Conrad von Reventlow

Conrad, Count von Reventlow (April 21, 1644 – July 21, 1708) was a Danish statesman and the first "Grand Chancellor of Denmark" (Danish: Danmarks storkansler), a predecessor title of the Prime Minister of Denmark, from 1699 until his death. His chancellorship occurred during the reign of King Frederick IV.

Military career

After attending university, Reventlow was called to the Danish Court in 1665, where he rose through various positions of responsibility. In the 1670s, he became a colonel in the Danish military. He recruited a regiment and distinguished himself in the prevailing intra-Scandinavian warfare of the day.

In 1700, Reventlow was deeply involved in the negotiations for peace with Sweden during that country's naval blockade of Copenhagen, an early event in the Great Northern War. Both France and the United Kingdom dealt extensively with Reventlow in their efforts to pressure Denmark to declare peace, in order to prevent a wider war from spreading into Europe.

Councillor and Grand Chancellor

In 1685, Reventlow used his influence as a councillor to the court on behalf of privateer Benjamin Raule, to promote Danish acquisition of the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies.

Family

He married twice; with his first wife, Anna Margarethe Gabel (1651-1678), he had:

• Christian Detlev Reventlow, who played a prominent political role
• Christine Sophie (1672-1757) became an influential advisor to her sister and brother-in-law, the Danish queen and king

With his second wife, Sophie Amalie Hahn (1664-1722), he had:

• Ulrikke Eleonor (1690-1754), married Ferdinand Anton Gyldenløve, a grandson of King Frederick III by his mistress, Margrethe Pape
• Anna Sophie (1693-1743), married Frederick IV in 1721, becoming the first Queen of Denmark not to have been born a princess

His sarcophagus in the Schleswig Cathedral (Schleswiger Dom) was designed by the renowned sculptor Thomas Quellinus.

Ancestry

Additional sources

• Jirí Louda and Michael MacLagan, Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe, 2nd edition (London, U.K.: Little, Brown and Company, 1999), table 19.