Johanne Henriette Valentine Danneskiold-Samsøe née Kaas (12 August 1776 28 July 1843) was a Danish countess who, when widowed, fulfilled her former husband's plans by founding the

Holmegaard Glass Factory Holmegaard Glass Factory ( da, Holmegaards Glasværk) is a glass factory located in the former municipality of Holmegaard just outside Næstved. History The home of Holmegaard Glassworks is located in the town of Fensmark, Holmegaard. The compa ...

near

Næstved Næstved () is a town in the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Næstved has several adult education centers, five elementary schools - and has at least one of each type of the four ...

in 1825. In so doing, she became one of Denmark's most notable early businesswomen. Danneskiold-Samsøe is also remembered for the correspondence she maintained with her former tutor Peder Deichmann.

Biography

Born on 12 August 1776 in Copenhagen, Johanne Henriette Valentine Kaas was one of the nine children of the naval officer Frederik Christian Kaas (1727–1894) and his wife Edele Sofie née Kaas (1746–1800). She was educated at home together with her sisters by the tutor Peder Deichmann with whom she corresponded actively until his death in 1816. On 30 November 1795, Henriette Kaas married Count Christian Conrad Danneskiold-Samsøe from the noble

Danneskiold-Samsøe The House of Danneskiold-Samsøe is a Danish family of high nobility associated with the Danish Royal Family, and who formerly held the island of Samsø as a fief. By royal statutory regulation, the Counts Danneskiold-Samsøe and their male-lin ...

family. They developed a truly romantic relationship which deepened over the years. Living on the large Gisselfeld Estate, they entertained the leading writers of the day, including

N.F.S. Grundtvig Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (; 8 September 1783 – 2 September 1872), most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential peo ...

and

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

. In the 1820s, after acquiring the Holmegaard estate, he planned to create a glass factory there as he realized the local peat could be used as fuel. He requested permission from the king to go ahead with his plans in 1823 but died before receiving an answer. Countess Danneskiold-Samsøe persisted, receiving permission from the king to build the factory. Despite having to care for her six children alone, she was able to open the Holmegaard Glasværk in 1825, originally producing green glass bottles but soon moving into fine crystal glass. Henriette Danneskiold-Samsøe died in Copenhagen on 28 July 1843.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danneskiold-Samsøe, Henriette 1776 births 1843 deaths Businesspeople from Copenhagen People from Næstved Municipality 19th-century Danish businesswomen Danish women company founders 19th-century Danish women landowners Danish company founders Danish countesses Danish letter writers Danneskiold-Samsøe family