As of Tycho's day, the island of Hven had played no role in Danish history for a long time. Several folktales associated with it were still in circulation, and the ruins of four forts could still be discerned at strategic points on the island, but nothing important had happened there since the Norwegian king, Eric the Priest Hater, had reportedly destroyed the forts in 1288. Through the years, some forty families had together tilled the land, grazed a few animals on the less tractable areas, and shared their meager yields with the crown through a series of provincial governors living on the mainland.

In 1576, however, the scene changed radically. On May 23 Frederick II signed a document conferring “to our beloved Tyge Brahe … our land of Hven, with all our and the crown's tenants and servants who live thereon, and with all the rent and duty which comes from it … to have, enjoy, use, and hold; free and clear, without any rent, all the days of his life.”

In fact, by that date the new landlord was probably already a notorious figure on the island. By then he must have been almost accustomed to the two–hour boat trip from Landskrona harbor to the landing on the north side of the island and familiar with the 150-foot bluffs that greeted the eye from any other perspective of the island.