Michael Herman Løvenskiold

Michael Herman Løvenskiold (15 October 1751 – 19 April 1807) was a Danish landowner, county governor (amtmand) and chamberlain. He owned Løvenborg and Vognserup at Holbæk.

Early life and education Løvenskiold was born on 15 November 1751 at Aggersvold, the son of the Norwegian baron Severin Leopoldus Løvenskiold (1719–76) and (née Numsen, 1731–96). He earned a law degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1772. He later worked as an assistant (auskultant) in Rentekammeret.

Career In 1781, Løvensjiold was appointed county governor (amtmand) of Holbæk County. In 1783, he was also appointed county governor of Kalundborg, Sæbygård and Dragsholm counties. He was also responsible for overseeing the royal holdings in Odsherred.

Both as a landholder and as county governor, he took a profound interest in the living conditions of the tenant farmers. He improved their living conditions, implemented reforms and constructed schools for their children. He also adopted a critical approach to the ruthless way many of his peer's treated the peasants on their land. In 1795, he was made a member of the hoveri (mandatory work) commission of Zealand-Funen. From 2 October 1795 to 8 November 1797, he kept a detailed diary of the work in the commission. In one case, he mentions how it takes "the patience of an angel" not to beat up a fellow landholder for his brutal treatment of the peasants.