Ludvig Henrik Carl Herman Holstein, Greve til Holsteinborg (18 July 1815 – 28 April 1892), was a Danish politician, landowner and noble. He was

Council President of Denmark The prime minister of Denmark ( da, Danmarks statsminister, fo, Forsætisráðharri, kl, Ministeriuneq) is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Island ...

from 28 May 1870 to 14 July 1874 (4 years, 1 month, 16 days).

Early life

Holstein was born at Holsteinborg Manor in

Slagelse Slagelse () is a town on Zealand, Denmark. The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality, and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of Korsør, 16 km north-east of Skælskør, 33 km south-east of Kalundborg and 14 km ...

, Denmark. He was a son of Friedrich Adolph Holstein, Count of Holsteinborg, and Wilhelmine Juliane Reventlow. He was a descendant of

Ulrik Adolf Holstein Ulrik Adolf Holstein, Greve til Holsteinborg (14 April 1664 – 21 August 1737) was a Danish nobleman and statesman. Life He was born in Schleswig-Holstein. His father, Adam Christopher von Holstein (1631-1690) owned Netzeband and Buchhol ...

(1664–1737) and was the 7th Count of Holsteinborg. In 1836 he enrolled at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

but graduated from 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 ...

Premiership

Although he was himself a member of the Centre Party ( da, Mellempartiet), Holstein led a coalition between the National Landowners and the National Liberals. The ministry was dominated by its three National Liberal ministers,

Carl Christian Hall Carl Christian Hall (25 February 1812 – 14 August 1888) was a Denmark, Danish politician, statesman. Hall served as the Council President of Denmark (Prime Minister of Denmark, Prime Minister), first from 1857 to 1859 and again from 1860 to 186 ...

Andreas Frederik Krieger Andreas Frederik Krieger (4 October 1817, Kolbjørnsvik – 27 September 1893) was a Danish politician, government minister, professor of law and supreme court judge. He was a member of the National Constitutional Assembly from 1848 to 1849, ...

and Carl Emil Fenger. As Prime Minister, Holstein rarely put forward his own opinions; his role was so passive that editor Vilhelm Topsøe satirized him as ''"the topping on the

Kransekake (Danish) or (Norwegian) is a traditional Danish cuisine, Danish and Norwegian cuisine, Norwegian confection, often eaten on special occasions in Scandinavia. In English, the name means ''wreath cake''. In Norway it is alternatively referred to ...

"''. In 1870, he received the Grand Cross of

Order 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 a ...

and was knighted in the

Order 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 ...

. In 1862 he had become Dannebrogsmand and in 1872 he had received the Merit Medal in gold.

Personal life

On 21 March 1850, Holstein married Bodild Joachimine "Mimi" Zahrtmann (1830–1876), the daughter of Navy Minister Admiral C.C. Zahrtmann. They had five children, including: * Count Ulrik Adolph Holstein (1851–1883), who married Amalie Charlotte Sophie Hullstrøm in 1877. * Countess Bodild Mimi (b. 1853), who married C.F. Donner in Hamburg in 1873. * Count Frederik Conrad Christian Christoffer (1856–1924), who married Ellen Elisabeth Lindholm. * Countess Sophie Elizabeth "Else" (1859–1935), who married Godtfred Bruun Neergaard. * Countess Fritze Wilhelmine Wanda Theodora (b. 1867), who married Oscar Siegfred Christian O'Neill Oxholm (1855–1926), son of Oscar O'Neill Oxholm. She died in 1876. He married Betzy Laura Rasmussen on 30 November 1878, with whom he had one son: * Count Henrik Frants Harald Holstein (b. 1879), who married Anna Margrethe Jensen. Count Holstein died on 28 April 1892.

References

1815 births 1892 deaths People from Slagelse Municipality Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Prime Ministers of Denmark Members of the Folketing 19th-century Danish politicians Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog 19th-century Danish nobility Counts of Denmark Holstein family {{Denmark-politician-stub