Carl Adolph Rothe

Carl Adolph Rote (1767 – 1834) was an officer in the Danish navy and governor of the Danish Virgin Islands in the West-Indies.

He was born on December 8th 1767 in Tybjerggård in Zealand (in Danish: Sjælland), Denmark, and died, 66 years old, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on July 12th 1834. He is buried on Holmens cemetery. His parents were the writer Tyge Jesper Rothe and Karen Bjørn and on January 12th 1811 he married in Helsingør with Benedicte Ulfsparre de Tuxen (1790-1877), the daughter of Louis de Tuxen and Charlotte Elisabeth Klingfeldt. The couple had no less than eight children: Louis, Anna Rosine, Andrea Bjørn, Karen, Charlotte Elisabeth, Martha Gustava, Margrethe Christine and Louise [Jan Tuxen, "Lorenz Tuxen (1618-82) - En efterslægtstavle" in: "Genealogy, artists, biographies, silhouettes etc". on http://www.tuxen.info/tuxen/ridefoged_lorenz_tuxens_efterslaegt.htm [last update: August 6th 2008 as viewed on August 14th 2008] ] . The Rothe family originates from Germany, coming to Denmark in the end of the 17th century [ see the website on the history of Roskilde, Denmark, "Roskildes History" on http://www.roskildehistorie.dk/stamtavler/adel/Rothe/tyskere.htm [viewed on August 14th 2008] ] .

Rothe joined the Danish navy as a naval volunteer (cadet) in 1778 and on April 2nd 1783 he was commissioned as an officer in the rank of a second-lieutenant. He ended his naval career in the rank of a Kontreadmiral (as of April 16th 1833). From November 11th 1808 untilJuly 25th 1814 Carl was governor of Bornholm and Christiansø on the Virgin Islands in the Danish West Indies.

In his naval career Rothe fought in the Battle of Copenhagen (Danish: 'Slaget på Reden') in 1801 against the British fleet, commanding the ship (pram) Nyborg. He also participated in the battle of Battle of Sealand's Point (Danish: 'Sjællands Odde') [For a description of the battle in English translation see Johnny E. Balsved, "The Battle of Sealand's Point (1808): "At Eventide on open Sea the Vessels they did Meet" (transl. Robert Rayce) in: "Danish Naval History" on http://www.navalhistory.dk/english/history/1801_1814/sjodde1808.htm [viewed on August 14th 2008] ] on March 22nd 1808 which he survived as the second in command (as of December 24th 1807 in the rank of captain under command of captain Carl W. Jessen) of the ship Prinds Christian Frederik. After that battle, in which he was wounded, he was for two months an English prisoner of war in Göteborg, Sweden.

More detailed information about the life and career of Carl Adolph Rothe can be found on Johnny Balsved's website about "Danish Naval History" [http://www.navalhistory.dk/danish/Officererne/R/Rothe_CarlA.htm [website's last update August 11th 2008 as viewed on August 14th 2008] ] . A copy of an oil painting of Carl Adolph Rothe is available on the Reventlow family website [Christian Ditlev Reventlow, "Slægten Reventlow" on http://www.reventlow.dk/cgi-bin/igmget.cgi/n=reventlow?I6863 [last modified July 20th 2008 as viewed on August 14th 2008] ] .

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