Conrad von Reventlow

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Conrad Graf von Reventlow

Conrad von Reventlow , since 1673 Count von Reventlow (born April 21, 1644 in Copenhagen , † July 21, 1708 at Clausholm Castle ) was Danish Prime Minister and Grand Chancellor.

Life

He was a son of the Danish chancellor for the German parts of the country, Detlef Reventlow (1600–1664). His brothers were the privy councilor Henning Reventlow (1640–1705) on Hemmelmark, Glasau and Altenhof as well as the privy councilor and provost Detlev Reventlow (1654–1701).

Conrad Reventlow founded the younger line of the Counts Reventlow , which were widely ramified in Denmark , Schleswig and Holstein and which came from Dithmarschen and which is documented as early as the end of the 12th century .

On July 21, 1667, his first marriage to Anna Margarete von Gabel (1651–1678), daughter of the governor Christoffer von Gabel , was in Copenhagen . From this marriage there were seven children, including General Christian Detlev von Reventlow (1671–1738) and Christine Sophie von Reventlow (1672–1757), the mother of Christian von Friis zu Friisenborg .

On May 1, 1681, he married Sophie Amalie von Hahn (1664-1722) for the second time . This marriage resulted in ten children, including Anna Sophie von Reventlow (1693–1743), who later became Queen of Denmark as the wife of Frederick IV.

He received the Danish feudal rank by being wealthy with the feudal county Reventlou-Sandbjerg in Schleswig, the feudal county Christianssäde on Laaland and the feudal barony Brahetrolleborg on Funen. From 1690 he had Clausholm Castle built.

His sarcophagus , made by the Flemish sculptor Thomas Quellinus , is in Schleswig Cathedral .

Act

In the negotiations on the acquisition of the counties of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst 1667–1673 Reventlow played a prominent role. In the Northern War (1674–1679) he received permission in May 1675 to recruit a regiment as a colonel, the Reventlow Dragoons, with whom he fought on December 4, 1676 in the Battle of Lund. In 1678, shortly before the death of his wife, he resigned.

In 1681 he became secret cabinet minister. His most influential advisors included Thomas Balthasar von Jessen and Christian Siegfried von Plessen . His allies at court also included Conrad Biermann von Ehrenschild , Michael Vibe and Peter Brandt. They made an alliance with France in 1682 to get back territories annexed by Sweden; the French committed themselves to an assistance pact in return for high annual contributions. King Christian V was in favor of war with Sweden in 1683, but the cautious Chancellor Friedrich von Ahlefeldt avoided it, in which Reventlow supported him. In 1689 he negotiated a treaty with Great Britain with Jessen and a secret treaty with France in 1691, which obliged Denmark to be neutral. In the War of the Lauenburg Succession, the Danes occupied Ratzeburg and the alliance with Braunschweig-Lüneburg came to an end. After Christian V's death, he was appointed chancellor on August 26, 1699. From 1690 to 1705 he was the leading politician in the cabinet and a member of many commissions. For Frederik IV, he signed a secret treaty with the Elector of Brandenburg in April 1700.

In the Great Northern War between Sweden and Gottorf on the one hand and Denmark, Russia, Poland and Saxony on the other, the Danish King Frederick IV besieged the Tönning fortress with 14,000 men, see: Siege of Tönning (1700) . When Charles XII. invaded Zealand from Sweden, the king entrusted Reventlow with the defense of Copenhagen.

In the following years Christian Gyldenløve (1674-1703), an illegitimate son of Christian V, and Carl von Ahlefeldt gained more influence at court, although Reventlow was still in the favor of the king.

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personal data
SURNAME Reventlow, Conrad von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Danish politician, Prime Minister and Grand Chancellor
DATE OF BIRTH April 21, 1644
PLACE OF BIRTH Copenhagen
DATE OF DEATH July 21, 1708
Place of death Clausholm Castle