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. Rosehagen

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

, 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 ...

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 ...

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

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 {{Norway-gov-bio-stub

Biography

References

Related reading

External links