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{{Infobox person
| name = Ole Bie
| image = Fiebig Danish gate Serampore.jpg
| caption = Danish Gate in [[Serampore]], 1851
| birth_name = Ole Bie
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1733|2|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Trondheim]], [[Norway]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1805|5|18|1733|2|7|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Serampore]], [[India]]
| occupation = Colonial administrator
| known_for = Establishing and leading the colony of [[Fredriksnagore]]; supporting humanitarian and cultural development in [[Serampore]]
| notable_works = [[St. Olav's Church, Serampore]]
}}

'''Ole Bie''' (February 7, 1733 – May 18, 1805) was the head of the [[Denmark|Danish]] [[colony]] [[Serampore]] (under the jurisdiction of [[Tranquebar]]) in [[Bengal]], [[India]], for 30 years. [[Lutheranism|The Lutheran Church]] in Serampore was built under Ole Bie's leadership, marking the beginning of a cultural renaissance in Serampore.

== Biography ==
Bie left Trondheim at the age of 17. He was 23 when he arrived in [[India]]. Here, he formed valuable connections within the network of traders and eventually established the colony of Fredriksnagore, named after [[Frederick V of Denmark and Norway|King Frederick V]] in [[Copenhagen]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://arkiv.nrk.no/programoversikt/avansert/index01eb.html|title=Kong Bie av Fredriksnagore|website=arkiv.nrk.no|accessdate=Feb 16, 2025}}</ref> The colony was located a few miles north of [[Kolkata]] along a tributary of the [[Ganges]]. He oversaw the construction of a church with a tower nearly 40 meters tall. For Bie, who hailed from Trondheim, the church had to be dedicated to [[Olav the Holy|Saint Olaf]] but was strikingly similar to [[St. Martin-in-the-Fields]] at [[Trafalgar Square]]. In 1800, a group of British missionaries led by [[William Carey (missionary)|William Carey]] moved to [[Danish India]] due to the [[East India Company]]'s hostility to missionary activity. Bie took them in and allowed them to stay under his protection in Fredriksnagore. From Olav's Church, they worked to improve farming methods for poor farmers, built gardens and canals, conducted biological and botanical studies, and established schools, [[newspapers]], and [[Periodical|journals]]. They also translated the [[Bible]], [[Ramayana]], and [[Mahabharata]] into local languages.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.innherred.no/nyheter/2017/04/19/Her-er-Olavs-kirken-i-India-14605284.ece |title=Olav's Church in India |access-date=2021-03-29 |archive-date=2018-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101075125/http://www.innherred.no/nyheter/2017/04/19/Her-er-Olavs-kirken-i-India-14605284.ece}}</ref>

As trade routes opened eastward to Europe, the colony had in-demand goods to offer, including [[spices]], [[cotton]], [[silk]], and [[saltpeter]]. For 30 years, Bie made significant profits before the enterprise ended in a severe [[bankruptcy]]. He was accused of [[corruption]] and dismissed for a period when it was discovered that his ships had been charged lower [[customs duties]] than the official rates allowed. In Nordic [[archives]], Ole Bie is portrayed as a corrupt [[official]]. However, in India, he was a living [[legend]] for his support of extensive humanitarian work.<ref name="auto"/>

Ole Bie was the brother of the exiled author [[Jacob Christian Bie]].

== References ==
<references />

{{Portal|Denmark|India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bie, Ole}}
[[Category:1733 births]]
[[Category:1805 deaths]]

[[Category:Danish civil servants]]
[[Category:Governors of Danish India]]

Ole Bie - Revision history

NADEEM BALLOCH: Done