Ludvig Rosenkrantz (18 April 1628 – 23 August 1685) was a Danish-born noble, military officer, civil servant, and land owner who settled in Norway. He was a member of the noble
Rosenkrantz
Rosenkranz is the German word for rosary.
Rosenkranz, Rosenkrantz, Rosencrance, Rosencrans or Rosencrantz may refer to:
* Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two characters in Shakespeare's ''Hamlet''
* ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'', a 1966 ...
family and the first
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
of Norway.
Biography
Ludvig Holgerssøn Rosenkrantz was born in
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...
, Denmark. He was a member of one of the old families of nobility in Denmark. His parents were Colonel Holger Frederiksen Rosenkrantz (1599–1634) and Justine Maximiliansdatter van der Lauwick. As the son of nobility, Rosenkrantz received royal funding to travel abroad and educate himself to become an officer in the Norwegian army.
He became a captain in 1654 and in 1658 he was appointed by King
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III ( da, Frederik; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bi ...
to be war commander of
Nordafjells. He served as
General War Commissioner General War Commissioner (from German ''Generalkriegskommissarius'') was a military office in various German states as well as in Denmark-Norway. It was the military officer in charge of national conscription, collection of war contributions, equi ...
(''Generalkrigskommisær'') of Norway starting in 1673. He was also appointed a judge in Norway's highest court (''Overhoffretten''). He was decorated with the
Order of 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 1684.
In 1673, he was appointed
County Governor of Stavanger Amt and he was based in the city of
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
. He was promoted in 1680 when he was appointed as the
Diocesan Governor of Stavanger Stiftamt (the larger overarching diocese that included the subordinate ''Stavanger Amt'' county of which he was already the governor). He held both posts for a time. In 1683, the King moved his job to the
town of Christianssand and renamed the job
Diocesan Governor of Christianssand. He reluctantly moved to Christianssand, but since he no longer was in Stavanger, he essentially traded jobs with
Daniel Knoff
Daniel Danielsen Knoff (1614–1687) was a Dano-Norwegian civil servant and politician. He served as the County Governor of three different counties: Romsdalen county from 1680 until 1681, Lister og Mandal county from 1681 until 1683, and i ...
, the
County Governor of Lister og Mandals Amt. Knoff moved to Stavanger became the County Governor of Stavanger Amt and Rosenkratz became the County Governor of Lister og Mandals Amt.
[
In 1657-1658, he married ]Karen Mowat
Karen Mowat (c. 16301675) was a Norwegian noblewoman, an heiress, and landowner of Scottish origins.
Biography
Probably born in Tysnes in present-day Hordaland, Karen Mowat was the daughter of Admiral Axel Mowat (15921661) and Karen Knudsda ...
(1630-1675), the daughter of Axel Mowat
Axel Mowat (1592 – 27 January 1661) was a Norwegian naval officer and land owner.
Mowat was born in Sunnhordland, probably on the Hovland farm at Tysnes which his father had acquired ca. 1590. Mowat was the son of Anders Mowat til Hovl ...
(1592– 1661). His father-in-law was one of the largest landowner in western Norway. They were the parents of four sons and five daughters. After the death of his first wife, he married Clara Catharina von Stockhausen (d. 1689), who had previously served as the chambermaid of Queen Charlotte Amalie, wife of King Christian V of Denmark
Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.
Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...
.[
Through his marriage with ]Karen Mowat
Karen Mowat (c. 16301675) was a Norwegian noblewoman, an heiress, and landowner of Scottish origins.
Biography
Probably born in Tysnes in present-day Hordaland, Karen Mowat was the daughter of Admiral Axel Mowat (15921661) and Karen Knudsda ...
, who following the deaths of her brothers was the sole heiress of her father's fortune, Rosenkrantz achieved an estate which eventually formed the basis for Barony Rosendal
Barony Rosendal (Norwegian: ''Baroniet Rosendal'') is a historic estate and manor house situated in Kvinnherad in Hordaland county, Norway. The barony was built in the 17nth century by danish noblemen on the old estate of Norwegian noble Galte fa ...
at Kvinnherad
Kvinnherad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, along the Hardangerfjorden. The municipality was the 5th in size in former Hordaland county.
The administrative centre of the mu ...
in Hordaland
Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Municipal ...
. In 1678, King Christian V gave the estate the status of Barony of Rosendal (''Baroniet Rosendal'') at which time, Rosenkrantz became the first (and only) baron in Norway.
References
Related reading
*
External links
Baroniet Rosendal website
1628 births
1685 deaths
People from Odense
17th-century Danish nobility
17th-century Norwegian military personnel
17th-century Norwegian civil servants
Norwegian landowners
Norwegian military leaders
Order of the Dannebrog
17th-century Norwegian nobility
County governors of Norway
Rosenkrantz family
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