Hans Schack (28 October 1608 – 27 February 1676) was a member of the north German
noble family Schack, who after many years in French service, entered the Danish service, made major contributions during the war with Sweden, and loyally supported
Frederick III when he overthrew the Danish constitution. He became a Danish field-marshal, commander-in-chief of the Danish army, member of the Board of State, and of the
Danish Privy Council, and made a Danish count.
Early career
As a young man, Schack began his military career by serving in the Danish army during the early years of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
. He entered Swedish service in 1630, and thence in French in 1635, becoming
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
of
cavalry 1642, and later ''
maréchal de camp''. In 1651 Schack retired from the French service to his estates in
Saxe-Lauenburg
The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (german: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg, called ''Niedersachsen'' (Lower Saxony) between the 14th and 17th centuries), was a ''reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296–1803 and again from 1814–1876 in the extreme sou ...
, where he remained until 1656, when he became military commandant of
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
.
[Schøller, C.E.A (1901). "Schack, Hans". ''Dansk Biografisk Lexikon''. Kjøbenhavn, Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, vol. 15, pp. 21-28](_blank)
Retrieved 2016-12-04.
Retrieved 2016-12-04.[ ttp://denstoredanske.dk/Dansk_Biografisk_Leksikon/Forsvar_og_politi/Officer/Hans_Schack,_greve Rockstroh, K. C. "Hans Schack, greve". ''Den Store Danske.'' Gyldendal.Retrieved 2016-12-04.]
Danish service
Faced with imminent war with Sweden, the Danish government wanted to recruit the experienced and reputed Schack for a senior position in the Danish army. In order to satisfy Schack's demand for a permanent position, he was in 1658 appointed
lieutenant-general, colonel of horse and foot, and made a member of the War Council. He also became
naturalized as a Danish
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
, receiving two
estates in
life tenancy;
Riberhus and
Møgeltønder
Møgeltønder () is a small town in Denmark, located in Møgeltønder Parish and Tønder Municipality in the southwestern corner of the Danish peninsula of Jutland 5 kilometres north of the Danish-German border and 4 kilometres west of Tønde ...
(the later
Schackenborg Castle
Schackenborg Castle ( da, Schackenborg Slot, ) is a château located in Møgeltønder, Southern Jutland. From 1993 until 2014, it was the private residence of Prince Joachim of Denmark, the second son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
History
Ori ...
). As military governor, Schack commanded Copenhagen during the
Swedish siege of 1659. For his successful defence of the city, he was rewarded with promotion to
field-marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
. In the fall of the same year, Schack led the Danish forces to victory over the Swedes at the
battle of Nyborg
The Battle of Nyborg was a battle fought between Sweden and the combined forces of Denmark, Dutch naval forces under Michiel de Ruyter, troops of Brandenburg-Prussia, and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth forces under Stefan Czarniecki. The battl ...
.
When the
Scanian War broke out, Schack was commander-in-chief of the Danish army (after the king), but his poor health did not let him participate in the campaign and he died before the second campaign season had started.
[Christian den femtes rosenborgtapeter fra den skaanske krig, Gudmund Boesen, Copenhagen 1949, p.12]
Political role
Schack was a popular figure in Copenhagen, not only as a defender of the city against the Swedes, but as a defender of its
privileges. In 1660 he was
co-opted to the Danish ''
Rigsråd'', in spite of being a recently naturalized foreigner. When
Frederick III in the same year overthrow the Danish constitution, and created an
absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...
, Schack was, together with
Hannibal Sehested, the King's main supporter in the ''Rigsråd'', persuading the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
and
bourgeoisie to support the regime change. The King needed loyal supporters in the government, and Schack was in 1660 appointed to ''Rigsfeltherre'' (commander-in-chief of the Danish army), and made president of the Board of War, a member of the Board of State, and
''Stiftsbefalingsmand'' of
Ribe stift. In 1670 he was also appointed a member of the ''Gehejmekonseil'' (Privy Council), which that year was created as a successor to the ''Rigsråd''. Within the new government, he was the leading proponent of the military party, in opposition to Sehested and the Treasury, and an efficient administrator of military affairs. As a reward, he was in 1661 given Møgeltønder in
fee simple, and became one of the first
enfeoff
In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ti ...
ed
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
s, ''Lensgreve'', when the King in 1671 created that dignity.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schack, Hans
1608 births
1676 deaths
Field marshals
Danish generals
French generals
17th-century Danish people
Danish nobility
17th-century Swedish military personnel
French military personnel of the Thirty Years' War
17th-century German military personnel
Burials at Trinitatis Church
Schack family