Marsvin was one of the most successful landowners in Denmark: by her inheritance, money and connections, she bought, sold and built large estates with great success, and was in 1625 one of the richest landowners in Denmark.
The king respected her for her skill as a businessperson. In 1639, however, the king grew tired of her persistent demand that he recognize his wife"s youngest daughter Dorothea Elisabeth, (her own youngest grandchild) as his, and as a result, he fired her as county administrator.
She left court and lived the rest of her life at her estates.