Swedish nobility

Swedish Nobility

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Swedish nobility

The Swedish nobility (Adeln) were historically a legally privileged class

Social class

Social class refers to the hierarchy distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. Usually most societies have some notion of social class , but concretely defined social classes are not found in every known type of human societies....
in Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
, part of the so-called frälse (a classification defined by tax exemptions and representation in the diet

Diet (assembly)

In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from the Latin dies, "day"....
that also applied to clergy). Today, the nobility is still very much a part of Swedish society but they do not maintain many of their former privileges. They still do possess some privileges such as the protection by law of their family names, titles and coats of arms. The House of Knights

Swedish House of Knights

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Encyclopedia

The Swedish nobility (Adeln) were historically a legally privileged class

Social class

Sweden

Diet (assembly)

Swedish House of Knights

The Swedish House of Lords means either the corporation of the Swedish nobility or the palace of the nobility. The phrase is also alternately translated "Swedish House of Nobility" and also literal translation "the House of Knights", and this phrase is used because of the knights' belonging to the higher ranks of the...
or Riddarhuset also has a special tax for all noblemen over the age of 18. Belonging to the nobility in present day Sweden still carries some social privileges, and is of certain social and historical significance.

Swedish nobility is organized into three classes according to a scheme introduced in riddarhusordningen (Standing orders

Rules of order

Rules of order, also known as standing orders or rules of procedure, are the written rules of parliamentary procedure adopted by a deliberative assembly, which detail the processes used by the body to make decisions....
of the House of Knights) 1626

Count
Count

A count is a nobleman in European countries; The word count comes from French language comte, itself from Latin comes?in its Accusative case comitem?meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor"....
s (greve) and baron
Baron

Baron is a specific title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English language beorn meaning "nobleman."...
s (friherre, baron) in the Class of Lords , these two titles were introduced in 1561 by Erik XIV,
the Class of Knights , untitled descendants of Swedish Privy Councillors
Privy Council of Sweden

The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service....
and
the Class of Esquire
Esquire

Esquire is a term of United Kingdom origin, originally used to denote social status.Ultimately deriving from the medieval squires who assisted knights, the term came to be used automatically by men of gentry....
s , other untitled nobles.

The two last classes contains the so called untitled nobility
Nobility

Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary or for a lifetime. Titles of nobility exist today in many countries although it is usually associated with present or former monarchies....
. The division into classes has roots in the middle ages

Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
when the nobility frälse was divided into lords in the Privy Council, knights and esquires.

Until 1719 the three classes voted separately, but in the Age of Liberty all classes were voting together with one vote for each family head . This made the vast majority of the untitled nobility in power, for example officers

Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an Armed forces who holds a position of authority.Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereignty power and, as such, hold a Letters patent charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position....
and civil servants were represented.

In 1778 Gustav III restored the classes and class voting and at the same time he reformed the Class of Knights. Originally this class only contained family descendants of Privy Councillors and was the smallest class of the three classes. But Gustav III also introduced in this class the 300 oldest families in the Class of Esquire and also the "commander

Commander

Commander is a military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement....
families", who are of the descendents of commanders of the Order of the Northern Star

Order of the Polar Star

The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
and the Order of the Sword

Order of the Sword

The Order of the Sword is a Sweden Order created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Order of the Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star....
. No more commander families were introduced in the House of Knights after 1809, and thereafter also the class voting was abolished and the nobility was then voting as during the Age of Liberty.

A Swedish duke

Dukes of Swedish provinces

In Sweden, Duke is considered a royal title, and is only given to members of the Royal House . The dukedom is always one of the Provinces of Sweden....
(hertig) has almost always been of royal status and counted as such. An exception in medieval times

Medieval Times

File:2006-07-25 - United States - Illinois - Chicago - Medieval Times Dinner Tournament - American Castle.jpgMedieval Times Dinner & Tournament is a chain of dinner theaters which host "royal" feasts and tournaments featuring medieval games, sword-fighting and jousting....
was Benedict, Duke of Halland

Benedict, Duke of Halland

Duke Benedict of Halland and Finland, aka Bengt Algotsson was a medieval Swedish lord, and royal favourite.He was born to a family who descended from Svantepolk of Skarsholm and his wife Benedikta Sunadotter....
. Two men was also created princes (furstar

Fürst

is a German nobility, usually translated into English language as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, which is referred to as Prinz....
) in the 18th century: Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein

Frederick William von Hessenstein

Fredrik Vilhelm, Prince von Hessenstein , Sweden soldier and statesman, illegitimate son of king Frederick I of Sweden and his mistress Hedvig Taube....
and Vilhelm Putbus.

Following the elevation of a commoner into nobility by the Swedish monarch, the key concept was that of introduction to one's peers in the House of Knights

Swedish House of Knights

Riksdag of the Estates

The Riksdag of the Estates, or St?ndsriksdagen, was the name used for the Estates of the Realm of Sweden, or Rikets st?nder, when they were assembled....
, the Swedish Parliament. After 1866 the Palace of the Nobility served as official representation for the nobility and was regulated by the Swedish government

Government of Sweden

The government of Sweden is a constitutional monarchy based on parliamentary democracy. The affairs of the government of Sweden are directed by a cabinet of Minister s, which is led by the Prime Minister of Sweden....
, but this regulation ceased completely in 2003, as have the privileges. Many noble families are introduced and their members are listed in a calendar published every three years. There are many noble families that are unintroduced and they are not registered in the House of Knights.

Medieval nobility: Frälse

The institution of Swedish (and Finnish) nobility dates back to 1280, when it was stated in the Decree of Alsnö that magnate

Magnate

Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities....
s who could afford to contribute a mounted soldier to the cavalry

Cavalry

The Cavalry is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat, it represents the mobility and offensive power of the armed forces....
were to be exempted from tax - at least from ordinary taxes - just as the clergy

Clergy

Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. The term comes from the Greek language ?????? - kleros, "a lot", "that which is assigned by lot" or metaphorically, "heritage"....
already had been. The archaic Swedish term for nobility, frälse, also included the clergy with respect to their exemption from tax.

The background for this was that the old system of a leiðangr fleet and a king constantly on travel through the realm (between the estates of Uppsala öd

Uppsala öd

Uppsala ?d, Old Norse: Uppsala au?r or Uppsala ??r was the name given to the collection of estates which was the property of the Swedish Crown in medieval Sweden....
) had by this time became outmoded and in need of replacement. The crown

The Crown

Throughout the Commonwealth realms, the Crown is an abstract metonymy concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government....
's court and castles were now to be financed through taxes on land.

Soon it was agreed that the king should govern the realm in cooperation with a Privy Council

Privy Council of Sweden

The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service....
(or Royal Council), in which the bishops and the most distinguished magnates (i.e. the most prominent contributors to the army) participated. When critical decisions were necessary, the whole frälse was summoned to the diet

Diet (assembly)

In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from the Latin dies, "day"....
s.

Swedish nobility had no hereditary fiefs. In the case where a noble was granted a castle belonging to the crown, his heirs couldn't later claim their ancestors' civil or military rights. The lands of the magnates who constituted the medieval nobility were their own and not "on lease" from a feudal king. If they by their own means (including the suffering of their local peasantry) built a castle and financed its troops, then the castle was theirs, but its troops were expected to serve as a part of the army of the realm.

For extended periods, the commander of Viborg

Viborg

Viborg may refer to:*Viborg, Denmark, a city in Jutland, Denmark**Viborg Municipality, a Danish municipality named for the city*Vyborg, Viipuri or Viborg, a city on the Karelian Isthmus, Leningrad Region, Russia....
at the Novgorod/Russian front did, in practice, function as a margrave

Margrave

Margrave is the English language and French language form of the German language title Markgraf and certain equivalent nobiliary titles in other languages....
, keeping all the crown's income from the fief to use for the defense of the realm's eastern border. But despite heavy German influence during the medieval period, the elaborate German system

Graf

Graf is a historical German nobility title equal in rank to a count or a British earl . A derivation ultimately from the Greek verb graphein 'to write' may be fanciful: Paul the Deacon wrote in Latin ca 790: "the count of the Bavarians that they call gravio who governed Bolzano and other strongholds?" ; this may be read to make...
with titles such as Lantgraf, Reichsgraf, Burggraf and Pfalzgraf was never applied in Sweden.

Nobility after 1561

At the coronation of Eric XIV

Eric XIV of Sweden

Eric XIV was Monarch of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568. Eric XIV was the son of Gustav I of Sweden and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg ....
in 1561, Swedish nobility became formally hereditary for the first time upon the creation of the higher titles of Count

Count

A count is a nobleman in European countries; The word count comes from French language comte, itself from Latin comes?in its Accusative case comitem?meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor"....
(greve) and Baron

Baron

Baron is a specific title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English language beorn meaning "nobleman."...
(friherre, baron). The House of Knights

Swedish House of Knights

The Swedish House of Lords means either the corporation of the Swedish nobility or the palace of the nobility. The phrase is also alternately translated "Swedish House of Nobility" and also literal translation "the House of Knights", and this phrase is used because of the knights' belonging to the higher ranks of the...
was organized in 1626. The grounds for introduction into this House became either birth into an "ancient" noble family or ennoblement by the King or Queen. Consequently, a great interest in genealogy

Genealogy

Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigree of its members....
followed.

The Lord High Chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna

Axel Oxenstierna

Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af S?derm?re , Count of S?derm?re, was a Sweden statesman. He became a member of the Privy Council of Sweden in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death....
, was the architect of the Instrument of Government

Instrument of Government (1634)

The Instrument of Government of 1634 was Sweden's first. It regulated some of the administration, judiciary and the military. It was never accepted by the monarch but was nonetheless in use until Charles XI of Sweden became an Absolute Monarchy....
of 1634, which laid the foundation of modern Sweden. It guaranteed that all government appointments were to be filled by candidates from the nobility, a move which helped mobilize support for, rather than opposition to, a centralized national government.

Due to the many wars fought by Sweden, the crown needed some means of rewarding its officers, and since the royal coffers were not without end, ennoblement and grants of land were useful substitutes for cash payments. During the 17th century, the number of noble families grew by a factor of five. In less than a century, the nobility's share of Swedish land ownership rose from 16% to over 60%, which led to considerably lower tax revenue for the crown. The "reductions

Reduction (Sweden)

In the reductions in Sweden, fiefs that had been granted to the Swedish nobility were returned to the Swedish Crown.The first reduction under Charles X Gustav of Sweden in 1655 restored a quarter of "donations" made after 1632....
" of 1655 and 1680, however, brought land back into the crown's possession.

Following the German model, historically all members of a noble family were generally titled. If the family was of the rank of a Count or a Baron, all members received that title as well. However, following the new Instrument of Government

Instrument of Government (1809)

The Instrument of Government, or Regeringsformen, adopted on June 6, 1809 by the Riksdag of the Estates was the Constitution of Sweden of Sweden from 1809 to 1974....
from 1809, a change was made more in line with the British system so that, for later nobility, only the head of the family could hold the title. There also exist Swedish families in which all members are noble but only the head carries the title of "Count". But this new rule applies only to ennoblements granted after 1809, so the vast majority of noble families are still of the old kind.

In contrast to the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
and the Benelux

Benelux

The Benelux is an union in Western Europe that comprises three neighboring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg , which lie in the north western European region between France and Germany....
countries, no hereditary titles or honours have been granted since 1902, when explorer Sven Hedin

Sven Hedin

Sven Anders Hedin was a Sweden explorer, geographer and Geopolitics. His achievements include the production of the first detailed maps of vast parts of Pamir, the Taklamakan Desert, Tibet, the ancient Silk Road, and the Himalayas....
was ennobled by the King (that honor was hereditary, but he left no heirs). Since 1975 the Swedish monarch no longer has the legal right to ennoble. Deposed royal princes have been granted Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany....
ish or Belgian

Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
titles of nobility instead (see:Bernadotte af Wisborg

Bernadotte af Wisborg

The title Count of Wisborg is borne by the male-line descendants of four princes of Sweden who married Morganatic marriage without the consent of the King of Sweden and thereby lost the right of succession to the throne of Sweden for themselves, their children and their descendants....
).

Titles of high nobility

The first counts and barons, created in 1561 by Eric XIV

Eric XIV of Sweden

Eric XIV was Monarch of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568. Eric XIV was the son of Gustav I of Sweden and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg ....
:

Svante Sture of Hörningsholm, 1562 count of Vestervik and later also Stegeholm
Peder Joakimsson Brahe of Rydboholm, 1562 count of Visingsborg
Göstaff Johansson of Haga, 1562 count of Bogesund (originally Enköping)
Stenbock Gustaf Olofsson, baron of Torpa
Leijonhufvud Sten Eriksson, baron of Grevsnes
Grip
Grip

Grip may refer to:...
Birger Nilsson, baron of Vines
Oxenstierna
Oxenstierna

Oxenstierna, an ancient Sweden noble family, the origin of which can be traced up to the middle of the 14th century, which had vast estates in S?dermanland and Uppland, and began to adopt its armorial designation of Oxenstierna as a personal name towards the end of the 16th century....
Gabriel Kristersson, baron of Mörby
Lars Fleming, baron of Arvasalo (in Finland)
Gera
Gera

Gera is the third largest city in the German state of Thuringia after Erfurt, the Thuringian capital, and Jena. It is situated in east Thuringia on the river Wei?e Elster , approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometers to the east of Erfurt....
Karl Holgersson, baron of Björkvik
Gera Göran Holgersson, baron of Ållonö
Horn af Åminne Klas Kristersson, baron of Joensuu (in Finland)
Stenbock Erik Gustafsson, baron of Torpa (younger son of Gustaf Olofsson)

John III

John III of Sweden

John III was Monarch of Sweden from 1568 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud....
granted the first baronies (the earlier had been hereditary estates):

Öresten and Kronobäck to Erik Gustafsson of Torpa
Lundholm to Nils Göransson Gyllenstierna, new baron, accordingly
Viikki (in Finland) to Klas Eriksson Fleming, new baron
Läckö to Hogenskild Bielke, new baron
Ekholmen to Pontus De La Gardie, new baron
Kungs-Lena to Olof Gustafsson Stenbock (elder son and heir of Gustaf Olofsson)
and, 1571 county of Raseborg (in Finland) to baron Sten Eriksson of Grevsnes' widow and heirs

Charles IX

Charles IX of Sweden

Charles IX , was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV of Sweden and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland....
created only one:

barony of Nynäs (in Finland) to Abraham Leijonhufvud

(Svante Bielke and Nils Bielke were elevated to baronial rank by him without baronies)

Gustav II Adolf

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden

Gustav II Adolf, In the era, which was characterized by nearly endless warfare, he led his armies as Monarch of Sweden—from 1611, as a seventeen year old, until his death in battle while leading a charge during 1632 in the bloody Thirty Years' war—as Sweden rose from the status as a mere regional power and run-of-the-mill king...
created:

county of Läckö to Jakob De La Gardie
county of Pärnu (in northern Livonia, now Estonia) to Franz Bernhard von Thurn
barony of Kemiö (in Finland) to Axel Oxenstierna
barony of Bergkvara to Karl Karlsson Gyllenhielm
barony of Tuutarhovi (in Ingria) to Johan Skytte
barony of Orreholm to Jakob Vilhelmsson Spens

Christina

Christina of Sweden

Christina , later known as Christina Alexandra and sometimes Countess Dohna, was Monarch of Sweden of Sweden from 1632 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and his wife Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg....
created:

county of Södermöre to Axel Oxenstierna
county of Wasaborg to Gustav Gustavsson, her illegitimate half-brother
county of Ortala to Lennart Torstensson
county of Kuressaare (later exchanged to Pärnu) to Magnus De La Gardie
county of Sortavala to Johan Adam Banér
county of Pori to Gustav Horn af Björneborg
county of Vestervik and Stegeholm to Hans Kristofer von Königsmark
county of Korsholm and Vasa to Gabriel Oxenstierna
county of Bogesund to Fredrik Stenbock
county of Salmi and Suistamo pogosta to Carl Gustav Wrangel
county of Kruunupori to Ture Oxenstierna
county of Nyborg to Arvid Wittenberg
county of Karleborg to Klas Tott
county of Liljenborg to Axel Lillie
county of Mariestad to Lars Kagg
county of Skeninge to Robert Douglas
county of Skövde to Kristofer Karl von Schlippenbach
county of Enköping to Antonius von Steinberg
barony of Vibyholm to Gustav Gustavsson, her illegitimate half-brother
barony of Virestad to Lennart Torstensson
barony of Kronoberg to Peder Sparre
barony of Korppoo to Nils Bielke
barony of Härlunda to Seved Bååt
barony of Kajaani to Per Brahe
barony of Örneholma to Johan Adler-Salvius
barony of Liperi pogosta to Hermann Fleming
barony of Oulu to Erik Gyllenstierna
barony of Kitee pogosta to Axel Lillie
barony of Loimijoki to Arvid Wittenberg
barony of Limingo to Matias Soop
barony of Marienburg to Gustav Horn af Marienborg and certain his relatives
barony of Vöyripori to Carl Gustaf Paijkull
barony of Tohmajärvi pogosta to Lars Kagg
barony of Kokkola to Gustav Banér
barony of Sund to Erik Ryning
barony of Laihia to Karl Bonde
barony of Pyhäjoki to Klaus Bielkenstierna
Klas Hansson Bjelkenstjerna

Baron Klas Hansson Bjelkenstjerna was a Sweden naval officer and civil servant.HIs father, Hans Klasson Bjelkenstjerna, who also was a high ranking naval officer, died when his son was only 5 years old leaving him to be raised by relatives....
barony of Iijoki to Åke Axelsson Tott
barony of Ikalapori to Schering Rosenhane
barony of Hailuoto to Bernt Taube
barony of Hedensund (then Arnäs) to Knut Posse
barony of Vinberg to Gustaf Adolf Leijonhudvud
barony of Lindeberg to Carl Gustav Wrangel and his brothers
barony of Lindeborg to Lorentz von der Linde
barony of Willenbruch and Harzefeld to Pierre Bidal
barony of Ludenhof to Hans Wrangel
barony of Eksjö to Reinhold Liewen
barony of Elfkarleby to Mårten Leijonhufvud
Lauri Cruus baron of Gudhem
Robert Douglas baron of Skälby
Hans Wachtmeister baron of Koivisto
Johan Kurck baron of Lempäälä
Jakob and Anders Lilliehöök barons of Närpes
Kasper and Karl Henrik Wrede af Elimä barons of Elimäki
Erik Fleming baron of Lais

Charles X Gustav

Charles X Gustav of Sweden

Charles X Gustav was Monarch of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburg, Count Palatine of Zweibr?cken-Kleeburg and Catharina of Sweden....
created:

county of Sölvesborg to Corfitz Ulfeldt

(afterwards: Lars Kagg got exchanged becoming count of Sölvesborg, then Carl Gustav Wrangel)

P.Wuertz baron of Örneholma
barony of Kastell ladugården to Rutger von Ascheberg

Charles XI

Charles XI of Sweden

Charles XI was Monarch of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in an unruly period in Swedish history known as the Swedish empire .Charles was the only son of King Charles X of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp....
created:

county of Börringe to Gustav Carlsson, his illegitimate half-brother

source: Nordisk Familjebok

Privileges

The noble estates are not abolished in Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
, but their privileged position has been weakened step by step since 1680. The nobility's political privileges were practically abolished by the reformation of the Riksdag of the Estates

Riksdag of the Estates

The Riksdag of the Estates, or St?ndsriksdagen, was the name used for the Estates of the Realm of Sweden, or Rikets st?nder, when they were assembled....
in 1866, and the last rights of precedence to certain governmental offices were removed in the 1920s. By then the last tax exemption privileges had also been abolished. However, some minor privileges remained up until 2003, when the law granting these noble privileges was completely abolished.

The perks of nobility today are limited to protection of noble titles and certain elements and styles used in coats of arms

Heraldry

Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning Coat of arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms....
: a helm with an open visor, a coronet showing rank, a medallion and the use of supporters. Modern Swedish law makes no distinctions on the grounds of nobility.

External links

- Official site
- at Wikisource (in Swedish)
- at Wikisource (in Swedish)

Swedish nobility

Medieval nobility: Frälse

Nobility after 1561

Titles of high nobility

Privileges

See also

External links