Iver Eriksen Rosenkrantz (5 December 1674 – 13 November 1745) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

statesman and landowner.

Education and early career

Iver Rosenkrantz was born at

Rosenholm Castle Rosenholm Castle ( da, Rosenholm Slot) is Denmark's oldest family-owned castle. It is located on Djursland, north of Hornslet and northeast of Aarhus. It is one of the best-preserved complexes from the golden age of the manor house – from 15 ...

(''Rosenholm Slot'') in

Hornslet Hornslet is a town located in East Jutland, on the southwestern part of the Djursland peninsula, Denmark. It is a commuter town of the city of Aarhus, which lies approximately 28 kilometers to the southwest, and a railway town at Grenaabanen, th ...

, Denmark. He was the son of Erik Rosenkrantz til Rosenholm (1612–1681) and his third wife Margaret Krabbe til

Vemmetofte Vemmetofte Convent ( da, Vemmetofte Adelige Jomfrukloster, Vemmetofte Kloster) is a former manor house in Faxe Municipality south of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was turned into a convent by Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark in 1735. Since 1975 it has ...

(1640-1716). His father was a nobleman and statesman who died when Iver was aged 7. Iver's mother hailed from the province of Scania (Skåne) which was ceded to the Swedes in 1658. Iver's maternal grandfather

Iver Krabbe Iver Krabbe (March 22, 1602 – October 30, 1666) was a Danish nobleman, military officer, and governor-general in Norway. Biography Iver Krabbe was born at Övedskloster Manor in the province of Scania in eastern Denmark, the son of Tage Krabb ...

was a prominent politician and army man, one-time governor of Norway. Iver Krabbe and his wife (young Iver's grandmother), Karen Marsvin, settled in Denmark after the cession of Scania, but young Iver still had two aunts and an uncle in what was now southern Sweden. Iver's uncle, Baron Jørgen Krabbe of Krogholm (now Krageholm), was very fond of him. Unfortunately, Jørgen Krabbe was executed by the Swedes in 1678, in the midst of the

Scanian War The Scanian War ( da, Skånske Krig, , sv, Skånska kriget, german: Schonischer Krieg) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, ...

. Iver received a rigorous education. In 1691 he came to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

to attend the Knight Academy (''Ridderakademi''). Three years later he took a trip abroad returning in 1697. In January 1698, 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 ...

(''Kammerjunker'') to Princess Sophia Hedwig (1677-1735).

Diplomat

In 1700, King

Frederick IV of Denmark Frederick IV (Danish: ''Frederik''; 11 October 1671 – 12 October 1730) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V of Denmark-Norway and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Early lif ...

sent Rosenkrantz on a diplomatic mission to meet with King

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of t ...

, though he returned unsuccessful. In 1702 he was appointed a Counsellor and then served as Danish ambassador to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

1702–1706 and 1710–1714. On his return, he was appointed Secretary of the Board of Trade (''

Kommercekollegiet Kommercekollegiet (The Board of Trade or The Trade Authority), also Kommercekollegium, was a central executive agency for commercial, marine and industrial affairs under the absolute monarchy of Denmark. It functioned with variations in scope and un ...

''). With Frederick IV relying increasingly on his Queen

Anne 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 ...

, and with Rozenkrantz critical of the Danish aristocracy, he was stripped of his titles and appointed governor of Viborg, thereby removing him from central government, although he remained on good terms with the King's siblings.

Minister of State

When Frederick IV died in 1730, the new King

Christian VI Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

immediately called Rosenkrantz back to Copenhagen, where he was appointed a

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 ...

and appointed Chief of the two Danish Chancellories. During the hostility between

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, he backed England. He was also known for his patronage of

Copenhagen University The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...

. He was dismissed in 1735 following a disagreement with the king regarding foreign policy.

Personal life

He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in June 1713. He married twice: in 1702 with Birgitte Gersdorff (1677-1719), daughter of Frederik Gersdorff til Aakær, Chief Master of Ceremonies, of Ravnholt and

Tølløse Tølløse, a railroad town, has a population of 3,759 (1 January 2022).Charlotte Amalie Skeel Charlotte Amalie Skeel (1700-1763), was a Danish noble. She was the object of a famous scandal of the royal court. Skeel was the issue of Christen Skeel (1663-1709) and Charlotte Amalie von Plessen (1683-1760). In 1721, she married Iver Rosenkr ...

and Rosenkrantz were the parents of six children including Frederik Christian Rosenkrantz (1724-1802). Iver Rosenkrantz died on the year 1745 at Rosenholm Castle. He was buried at Hornslet Church (''Hornslet kirke'').

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:RosenKrantz, Iver 1674 births 1745 deaths People from Syddjurs Municipality 17th-century Danish nobility 18th-century Danish nobility 18th-century Danish diplomats Danish civil servants Fellows of the Royal Society Ambassadors of Denmark to the United Kingdom 17th-century Danish people 18th-century Danish people

Education and early career

Diplomat

Minister of State

Personal life

See also

References