The surgeon helps the king

 

 

Poul 'the Surgeon' Jensen from Villebøl was the local surgeon and the barber. The job meant that he sometimes also had to act as both doctor and surgeon.

 

In a rage, Poul Jensen came to kill a man at one time and he subsequently chose to flee the country. However, he later ventured to return to Denmark and became a sailor in the Royal Navy.

 

He participated in the battle against the Swedes on Kolberger Heath in 1644, where the 67-year-old Christian IV was hit in the eye by fragments from a cannon blast.

 

As surgeon, Poul Jensen had experience in the medical profession and he offered to help the king. He removed the fragments out of his eye and was given a farm in Villebøl and a pardon for the killing as gratitude for his help.

 

Incidentally, the fragments from the king's eye were mounted into a pair of earrings that Christian IV gave to his mistress, Vibeke Kruse.