The farmers

In the days of Tycho Brahe, the Danish farmers were often tenant farmers. They farmed someone else's soil. When they received access to the farm, often for life, they paid a tenancy fee - often substantial. Every year they would also have to pay a land tax in natura.

Tenant farmers had to do day jobs for the mansion they belonged to. In the 1500's, noblemen had increased their power, and the large estates had expanded. The day job system had increased continuously, and could be very demanding. Tenant farmers were not authorised to sell their own produce without first offering them to their masters. The master also had the right to punish his farmers. The island of Ven had never been under the reign of any nobleman. The Ven farmers had avoided the day job system. They saw themselves as freeholders and answered directly to the king.

When Tycho Brahe was awardet the island of Ven (and everyone who lived there) in 1576, this was a major change for the peasants. The day job system was introduced, and Tycho's building projects demanded very large day jobs from the approximately 40 farmers that were living on the island.
Many of the farmers therefore left Ven and went elsewhere. In a letter dated 1578, the king prohibited farmers from leaving the island without Tycho Brahe's consent. The work for those who stayed would be even harder. If anyone breached the prohibition, Tycho was allowed to punish him without mercy.

A few years later, the farmers went to the king, complaining that Tycho gave them too much work and other tasks they felt were not in accordance with the contents of the letter of endowment.

The king decided to check the circumstances, and as a result, an agreement was drawn up between Tycho Brahe and the Ven farmers, in 1581. Every half farm should carry out two day jobs per week, from sunrise to sunset. If you did not appear before 10am, 11am or 12 noon, only half a day was counted. The farmer then had to do the second half of the day job the following day, and also pay a disobedience fee to his master, unless he had good reason. Anyone picking hazelnuts, apples or chopped wood without permission was also punished.

In the document, it is stated that the farmers on Ven did see themselves as freeholders, but there were no letters or privileges that proved this. Therefore, their farms would from now on be treated as other farms belonging to the Crown, and the farmers were not considered freeholders.

The farmers' goods should mainly be offered to Tycho Brahe, but to the same price they would be able to have in the nearest market town. Apparently, Tycho had forced the farmers to sell produce at too low prices.

Thereby the relations between Tycho Brahe and the farmers were settled, but the problems with dissatisfied farmers continued. In 1597, the king finally arranged a royal commission to investigate the complaints from the farmers again. They argued that their situation had become one of great poverty and misery because of all the work they had to carry out for Tycho. But when the commission appeared in Ven, Tycho and his family had already left the island. This event was one of many reasons why he then left Denmark for good.

In a letter from 1598 to the royal marshal Walkendorff, Tycho is complaining. He claims that the farmers have been behaving badly and been unwilling to work. He had suffered a lot because of the farmers all the time he had been living on Ven, and that he had in fact been very patient with them.

Sources: Svensk uppslagsbok, Malmö 1948, 1949
Kancelliets brevbøger vedrørende Danmarks indre forhold, 1576-1579, København 1900, 1580-1583, København 1903
Skånsk senmedeltid och renässans 8, Tycho Brahe, a Life Portrait by Wilhelm Norlind, Lund 1970