Frederik Danneskjold-Samsøe (1 November 1703 – 18 July 1778) was a Danish politician, minister, admiral, chief of the Danish-Norwegian marine and count of the Barony
Marselisborg. In his time Danneskjold-Samsøe held numerous public offices and was awarded the
Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...
,
Order of the Elephant
The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, 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 monarchy in ...
and the
Ordre de l'Union Parfaite
The Ordre de l'Union Parfaite was created by Queen consort Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Sophie Magdalene of Denmark and Norway on 7 August 1732 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of her happy marriage with King Christian VI of Denma ...
and was made
Chamberlain. In 1767 he was ousted from his positions and spent the rest of his life focused on
philanthropy
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
and socializing, in part with
Christian Jacobsen Drakenberg.
Biography
Frederik Danneskjold-Samsøe was born at Assendrup Manor in 1703, the son of
Christian Gyldenløve
Christian Gyldenløve, Landgrave of Samsøe (Copenhagen, 28 February 1674 – Odense, 16 July 1703), was a Danish nobleman and military officer. He was one of five illegitimate children fathered by Christian V of Denmark with Sophie Amalie Moth. ...
and
Dorothea Krag. At nine years old, he and his brother Christian Danneskiold-Samsøe were sent to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
where he stayed until he was 16. He became interested in all things related to ships, from regulations, to building them, to their inner mechanical workings. After he left England he spent some time in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
before he moved to
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
to pursue maritime studies. In 1721 Danneskjold-Samsøe returned to Denmark and sought a career in the Danish navy, hoping for help from his uncle king
Frederik IV. However, no commands in the navy appeared and instead he commanded companies in the
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
and
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
. On 31 July 1724 he married Dorothea Wedell-Wedellsborg at the age of 21 and had 3 sons and six daughters, although only one son and two daughters lived to adulthood.
In 1729 he was appointed to the
Geheimrat
was the title of the highest advising officials at the imperial, royal, or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic reigns in Ge ...
. When
Christian VI became king Danneskjold-Samsøe again sought employment in the navy but this time he was hired as an assessor for the
Danish Supreme Court
The Supreme Court (, lit. ''Highest Court'', , ) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is based at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen which also houses the Danish P ...
and the Royal Court. In 1731 he was finally hired in the administration of the navy where he proved an effective administrator. However, he had a vocal and abrasive temperament which created conflict with
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Poul Vendelbo Løvenørn who controlled both the Danish navy and army at the time. In 1735 Christian VI took Danneskjold-Samsøe's side and split command of the navy and army up, and placed the navy under Danneskjold-Samsøe's command, now as Secretary of the Navy. The following year he was made
Intendant
An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...
, a title he kept through Christian VI's governance. In 1739 he was appointed to the
Geheimrat
was the title of the highest advising officials at the imperial, royal, or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic reigns in Ge ...
, in 1739 he was given the
Ordre de l'Union Parfaite
The Ordre de l'Union Parfaite was created by Queen consort Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Sophie Magdalene of Denmark and Norway on 7 August 1732 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of her happy marriage with King Christian VI of Denma ...
and in 1743 he was made
Lieutenant admiral.
Danneskjold-Samsøe had a strong personality and made enemies. When
Christian VI died in 1746 Danneskjold-Samsøe was quickly removed from his position in the navy. He lived some years in retirement, first on
Søllerødgård Manor, later at
Marselisborg Manor at
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...
. In 1760 the king called him back into service, first at
Sorø Akademi
Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in east Denmark with a population of 8,433 (2025). in 1760 and later as the royal representative in Sorø and Ringsted Counties. He worked at the Academy for 4 years until he was finally fired for incessant complaining over the budget.
Frederik Danneskjold-Samsøe died on 18 July 1770 on Marselisborg Manor and is buried in the
Church of Our Lady in Aarhus.
Legacy
The street ''Danneskiold-Samsøes Allé'' on
Holmen in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
is named for him. In
Jægerspris Slot a memorial stone carved by
Johannes Wiedewelt was erected in 1778. In
Gisselfeld there is a
pastel
A pastel () is an art medium that consists of powdered pigment and a binder (material), binder. It can exist in a variety of forms, including a stick, a square, a pebble, and a pan of color, among other forms. The pigments used in pastels are ...
by
Carl Gustaf Pilo
Carl Gustaf Pilo (5 March 1711 – 2 March 1793) was a Swedish painter. Pilo worked extensively in Denmark as a painter to the Danish Royal Court and as professor and director at the Royal Danish Academy of Art (), as well as in his native S ...
from 1745 and several portraits by
Johan Friedrich Arends 1770 and 1771. In addition paintings at
Sorø Akademi
Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in east Denmark with a population of 8,433 (2025). (likely by
Peder Als).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danneskiold-Samsøe, Frederik
1703 births
1770 deaths
People from Næstved Municipality
Order of the Dannebrog
18th-century Danish landowners
Politicians from Denmark–Norway
Jurists from Denmark–Norway
18th-century Danish judges
Supreme Court (Denmark) justices
Counts of Denmark
Burials at Church of Our Lady (Aarhus)
Danneskiold-Samsøe family