Johan Rantzau
Encyclopedia
Johan Rantzau (November 12, 1492 – December 12, 1565) was a German
-Danish
general
and statesman
known for his role in the Count's Feud
.
Rantzau was born at the castle of Steinburg
near Itzehoe
into nobility. His family had come into the service of the Danish king after the union between Denmark and the duchies of Schleswig
and Holstein
, but he was loyal to the rulers of the latter. From his early years he sought a military
career and was educated an officer and a lansquenet
, but at the same time he also acted as an important political advisor of the duke.
When King Christian II of Denmark
in 1523 was overthrown by Frederick I
in 1523, Rantzau lead Frederick’s army of conquest. He became a member of the Danish Privy Council as well as governor
of the duchies and was the most important of the king’s non-Danish advisors. At the same time he emerged a squire
of Holstein, making the manor house of Breitenburg
his entailed estate. Among his military missions was his fight against the Scania
n peasant rebellion of 1525 that was bloodily crushed. During these years he also became a devote Protestant
, working together with his Danish colleagues on advancing the Lutheran
cause.
Rantzau became especially notable due to his participation in the Count’s Feud from 1534-1536. Together with the Holstein nobility, he supported Christian III
in spite of the latter’s desperate situation. An attempt of conquering Funen
in 1534 ended in a defeat and a humiliating retreat, but in the same year Rantzau crushed Skipper Clement
's peasant rebellion in Jutland
and secured the peninsula for the king. Next year he successfully conquered Funen, defeating Count Christopher of Oldenburg
’s army at Øksnebjerg and finally leading the siege of Copenhagen
that ended with the triumph of Christian III.
After the war, Rantzau continued being the king’s general and advisor, but he was pushed into the background in Denmark while concentrating on Holstein affairs. In 1545 he resigned as the governor of Schleswig and Holstein in protest against the division of the duchies the year before. However, he went back into active service in 1559 as the leader of the conquest of Dithmarschen
, which he managed both recklessly and quickly.
As an outstanding figure of military history of the 16th century, Rantzau has been both lauded and blamed. Earlier historians have normally called him a brilliant general, loyal to the royal house of Denmark, a man of clear strategic and tactic gifts and ability of quick solutions. However, liberal and national historians, and especially class oriented historians, i.e. Marxists, often stress him as a representative of militarism
and squire interests criticising him as a ”peasant’s butcher” – in many ways a parallel to the Finnish
Mannerheim debate.
Rantzau’s son Heinrich Rantzau
(1526-1598) was an outstanding Holstein cattle lord, governor, and squire of cultural and literary interests. His biography of his father is the main source of the latter’s life.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
and statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
known for his role in the Count's Feud
Count's Feud
The Count's Feud , also called the Count's War, was a civil war that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark...
.
Rantzau was born at the castle of Steinburg
Steinburg
Steinburg is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Dithmarschen, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Segeberg and Pinneberg, and by the Elbe River .-History:...
near Itzehoe
Itzehoe
Itzehoe is a town in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.As the capital of the district Steinburg, Itzehoe is located on the Stör, a navigable tributary of the Elbe, 51 km northwest of Hamburg and 24 km north of Glückstadt...
into nobility. His family had come into the service of the Danish king after the union between Denmark and the duchies of Schleswig
Schleswig
Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
and Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, but he was loyal to the rulers of the latter. From his early years he sought a military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
career and was educated an officer and a lansquenet
Lansquenet
Lansquenet is a card game. Lansquenet also refers to 15th and 16th century German foot soldiers; the lansquenet drum is a type of field drum used by these soldiers.-Game play:The dealer or banker stakes a certain sum, and this must be met by the nearest to the dealer first, and so...
, but at the same time he also acted as an important political advisor of the duke.
When King Christian II of Denmark
Christian II of Denmark
Christian II was King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden , during the Kalmar Union.-Background:...
in 1523 was overthrown by Frederick I
Frederick I of Denmark
Frederick I of Denmark and Norway was the King of Denmark and Norway. The name is also spelled Friedrich in German, Frederik in Danish, and Fredrik in Swedish and Norwegian...
in 1523, Rantzau lead Frederick’s army of conquest. He became a member of the Danish Privy Council as well as governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the duchies and was the most important of the king’s non-Danish advisors. At the same time he emerged a squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
of Holstein, making the manor house of Breitenburg
Breitenburg
Breitenburg is a municipality in the district of Steinburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the river Stör, approx. 4 km southeast of Itzehoe.Breitenburg is the seat of the Amt Breitenburg....
his entailed estate. Among his military missions was his fight against the Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
n peasant rebellion of 1525 that was bloodily crushed. During these years he also became a devote Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, working together with his Danish colleagues on advancing the Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
cause.
Rantzau became especially notable due to his participation in the Count’s Feud from 1534-1536. Together with the Holstein nobility, he supported Christian III
Christian III of Denmark
Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
in spite of the latter’s desperate situation. An attempt of conquering Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
in 1534 ended in a defeat and a humiliating retreat, but in the same year Rantzau crushed Skipper Clement
Skipper Clement
Klemen Andersen "Skipper Clement" was a Danish merchant, captain, privateer and leader of the peasant rebellion that was part of the civil war known as the Count's Feud .-Background:...
's peasant rebellion in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
and secured the peninsula for the king. Next year he successfully conquered Funen, defeating Count Christopher of Oldenburg
Christopher of Oldenburg
Christopher of Oldenburg . German Count, regent in Eastern Denmark during the Count's War 1534–36 which was named after him....
’s army at Øksnebjerg and finally leading the siege of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
that ended with the triumph of Christian III.
After the war, Rantzau continued being the king’s general and advisor, but he was pushed into the background in Denmark while concentrating on Holstein affairs. In 1545 he resigned as the governor of Schleswig and Holstein in protest against the division of the duchies the year before. However, he went back into active service in 1559 as the leader of the conquest of Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the state of Lower Saxony , and by the North Sea.-Geography:The district is located on the North Sea...
, which he managed both recklessly and quickly.
As an outstanding figure of military history of the 16th century, Rantzau has been both lauded and blamed. Earlier historians have normally called him a brilliant general, loyal to the royal house of Denmark, a man of clear strategic and tactic gifts and ability of quick solutions. However, liberal and national historians, and especially class oriented historians, i.e. Marxists, often stress him as a representative of militarism
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
and squire interests criticising him as a ”peasant’s butcher” – in many ways a parallel to the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Mannerheim debate.
Rantzau’s son Heinrich Rantzau
Heinrich Rantzau
Heinrich Rantzau or Ranzow was a German humanist writer and statesman, a prolific astrologer and an associate of Tycho Brahe. He was son of Johan Rantzau....
(1526-1598) was an outstanding Holstein cattle lord, governor, and squire of cultural and literary interests. His biography of his father is the main source of the latter’s life.
Literature
- Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, vol.11, Copenh. 1982.
- Politikens Danmarkshistorie, vol 5, by Johan Hvidtfeldt. Copenh. 1963.
- Politikens Danmarkshistorie, vol 6, by Svend Cedergreen Bech, Copenh. 1963.