Ludvig Holberg

Ludvig Holberg was born on December 3, 1684, in Bergen, Norway. Educated at the University of Copenhagen, he traveled extensively on foot across England, France, Germany, and Italy, soaking up Enlightenment thought before returning to Copenhagen as Professor of Metaphysics and History.

When the first public Danish-language theatre opened in Lille Grønnegade in 1722, Holberg supplied it with a flurry of brilliant satirical comedies, including Jeppe paa Bjerget, Erasmus Montanus, and Den politiske Kandestøber. In 1741, he published the Latin satirical sci-fi travel novel Niels Klim's Underground Travels. In his will, he bequeathed his entire baronial estate to re-establish Sorø Academy.