Carl von Ahlefeldt (25 April 1670 – 7 September 1722) was a German-Danish statesman. He was a stadtholder and by birth a member of the
House of Ahlefeld. He was part of the inner circle around
Frederick IV until 1712 and then became Governor-general of Slesvig-Holsten.
Early life and travels
Ahlefeldt was born at Hardenburg as the youngest son of
Grand Chancellor Count Friedrich von Ahlefeldt-Rixingen and his second wife, Countess Marie Elisabeth of
Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenburg (1648-1724). His father provided him with a thorough education. In 1684–86, he went on a long journey as part of his education. He was escorted by Nikolai Henrik Masius as ''
Hofmeister''. After his return, he benefitted from a close relationship with the royal family at the royal court in Copenhagen. In 1692, he escorted
Crown Prince Frederick on a journey to Germany, France and Italy. In 1695, he was appointed chamberlain (''kammerherre''). In 1696, he replaced
Johan Georg Holstein Johan
* Johan (given name)
* ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller
* Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group
** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group
* Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada
* Jo-Han, a manu ...
as the Hofmeister of
Prince Carl on a four-year journey to Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
Career at the royal court
After their return in 1699, he received a number of prominent appointments at the royal court. In 1699, he became ''
overkammerherre'' and ''overhofmester'' for the knight's academy in Copenhagen (1699-1703). In 1700, he became ''overstaldmester''. Together with
Christian Gyldenløve
Christian Gyldenløve, Count of Samsøe (Copenhagen, 28 February 1674 – Odense, 16 July 1703), was a Danish nobleman and military officer. He was one of five illegitimate children fathered by Christian V of Denmark with Sophie Amalie Moth.
H ...
, he belonged to the inner circle around the young king Frederick VIV, which overshadowed both Grand Chancellor
Conrad Reventlow and ''gehejmeråd'' Chr. S. Plessen.
In 1704, Ahlefeldt was appointed to president of
kommercekollegiet and from 1708 for politi- og kommercekollegiet. In 1710, he became a member of ''konseillet'', replacing Christian Lente who had been opposed to Denmark's involvement in the Great Nordic Ear. As a member of konseillet, together with
Otte Krabbe and
Christian Sehested
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...
Ahelfeldt was responsible for the government in Copenhagen during the plague outbreak in 1711, while the king sought refuge at
Koldinghus
Koldinghus is a Danish royal castle in the town of Kolding on the south central part of the Jutland peninsula. The castle was founded in the 13th century and was expanded since with many functions ranging from fortress, royal residency, ruin, mus ...
. After a few months, Ahlefeldt, Krabbe and Sehested, with permission the king, sought refuge at
Jægersborg
Jægersborg is a suburban neighbourhood in Gentofte Municipality, some 12 km north of central Copenhagen, Denmark.
History
The whole area was from at least 1401 a royal estate known as Ibstrup (the earliest sources refer to it as Jepstor ...
north of Copenhagen.
Governor-general of Norway
In 1712, Ahlefeldt was removed from ''konseillet'' as a result of his conflicts with the Reventlow family which had strengthened their influence at the court due to the king's involvement with
Anna Sophie Reventlow
Anne Sophie von Reventlow ( da, Anna Sophie; 16 April 1693 – 7 January 1743) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1721 to 1730 as the second wife of Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway.
Early life
Countess Anna Sophie von Reventlow was born in ...
. Ahlefeldt was instead appointed to
Governor-general of Slesvig-Holsten, an office he kept until his death.
Holdings
In 1702, Carl von Ahlefeldt acquired an estate at
Kongens Lyngby
Kongens Lyngby (, Danish for "the King's Heather Town"; short form Lyngby) is the seat and commercial centre of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyngby Hovedgade is a busy shopping street and the site o ...
north of Copenhagen, where he commissioned the architect
François Dieussart
François Dieussart (also Frans; Armentières, c. 1600 – London, 1661) was a Walloons, Walloon sculptor who worked for Noble court, court patrons in England, the Dutch Republic and northern Europe, producing portrait busts in the Italianate m ...
to build the first
Sorgenfri
Sorgenfri (lit. "free of sorrow", like Sans Souci) is a neighbourhood in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in Greater Copenhagen lying just north of Kongens Lyngby.
The neighbourhood is enclosed between the landmarks of a forest with Lyngby Åmose, M ...
. The building, a half-timbered, three-winged complex in Baroque style, was completed in 1705. The building was demolished and replaced by the current
Sorgenfri Palace
Sorgenfri Palace ( da, Sorgenfri Slot; lit. "Sorrow free", a direct calque of Sans Souci) is a royal residence of the Danish monarch, located in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality, on the east side of Lyngby Kongevej, in the northern suburbs of Copenhag ...
in the 1750s, reusing only the cellar and foundation of the old building.
In 1703, he acquired an estate at
Kalundborg from Frans Marselis and founded Østrup Manor (now
Lerchenborg
Lerchenborg is a manor house located 4 km south of Kalundborg on the west coast of Zealand, Denmark.
History Origins
The estate was established by Carl von Ahlefeldt when he closed down the village of Østrup to establish Østrupgård in 1704 ...
).
Ahlefeldt had inherited the county of Rixingen the barony of Mörsberg in Lothringen, but had parted with the latter in 1709. Neither of his two older brothers had children. He therefore also inherited the country of
Langeland
Langeland (, ) is a Danish island located between the Great Belt and Bay of Kiel. The island measures 285 km2 (c. 110 square miles) and, as of 1 January 2018, has a population of 12,446. and the estates Søgård,
Gråsten, Ballegård, Grøngrøft and Årup im Slesvig and Die Wildniss at
Glückstadt
Glückstadt (; da, Lykstad) is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona. Glückstadt is part of th ...
.
Family
He married Countess Ulrike Antoinette of
Danneskiold-Laurvig (1686-1755) on 2 March 1702 in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
. She was the daughter of
Count Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve and his wife, Countess Antoinette Augusta of Aldenburg (1660–1701). They had the sons:
* Count Conrad Wilhelm of Ahlefeldt (1707-1791); married Wilhelmine Hedwig Antoinette von Gram (1711-1790) and had issue
* Count Frederik of Ahlefeldt (1702–73); married Bertha von Holstein (1705-1735) and had issue
Decorations
*
Knight of the Dannebrog, 1698
*
Knight of the Elephant
The Order of the Elephant ( da, Elefantordenen) is a 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 ...
, 1703.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahlefeldt, Carl von
Counts of Denmark
1670 births
1722 deaths
House of Ahlefeldt