Valdemar Rudolph von Raasløff
Encyclopedia
Valdemar Rudolph von Raasløff (6 November 1815 in Altona
– 14 February 1883 in Paris
) was a Danish
politician, military officer and diplomat.
Raasløff spent his school years in Sorø
and in 1832 he was admitted to the Royal Military College (Kgl. Militære Højskole), from which he graduated in 1838 as second lieutenant in the artillery.
Instead of serving in Denmark, he applied for service abroad and in 1840-41 he served in the French
Army in Algeria
. He later summarized his experiences in Algeria in a book, which was translated into several languages. In 1849-50, he served as captain in the Danish army in the First War of Schleswig
, however, in 1851, he left the military in order to go to America and become an engineer. In 1857, he was appointed Denmark's Minister Resident in Washington, DC.
On behalf of Christian IX
, he concluded the first commercial treaty
between Denmark and the Qing Empire on 13 July 1863, a treaty which was modeled on the Treaties of Tianjin and governed the relationship between the two countries for several decades.
Between 1 October 1866 and 19 April 1870, he served as the War Minister of Denmark.
Altona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
– 14 February 1883 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) was a 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...
politician, military officer and diplomat.
Raasløff spent his school years in Sorø
Sorø
Sorø is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand in east Denmark. The population is 7,805 . The municipal council and the regional council are located in Sorø....
and in 1832 he was admitted to the Royal Military College (Kgl. Militære Højskole), from which he graduated in 1838 as second lieutenant in the artillery.
Instead of serving in Denmark, he applied for service abroad and in 1840-41 he served in the French
French colonial empire
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
Army in Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
. He later summarized his experiences in Algeria in a book, which was translated into several languages. In 1849-50, he served as captain in the Danish army in the First War of Schleswig
First War of Schleswig
The First Schleswig War or Three Years' War was the first round of military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question, contesting the issue of who should control the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. The war, which lasted from 1848–1851,...
, however, in 1851, he left the military in order to go to America and become an engineer. In 1857, he was appointed Denmark's Minister Resident in Washington, DC.
On behalf of Christian IX
Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906.Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish...
, he concluded the first commercial treaty
Unequal Treaties
“Unequal treaty” is a term used in specific reference to a number of treaties imposed by Western powers, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, on Qing Dynasty China and late Tokugawa Japan...
between Denmark and the Qing Empire on 13 July 1863, a treaty which was modeled on the Treaties of Tianjin and governed the relationship between the two countries for several decades.
Between 1 October 1866 and 19 April 1870, he served as the War Minister of Denmark.