Heinrich von Reuss (1707–1783) was a German noble and Danish government official. He served as the County Governor of several counties in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. Starting from a distinctly

pietistic Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...

home, he was sent in 1732 to Denmark. He was appointed

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

in 1739 and a year later he was made a knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

. In 1742 he was appointed Diocesan Governor of Christianssand stiftamt (and simultaneously named County Governor of Nedenæs amt) in southern

. He held that post until 1746 when he was transferred to

be the County Governor of

Sorø Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in east Denmark. The population is 7,999 (2022).

amt. The following year he was named as chief court officer at the newly formed Sorø Academy. During his stay in this country, Count Reuss acquired the

Danish language Danish (; , ) is a North Germanic language spoken by about six million people, principally in and around Denmark. Communities of Danish speakers are also found in Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the northern German region of Southern Schles ...

so well that at the inauguration of the academy in 1747 he gave the opening speech in Danish. Büsching describes the count as a gentleman not without learned knowledge, also God-fearing and a human friend, but too dependent on his rich wife. From 1748 to 1754 he was county governor of

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen. Tourism and transport Ringsted is one of Denmark's busiest ...

County. Then in 1754, he was transferred to be the county governor of

Sønderborg County Sønderborg County ( da, Sønderborg Amt) is a former province in Denmark, located on the island of Als and the easternmost part of Southern Jutland. Sønderborg County was established in 1920 following the reunification of Denmark and South Jutl ...

. In 1747, he was named a

Geheimrat ''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...

and in 1779 received the

Order 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 ...

. In 1765 he left Denmark and moved to

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

where he entered service there as a government minister. He died 17 May 1783.

References

1707 births 1783 deaths County governors of Norway {{Denmark-bio-stub