| Conrad, Count of Reventlow | |
| Succession: | Grand Chancellor of Denmark |
| Predecessor: | Frederik Ahlefeldt |
| Successor: | Christian Christophersen Sehested |
| Birth Date: | 21 April 1644 |
| Death Place: | Clausholm estate, Denmark |
| Spouse: | |
| Birth Place: | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Burial Place: | Schleswig Cathedral, Germany |
| Father: | Ditlev Reventlow |
| Issue: | Christian Ditlev, Count Reventlow Anna Sophie, Queen of Denmark and Norway |
| Mother: | Christine Rantzau |
| Noble Family: | Reventlow |
| Count | |
Conrad, Count von Reventlow (21 April 1644 – 21 July 1708) was a Danish statesman who was "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.[1]
Conrad von Reventlow was the son of Chancellor Ditlev von Reventlow (1600–1664) and his wife, Christine zu Rantzau (1618-1688). He was the brother of chamberlain Count Henning von Reventlow (1640–1705) and Chancellor, Count Ditlev von Reventlow (1654–1701).
He attended Academy in Sorø Academy and studied at the University of Orleans (1662). 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 Scanian War (1675–1679).[2]
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.[3]
In 1672, he became a land commissioner in Schleswig-Holstein. In 1685, Reventlow used his influence as a councilor to the court on behalf of privateer Benjamin Raule (1634-1707), to promote Danish acquisition of the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies.[4] [5]
In 1678, he applied for leave from service when his wife was incurably ill.
He married twice; with his first wife, Countess Anna Margarethe Gabel (1651-1678), he had two children:
With his second wife, Sophie Amalie Hahn of Seekapm (1664-1722), he had three children:
His sarcophagus in the Schleswig Cathedral (Schleswiger Dom) was designed by the renowned sculptor Thomas Quellinus.