Heinrich Rantzau or Ranzow (Ranzovius) (11 March 1526 – 31 December 1598) was a German humanist writer and statesman, a prolific astrologer and an associate of

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, ; 14 December 154624 October 1601), generally called Tycho for short, was a Danish astronomer of the Renaissance, known for his comprehensive and unprecedentedly accurate astronomical observations. He ...

. He was son of

Johan Rantzau Johan Rantzau (12 November 1492 – 12 December 1565) was a German- Danish 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 hi ...

. He was

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the Danish royal share in the

Duchy of Holstein The Duchy of Holstein (; ) was the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the present German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It originated when King Christian I of Denmark had his County of Holstein-Rendsburg elevated to a duchy ...

, a rich man and celebrated book collector. Rantzau is perhaps best remembered as a patron of scholars. His own ''Tractatus astrologicus de genethliacorum thematum'' appeared in 1597, and went through five editions by 1615. In his own time, he was regarded as a generous supporter of artists and writers in

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

, many of whom he engaged to write memorials of his father. Rantzau was also a successful merchant with trading interests in the east-west trade through

Husum Husum (, ) is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The town was the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who coined the epithet "the grey town by the sea". It is also the home of the annual i ...

and Lübeck. Rantzau was awarded the Danish

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...

in 1580 by

King Frederick II of Denmark Frederick II (1 July 1534 – 4 April 1588) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1559 until his death in 1588. A member of the House of Oldenburg, Frederick began his personal rule of Denmark-Norway at th ...

. His oldest son

Breide Rantzau Breide Rantzau (13 October 1556 10 January 1618) was a German nobleman in Danish-Norwegian service. He served as ''stadtholder'' of Copenhagen from 1602. Early life He was born on 13 October 1556 at Segeberg, the son of Heinrich Rantzau, and the ...

was a councillor of the Danish realm, and a younger son,

Gert Rantzau Gert or Gerhard Rantzau (1558-1627) was a German nobleman in Danish service, soldier and Captain of the Palace and Castle of Kronborg and Flensburg. He was a son of Heinrich Rantzau, the King of Denmark's Lieutenant in Holstein. His older brother ...

, was Captain of the castles 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

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...

.David Scott Gehring, ''Diplomatic Intelligence on the Holy Roman Empire and Denmark during the Reigns of Elizabeth I and James VI: Three Treatises'', Camden Fifth Series, 49 (Cambridge, 2016), pp. 164, 168. He was the great-uncle of

Josias von Rantzau Josias Rantzau ( Bothkamp, near Kiel, 18 October 1609 – Paris, 14 September 1650) was a Danish military leader and Marshal of France. Josias was the grandson of Paul, the youngest son of Johann Rantzau. He married his Cousin Hedwig Margaret ...

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

References

External links

Peter Zeeberg: ''Heinrich Rantzau (1526-98) and his humanist collaborators - The examples of Reiner Reineccius and Georg Ludwig Froben.''

Editions

* Felgentreu, Fritz (ed., trans.). ''Heinrich Rantzau (Christianus Cilicius Cimber). Belli Dithmarsici vera descriptio: Wahre Beschreibung des Dithmarscher Krieges'' (Schleswig: Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein, 2009) (Veröffentlichungen des Landesarchivs Schleswig-Holstein, 86). {{DEFAULTSORT:Rantzau, Heinrich 1526 births 1598 deaths People from Steinburg German astrologers German astrological writers German Renaissance humanists German male writers Heinrich