Otto Didrik Schack, Count of Schackenborg (21 September 1652 – 1 July 1683) was a Danish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

and feudal count ( da, lensgreve). He was the first holder of the

County of Schackenborg The County of Schackenborg was a Danish and for a period German majorat in the southern part of Jutland, which existed from 1676 to 1924. History The County of Schackenborg was established on 23 June 1676 by King Christian V of Denmark for Ot ...

from 1676 to 1683.

Biography

Otto Didrik Schack was born on 21 September 1652 in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

in the

Duchy of Holstein The Duchy of Holstein (german: Herzogtum Holstein, da, Hertugdømmet Holsten) was the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the present German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It originated when King Christian I of Denmark had his ...

. Born into the

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

of Schack, he was the third child and eldest son of the Danish

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

and

privy councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

Hans Schack Hans Schack (28 October 1608 – 27 February 1676) was a member of the north German noble family Schack, who after many years in French service, entered the Danish service, made major contributions during the war with Sweden, and loyally supported ...

, and his wife Anna Blome.Danmarks Adels Aarbog, 1932
p. 62. In 1667, he was made a

hofjunker ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a noble court, court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply ...

at the Danish court. From 1670 to 1671 he was educated at the

knight academy Knight academies were first established in Western European states in the late 16th century. They prepared aristocratic youth for state and military service. It added to the hitherto rudimentary education of the aristocratic youth natural science, ...

Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

that prepared aristocratic youth for state and military service, and in 1671, he was made a

kammerjunker ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply waited on t ...

at the Danish court. In 1674 he was appointed

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 ...

of the

Amt Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...

of Riberhus, and on 14 June the same year he was awarded the

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 ...

. At the death of his father in 1676, he inherited the large manors of

Schackenborg Schackenborg Castle ( da, Schackenborg Slot, ) is a château located in Møgeltønder, Southern Jutland. From 1993 until 2014, it was the private residence of Prince Joachim of Denmark, the second son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. History Ori ...

and

Gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure wate ...

Southern Jutland Southern Jutland ( da, Sønderjylland; German: Südjütland) is the name for the region south of the Kongeå in Jutland, Denmark and north of the Eider (river) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The region north of the Kongeå is called da, Nørr ...

, and

Gisselfeld Gisselfeld, a former monastery, is Denmark's fifth-largest estate. Located between Haslev and Næstved, it extends into several municipalities but the main building is located in Braaby Parish in Faxe Municipality. The estate measures 3,850 hecta ...

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

. Later in the same year, on 23 June 1676, he was awarded the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

of feudal count ( da, lensgreve), as the

was created from the manors of

, Sødamgård, Solvig, and

Store Tønde Store may refer to: Enterprises * Retail store, a shop where merchandise is sold, usually products and usually on a retail basis, and where wares are often kept ** App store, an online retail store where apps are sold, included in many mobile op ...

. Count Schack died already on 1 July 1683, aged only 30, in

Itzehoe Itzehoe (; nds, Itzhoe) is a town in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As the capital of the district Steinburg, Itzehoe is located on the Stör, a navigable tributary of the Elbe, 51 km (31.7 mi) northwest of Hamburg and 24 ...

in the

. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

Family

Schack married firstly in 1671 Magdalene Rantzau, daughter of Bertram Rantzau and Dorothea Brockdorff. She died in labour the following year, giving birth to a still-born child. Schack married secondly on 26 April 1674 Sophie Dorothea von Marschalck, daughter of Johann Friedrich von Marschalck and Margrethe Bielke, by whom he had 6 children: * Baron Christian Schack (1675–1676) *

, who succeeded him as 2nd Count of Schackenborg. * Baron Johan Frederik Schack (1677–1690) * Baroness Charlotte Amalie Schack (1678–1690) * Baron Bertram Schack (1679–1728), who married Elisabeth Augusta von Arenstorff. They had 4 children. * Baron Ulrik Frederik Schack (1681–1742), who married Sophie Amalie Giedde. They had 5 children.

Notes and references

Bibliography

External links

Official website of Schackenborg Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schack, Otto Didrik, 1st Count Of Schackenborg 1652 births 1683 deaths 17th-century Danish people Burials at Trinitatis Church Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Counts of Denmark Schack family