General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Joachim Melchior Holten von Castenschiold (29 November 1743 – 6 April 1817) was a

Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structur ...

officer who served during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. Castenschiold purchased

Borreby Castle Borreby Castle ( da, Borreby Slot, ) is a fortified manor house located near Skælskør, Slagelse Municipality, in the south-west corner of the island of Zealand, in eastern Denmark. History Early history First mentioned in 1345, by the end of th ...

in 1783, the estate of which has been owned by the family ever since.

Biography

He was son of slaveholding planter

Johan Lorentz Castenschiold Johan Lorentz Castenschiold (13 May 1705 – 19 June 1745) was a Danish nobleman, landowner and planter. Early life Johan Lorentz Carstens was born on 13 May 1705 on the island of Saint Thomas in the Danish West Indies. His parents were a Danis ...

and his wife Jacoba von Holten. In 1760, Castenschiold enlisted in the

Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...

as an officer at the Schleswig

Cuirassier Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adop ...

Regiment, and was eventually promoted to the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in 1776. He became commander of the Royal Horse Guards in 1784 (the regiment was eventually discontinued in 1866). He was promoted further, becoming

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in 1788, and finally

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in 1802. On a more curious note, Castenschiold became involved in the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

against Count Struensee in 1772. Because of Queen Caroline Matilda's dislike of Castenschiold, he was chosen to escort her to

Kronborg Kronborg is a castle and stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe and was inscribed on the UNE ...

together with 30 dragoons after she was arrested. In 1807, Castenschiold led the East Danish (mainly Zealandic) territorial force, which was established to defend Denmark during the

. His efforts culminated in the

Battle of Køge The Battle of Køge was a battle on 29 August 1807 between British troops besieging Copenhagen and Danish militia raised on Sjælland. It ended in British victory and is also known as 'Træskoslaget' or 'the Clogs Battle', since many of the Dani ...

on 29 August 1807, where Castenschiold's force of around 7,000 militiamen was defeated by well-equipped British forces under General Arthur Wellesley (later 1st Duke of Wellington). Castenschiold was later prosecuted together with the other military leaders in Copenhagen, but was acquitted.

Personal life

He was part of the landed gentry. In 1781, when he was in his late thirties, he married Elisabeth Behagen. His holdings included the manor

which has been owned by his descendants ever since. He died on 6 April 1817 at Borreby and is buried at Magleby Church.

In popular culture

Castenschiold appears as a character in

Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...

's 2001 novel ''

Sharpe's Prey ''Sharpe's Prey'' is the fifth historical novel in the Sharpe (novel series), Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 2001. The story is set in 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars . Second Lieutenant Richard Sharpe is sent to ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castenschiold 1743 births 1817 deaths Danish military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Danish generals Castenschiold family