The Moltke family is an old German noble family. The family was originally from

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

, but apart from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, some of the family branches also resided throughout

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. Members of the family have been noted as statesmen, high-ranking military officers and major landowners in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

History

The family is descended from ''Fridericus Meltiko'', a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

from Mecklenburg who lived in the mid 13th century. The family was awarded with the title of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

on 13.12.1834 in Denmark. They were also created Counts in Prussia on 17.2.1868 by King William I of Prussia.

Notable members

Adam Gottlob Moltke Count Adam Gottlob von Moltke (10 November 171025 September 1792) was a German-born Danish courtier, politician and diplomat who was a favourite of Frederick V of Denmark, Frederick V of Denmark-Norway. Moltke was born at Walkendorf, Riesenhof ...

(1710–1792), Danish courtier, statesman and diplomat * (1738–1800), Danish general * Joachim Godske Moltke (1746–1818), Prime Minister of Denmark, son of Adam Gottlob Moltke * Friedrich Philipp Victor von Moltke (1768–1845), German Generalleutnant in Danish service *

Adam Wilhelm Moltke Adam Wilhelm Moltke, 3rd Count of Bregentved (25 August 178515 February 1864) was a Danish nobleman, landowner, civil servant and politician, who in 1848–1852 was the first Prime Minister of Denmark under the new constitutional monarchy outl ...

(1785–1864), Danish Prime Minister, son of Joachim Godske Moltke *

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke (; 26 October 180024 April 1891) was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal. The chief of staff of the Prussian Army for thirty years, he is regarded as the creator of a new, more ...

(1800–1891), Chief of the Prussian, and then German, General Staff * Adam Friedrich Adamson von Moltke (1816–1885), Danish administrative lawyer and district president * Kuno von Moltke (1847–1923), German general *

Helmuth von Moltke the Younger Graf Helmuth Johannes Ludwig von Moltke (; 25 May 1848 – 18 June 1916), also known as Moltke the Younger, was a German general and Chief of the Great German General Staff, a member of the House of Moltke. He was also the nephew of '' Genera ...

(1848–1916), Chief of the German General Staff * Otto von Moltke (1851–1881), German-Danish military officer * Heinrich Karl Leonhard von Moltke (1854–1922), German-Danish vice admiral in the Imperial German Navy * Harald Moltke (1871–1960), Danish painter and Arctic explorer * Hans-Adolf von Moltke (1884–1943), German diplomat * Else Moltke (1888–1986), Danish writer and feminist *

Erik Moltke Erik Moltke (4 April 1901 – 19 October 1984) was a Danish runologist, writer, and editor. Through his leadership, the Runologist Section of the National Museum of Denmark became a world centre for the scientific study of runology Runolog ...

(1901–1984), Danish art historian *

Helmuth James Graf von Moltke Helmuth James Graf von Moltke (11 March 1907 – 23 January 1945) was a German jurist who, as a draftee in the German Abwehr, acted to subvert German human-rights abuses of people in territories occupied by Germany during World War II. He w ...

(1907–1945), German jurist, pacifist, head of the anti-Nazi Kreisau Circle, executed for treason for hosting a group planning to create a democracy after the fall of the Third Reich * Gebhardt von Moltke (1938-2019), German diplomat *

James von Moltke James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

(1970– ), German banker, current Chief Financial Officer of

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (, ) is a Germany, German multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. ...

. *

Carl Moltke Count Carl Poul Oscar Moltke (2 January 1869 – 5 September 1935) was the Danish minister to the United States in 1908 and the Foreign Minister of Denmark 1924–1926. Early life Carl Poul Oscar Moltke was born on 2 January 1869 in Denmark. ...

(1869-1935), German-born Danish politician and ambassador. * Count Carl Adam Moltke (1908–1989), Member of the Danish Mission to the United Nations * Alexandra Isles (1945-) (née Moltke), Soap opera actress, model, and former mistress of Claus von Bülow.

Places

* Cape Harald Moltke, North Greenland * Cape Moltke, SE Greenland

References

Literature

* Ernst Heinrich Kneschke: ''Neues allgemeines deutsches Adels-Lexicon''. Friedrich Voigt, Leipzig 1859 * Olaf Jessen: ''Die Moltkes. Biographie einer Familie''. C. H. Beck, München 2010,
Rezension
* Ernst Münch: "Die Moltkes im Ringen um ihr Stammgut Toitenwinkel bei Rostock". In: ''Herrschaft. Machtentfaltung über adligen und fürstlichen Grundbesitz in der Frühen Neuzeit.'' Böhlau Verlag, Köln Weimar 2003
S. 3–26
* Jochen Thies: ''Die Moltkes: Von Königgrätz nach Kreisau. Eine deutsche Familiengeschichte''. Piper Verlag, München 2010, * Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, ''Adelslexikon'' Band IX, Band 116 der Gesamtreihe, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 1998, {{Authority control Danish noble families German noble families Swedish unintroduced nobility Military families of Germany