Marcus Gjøe Rosenkrantz (25 January 176211 May 1838) was a Norwegian Government Minister and Member of Parliament.
Biography

Marcus Gjøe Rosenkrantz was born at Vigvoll,
Tveit
Tveit is a village and surrounding district in Oddernes borough in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The Tveit district is located in the northeastern part of Kristiansand, northeast of the Topdalsfjorden along the lower part of t ...
near
Kristiansand
Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...
, Norway. His father, Otto Christian Rosenkrantz, was a Danish-Norwegian career military officer in various Dano-Norwegian regiments who served as commander of
Vardøhus Fortress
Vardøhus Fortress (), called "Wardhouse" in English historical navigations, is located in Vardø Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the town of Vardø (town), Vardø on the island of Vardøya on the Barents Sea near the mo ...
. Marcus Gjøe was the younger brother of
Niels Rosenkrantz.
He attended the Royal Military mathematical school in
Christiania (now Oslo) from 1776 to 1780. In 1781, a became student at the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University.
...
where he earned his law degree in 1784. He worked for several years as an assessor for ''Overhoffretten'', the highest court in Norway and later the County Court in Christiania.
In 1786, he bought Lerbaek Hovedgard manor at
Frederikshavn
Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast on the North Jutlandic Island in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand.
The ...
with assets inherited from a distant relative, and moved there in 1790. In 1796, he married
Maren Juel, by which he became a sizable landowner. After the death of her husband, Peder Holter (1723–1786), Maren Juel owned and managed a number of properties including Losby in
Lørenskog
is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. A suburb of Oslo, it is part of the Oslo urban area and the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipa ...
as well as the estates
Hafslund and Borregaard in
Sarpsborg
Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg.
Sarpsbor ...
and the
Ljan Estate (''Ljansbruket'') which included Stubljan in
Nordstrand and
Hvitebjørn in
Oppegård
Oppegård is an area in Nordre Follo, Akershus, Norway. Oppegård was a municipality in the county Akershus.
It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Kolbotn. The municip ...
. In time, they became one of the largest sawmill owners and timber exporters in the country.
Rosenkrantz was among those who met at
Eidsvold in 1814, to discuss the future of Norway in the aftermath of the
Treaty of Kiel
The Treaty of Kiel () or Peace of Kiel ( Swedish and or ') was concluded between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Kingdom of Sweden on one side and the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway on the other side on 14 January 1814 ...
. He became
first minister
A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...
of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
during the period 1814–1815. He was elected as a Member of the
Storting
The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The Unicameralism, unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list propo ...
representing
Smaalenenes Amt (now Østfold) from 1818 to 1820 and from 1824 to 1827. From 1827 to 1829, he represented
Fredrikshald.
''Marcus Gjøe Rosenkrantz'' (Norsk samfunnsvitenskapelig)
/ref>
Honors
*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 ...
* Serafimerordenen
* Nordstjärneorden
References
Further reading
*Glenthoj, Rasmus; Morten Nordhagen Ottesen (2014) ''Experiences of War and Nationality in Denmark and Norway, 1807-1815'' ( Palgrave Macmillan)
*Schulerud, Mentz (1974) ''Hafslund gods: Fra Otte Bildt til M. G. Rosenkrantz'' (Oslo: Aschehoug)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenkrantz, Marcus Gjoee
1762 births
1838 deaths
Politicians from Kristiansand
University of Oslo alumni
18th-century Norwegian lawyers
Government ministers of Norway
Order of the Dannebrog
Order of the Polar Star
Gøye family
Rosenkrantz family
Members of the Storting 1827–1829
Members of the Storting 1824–1826
Members of the Storting 1818–1820