Bendix Frantz Ludwig Schow (20 April 177818 August 1839) was the mayor of

Aabenraa Aabenraa (; , ; South Jutlandic: ''Affenråe'', also known as Åbenrå) is a town in Southern Denmark, at the head of the Aabenraa Fjord, an arm of the Little Belt, north of the Denmark–Germany border and north of German town of Flensburg. It ...

from 1805 to 1837. A German-speaking member of the nobility of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

, he played an important role in a period when the rise of nationalism started to create conflicts between the German-speaking minority ruling classes and the Danish-speaking lower-classes of Schleswig.

Early life

Schow was born and raised in

Rendsburg Rendsburg (, also ''Rensborg'', , also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the Eider (river), River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Eckernfoerde, Rends ...

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...

. His father, Jørgen von Schouw, was

oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

in the Danish military, serving most of his career in the duchies. Schow studied law at the university in

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

and graduated in May 1797. He moved to Copenhagen to work an unpaid internship in

Rentekammeret The Rentekammeret (English: The Treasury) was the Danish central administrative body responsible for overseeing the public finances from the middle of the 15th century until 1849. The chief officials of Rentekammeret held the title of ''Rentemester' ...

in 1800, and with unusual speed, got a position in the

German Chancellery The Federal Chancellery (, ) is a Germany, German Federal agency (Germany), federal agency serving the executive office of the chancellor of Germany, the head of the Government of Germany, federal government, currently Friedrich Merz. The Chancel ...

(Danish: Tyske Kancelli) in 1802. While in Copenhagen, he befriended

Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann (13 May 1785, Wismar5 December 1860, Bonn) was a German historian and politician. Biography He came of an old Hanseatic family of Wismar, then controlled by Sweden. His father, who was burgomaster of the town, int ...

, later to be an important figure in the German nationalist movement to make the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein independent German states, independent of Denmark.

Mayor of Aabenraa

In 1805, the 27-year-old Schow was appointed by the king as new mayor and official secretary of Aabenraa. That same year, perhaps due to his new appointment, he married Georgine Johanne Christiane Sophie Callisen (1782–1849), daughter of the general superintendent in

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

, Johann Leonhard Callisen. As mayor, he answered to

Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel (, German and ; 19 December 1744 – 17 August 1836) was a cadet member of the house of Hesse-Kassel and a Danish general field marshal. Brought up with relatives at the Danish court, he spent most of his life in ...

, the royal governor of Schleswig-Holstein. Schow showed himself to be a strong leader in the English wars, ensuring that Aabenraa had a local militia and a detachment of Danish troops, as well as helping to finance an armed ship in the harbour, a gunboat named after

Princess Caroline of Denmark Princess Caroline of Denmark (28 October 1793 – 31 March 1881) was the eldest surviving daughter of King Frederick VI of Denmark. She was unofficially known as "Kronprinsesse Caroline" (English: Crown Princess Caroline) prior to her marriage, an ...

. As the waves of nationalism fanned Europe, Schow found himself allied to the German liberal cause, advocating for a Constitution of the Estates for both duchies. From the 1820s, he oversaw the publication of a weekly paper with liberal views, the ''Allgemeines Wochenblatt''. Schow was a shrewd politician who was able to maintain his position and strong connection to the Danish authorities while supporting the German liberal cause, despite the weekly paper being sanctioned for its advocacy of a constitution for the duchies. In 1837, Schow's health began to fail, and his son who had been assisting him through illness, Georg Heinrich Leonhard Schow (1810–89), was named mayor in his place. Schow died two years later.

Legacy

Today, Schow is best remembered for overseeing the building of a new courthouse, designed by

Christian Frederik Hansen Christian Frederik Hansen (29 February 1756 – 10 July 1845), known as C. F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 18th century and the mid 19th century, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art ('' ...

and completed in 1830.

Literature

* Japsen, G.: ''Den nationale udvikling i Åbenrå 1800-1850'' (The National Development in Åbenrå), Aabenraa 1961

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schow, Bendix Frantz Ludwig Politicians from Copenhagen 1778 births 1839 deaths People from Aabenraa People from Rendsburg People from the Duchy of Schleswig