The Reventlow family is a

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 ...

and

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

Dano-German noble family, which belongs to the Equites Originarii Schleswig-Holstein. Alternate spellings include Revetlo, Reventlo, Reventlau, Reventlou, Reventlow, Refendtlof and Reffentloff.

History

In 1223, Godescalcus de Revetlo of Holstein was first mentioned in writing. He was

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

of Count Albrecht of Orlamünde and Holstein. In 1236 and 1258, Thitlevus de Revetlow was in Mecklenburg in the wake of the Prince Johann I. In both countries, members of the family were able to gain significant professional and economic positions over time. The old Holstein line, also found from the 14th to the 16th century in

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

, ended in 1752. With the extinction of the Gallentiner branch in 1772, the Mecklenburg branch also ended. Relatives from this branch, however, had previously settled in the

Duchy of 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 div ...

. From Ziesendorf (in Mecklenburg) came Detlef Reventlow, who was appointed chancellor of

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...

in 1632. He was

progenitor In genealogy, a progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; or ''Ahnherr'') is the founder (sometimes one that is legendary) of a family, line of descent, gens, clan, tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines Geschlec ...

of two new branches, both of which came to great influence. The older branch acquired the Danish lord-dignity in 1767. The younger branch had acquired by 1673 the Danish

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

and on July 23, 1706, to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

the

Count of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...

Conrad von Reventlow Conrad, Count 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, from 1699 until his death. His chancellorship occurred during the ...

(1644–1708), Grand Chancellor and Prime Minister of

Christian V of Denmark Christian V (15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the dec ...

, received the higher feudal rank and was awarded the Liege County of Reventlou -

Sandbjerg Sandbjerg is a former estate and manor house north of Sønderborg in the southeast of Jutland, Denmark. The estate dates from 1571, but today's house was built in 1788. Since 1959, the estate has been used by Aarhus University for teaching and r ...

in Schleswig. His son acquired the feudal county Christianssæde on

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the List of islands of Denmark#List of 100 largest Danish islands, fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Kattegat, Belts and Sund area, it is part of Re ...

and the feudal barony

Brahetrolleborg Brahetrolleborg () is a castle about 10 kilometres north-west of Fåborg on the Danish island of Fyn. Before the Reformation, the structure was a Cistercian monastery known as Holme Abbey (; ). After the reformation, the property was renamed Rant ...

on Funen. The younger daughter of Conrad von Reventlow, Anna Sophie von Reventlow (1693–1743), became in 1712 consort of King

Frederick IV of Denmark Frederick IV (Danish language, Danish: ''Frederik''; 11 October 1671 – 12 October 1730) was List of Danish monarchs, King of Denmark and List of Norwegian monarchs, Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V of Denma ...

and Duchess of Schleswig. In 1721 she was crowned Queen of Denmark. Other Reventlows were related by marriage to the Dukes of Holstein. The Reventlow family counts important personalities of the European aristocracy, including the last German empress Auguste Victoria. Detlev von Reventlow (1712–1783), heir of the Altenhof and Glasau estates, bought Gut Emkendorf in 1764, from Detlef von Reventlow Gut Wittenberg in 1767, and the Altenhof neighboring Gut Aschau in 1782. The Counts of Reventlow-Criminil with a Danish diploma of 1815 belonged in the male line to the French Marquis Le Merchier de Criminil.

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

and Heinrich were the sons of a niece of Julia von Reventlow who she and her husband Friedrich Karl Reventlow adopted. Joseph inherited the

Emkendorf Emkendorf is a municipality in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to ...

in 1828; his descendants sold it in 1929.

Possessions

In addition to the Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburgian possession, estates which were temporarily in the possession of the Reventlow included Good Bülk (around 1350), Gut Kaden (15th century), Gut Waterneverstorf (1592–1662), Gut Dobersdorf (in the 17th century, from 1625), Gut Altenhof (1691–1960, inherited from the family of Bethmann-Hollweg) with

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

and Gut Jersbek (1840–1960), Quarnbek and Schmoel (around 1700), Hohenfelde with Kollmar (around 1700–1739), Gut Rantzau (1728–1740), Gut Emkendorf (1764–1929), Gut Kaltenhof ( 1780–1910), Gut Falkenberg (1790–1848), Gut Testorf (18th century), and Gut Farve (19th century to 1926). File: Altenhof-Herrenhaus.JPG, Gut Altenhof File: Gut Emkendorf.jpg, Gut Emkendorf In Schleswig-Holstein the family is still based in Gut Damp (since the end of the 16th century), Gut Wittenberg (since 1584), Gut Wulfshagen (at Tüttendorf, since 1903) and Gut Eckhof (since 1972). File: Damp Gut Damp Herrenhaus02.jpg, Gut Damp File: Gutshaus_Wulfshagen_Tuettendorf.jpg, Gut Wulfshagen File:Gut Eckhof - Herrenhaus und Wirtschaftsgebäude.jpg, Gut Eckhof In Denmark, Gram Castle was taken over or built by the Reventlow around 1470 and remained in the family until 1664. In 1673, Prime Minister Conrad Reventlow acquired the Sandbjerg Castle (1673–1930 owned by the family) with Gut Ballegård and built Clausholm Castle (owned 1690–1743). His son Christian Detlev of Reventlow acquired

on Funen (1722–1960), Pederstrup on

(1725–1935) and Christianssæde on Laaland (1728–1934). His son Conrad Detlev Reventlow (1704–1750) married Wilhelmine Auguste, the sister of the Duke Friedrich Karl of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön in 1731. In 1739 he acquired the Krenkerup Castle at Radsted Sogn with Nørregård and Rosenlund (1739–1793). In 1900, the estate Agerupgård in Våbensted Sogn came to the Counts Reventlow, who are still there. Commoner descendants in the female line with the name Reventlow (no title of nobility) are the families Reventlow-Mourier on Brahetrolleborg and Reventlow Grinling on Krenkerup, as well as some descendants in the

cognitive Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

line in Sweden. File:Schloss Sandbjerg DK.JPG, Schloss Sandbjerg File: Clausholm1.jpg, Clausholm Castle File: Brahetrolleborg30012009ax.png,

File: Pederstrup.jpg, Pederstrup File: Christianssæde1.jpg, Christianssæde File:Krenkerup Gods.JPG, Krenkerup

Coat of arms

The

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

of the family is divided in the Zinnenschnitt of silver over red. It has red and silver

mantling In heraldry, mantling or "lambrequin" (its name in French) is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering (often of linen) worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the ...

, and its crest features a golden ring mounted on a red rod surrounded with feathers. File:Coatofarms-Reventlow.jpg, Coat of arms in Denmark's nobility Aarbog 1893 File:Wappen reventlow.JPG, Coat of arms of the counts to Reventlow File:COA Conrad Reventlow 1673.png, Coat of arms for

(1644–1708) 1673

Derived area coats

Elements and colours from the coat of arms of the family Reventlow appear today in some Schleswig-Holstein municipal coat of arms.coat of arms Schleswig-Holstein
/ref> File:Altenhof Wappen.png, Ortswappen Altenhof (bei Eckernförde) File:DEU Martensrade COA.svg, Ortswappen Martensrade File:DEU Windbergen COA.svg, Ortswappen Windbergen

Name bearers

* Anna Emerentia von Reventlow (1680–1753), prioress of Uetersen Monastery * Annasophiereventlow

Conrad Earl of Reventlow (1644–1708), Danish Chancellor and Prime Minister * Christian Detlev of Reventlow (1671–1738), senior president of Altona * Conrad Detlev (1704–1750) married Princess Wilhelmine Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön * Christian Detlev of Reventlow (1710–1775), Danish statesman * Frederikke Charlotte Reventlow (1747–1822), Danish countess and writer * Christian Detlev of Reventlow (1748–1827), Danish statesman and reformer, on Christians side and Pederstrup * Ludwig Detlev Reventlow (1780–1857), Danish statesman * Arthur Count von Reventlow (1817–1878), on Sandbjerg, German-Danish administrative lawyer * Ludwig von Reventlow (1824–1893), Prussian district administrator, bailiff in the Duchy of Schleswig * Ernst Count zu Reventlow (1869–1943), German writer, Lieutenant-Captain and politician (NSDAP) * Ludwig von Reventlow (1864–1906), German lawyer, landowner on Wulfshagen and politician, Member of the Reichstag * Fanny (Franziska) zu Reventlow (1871–1918), German writer * Rolf Reventlow (1897–1981), son of Fanny to Reventlow * Conrad Georg Reventlow (1749–1815), on Sandbjerg * Johan Ludvig Reventlow (1751–1810), on Brahetrolleborg * Christina Irmengardis (1711–1779), Duke Friedrich Karl of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön * Christine Sophie (1672–1757), I. Count Niels Friis (1665–1699), II. Ulrich Adolph Count of Holstein-Holsteinborg * Friedrich-Graf-von-Reventlou

Anna Sophie von Reventlow (1693–1743), Danish Queen (1721–1730), King Frederick IV. * Detlev von Reventlow (1485–1536), first Protestant bishop of Lübeck and Danish chancellor * Detlev of Reventlow (1654–1701), Royal Secret Conference Budget and District Administrator * Heinrich von Reventlow (1678–1732), Imperial Court Counselor and monastery provost of Uetersen * Detlev Count von Reventlow (1712–1783), diplomat and statesman in Danish service and curator of the University of Kiel * Cay Friedrich von Reventlow (1753–1834), squire on Altenhof, diplomat and statesman in Danish service * Eugen von Reventlow (1798–1885), squire on Altenhof with Aschau and Glasau, diplomat in Danish and Prussian services * Gottfried von Reventlow (1800–1870), Court Court President in Ratzeburg * Theodor von Reventlow (1801–1873), squire of the Holstein estates Jersbek and Stegen * Friedrich Karl von Reventlow (1755–1828), curator of the University of Kiel and owner of Gut Emkendorf * Friederike Juliane von Reventlow Schimmelmann (1762–1816), center of the Emkendorfer Literature Circle * Heinrich von Reventlow (1763–1848), Major General * Heinrich von Reventlow (1796–1841), bailiff of Flensburg, Bordesholm, Kiel and Kronshagen * Adeline Countess von Reventlow (1839–1924), German animal painter of the Düsseldorf School * Friedrich Graf von Reventlow (1797–1874), Schleswig-Holstein governor * Ernst Christian von Reventlow (1799–1873) on Farve (''Reventlow-Farve''), landowner and politician * Lance Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow, better known as Lance Reventlow (1936–1972), son of

Barbara Hutton Barbara Woolworth Hutton (November 14, 1912 – May 11, 1979) was an American debutante, socialite, heiress and philanthropist. She was dubbed the "Poor Little Rich Girl"—first when she was given a lavish and expensive debutante ball in 1930 ...

, entrepreneur, racecar driver, and socialite * Henning Graf Reventlow (1929–2010), theologian

History

Possessions

Coat of arms

Derived area coats

Name bearers

References

Further reading