.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}@media all and (max-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{width:auto!important;clear:none!important;float:none!important))You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Danish. (September 2012) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Danish Wikipedia article at [[:da:Conrad Reventlow]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template ((Translated|da|Conrad Reventlow)) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Conrad, Count of Reventlow
Count
Grand Chancellor of Denmark
PredecessorFrederik Ahlefeldt
SuccessorChristian Christophersen Sehested
Born21 April 1644
Copenhagen, Denmark
Died21 July 1708(1708-07-21) (aged 64)
Clausholm estate, Denmark
BuriedSchleswig Cathedral, Germany
Noble familyReventlow
Spouse(s)
Anna Margrethe Gabel
​
​
(m. 1651; died 1678)​
Sophie Amalie von Hahn
​
​
(m. 1664)​
IssueChristian Ditlev, Count Reventlow
Anna Sophie, Queen of Denmark and Norway
FatherDitlev Reventlow
MotherChristine Rantzau
Coat of arms for count Conrad Reventlow from 1673

Conrad, Count von Reventlow (21 April 1644 – 21 July 1708) was a Danish statesman who was "Grand Chancellor of Denmark" (Danish: Danmarks storkansler), a predecessor title of the Prime Minister of Denmark, from 1699 until his death. His chancellorship occurred during the reign of King Frederick IV.[1]

Early life

Conrad von Reventlow was the son of Chancellor Ditlev von Reventlow (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 and studied at the University of Orleans (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 (1675–1679).[2]

In 1700, Reventlow was deeply involved in the negotiations for peace with Sweden during that country's naval blockade of Copenhagen, an early event in the Great Northern War. Both France and the United Kingdom dealt extensively with Reventlow in their efforts to pressure Denmark to declare peace, in order to prevent a wider war from spreading into Europe.[3]

Councillor and Grand Chancellor

In 1672, he became a land commissioner in Schleswig-Holstein. In 1685, Reventlow used his influence as a councilor to the court on behalf of privateer Benjamin Raule (1634-1707), to promote Danish acquisition of the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies.[4][5]

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:

With his second wife, Sophie Amalie Hahn of Seekapm (1664-1722), he had three children:

His sarcophagus in the Schleswig Cathedral (Schleswiger Dom) was designed by the renowned sculptor Thomas Quellinus.

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ Carl Frederik Bricka. "Reventlow, Conrad Greve, 1644-1708". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  2. ^ Kannegaard and Skeel Family Tree of Greve Conrad Reventlow[usurped].
  3. ^ Sir George Rook in Oscar Browning, ed., Publications of the Navy Records Society, Vol. IX, (1898 [1700-02]) p. 100.
  4. ^ Waldemar Westergaard, The Danish West Indies Under Company Rule (1671-1754) (1917), p. 76.
  5. ^ "Benjamin Raule (1634–1707)". Museum Lichtenberg. Retrieved January 1, 2019.

Additional sources

External links

Political offices Preceded byFrederik Ahlefeldt Grand Chancellor of Denmark 1699–1708 Succeeded byChristian Christophersen Sehested
Authority control databases
Categories