Christen Brun-Lundegaard

Christen Brun-Lundegaard began his career in the Danish East India Company as an assistant in the Danish colony of Tranquebar. In 1703, he undertook a voyage to Malacca as a ship’s assistant aboard the vessel, Printz Christian. By order of the company management, he was appointed secretary to the colony's Privy Council (secrete råd) on 1 July 1704. In the same year, he was accused of irregularities during the previous voyage to Malacca, but was acquitted by the court.^[1]

On 20 July 1707, Brun-Lundegaard was sent with the yachts Gyldenløve and Fortuna to the Danish factory,^[1] Dannemarksnagore, in Bengal, as an accountant (revideur) for the current officials and as a commissioner.^[2][3] He arrived at the factory in August 1707, bringing money and resources to the colony^[3] and began his work, negotiating with the factory's and earlier governor, Johan Joachim Michelsen's, creditors and confiscating the latter's belongings.^[4][3] As such, Michelsen's creditors were mostly repaid,^[4] while Brun-Lundegaard developed the colony's trade^[3] so that when he departed again in February 1708, he had left behind money sufficient for one year to the governor, Jacob Panck.^[4][3] Simultaneously, he brought saltpeter, silk, and textiles with him back to Tranquebar,^[4] which he returned to on 14 March 1708.^[1] Upon returning, he was installed as lower merchant (underkøbmand) and became both treasurer and subaccountant (underbogholder) on 8 October and 27 October 1708, respectively.^[1]

Brun-Lundegaard is described as having been a diligent, capable, and trusted man.^[5] Consequently, as the colony needed his capabilities as subaccountant, his multiple requests for permission to repatriate were rejected.^[1] When his request for an increased salary was also rejected, he applied on 9 October 1710 in a more determined manner for permission to return home, but was persuaded to stay as he was promised career advancement. Subsequently, he became chief accountant (overbogholder) and third-in-command of the Privy Council on 12 May 1711, and as he had served the Company for 15 years, he received an increase in his salary. Furthermore, he advanced to sekonde (second-in-command) of the Privy Council at the end of 1714, likely due to the governor of Tranquebar, Johan Sigismund Hassius's, favor.^[1]

After Johan Sigismund Hassius's dismissal as governor, he installed Brun-Lundegaard as Interim Governor of Tranquebar on 20 October 1716 with large ceremonies.^[6][7] In a letter dated 19 October, Brun-Lundegaard thanked the D.E.I.C. for the appointment but described himself as a weak and meek man and instead applied for a replacement. Again in 1718, he applied for a replacement, but had to wait another two years. Meanwhile, there was a severe shortage of money in the colony, and it had to borrow 6,000 pagodas from the English at Madras and another 5,000 Danish rigsdaler from a local magnate.^[1] In 1720, a Danish ship, the Jomfru Susanne, finally reached Tranquebar,^[1] along with the hofjunker (a young nobleman who serves in the court) and new opperhoved, Ulrik Christian Nissen.^[7] Subsequently, Brun-Lundegaard resigned on 2 January 1720 and instead became the vice governor and chief merchant (overkøbmand).^[1][7]

Relationship with missionaries

Further information: Tranquebar Mission and New Jerusalem Church, Tranquebar

In contrast to Governor Hassius, Brun-Lundegaard has been considered by later literature to have been friendly to the Lutheran Danish-Halle Mission.^[14][15] Evidently, Brun-Lundegaard laid the foundation stone of the New Jerusalem Church in Tranquebar on 9 February 1717^[7][16][17] and assisted in gathering resources and a suitable location for the building.^[18][b] In return, the missionaries arranged a sort of throne as a special place for the governor inside the church.^[18] Additionally, Brun-Lundegaard saluted from Fort Dansborg at the consecration of the building^[18] and donated a plaque to be built into the wall of the church with the inscription:^[19]

Psalm 122:6: Wish Jerusalem [Church] the best! May they prosper who love you! In the Name of the Lord Zebaoth, Governor Christian Brun laid the first foundation stone for the building known as the New Jerusalem Church. February 9, 1717.

However, according to Danish priest and historian Anders Nørgaard, there were no major differences between Governor Hassius and Brun-Lundegaard,^[21][22] and Brun-Lundegaard is even said to have been against the Mission.^[23] Moreover, there is no personal friendship between Brun-Lundegaard and the missionaries, although they met when it was necessary, and showed each other goodwill.^[24]

Instead, the change in relations between the local administration and the mission was caused by a new compromise reached in Denmark between the mission's inspectorate and the D.E.I.C. management.^[25][23] According to the new compromise, the colonial administration was to function as the mission's authority, rather than being a private cause of King Frederick IV.^[24][25] Meanwhile, the administration was thereby also obliged to subsidize the mission under its authority.^[18][26] Subsequently, the years following the compromise were a heyday for the mission,^[27] and there are no reports of problems between the mission and Governor Brun-Lundegaard.^[14]

Brun-Lundegaard was married twice: first to Wibeke Christensdatter Berg^[28] on 5 July 1714, and second to Utilia Elisabeth on 29 November 1723,^[1] after Wibeke Christensdatter's death in the same year.^[28][5] Utilia Elisabeth was the widow of the former leader of the Danish-Halle Mission, Johann Ernst Gründler [de].^[1]

Brun-Lundegaard died on 24 January 1724 in Tranquebar^[28] after a long illness, leaving no children.^[29]

• Eskild Andersen Kongsbakke – c. 1620 – 1674 Danish commander and Governor of Danish India
• Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg – German Lutheran clergy (1682–1719)
• Mikkel Knudsen Crone – Governor of Saint Thomas from 1709 to 1716