Claus Von Ahlefeldt
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Claus von Ahlefeldt (1614–1674) was a member of the Ahlefeldt noble family of
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 ...
, who married the King of Denmark-Norway's natural daughter and rose to become a
field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
in Danish-Norwegian service.


Early career

Ahlefeldt began his military career by serving as a
page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...
and an officer in Imperial service, and as an officer in Wallenstein's army. He later became a
groom of the bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Royal Household, Household of the monarch in early modern Kingdom of England, England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In King ...
to King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway. His first wife having died, he was in 1643 betrothed to the King's natural daughter with Vibeke Kruse, Elisabeth Sofie Gyldenløve, although she was only ten; they finally married five years later.Bricka, C.F. (1887-1905). ''Dansk Biografisk Lexikon''. Kjøbenhavn, Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, vol. 1, pp. 127-131
Heiberg, Steffen. "Claus Ahlefeldt". ''Den Store Danske.'' Gyldendal.
Retrieved 2016-11-30.
Wengel, Hans Peter. ''Claus von Ahlefeldt, a.d.H. Gelting von 1614 - 1674''
Retrieved 2016-11-30.


Senior officer

When the war with Sweden began in 1643, Ahlefeldt became first a lieutenant colonel, and soon enough a major general, of
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
. After the death of Christian IV, he was persecuted by Corfitz Ulfeldt, who had him dismissed from his posts and sent to
Glückstadt Glückstadt (; ) is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona. Glückstadt is part of the Hamburg ...
as
commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
. Ahlefeldt supported Frederick III in his struggle with Ulfeldt, and became ''
Generalfeldwachtmeister ''Generalfeldwachtmeister'' is a historical military rank of general officer level in the armies of the German and Scandinavian countries, corresponding to the rank of ''maréchal de camp'' in France. A Generalfeldwachtmeister ranked above a brig ...
'' in 1653. In 1659, Ahlefeldt, by now a
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
, successfully defended the western front of
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
against desperate Swedish attacks during the siege of Copenhagen. He then commanded all Danish forces in
Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...
, and took Frederiksodde from the Swedes. In 1660 Ahlefeldt became commander-in-chief of the
Norwegian army The Norwegian Army () is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway in 1628. The ...
, as well as ''
Amtmann __NOTOC__ The ''Amtmann'' or ''Ammann'' (in Switzerland) was an official in German-speaking countries of Europe and in some of the Nordic countries from the time of the Middle Ages whose office was akin to that of a bailiff A bailiff is a ...
'' of Bergenhus len. As such he commanded the Danish-Norwegian forces during the Battle of Vågen, having refused the bribes offered him by the English. During the reign of Christian V, he had the rank, but not the command, of a field-marshal, and was in practice retired to the governorship of Nyborg Slot, and the amtmannship of Nyborg amt.Liljefalk, A. (1915-1928). "Ahlefeldt, Claus". ''Salmonens konversationsleksikon''. København: J. H. Schultz Forlagsboghandel, vol. 1, p. 331.
Retrieved 2016-11-30.


Personal life

Ahlefeldt was married three times. His first wife, Catharina von Qualen, died in 1639. His second wife, the King's daughter, died in 1654. With her he had a daughter. With his third wife, Anna Hedwig Buchwald, he had five children that reached adult age. He managed his many estates wisely, and acquired great wealth.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahlefeldt, Claus 1614 births 1674 deaths Danish soldiers 17th-century Danish people House of Ahlefeldt County governors of Norway