{{Short description|Danish vice admiral, Chief Secretary of War and Director of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy}} [[File:Christian Carl Gabel (1679-1748).png|thumb|Christian Carl Gabel.]] ''' Christian Carl Gabel''' (10 November 1679 — 3 August 1748) was a [[Denmark|Danish]] naval officer who later served as [[Secretary of War (Denmark)|Secretary of War]] and Director of the [[Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy]] and [[Holmen, Copenhagen|Holmen Naval Base]]. Prior to that, he had reached the rank of vice admiral after distinguishing himself in the [[Great Northern War]]. After falling out of favour at the court, in 1725 he was sent to [[Jutland]] as diocesan governor of [[Diocese of Ribe|Ribe]] and county governor of [[Riberhus]]. He was a major landowner but had to sell most of his estates in the middle of the 1730s.
==Early life and education== Gabel was born on 10 November 1679 in [[Copenhagen]], the son of [[Frederik Gabel]] and Anne Cathrine Ovcsdatter Juul. In 1696, he enrolled at the Knight's Academy.<ref name="DBL">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Brummer|title= C. Gabel|language=da|encyclopedia=Dansk Biografisk Leksikon|access-date=16 June 2022}}</ref>
==Career== {{multiple image | align = left | total_width = 320 | image_style = border:none;
| image1 = Battle of Fehmarn (1715) medal - Christian Carl Gabel.jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = Gabel seen on a medal struck in remembrance of his victory in the Battle of Fehmarn, 1815.
| image2 =Battle of Fehmarn (1715) medal - Christian Carl Gabel.jpg II.jpg | alt2 = AA | caption2 = The rear side of the medal. }} Gabel started his career in the navy, becoming a captain lieutenant in 1700 and captain in 1704. He later entered court service, becoming a ''kammerjunker'' in 1708. In 1708–1709, he served as county governor of the [[Faroe Islands]]. In 1710, he was promoted to [[commander captain]]. He distinguished himself in the [[Battle of Fehmarn (1715)|Battle of Fehmarn]], [[Battle of Rügen (1715)|Battle of Rügen]], and several other naval engagements. On 15 May 1715, he was promoted to vice admiral. From 4 June 1717 to 18 October 1725, he served as Chief Secretary of War.<ref name="Amtmandsbogen">{{cite book |last=Rosenkrantz |first=Palle |title=Amtmandsbogen : Portrætter og Biografier af Stiftamtmænd og Amtmænd i Danmark 1660-1935 |year=1936 |page=165 |url=https://slaegtsbibliotek.dk/929042.pdf |publisher=Arthur Jensens Forlag |language=da |access-date=8 September 2025 |trans-title=The County Clerk's Book : Portraits and Biographies of Parish Clerks and County Clerks in Denmark<!--Google Translate translation of title-->}}</ref> From 1721, he was president of the Danish Admiralty. He was also admitted to the Kommissariatskollegiet. From 14 July 1721 to 29 October 1725, he also served as director of the navy and [[Golmen, Copenhagen|Golmen]]. On 18 June 1717, he was created a [[Order of the Dannebrog|Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog]].<ref name="DBL"/>
[[File:Christian Carl Gabel 1679-1748.jpg|thumb|160px|Christian Carl Gabel]] Gabel fell out of favor at the court in the middle of the 1720s. He was dismissed from all his posts and sent to [[Jutland]] as [[Diocese of Tibe|Diocesan Governor of Tibe]] and county governor of [[Riberhus]]. He held these offices from 24 November 1725 until his death.<ref name="DBL"/>
==Property== In 1709, Gabel bought [[Bregentved]] from his father's estate. In 1718, he sold it to the crown. His other holdings included Christiansdal, Oregård and Enggård on [[Funen]], [[Giesegaard]], [[Ringsted Abbey]] and Spanager on [[Zealand]] and [[Bramming]] in Jutland.<ref name="DBL"/>
In around 1735, Gabel had to part with most of his estates. Facing financial difficulties, he was forced to take a loan from Countess [[Anna Sophie Schack]] in 1726. In 1736, she took over Giesegaard.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.danskeherregaarde.dk/nutid/giesegaard|title=Giesegaard|language=Danish|website=danskeherregaarde.dk|accessdate=2012-11-20}}</ref>
==Personal life== {{multiple image | align = right | total_width = 320 | image_style = border:none;
| image1 = Christian Carl Gabel.png | alt1 = | caption1 = Christian Carl Gabel
| image2 = Frederikke Christiane Gabel, née Schult (.png | alt2 = AA | caption2 = Frederikke Christiane Gabel, née Schult }} In 1710, Gabel was married to Frederikke Christiane Schult (c. 1685–1731). She was the daughter of ''gehejmeråd'' Diderik Schult (1644–1704) and Ermegaard Sophie Gabel (died 1719).<ref name="DBL"/>
Following the death of his first wife, Gabel remarried on 28 April 1732 to Anna Benedicte Steensen (1685–1756). She was the widow of general lieutenant Christian Rantzau-Friis (1682–1731). Her parents were colonel lieutenant Erik Steensen (1646–c. 1707) and Vibeke Urne (1654–1714).<ref name="DBL"/>
Gabel died on 3 August 1748. He is buried in [[Bramminge Church]].<ref name="DBL"/>
==Awards== On 3 May 1715, Gabel was appointed [[Chamberlain (office)|chamberlain]]. In 1731, he was created a [[Order of the Dannebrog|White Knight]] and awarded the title of ''gehejmeråd''.<ref name="DBL"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabel, Christian Carl}} [[Category:1679 births]] [[Category:1748 deaths]] [[Category:18th-century Danish naval officers]] [[Category:18th-century Danish landowners]] [[Category:Danish admirals]] [[Category:County governors of Denmark]]