Niels Rosenkrantz (9 September 1757 in

Øyestad Øyestad is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1992 when it was merged into the present-day municipality of Arendal which is now located in Agder county. At the time of its di ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

- 6 January 1824 in Copenhagen) was a Danish-Norwegian

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and prime minister. He was the son of Otto Christian Rosenkrantz and Karen Johanne Rønning. After a short time of service in the military, Niels Rosenkrantz began to serve as a diplomat. In 1783, he was appointed as the Danish minister in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. In 1784, he was assigned as the Danish minister in St. Petersburg. He became the Danish minister in residence of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

in 1787. He served as the Danish Chamberlain and charge d'affaires at the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n court in 1789. In 1795, he served as the Danish ambassador to the Prussian court in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. In 1800, he was appointed as an ambassador to the Russian court. That same year, he became a knight of the Order of Dannebrog. In 1801, he was ordered by Czar Paul I to immediately leave Russia. He was re-invited to be the ambassador to the Russian court 1802-04 following Paul I's assassination and the ascension of his successor,

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of ...

. In 1808, he served as a messenger between Denmark and

Emperor Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. He became a peace agent to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

in 1809. In 1810, he began to work with the messengers to Bonaparte again. That same year he was appointed as the head

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

. In 1811, he became a Knight of 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 ...

. Niels Rosenkrantz was born into a poor family. However, he became a fairly prosperous landowner when his distant relative Prime Minister

Frederik Christian Rosenkrantz Frederik Christian Rosenkrantz (January 19, 1724 - May 15, 1802) was a Danish noble, statesman and a wealthy landowner. Background Frederik Christian Rosenkrantz was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the son of Privy Iver Rosenkrantz (1674–17 ...

designated him as his sole heir. He then came into the estates at Ryegaard, Egholm, Krabbesholm and Trudsholm in North Zealand, and Barritskov in Jutland. In 1791, he married Princess Varvara Alexandrovna Vyazemskaya (1774-1849), the youngest daughter of Prince

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, Catherine II's Attorney General. He is buried in Rye churchyard near his manor Ryegård west of

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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenkrantz, Niels 18th-century Danish diplomats 19th-century Danish diplomats 1757 births 1824 deaths Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog R