Adam Wilhelm Moltke, 3rd Count of Bregentved (25 August 178515 February 1864) 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 characteris ...

, landowner, civil servant and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, who in 1848-1852 was the first

Prime Minister 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 ...

under the new

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

outlined in 1848 and signed as the

Danish Constitution The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark ( da, Danmarks Riges Grundlov), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution ( da, Grundloven, fo, Grundlógin, kl, Tunngaviusumik inatsit), is the c ...

on 5 June 1849 by Frederick VII of Denmark.

Early life and education

A member of the

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 ...

and

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 **Ge ...

noble family 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 characteris ...

Moltke The House of Moltke is the name of an old German noble family. The family was originally from Mecklenburg, but apart from Germany, some of the family branches also resided throughout Scandinavia. Members of the family have been noted as pigfarme ...

, Adam Wilhelm Moltke was born on 25 August 1785 at the Einsiedelsborg

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

on the island of

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...

, the son of Privy Counsellor Joachim Godske Moltke. His paternal grandfather was

Adam Gottlob Moltke Count Adam Gottlob von Moltke (10 November 171025 September 1792) was a Danish courtier, statesman and diplomat, and Favourite of Frederick V of Denmark. Moltke was born at Riesenhof in Mecklenburg. His son, Joachim Godske Moltke, and his gra ...

, the influential

Lord Steward The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is an official of the Royal Household in England. He is always a peer. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government. Until 1782, the office was one of considerable political importance a ...

and

royal favourite Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

of King Frederick V of Denmark and Norway. As a child, Moltke was tutored by

Jacob Peter Mynster Jacob Peter Mynster (8 November 1775 – 30 January 1854) was a Danish theologian and clergy member of the Church of Denmark. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1834 until his death. Mynster was notably used as an exemplar of con ...

, who later became the bishop of

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 ...

Career

He was known as a humane and patriarchal squire but was no outstanding political figure. From 1845, he was Minister of Financial Affairs. At the fall of the last absolute government, he too was dismissed but, a few days later, he was persuaded to form the new national government as the most suitable leader both as for his social position and as for his moderate views.

Prime minister of Denmark

The cabinet created on 22 March 1848 was called the '' March Cabinet''. On 16 November 1848 it was replaced by the '' November Cabinet'', which in turn was replaced by the '' July Cabinet'' on 13 July 1851, which again was replaced by the '' October Cabinet'' on 18 October 1851. The cabinet, originally a Conservative-Liberal one, gradually became more and more openly conservative both because of the general liberal withdrawal and because of foreign pressure. On 27 January 1852, Christian Albrecht Bluhme replaced Moltke as Prime Minister.

Property

Moltke succeeded his father as Count of Bregentved in 1818. He was also the owner of Merløsegaard north of

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen. Tourism and transport Ringsted is one of Denmark's busies ...

and Sofiedal.

Personal life

Molke was married twice. First to Frederikke Louise Knuth (1797-1819). After the death of his first wife, he married Marie Elisabeth Knuth (1791-1851), the sister of the first wife. They were the parents of: *

Frederik Georg Julius Moltke Frederik Georg Julius Moltke (27 February 1825 – 1 October 1875), Count of Bregentved, was a Danish landowner and politician. Early life and career Moltke was born in Copenhagen, the son of Adam Wilhelm Moltke (1785–1864) and Marie Elisabeth ...

(1825–1875) * Christian Moltke (1833–1918), who married Caroline Amalie komtesse Danneskiold (1843–1876) in 1865. Adam Wilhelm Moltke died on 15 February 1864 in Copenhagen and is buried in the Moltke burial chapel in Karise Church in the town Karise, located in Faxe Municipality.

Cape Moltke Cape Moltke ( da, Kap Moltke; kl, Kangeq) is a headland in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast Greenland, Kujalleq municipality. History There are numerous ancient Inuit ruins in the shores of the coves and islands near the cape, remains of the ...

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 i ...

was named after him in 1829 by Lieutenant

Wilhelm August Graah Wilhelm August Graah (1793–1863) was a Danish naval officer and Arctic explorer. Graah had mapped areas of West Greenland when he, in 1828–30, was sent by King Frederick VI of Denmark on an expedition to the unmapped eastern coast with t ...

(1793–1863).W. A. Graah, ''Narrative of an Expedition to the East Coast of Greenland, London, 1837'', p. 89

References