Göksholm is a medieval Swedish castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

 located at the southern beach of lake Hjälmaren

Hjälmaren

Lake Hjälmaren is Sweden's fourth largest lake. It is situated adjacent to Lake Mälaren through which it drains into the Baltic Sea, west of Stockholm...

. It is the oldest privately-owned building in Sweden that has been inhabited continuously.

Göksholm's oldest parts can be dated to 13th century. It is located in Stora Mellösa, Örebro Municipality

Örebro Municipality

Örebro Municipality is a municipality in Örebro County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Örebro.The municipality was created from the City of Örebro and surrounding rural municipalities in 1971 and with some areas added in 1974 it had an area of 1,840 km²...

.

Historically it is famous for the popular uprising's leader Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson

Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson

Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson was a Swedish rebel leader and later statesman. He was the leader of the Engelbrekt rebellion in 1434 against Eric of Pomerania, king of the Kalmar Union.-Biography:...

, the then leader of the government (rikshövitsman), having been murdered on its lands in 1436 by Måns Bengtsson, the son and heir of the then owner of the castle.

Architectural history

In the middle ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 Göksholm was just a fortified castlet with a big tower. Its remaining oldest existent parts have been dated to originate from 13th century. It was built (rebuilt and enlarged) during the Middle Ages through six different stages.

After an immense fire destruction in the end of 16th century, the building was modernized according to that period's style, getting a more regular plan, bigger windows, and details in Dutch renaissance

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

 style. Despite the thorough renovation, the medieval base structure remained.

From the time of this renaissance renovation also dates a painted inner ceiling with 121 cassettes which is remarkably well preserved today.

Under 17th-century owners baron Knut Kurck and baron Fleming, the castle was enrusted by mures with portals, and circle-patterned outer buildings. In 1801 Lars Gustaf Tersmeden had the ceiling renovated. This was the last big change in structures. In the 1950s, some facade details were changed. That time, a study of building's architectural history was undertaken by Iwar Andersson which has been published as Göksholm — Från medeltida borg till nutida bostad (Kungliga Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademiens handlingar, Uppsala 1965).

List of Lords

The Göksholm castle has always been a private property. It was built as a medieval fortress to protect its owner family, similarly to several medieval castles in other parts of Europe.

The first certainly attested owner of Göksholm's castle was lady Ingeborg Ulfsdotter (mentioned 1296, died before 1307), of the family of Ulv (a cadet branch of the earl dynasty that later became known as Folkunge royal line, or House of Bjellbo). (She had possibly received it as her dower

Dower

Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...

 from her first husband, lord Knut Mattsson of the family of Lejonbjälke, who was lawspeaker

Lawspeaker

A lawspeaker is a unique Scandinavian legal office. It has its basis in a common Germanic oral tradition, where wise men were asked to recite the law, but it was only in Scandinavia that the function evolved into an office...

 of Närke

Närke

' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the southwest, and Värmland to the northwest...

, the province where the castle is located.) Göksholm was then inherited in female line through four following generations. Great-great-granddaughter lady Christina Magnusdotter brought it to her husband lord Bengt Stensson of the Ringhult lordship (the family much later dubbed as Natt och Dag

Natt och Dag

Natt och Dag [Direct translation: Night and Day], is a Swedish Noble family and the oldest still existing family of pure Swedish extraction; officially known since the year 1280, according to documents at the Swedish National Archives.- History :...

). The couple's son was the abovementioned killer lord Måns.

• Ingeborg Ulfsdotter (of the Ulv), widow of Knut Mattsson, and wife of Abjörn Sixtensson of Salsta and Engsoe
• Birgitta Knutsdotter (of the Lejonbjälke), wife of 1) Barnam? 2) Magnus Bengtsson
• Katarina Magnusdotter, wife of Lidinvard Haraldsson
• Margareta Lidinvardsdotter, wife of Magnus Håkansson
• Christina Magnusdotter
  • and her husband: Bengt Stensson (Natt och Dag), chevalier, Royal Councillor, lawspeaker
• Magnus (Måns) Bengtsson (Natt och Dag), chevalier, Royal Councillor, lawspeaker
• Johan Månsson (Natt och Dag), chevalier, Royal Councillor
• Åke Johansson (Natt och Dag), chevalier, Royal Councillor, lawspeaker
• Johan Åkesson (Natt och Dag), Royal Councillor
• Axel Johansson (Natt och Dag)
• Åke Axelsson Natt och Dag, 1st baron, Royal Councillor, Lord High Constable of Sweden, lawspeaker
• baroness Barbro Åkesdotter Natt och Dag, died 1680, married 1) Klas Bielkenstierna, admiral and Royal Councillor 2) baron Knut Kurck, Royal Councillor, lawspeaker
• 1680-1703: Charlotta Bielkenstierna, granddaughter of baroness Barbro, married baron Johan Kasimir Fleming af Liebelitz, treasury councillor
• 1703-1747: baron Axel Johan Fleming af Liebelitz
• 1747-1754: baron Carl Sparre (1676-1754), major general
• 1754-1794 (?): baroness Beata Sparre (1734-87), married count Adam Otto Lagerberg (1723-98), provincial governor of Skaraborg county
• 1794 (?)-1799: count Karl Lagerberg, captain
• 1799-1817: Lars Gustaf Tersmeden, captain
• 1817-1822 (?): baron Gotthard Mauritz von Rehausen, Minister plenipotentiary in London
• 1822 (?)- 1852: baron Johan Gotthard von Rehausen, minister plenipotentiary in London
• 1852-1890: Malvina Harriet von Rehausen, widow of baron Samuel Abraham Leijonhufvud, president
• 1890-1914: baroness Emma Leijonhufvud, married Gustaf Nyrén, komminister
• 1914-1999 (?) : baron Tage Leijonhufvud, cavalry officer
• 1999 (?) - : baron Erik Leijonhufvud

There is an old list of castle's owners, written in 1801 on basis of a now disappeared painted fris from 1676. It says that it contains all owners "who can be attested by written sources" throughout the period of c 1320-1676. That list however says:

• Bo Nilsson (Natt och Dag) (incorrect attribution of ownership)
• Bo Bosson (Natt och Dag) (incorrect attribution of ownership)
• Sten Bosson (Natt och Dag) (incorrect attribution of ownership)
• Bengt Stensson (Natt och Dag)
• Magnus Bengtsson (Natt och Dag)
• Johan Månsson (Natt och Dag)
• Åke Johansson (Natt och Dag)
• Johan Åkesson (Natt och Dag)
• Axel Johansson (Natt och Dag)
• Åke Axelsson (Natt och Dag)
• Barbro Åkesdotter (Natt och Dag), husbands 1) Klas Bjelkenstierna 2) Knut Kurck

and is therefore incorrect as to the three first names. It appears obvious that medieval sources were not checked and that the male line had been extrapolated back from Bengt Stensson.