Johan Ludvig Holstein | |
|---|---|
 An oil painting depicting Holstein,c. 1752 | |
| Privy Councillor of Denmark | |
| Predecessor | Ulrik Adolf Holstein |
| Successor | Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff |
| Born | 7 September 1694 Lübz,Mecklenburg, Germany |
| Died | 29 January 1763(1763-01-29) (aged 68) Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Issue | Christian Frederik Holstein |
| Father | Johan Georg Holstein |
| Mother | Ida von Bülow |
Johan Ludvig Holstein,Lensgreve tilLedreborg (7 September 1694 – 29 January 1763) was a DanishMinister of state from 1735 to 1751. The Danish colony Holsteinsborg onGreenland (nowSisimiut), was named after him.[1]
He was the ancestor of the Holstein-Ledreborg family, includingLudvig Holstein-Ledreborg and Knud Johan Ludvig, Lensgreve Holstein til Ledreborg, husband ofPrincess Marie Gabriele of Luxembourg.
In 1739 he built Ledreborg Manor nearLejre, Denmark.
Johan Ludvig was the son ofJohan Georg Holstein, who would himself become Danish prime minister, and Ida Frederikke Joachime of theBülow family. He was born on 7 September 1694, at theLübz castle which belonged to his maternal grandmother. His tutors during his upbringing included J. W. Schröder who later would go on to tutorChristian VI of Denmark. In 1711 his father sent him toHamburg where he studied withJohann Albert Fabricius for a year.[2] Subsequently, he studied and traveled at various places in Germany, the Netherlands, France and England until 1716, when he became a courtier and civil servant in Denmark.[3]
He obtained the position of marshal of the court to Crown Prince Christian (later King Christian VI) in 1721.[4] In 1727, he became a member of theCollege of Missions where his father was president, and the same year he also became director of theWaisenhuset, an orphanage KingFrederick IV founded that year.[5]
When Christian VI became king in 1730, he appointed Holsteinstiftsamtmand (amtmann and co-administrator of thediocese with the bishop) of Zealand andamtmann of Copenhagen andRoskilde.[5] In February 1734, he was appointed Minister of Finance. As the new king soon became disappointed in the men he originally had chosen to lead thechanceries, he appointed Holstein leading secretary of the Danish chancery (a position often known as Minister of State) on 12 May 1735, replacingIver Rosenkrantz. At the same time, he became member of the king's council (Konseillet).[6] In 1740, he also replaced Rosenkrantz as patron of theUniversity of Copenhagen. In 1757, he additionally became first member of a special agricultural committee which was operative for several years.[6]
Holstein was in regular correspondence with the King about daily affairs and matters with which the King was occupied.[6]
Holstein was deeply religious withpietistic leanings. In his older days he studiedGreek in order to be able to read theNew Testament in its original language.[7] He also studied philosophy and history.[7]Francis Bacon was among the philosophers he read, and he corresponded withJohann Lorenz von Mosheim andJohann Matthias Gesner. In Denmark, he was in contact with historiansHans Gram and Andreas Hojer.[7]
With the permission of the King, Holstein and Gram founded theRoyal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters on 13 November 1742.[4][8] He served as president of the Academy for the rest of his lifetime and the meetings were held at his residence.[8] The academy opted right from the beginning to publish inDanish rather thanGerman, even though German was Holstein's mother tongue as well as the language of many academics in Denmark at that time.[8]
Holstein married HedevigVind (1707–1756), a Danish noblewoman, in 1733. They had three children, among themChristian Frederik Holstein. With the help of her inheritance, capital obtained from selling his properties inMecklenburg, and his income as a civil servant Holstein was able to buy land in theLedreborg area, where he built the Ledreborg mansion. Ledreborg was first established as astamhus (family seat) and in 1750 converted into acomitaltrust (Danish:lensgrevskap).[9]
At his death Holstein left a library of 20,000 books, as well as a collection of handwritten manuscripts. Both are now in theRoyal Library in Copenhagen.[4][9]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Privy Councillor of Denmark 1735 -1751 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
