Henrik Bolten

Henrik Bolten painted by Jens Juel.

Henrik Bolten (7 December 1734 - 7 March 1790) was a German-born Danish merchant. In 1785, he was created a baron under the name von Bolten. His former home in Gothersgade is still known as Baron Boltens Gård-

Early life and career

Bolten was born as Heinrich Bolte on 7 December 1734 in Bremen. He was the son of coachman Johann Hinrich Bolte and Gesche Belings (Bählings). He later moved to Copenhagen where he apprenticed as a wine merchant (vintapper).

In 1763, he was admitted to the Wine Merchant's Guild (vinmtapperlauget) and he was the same year granted citizenship as a wine merchant in Copenhagen. In 1767, he was able to buy the large property known as Veltkuglen in Gothersgade. He immediately went on to construct a new building on the site.

Through his extensive transit trade in wines, he entered overseas trade, especially in the East and West Indies, and during the North American War of Independence, he became a very wealthy man through his expeditions with his own ships. He owned five ships.

Baron and landowner

His ambition to climb socially led him to propose to Conference Councilor Johan Friedrich Heinrich's very young daughter and, in connection with this, to aspire to the title of baron. He obtained this on 19 May 1783 for himself and descendants for, as it is emphasized, "his great merit of the particular East Indian trade". The reason, however, must have been that Bolten donated 40,000 Danish rigsdaler to the establishment of the Fødselsstiftelsen protected by the dowager queen. A few days after this appointment, however, Bolten had to stop his payments. He, like so many of Copenhagen's major merchants, had run into liquidity difficulties after the financial crisis caused by the Treaty of Versailles. When Ove Høegh-Guldberg arranged for the state treasury and the Kurantbanken to come to the aid of the distressed business community with substantial loans (more than two million Danish rigsdaler), Bolten received a total of 700,000 rigsdaler as a loan. At the same time, his estate, which was considered solvent by all, was put up for auction. The situation does not appear to have affected him in his dispositions. On 20 January 1783, he had replaced his citizenship as a wine merchant with the more prestigious citizenship of a wholesaler (grosserer). The same year he bought Sorgenfri for a summer residence. In June 1673, he was wed to Frederikke Sophie Heinrich (17641807). The next year he bought the estate Asserstrup on Lolland and the nearby Frederiksdal. He continued his property purchases there by acquiring Sæbygård and Ågård (in Løve herred) in 1785.

Bankruptcy and death

Shortly after the June term in 1785, however, Bolten ran into payment difficulties again. Guldberg had meanwhile been forced to resign, and despite recommendations both from the Finance College and from the tender commissioners Colbjørnsen, Johann Ludvig Zinn and Hans Rudolph Saabye, and despite the fact that the recorded status even showed a significant surplus, the government would not support him in any way, resulting in his bankruptcy. All his assets were realized at great loss. Sorgenfri was sold in 1789 to Crown Prince Frederik. Bolten was then a broken man. He spent the last years of his life in relative poverty as a tenant in the garret of his old property in Gothersgade. He died in 1792.

Henrik Bolten his wife were divorced in 1786. AShe was later married to Frederik Christopher Trampe til Løgismose (1779–1832). Her sister was married to the English-born sea captain and merchant John Christmas.