Eiler Holck, 1st Baron of Holckenhavn (4 June 1627 – 28 June 1696) was a Danish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

and

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

, from 1671 with the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Biography

Holck participated in the fighting at Frederiksodde in the

Second Northern War The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of ...

and in the defense 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 ...

. Despite being of an old Danish noble family, he supported the introduction of absolutism and was rewarded with high offices. He was appointed commandant of

Kronborg Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...

and county governor (da. Amtmand) of the County of Kronborg (da. Kronborg Amt). In 1664 he was promoted to major general and became a member of the War Council (da. Krigskollegiet). In 1672 he acquired Ellensborg, which had been confiscated by the Crown after

Corfitz Ulfeldt Count Corfits Ulfeldt (10 July 1606 – 20 February 1664) was a Danish statesman known for his collaboration with Sweden during and after the 1657-1658 Dano-Swedish War, for which he is considered one of the most notorious traitors in Danish ...

fell into disfavour, and founded the Barony of Holckenhavn. From 1675 his political career waned. He died at Holckenhavn Castle and is buried at Vindinge Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holck, Eiler 17th-century Danish military officers County governors of Denmark 1627 births 1696 deaths