Just Jul Danish naval officer, diplomat. Country: Denmark

1. Biography of Just Juel
2. Education and Early Career
3. Naval Career and Diplomatic Missions
4. Later Years and Death

Biography of Just Juel

Just Juel (Danish: Just Juel) was a Danish naval officer and diplomat. He was born on October 14, 1664, in Viborg, Denmark, to Henrik Juel and Sophie Høeg, the daughter of the state chancellor, Just Høeg.

Education and Early Career

From 1680 to 1682, Juel studied at the University of Kiel. After his studies, his father attempted to secure him a position in the German Chancellery, but despite his connections, he was unsuccessful. Following this, Juel traveled to the Netherlands. In 1684, while in The Hague, he met a Danish envoy who advised him to go to Hungary to join the military and fight against the Turks. However, this plan did not materialize, as Juel accidentally met a Norwegian who persuaded him to join the Dutch navy instead. He embarked on two voyages with convoys to the Mediterranean Sea and returned to Denmark in late 1688. To his surprise, he discovered that his relative, General Admiral Lieutenant Niels Juel, had enrolled him in the Danish navy a year and a half earlier. In 1689, Juel became a lieutenant and later served under Admiral H. Span and participated in the transportation of troops to England. In 1690, he was promoted to captain.

Naval Career and Diplomatic Missions

In 1694, Juel commanded the ship "Lindurmen" in a convoy to the French coast. On the return journey in May 1695, he engaged in a battle with an English warship that demanded him to lower his flag. After a five-hour battle, the English ship retreated, allowing Juel to continue his journey. In 1697, he was promoted to commodore.

During the early years of the Great Northern War, Juel served under Admiral W.K. Gyllenløwe as his flag captain. When there was a threat of Copenhagen being bombarded by a combined English-Dutch-Swedish fleet, Juel was entrusted with the command of a group of fire ships that effectively neutralized the enemy's artillery. In 1704, he commanded the royal yacht during King Frederick IV's trip to Norway. Upon his return to Denmark, Juel was promoted to admiral.

In 1709, Juel received orders to go to Russia as a Danish envoy. His mission was to assess the likelihood of continuing the war against the Swedes and to determine Russia's resources for such a conflict. He was also tasked with negotiating a trade agreement and resolving a territorial dispute in Norwegian Lapland. Juel's diplomatic efforts did not yield significant success, but he managed to gather valuable information about Russian life during the reign of Peter the Great. His observations were recorded in a diary, as instructed by his royal advisors, O. Krabbe and G. Sehested.

Later Years and Death

Upon his return in 1712, Juel was promoted to vice admiral and continued to serve in the Danish navy. In the autumn of 1714, the Danish king offered him the position of ambassador to the Russian court, but Juel requested to be relieved of this important assignment. On August 8, 1715, a battle took place near Jasmund between the Danish and Swedish fleets, with Juel commanding the Danish vanguard. After a prolonged battle, the Swedes were forced to retreat to Karlskrona. Unfortunately, Juel was among the 127 people killed in the conflict.

Just Juel was buried in Roskilde Cathedral. He was married to Edel Beëlke, the daughter of Admiral Christian Beëlke, since 1702.