Johan Ludvig Holstein,

Lensgreve 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: ...

til

Ledreborg Ledreborg is a palatial mansion near Lejre, to the southwest of Roskilde on the Danish island of Zealand. Today's Baroque building was completed in 1746 by Minister of State Johan Ludvig Holstein (1694–1763) who commissioned J.C. Krieger to c ...

(7 September 1694 – 29 January 1763) was a Danish

Minister of state Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

from 1735 to 1751. The Danish colony Holsteinsborg on

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

(now

Sisimiut Sisimiut (), formerly known as Holsteinsborg, is the capital and largest city of the Qeqqata municipality, the second-largest city in Greenland, and the largest Arctic city in North America.The term 'city' is loosely used to describe any popula ...

), was named after him. He was the ancestor of the Holstein-Ledreborg family, including

Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg Johan Ludvig Carl Christian Tido Holstein (10 June 1839 – 1 March 1912), was a Danish politician who was Minister of State of Denmark. He was Council President of Denmark for two months, from 16 August to 28 October 1909. He also served as ...

and Knud Johan Ludvig, Lensgreve Holstein til Ledreborg, husband of

Princess Marie Gabriele of Luxembourg Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Luxembourg (Marie-Gabrielle Aldegunde Wilhelmine Louise; born 2 August 1925) is a Luxembourgish princess, the third daughter and fourth child of Grand Duchess Charlotte (1896–1985) and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma ...

. In 1739 he built Ledreborg Manor near

Lejre Lejre is a railway town, with a population of 3,127 (1 January 2022),Johan Georg Holstein Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...

, who would himself become Danish prime minister, and Ida Frederikke Joachime of the

Bülow family The House of Bülow () is the name of an old German and Danish noble family of Mecklenburg origin, members of which have borne the title of Baron (''Freiherr''), Count (''Graf'') or Prince (''Fürst''). History The family traces its main line ba ...

. He was born on 7 September 1694, at the

Lübz Lübz is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Elde, 12 km northeast of Parchim. It is home to the Mecklenburgische Brauerei Lübz, the largest local employer and on ...

castle which belonged to his maternal grandmother. His tutors during his upbringing included J. W. Schröder who later would go on to tutor

Christian VI of Denmark 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 ...

. In 1711 his father sent him to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

where he studied with

Johann Albert Fabricius Johann Albert Fabricius (11 November 1668 – 30 April 1736) was a German classical scholar and bibliographer. Biography Fabricius was born at Leipzig, son of Werner Fabricius, director of music in the church of St. Paul at Leipzig, who was the ...

for a year. Subsequently, he studied and traveled at various places in Germany, the Netherlands, France and England until 1716, when he became a courtier and civil servant in Denmark. Holm (DBL), pp.37–38

Career in Denmark

He obtained the position of marshal of the court to Crown Prince Christian (later King Christian VI) in 1721.Johan Ludvig Holstein

Store norske leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' ( no, Store Norske Leksikon, abbreviated ''SNL''), is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian published sites, with more than two million unique vis ...

(2005–2007) In 1727, he became a member of the

College of Missions The College of Missions ( da, Missionskollegiet; la, Collegium de cursu Evangelii promovendo) or Royal Mission College (') was a Dano-Norwegian association based in Copenhagen which funded and directed Protestant missions under royal patronage. A ...

where his father was president, and the same year he also became director of the ''Waisenhuset'', an orphanage King Frederick IV founded that year. Holm (DBL), p.38 When Christian VI became king in 1730, he appointed Holstein ''stiftsamtmand'' (''

amtmann __NOTOC__ The ''Amtmann'' or ''Ammann'' (in Switzerland) was an official in German-speaking countries of Europe and in some of the Nordic countries from the time of the Middle Ages whose office was akin to that of a bailiff. He was the most seni ...

'' and co-administrator of the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

with the bishop) of Zealand and ''amtmann'' of Copenhagen and

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

. In February 1734, he was appointed Minister of Finance. As the new king soon became disappointed in the men he originally had chosen to lead the chanceries, he appointed Holstein leading secretary of the Danish chancery (a position often known as Minister of State) on 12 May 1735, replacing

Iver Rosenkrantz Iver Eriksen Rosenkrantz (5 December 1674 – 13 November 1745) was a Danish statesman and landowner. Education and early career Iver Rosenkrantz was born at Rosenholm Castle (''Rosenholm Slot'') in Hornslet, Denmark. He was the son of Erik R ...

. At the same time, he became member of the king's council (''Konseillet''). Holm (DBL), p.39 In 1740, he also replaced Rosenkrantz as patron of the

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

. In 1757, he additionally became first member of a special agricultural committee which was operative for several years. Holstein was in regular correspondence with the King about daily affairs and matters with which the King was occupied.

Religious and scientific interests

Holstein was deeply religious with

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 ...

leanings. In his older days he studied

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

in order to be able to read the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

in its original language. Holm (DBL), p.41 He also studied philosophy and history.

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

was among the philosophers he read, and he corresponded with Johann Lorenz von Mosheim and

Johann Matthias Gesner Johann Matthias Gesner (9 April 1691 – 3 August 1761) was a German classical scholar and schoolmaster. Life He was born at Roth an der Rednitz near Ansbach. His father, Johann Samuel Gesner, a pastor in Auhausen, died in 1704, leaving the fa ...

. In Denmark, he was in contact with historians Hans Gram and Andreas Hojer. With the permission of the King, Holstein and Gram founded the

Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters {{Infobox organization , name = The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters , full_name = , native_name = Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab , native_name_lang = , logo = Royal ...

on 13 November 1742. Holm (DBL), p.42 He served as president of the Academy for the rest of his lifetime and the meetings were held at his residence. The academy opted right from the beginning to publish in

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 ...

rather than

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, even though German was Holstein's mother tongue as well as the language of many academics in Denmark at that time.

Personal life and Ledreborg

Holstein married Hedevig Vind (1707–1756), a Danish noblewoman, in 1733. They had three children, among them

Christian Frederik Holstein Count Christian Frederik Holstein (1735-1799), was a Danish court official. He was secretary of the royal Chancery from 1752, count of Ledreborg from 1763, director of the royal post office in 1762-66, chamberlain of the court of the queen, Carol ...

. With the help of her inheritance, capital obtained from selling his properties in

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

, and his income as a civil servant Holstein was able to buy land in the

area, where he built the Ledreborg mansion. Ledreborg was first established as a ''stamhus'' (

family seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families to ...

) and in 1750 converted into a

comital 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: ...

trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

(Danish: ''lensgrevskap''). Holm (DBL), p.43 At his death Holstein left a library of 20,000 books, as well as a collection of handwritten manuscripts. Both are now in the Royal Library in Copenhagen.

Decorations

Knight 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 ...

(1727) *

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 ...

(1747)

Notes

Bibliography

* 1897–1905. Via

Project Runeberg Project Runeberg ( sv, Projekt Runeberg) is a digital cultural archive initiative that publishes free electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries. Patterned after Project Gutenberg, it was founded ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ledreborg, Johan Ludvig Lensgreve Holstein Til 1694 births 1763 deaths 18th-century Danish landowners People from Lübz Government ministers of Denmark Burials at the Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen