Conrad von Reventlow

Conrad von Reventlow (April 21, 1644 – July 21, 1708) was the first Prime Minister of Denmark (then officially titled as the "Grand Chancellor") from 1699 until his death. His Chancellorship occurred during the reign of Frederick IV.

Biography

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 prevailing intra-Scandinavian warfare of the day.^[1] In 1685, Reventlow used his influence as a councilor to the Court on behalf of privateer Benjamin Raule, to promote the Danish acquisition of the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies.^[2] In 1700, Reventlow was deeply involved in 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]

His sarcophagus in the Schleswig Cathedral (Schleswiger Dom) was designed by the renowned sculptor Thomas Quellinus. Reventlow's daughter, Anna Sophie, later married Frederick IV, and became the first Queen of Denmark not to have been born a princess. His other daughter Christine Sophie became an influential consultant of the royal couple. His son, Christian Detlev Reventlow, was also successful in politics. He was succeeded as Grand Chancellor by Christian Christophersen Sehested.

Ancestry

References

Additional sources

• Jirí Louda and Michael MacLagan, Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe, 2nd edition (London, U.K.: Little, Brown and Company, 1999), table 19.

External links

• Kannegaard and Skeel Family Tree of Greve Conrad Reventlow.