Conrad,

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: ...

von Reventlow (21 April 1644 – 21 July 1708) was a Danish statesman who was "Grand Chancellor of Denmark" (), a predecessor title of the

Prime Minister of Denmark The prime minister of Denmark (, , ) is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Before the creation of the modern office, the kingdom did not init ...

, from 1699 until his death. His chancellorship occurred during the reign of King Frederick IV.

Early life

Conrad von Reventlow was the son of Chancellor Ditlev von

Reventlow The Reventlow family is a Holstein and Mecklenburg Danish nobility, Dano-German noble family, which belongs to the :De:Equites Originarii, Equites Originarii Schleswig-Holstein. Alternate spellings include Revetlo, Reventlo, Reventlau, Reventlou, ...

(1600–1664) and his wife, Christine zu Rantzau (1618–1688). He was the brother of chamberlain Count Henning von Reventlow (1640–1705) and Chancellor, Count Ditlev von Reventlow (1654–1701).

Career

Military career

He attended Academy in

Sorø Academy Sorø Academy ( Danish: ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...

and studied at the

University of Orleans A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

(1662). After attending university, Reventlow was called to the Danish Court in 1665, where he rose through various positions of responsibility. In the 1670s, he became a colonel in the Danish military. He recruited a regiment and distinguished himself in the

Scanian War The Scanian War (; ; ; ) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and Swedish Empire, Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish ...

(1675–1679). In 1700, Reventlow was deeply involved in the negotiations for peace with

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

during that country's

naval blockade A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

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 ...

, an early event in the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

. Both

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

dealt extensively with Reventlow in their efforts to pressure Denmark to declare peace, in order to prevent a wider war from spreading into Europe.

Councillor and Grand Chancellor

In 1672, he became a land commissioner in

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 ...

. In 1685, Reventlow used his influence as a councilor to the

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

on behalf of

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

Benjamin Raule (1634–1707), to promote Danish acquisition of the island of St. Thomas in the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. In 1678, he applied for leave from service when his wife was incurably ill.

Family

He married twice; with his first wife, Countess Anna Margarethe Gabel (1651–1678), he had two children: * Christian Detlev, who played a prominent political role * Christine Sophie (1672–1757) became an influential advisor to her sister and brother-in-law, the Danish queen and king. With his second wife, Sophie Amalie Hahn of Seekapm (1664–1722), he had three children: * Anne Margrethe (1682–1710), married

Hans Schack, 2nd Count of Schackenborg Hans Schack, Count of Schackenborg (4 March 1676 – 22 September 1719) was a Danish nobleman and enfeoffed count (). He was the second holder of the Countship of Schackenborg from 1683 to 1719. Biography Hans Schack was born on 4 March 1676 ...

* Ulrikke Eleonor (1690–1754), married Count Ferdinand Anton

Gyldenløve Gyldenløve (; "Golden Lion") was a surname for several illegitimate children of Oldenburg kings of Denmark-Norway in the 17th century. Kings The surname Gyldenløve was given to the sons of the following Dano-Norwegian kings: * Christian IV ...

, a grandson of King Frederick III by his mistress, Margrethe Pape * Anna Sophie (1693–1743), married Frederick IV in 1721, becoming the first modern

Queen of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was alrea ...

not to have been born a princess. His

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

in the

Schleswig Cathedral Schleswig Cathedral (, ) officially the Cathedral of St. Peter at Schleswig (), is the main church of the city of Schleswig and was the cathedral of the Bishop of Schleswig until the diocese was dissolved in 1624. It is now a church of the Nor ...

(''Schleswiger Dom'') was designed by the renowned sculptor Thomas Quellinus.

Ancestry

References

Additional sources

*Jirí Louda and Michael MacLagan, ''Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe'', 2nd edition (London, U.K.: Little, Brown and Company, 1999), table 19.

External links

Kannegaard and Skeel Family Tree of Greve Conrad Reventlow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reventlow, Conrad, greve von 1644 births 1708 deaths 17th-century Danish people

Conrad Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) * Saint Conrad (disambiguation) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washington Elsewher ...

University of Orléans alumni