- Ahlefeldt
Ahlefeldt is a remarkable Danish family of high nobility.
The earliest known ancestor is one
Benedict Ahlefeldt , (d c1340 ), whose son and grandsons served king AtterdagValdemar IV of Denmark and received significant pawn fiefs and properties in Denmark.In
Slesvig the family inherited estatesSøgård , Nør, Königsförde-Lindau, Sakstorp andGelting . In Holstein, Bossee, Lehmkulen, Wittmold, Deutsch-Nienhof, Emkendorf, Kl. Nordsee, Haseldorf and Fresenburg.Godske Ahlefeldt (d.
1541 ) was the last catholic bishop ofSlesvig .The family is reported to descend from medieval Danish magnates of the families
Hvide andGalen .High royal councillor Burchard Ahlefeldt (of Eskilsmark) received in 1672 letters patent as Danish count.
his kinsman
Frederik Ahlefeldt (d.1686 ), was erected in1665 to "Heiliger Römischer Reichsgraf", ie Germancount in immediate vassalage to the emperor. He further received in the same year as his kinsman, in1672 the Danish title of count and the position offiefed count . He inherited the county ofLangeland .One of his grandsons, count Christian Ahlefeldt inherited the county of
Laurvig inNorway , one of the two official countships ever in that country (the other was Jarlsberg, which belonged to the Wedell family). In1785 he received the royal licence to himself and his descendants to bear the nameAhlefeldt-Laurvigen .
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