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Wikipedia

Swedish nobility

March 08, 2023

The Swedish nobility (Swedish: Adeln or Ridderskapet och Adeln, Knighthood and Nobility) has historically been a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, and part of the so-called frälse (a derivation from Old Swedish meaning free neck). The archaic term for nobility, frälse, also included the clergy, a classification defined by tax exemptions and representation in the diet (the Riksdag). Today the nobility does not maintain its former legal privileges although family names, titles and coats of arms are still protected. The Swedish nobility consists of both "introduced" and "unintroduced" nobility, where the latter has not been formally "introduced" at the House of Nobility (Riddarhuset). The House of Nobility still maintains a fee for male members over the age of 18 for upkeep on pertinent buildings in Stockholm.

Ruins of Alsnö Castle, where the first known ordinance of Swedish nobility was given in 1280 by King Magnus III

Belonging to the nobility in present-day Sweden may still carry some informal social privileges, and be of certain social and historical significance particularly among some groups. Sweden has, however, long been a modern democratic society and meritocratic practices are supposed to govern all appointments to state offices by law. No special privileges, in taxation or otherwise, are therefore given to any Swedish citizen based on family origins, the exceptions being the monarch and other members of the Royal Family. However, also this role is today, according to the instrument of government, ceremonial.

In 1902, Sven Hedin became the last person, other than members of the Royal Family, to be ennobled in Sweden. Since 1974, the monarch is only permitted[according to whom?] to confer titles of nobility on members of the Royal Family. As of 2004 there were about 619 existing noble families in Sweden, with about 28,000 members. They are classified as counts (46 families), barons (124 families) and untitled nobility (449 families).[1]

Until 2003 the nobility was regulated by a government statute, but in that year the statute was lifted so that governmental sanction and legal regulation of the nobility was discontinued. The House of Nobility is now a private institution, run as any private corporation under civil commercial law, and is owned by its members. Today, the only privilege of the nobility is the right to use a helm with an open visor in their coats of arms, this according to a 1762 royal act; commoners using open visors or "noblemen's shield" (Adelig Sköld) are subjected to a fine.[2] When an association called Ofrälse och löske mäns samfund för bruk af öppne hjälmar (Commoners' and vagabonds' society for the use of open visors) petitioned the Swedish government for amnesty (Swedish: abolition) in regards to violations of the 1762 act, the petition was not tried nor granted. The Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden ruled, in 2013, that, since no one has the right to amnesty, the government's decision did not concern anyone's civil rights according to the European Convention on Human Rights, and could thus not be examined by the court.[3][4]

Organization

Swedish nobility is organized into three classes according to a scheme introduced in riddarhusordningen (Standing orders of the House of Knights) 1626

  • the Class of Lords (Swedish: Herreklassen), comprising counts (greve) and barons (friherre, baron), two titles introduced in 1561 by Erik XIV;
  • the Class of Knights (Swedish: Riddarklassen), untitled descendants of Swedish Privy Councillors and since 1778 the 300 oldest families in the Class of Esquire as well as the "commander families", who are of the descendants of commanders of Swedish royal orders;
  • the Class of Esquires (Swedish: Svenneklassen), other untitled nobles.

The two last classes contains the so-called untitled nobility (Swedish: obetitlad adel). The division into classes has roots in the Middle Ages 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 (Swedish: huvudman). This made the vast majority of the untitled nobility in power, for example officers 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 families", who are of the descendants of commanders of the Order of the Northern Star and the Order of the Sword. 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 (hertig) has almost always been of royal status and counted as such. An exception in medieval times was Benedict, Duke of Halland. Two men were also created princes (furstar) in the 18th century: Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein and Vilhelm Putbus but neither were introduced.

Following the elevation of a commoner into nobility by the Swedish monarch, the new nobleman had to seek introduction in order to be a fully recognised member of the House of Nobility (Riddarhuset), a term that also refers to its function as a chamber in the Riksdag of the Estates, the Swedish Parliament. In 1866 the Nobility was formally separated from government and incorporated as a separate institution, governed by statutes handed down by the monarch (from 1975: the government). This last link to the government and state was abolished in 2003. The Palace of the Nobility served as official representation for the nobility and was regulated by the Swedish government, but this regulation ceased completely in 2003, as have the privileges. The membership roster is published every three years.

Medieval nobility: Frälse

 
King Magnus III

The institution of Swedish (and Finnish) nobility dates back to 1280, when it was stated by King Magnus III in the Decree of Alsnö that magnates who could afford to contribute a mounted soldier to the cavalry were to be exempted from tax - at least from ordinary taxes - just as the clergy already had been. The archaic Swedish term for nobility, frälse, also included the clergy with respect to their exemption from tax. Generally, the nobility grew from wealthier or more powerful members of the peasantry, those who were capable of assigning work or wealth to provide the requisite cavalrymen.

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) had by this time become outmoded. The crown'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 (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 diets.

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 or exploitation of peasants built a castle and financed troops, then the castle was theirs, but the troops were expected to serve as a part of the army of the realm. In Sweden, there never existed serfdom. Hence, nobility was basically a class of well-off citizens, not owners of other human beings. In the Middle Ages and much of the modern age, nobles and other wealthy men were landowners, as well as lords of villeins and servants. Members of the nobility utilized their economic power and sometimes also other powers to have small-farm owners sell their lands to manor lords, so landowning centralized gradually more in the hands of the noble class.

For extended periods, the commander of Viborg at the Novgorod/Russian front did, in practice, function as a margrave, 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 with titles such as Lantgraf, Reichsgraf, Burggraf and Pfalzgraf was never applied in Sweden.

Ancient nobility

Swedish ancient nobility (Swedish: uradel) is the term used for families whose de facto status as nobility was formalised by the Ordinance of Alsnö in 1280.

These noble families have no original patents of nobility, the first known being from 1360.[5] The somewhat loose cut-off date or rather rule of thumb for what constitutes ancient Swedish nobility is therefore set to during mid 14th century but no later than 1400.

Some Swedish ancient families are still extant at the Swedish House of Nobility or the Finnish House of Nobility; some have been further elevated from Class of Esquires to Class of Knights or to titled nobility (count or baron). In 1778 all ancient noble families in the Class of Esquires were elevated to the Class of Knights.

Some ancient noble families:

Nobility after 1561

 
Axel Oxenstierna secured all government appointments to be filled by nobles.

At the coronation of Eric XIV in 1561, Swedish nobility became formally hereditary for the first time upon the creation of the higher titles of Count (greve) and Baron (friherre). The House of Knights was organized in 1626. The grounds for introduction into this chamber became either birth into an "ancient" noble family or ennoblement by the sovereign. Consequently, genealogy flourished.

The Lord High Chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna, was the architect of the Instrument of Government 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 "Reduction" of 1655 and 1680, however, brought land back into the crown's possession.

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 from 1809, a change was made more in line with the British system so that, for later nobility, only the head of the family would hold the title (if there is one). There are a few families where these systems overlap such that the vast majority are nobles pre-1809 without title, while the heads of the families have been elevated to count or baron after 1809. The vast majority of noble families are still of the old kind where all members are regarded as nobles.

No hereditary title of nobility has been granted since 1902, when explorer Sven Hedin was ennobled by the King (that honor was hereditary, but he left no heirs). Since 1975 the Swedish monarch and government no longer have the right to ennoble or to confer knighthoods and orders on Swedes. Titles are still given to members of the Swedish royal house where princes and princesses are made non-hereditary dukes or duchesses of selected provinces, but these are honorary titles within that house, not titles of nobility.

Unintroduced nobility

Being "introduced" at the House of Nobility meant that the body confirmed the status of a family as Swedish nobility. Even when a family was ennobled by the Swedish monarch, it still had to seek introduction at the House of Nobility to achieve such status. Introduction, however, was not necessary for being considered noble, based on other factors (see list below), whereas only the introduced families had a legally privileged position.[citation needed] Unintroduced families still could use their titles, if they had any, and noble elements and styles in their coats of arms. There has never been legislation in Sweden preventing anyone from purporting to belong to nobility. The recognition of such noble status in society was of a social, not a legal, nature, as has all Swedish nobility become since it was separated from the government more recently.

Sweden has had a significant number of unintroduced noble families (as of 2010 comprising 99 living families and around 450 individuals), several of which have been historically prominent. The families fall into four groups:

  1. Foreign nobility, being families of foreign (particularly Baltic German) origin, but also other nationalities) which had noble status in a different country than Sweden, and which partially or wholly live in Sweden. This group is the largest.
  2. Families of Swedish origin which were granted noble status and/or titles by a foreign country (for example, members of the royal House of Bernadotte have been granted Belgian and Luxembourgish princely and comital titles).
  3. Families which have been ennobled by the Swedish monarch, but which have not been introduced at the House of Nobility. This group is small.
  4. Armigerous families of foreign origin which have traditionally been included in the various directories of unintroduced nobility, but whose original noble status has not been proven. They are included in Swedish unintroduced nobility for traditional reasons, such as having been considered noble in Sweden for an extended period of time. This group is also small.

Three successive almanach series of unintroduced nobility have been published; the first in 1886,[6] the second in 1912,[7] and the third in 1935; it came out most recently in 2010.[8] An association of unintroduced nobility, Sveriges Ointroducerade Adels Förening, private club with no official standing, was founded in 1911. Several branches of the House of Bernadotte have chosen to become members of this association, as a result of members of the royal family being denied the use of Swedish titles upon marrying non-royals, but being granted foreign (Luxembourgish or Belgian) titles. Carl Johan Bernadotte was chairman of the association for many years.

Titles of high nobility

Introduced

According to the Nordisk Familjebok: The first counts and barons, created in 1561 by Eric XIV:

  • 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 Birger Nilsson, baron of Vines
  • Oxenstierna Gabriel Kristersson, baron of Mörby
  • Lars Fleming, baron of Arvasalo (in Finland)
  • Gera 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 granted the first baronial titles accompanied by territorial grants (earlier titles elevated the family's hereditary estate to comital or baronial status):

  • Öresten and Kronobäck to Erik Gustafsson of Torpa
  • Lundholm to Nils Göransson Gyllenstierna, new baron
  • 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)
  • county of Raseborg (in Finland) to baron Sten Eriksson of Grevsnes' widow Countess Ebba Lilliehöök and heirs in 1571

Charles IX created only one:

  • barony of Nynäs (in Finland) to Abraham Leijonhufvud

(he made Svante Bielke and Nils Bielke barons without grant of entailed lands)

Gustav II Adolf granted:

Christina granted:

Charles X Gustav granted:

  • county of Sölvesborg to Corfitz Ulfeldt
  • baron of Örneholma (in Finland) to P. Wuertz
  • barony of Kastell ladugården to Rutger von Ascheberg

Charles XI granted:

Unintroduced

The following titled families of high nobility are included in Kalender öfver i Sverige lefvande ointroducerad adel (1886–1899), Sveriges ointroducerade adels kalender (1912–1944), and/or Kalender över Ointroducerad adels förening (1935–), which are directories of the living (at the time of publication) unintroduced noble families resident in Sweden. Five of these families have titles as Princes, Dukes or Marquis, the others as Counts and Barons. Most unintroduced noble families, however, are untitled, similar to the introduced families. Some of these families, or their titled branches, have since become extinct.

Princes
Dukes
Marquis
Counts
Barons
  • von Bonsdorff (Finnish nobility)
  • von Bredow (German nobility)
  • von Buddenbrock
  • von Buxhoeveden
  • Cronstedt
  • von Grothusen
  • von Gussich
  • von Leithner
  • von Mecklenburg
  • von der Osten-Sacken
  • von der Pahlen (Russian nobility)
  • von Rosen (Hoch-Rosen)
  • Rosenørn-Lehn (Danish nobility)
  • von Strauss
  • von Wangenheim
  • de Wendel (Portuguese nobility)

Peerage and families

Surnames

See also: Naming law in Sweden

Surnames in Sweden can be traced to the 15th century, when they were first used by the Gentry (Frälse), i.e., priests and nobles. The names of these were usually in Swedish, Latin, German or Greek. The adoption of Latin names was first used by the Catholic clergy in the 15th century. The given name was preceded by Herr (Sir), followed by a Latinized form of patronymic names.

Starting from the time of the Reformation, a common naming practice among the clergy was to use the Latinized form of their birthplace (e.g. Laurentius Petri Gothus, from Östergötland). Later merchants and other social groups discarded the formerly used family names (such as patronymic surnames). Instead they adopted high-sounding Latin surnames. Another subsequent practice was the use of the Greek language, with the ending of -ander (the Greek word for man). The use of surnames was still quite uncommon in the 17th century among the nobility and the educated class. Furthermore, the concept of hereditary surnames was also limited to a few families.

When a family was ennobled, it was usually given a name—just as with lordships of England and other Western European countries. This was a period which produced a myriad of two-word Swedish-language family names for the nobility (very favored prefixes were Adler-, "eagle"; Ehren-, "honor"; Silfver-, "silver"; and Gyllen-, "golden"). The regular difference with Britain was that it became the new surname of the whole house, and the old surname was dropped altogether.

Privileges

The noble estates are not abolished in Sweden, 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 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 until 2003, including the right to be beheaded by sword, when the law granting these noble privileges was completely abolished and the government no longer has the right to call the heads of families to be assembled in session.

The prerogatives of nobility today are limited to protection of noble titles and certain elements and styles used in their coats of arms (this according to a 1762 act): 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 basis of nobility.

Crowns and coronets of rank

  •  

    Royal (Kunglig) crown

  •  

    Comital (Grevlig) coronet

  •  

    Baronial (Friherrlig) coronet

  •  

    Noble (Adlig) coronet

Exceptional cases

Outside Sweden, Saint Bridget (1303–1373) became known as the Princess of Nericia,[10] which appears to have been a noble, rather than a royal title, since she was not the daughter of a king.

Gallery

References

  1. ^ Riddarhuset 2010-08-17 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Svenska heraldiska föreningen: Adelig sköld och hjälm 2014-01-07 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Skövde Nyheter: Vapensköld rättighet bara för adeln, 2013-05-31
  4. ^ Supreme Administrative Court decision 2013-05-20, case no. 4346-12
  5. ^ Nordisk Familjebok 1926 http://runeberg.org/nfcr/0604.html
  6. ^ Tersmeden, Carl Herman (1886–1899). Kalender öfver i Sverige lefvande ointroducerad adel. Stockholm.
  7. ^ Gerber, Tage von (1912–1944). Sveriges ointroducerade adels kalender. Malmö: Sveriges Ointroducerade Adels Förening (from 1917).
  8. ^ Rothstein, Niclas von (2010). Ointroducerad Adel 2010. Kalender över Ointroducerad adels förening. Vol. 22. Stockholm: Ointroducerad Adels Förening and Almqvist & Wiksell. ISBN 978-91-633-5038-2.
  9. ^ Wilhelm Malte I, Prince of Putbus, website of Landesmuseum (State Museum) of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
  10. ^ Furstinnan från/av Närke Eivor Martinus in Barndrottningen Filippa, ISBN 978-91-7331-663-7 pp 115, 164 & 167

External links

  • The House of Nobility - Official site
  • Law on Privileges for the Nobility (1723) - at Wikisource (in Swedish)
  • Constitution for the House of Knights (1866) - at Wikisource (in Swedish)
  • A Who's Who of the Swedish Aristocracy

March 08, 2023
swedish, nobility, swedish, adeln, ridderskapet, adeln, knighthood, nobility, historically, been, legally, socially, privileged, class, sweden, part, called, frälse, derivation, from, swedish, meaning, free, neck, archaic, term, nobility, frälse, also, include. The Swedish nobility Swedish Adeln or Ridderskapet och Adeln Knighthood and Nobility has historically been a legally and or socially privileged class in Sweden and part of the so called fralse a derivation from Old Swedish meaning free neck The archaic term for nobility fralse also included the clergy a classification defined by tax exemptions and representation in the diet the Riksdag Today the nobility does not maintain its former legal privileges although family names titles and coats of arms are still protected The Swedish nobility consists of both introduced and unintroduced nobility where the latter has not been formally introduced at the House of Nobility Riddarhuset The House of Nobility still maintains a fee for male members over the age of 18 for upkeep on pertinent buildings in Stockholm Ruins of Alsno Castle where the first known ordinance of Swedish nobility was given in 1280 by King Magnus III Belonging to the nobility in present day Sweden may still carry some informal social privileges and be of certain social and historical significance particularly among some groups Sweden has however long been a modern democratic society and meritocratic practices are supposed to govern all appointments to state offices by law No special privileges in taxation or otherwise are therefore given to any Swedish citizen based on family origins the exceptions being the monarch and other members of the Royal Family However also this role is today according to the instrument of government ceremonial In 1902 Sven Hedin became the last person other than members of the Royal Family to be ennobled in Sweden Since 1974 the monarch is only permitted according to whom to confer titles of nobility on members of the Royal Family As of 2004 there were about 619 existing noble families in Sweden with about 28 000 members They are classified as counts 46 families barons 124 families and untitled nobility 449 families 1 Until 2003 the nobility was regulated by a government statute but in that year the statute was lifted so that governmental sanction and legal regulation of the nobility was discontinued The House of Nobility is now a private institution run as any private corporation under civil commercial law and is owned by its members Today the only privilege of the nobility is the right to use a helm with an open visor in their coats of arms this according to a 1762 royal act commoners using open visors or noblemen s shield Adelig Skold are subjected to a fine 2 When an association called Ofralse och loske mans samfund for bruk af oppne hjalmar Commoners and vagabonds society for the use of open visors petitioned the Swedish government for amnesty Swedish abolition in regards to violations of the 1762 act the petition was not tried nor granted The Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden ruled in 2013 that since no one has the right to amnesty the government s decision did not concern anyone s civil rights according to the European Convention on Human Rights and could thus not be examined by the court 3 4 Contents 1 Organization 2 Medieval nobility Fralse 3 Ancient nobility 4 Nobility after 1561 5 Unintroduced nobility 6 Titles of high nobility 6 1 Introduced 6 2 Unintroduced 7 Peerage and families 8 Surnames 9 Privileges 9 1 Crowns and coronets of rank 10 Exceptional cases 11 Gallery 12 References 13 External linksOrganization EditSwedish nobility is organized into three classes according to a scheme introduced in riddarhusordningen Standing orders of the House of Knights 1626 the Class of Lords Swedish Herreklassen comprising counts greve and barons friherre baron two titles introduced in 1561 by Erik XIV the Class of Knights Swedish Riddarklassen untitled descendants of Swedish Privy Councillors and since 1778 the 300 oldest families in the Class of Esquire as well as the commander families who are of the descendants of commanders of Swedish royal orders the Class of Esquires Swedish Svenneklassen other untitled nobles The two last classes contains the so called untitled nobility Swedish obetitlad adel The division into classes has roots in the Middle Ages when the nobility fralse 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 Swedish huvudman This made the vast majority of the untitled nobility in power for example officers 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 families who are of the descendants of commanders of the Order of the Northern Star and the Order of the Sword 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 hertig has almost always been of royal status and counted as such An exception in medieval times was Benedict Duke of Halland Two men were also created princes furstar in the 18th century Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein and Vilhelm Putbus but neither were introduced The House of Nobility Riddarhuset in Stockholm Following the elevation of a commoner into nobility by the Swedish monarch the new nobleman had to seek introduction in order to be a fully recognised member of the House of Nobility Riddarhuset a term that also refers to its function as a chamber in the Riksdag of the Estates the Swedish Parliament In 1866 the Nobility was formally separated from government and incorporated as a separate institution governed by statutes handed down by the monarch from 1975 the government This last link to the government and state was abolished in 2003 The Palace of the Nobility served as official representation for the nobility and was regulated by the Swedish government but this regulation ceased completely in 2003 as have the privileges The membership roster is published every three years Medieval nobility Fralse Edit King Magnus III The institution of Swedish and Finnish nobility dates back to 1280 when it was stated by King Magnus III in the Decree of Alsno that magnates who could afford to contribute a mounted soldier to the cavalry were to be exempted from tax at least from ordinary taxes just as the clergy already had been The archaic Swedish term for nobility fralse also included the clergy with respect to their exemption from tax Generally the nobility grew from wealthier or more powerful members of the peasantry those who were capable of assigning work or wealth to provide the requisite cavalrymen The background for this was that the old system of a leidangr fleet and a king constantly on travel through the realm between the estates of Uppsala od had by this time become outmoded The crown 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 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 fralse was summoned to the diets 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 or exploitation of peasants built a castle and financed troops then the castle was theirs but the troops were expected to serve as a part of the army of the realm In Sweden there never existed serfdom Hence nobility was basically a class of well off citizens not owners of other human beings In the Middle Ages and much of the modern age nobles and other wealthy men were landowners as well as lords of villeins and servants Members of the nobility utilized their economic power and sometimes also other powers to have small farm owners sell their lands to manor lords so landowning centralized gradually more in the hands of the noble class For extended periods the commander of Viborg at the Novgorod Russian front did in practice function as a margrave 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 with titles such as Lantgraf Reichsgraf Burggraf and Pfalzgraf was never applied in Sweden Ancient nobility EditSwedish ancient nobility Swedish uradel is the term used for families whose de facto status as nobility was formalised by the Ordinance of Alsno in 1280 These noble families have no original patents of nobility the first known being from 1360 5 The somewhat loose cut off date or rather rule of thumb for what constitutes ancient Swedish nobility is therefore set to during mid 14th century but no later than 1400 Some Swedish ancient families are still extant at the Swedish House of Nobility or the Finnish House of Nobility some have been further elevated from Class of Esquires to Class of Knights or to titled nobility count or baron In 1778 all ancient noble families in the Class of Esquires were elevated to the Class of Knights Some ancient noble families Aspenas Baner Bese Bielke extant Sweden s second oldest noble family Bjorn Baat Bonde extant Carpelan extant Eka Hiort af Ornas extant Hard af Segerstad extant Jagerhorn af Spurila extant Leijonhufvud extant Lilliehook extant Natt och Dag extant Sweden s oldest noble family Oxenstierna extant Porse Posse extant Ribbing extant Rosenstrale Sparre extant Stenbock extant Trolle extant OrnsparreNobility after 1561 Edit Axel Oxenstierna secured all government appointments to be filled by nobles At the coronation of Eric XIV in 1561 Swedish nobility became formally hereditary for the first time upon the creation of the higher titles of Count greve and Baron friherre The House of Knights was organized in 1626 The grounds for introduction into this chamber became either birth into an ancient noble family or ennoblement by the sovereign Consequently genealogy flourished The Lord High Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna was the architect of the Instrument of Government 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 Reduction of 1655 and 1680 however brought land back into the crown s possession 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 from 1809 a change was made more in line with the British system so that for later nobility only the head of the family would hold the title if there is one There are a few families where these systems overlap such that the vast majority are nobles pre 1809 without title while the heads of the families have been elevated to count or baron after 1809 The vast majority of noble families are still of the old kind where all members are regarded as nobles No hereditary title of nobility has been granted since 1902 when explorer Sven Hedin was ennobled by the King that honor was hereditary but he left no heirs Since 1975 the Swedish monarch and government no longer have the right to ennoble or to confer knighthoods and orders on Swedes Titles are still given to members of the Swedish royal house where princes and princesses are made non hereditary dukes or duchesses of selected provinces but these are honorary titles within that house not titles of nobility Unintroduced nobility EditBeing introduced at the House of Nobility meant that the body confirmed the status of a family as Swedish nobility Even when a family was ennobled by the Swedish monarch it still had to seek introduction at the House of Nobility to achieve such status Introduction however was not necessary for being considered noble based on other factors see list below whereas only the introduced families had a legally privileged position citation needed Unintroduced families still could use their titles if they had any and noble elements and styles in their coats of arms There has never been legislation in Sweden preventing anyone from purporting to belong to nobility The recognition of such noble status in society was of a social not a legal nature as has all Swedish nobility become since it was separated from the government more recently Sweden has had a significant number of unintroduced noble families as of 2010 comprising 99 living families and around 450 individuals several of which have been historically prominent The families fall into four groups Foreign nobility being families of foreign particularly Baltic German origin but also other nationalities which had noble status in a different country than Sweden and which partially or wholly live in Sweden This group is the largest Families of Swedish origin which were granted noble status and or titles by a foreign country for example members of the royal House of Bernadotte have been granted Belgian and Luxembourgish princely and comital titles Families which have been ennobled by the Swedish monarch but which have not been introduced at the House of Nobility This group is small Armigerous families of foreign origin which have traditionally been included in the various directories of unintroduced nobility but whose original noble status has not been proven They are included in Swedish unintroduced nobility for traditional reasons such as having been considered noble in Sweden for an extended period of time This group is also small Three successive almanach series of unintroduced nobility have been published the first in 1886 6 the second in 1912 7 and the third in 1935 it came out most recently in 2010 8 An association of unintroduced nobility Sveriges Ointroducerade Adels Forening private club with no official standing was founded in 1911 Several branches of the House of Bernadotte have chosen to become members of this association as a result of members of the royal family being denied the use of Swedish titles upon marrying non royals but being granted foreign Luxembourgish or Belgian titles Carl Johan Bernadotte was chairman of the association for many years Titles of high nobility EditIntroduced Edit According to the Nordisk Familjebok The first counts and barons created in 1561 by Eric XIV Svante Sture of Horningsholm 1562 count of Vestervik and later also Stegeholm Peder Joakimsson Brahe of Rydboholm 1562 count of Visingsborg Gostaff Johansson of Haga 1562 count of Bogesund originally Enkoping Stenbock Gustaf Olofsson baron of Torpa Leijonhufvud Sten Eriksson baron of Grevsnes Grip Birger Nilsson baron of Vines Oxenstierna Gabriel Kristersson baron of Morby Lars Fleming baron of Arvasalo in Finland Gera Karl Holgersson baron of Bjorkvik Gera Goran Holgersson baron of Allono Horn af Aminne Klas Kristersson baron of Joensuu in Finland Stenbock Erik Gustafsson baron of Torpa younger son of Gustaf Olofsson John III granted the first baronial titles accompanied by territorial grants earlier titles elevated the family s hereditary estate to comital or baronial status Oresten and Kronoback to Erik Gustafsson of Torpa Lundholm to Nils Goransson Gyllenstierna new baron Viikki in Finland to Klas Eriksson Fleming new baron Lacko 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 county of Raseborg in Finland to baron Sten Eriksson of Grevsnes widow Countess Ebba Lilliehook and heirs in 1571Charles IX created only one barony of Nynas in Finland to Abraham Leijonhufvud he made Svante Bielke and Nils Bielke barons without grant of entailed lands Gustav II Adolf granted county of Lacko to Jacob De la Gardie county of Parnu in northern Livonia now Estonia to Franz Bernhard von Thurn son of Jindrich Matyas Thurn barony of Kimito in Finland to Axel Oxenstierna barony of Bergkvara to Carl Carlsson Gyllenhielm barony of Tuutarhovi in Ingria to Johan Skytte barony of Orreholm to Jakob Vilhelmsson SpensChristina granted county of Sodermore to Axel Oxenstierna county of Vasaborg in Finland to Gustav Gustavsson her illegitimate half brother county of Ortala to Lennart Torstenson county of Kuressaare later exchanged for Parnu to Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie county of Sortavala in Finland to Johan Adam Baner county of Bjorneborg Pori in Finland to Gustav Horn county of Vestervik and Stegeholm to Hans Kristofer von Konigsmark county of Korsholm and Vasa in Finland to Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna county of Bogesund to Fredrik Stenbock county of Salmi and Suistamo pogosta in Finland to Carl Gustaf Wrangel county of Kruunupori in Finland to Ture Oxenstierna county of Nyborg in Finland to Arvid Wittenberg county of Karleborg in Finland to Klas Tott county of Liljenborg to Axel Lillie county of Mariestad to Lars Kagg county of Skeninge to Robert Douglas county of Skovde to Kristofer Karl von Schlippenbach county of Enkoping 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 Korpo in Finland to Nils Bielke barony of Harlunda to Seved Baat barony of Kajaani in Finland to Per Brahe barony of Orneholma in Finland to Johan Adler Salvius barony of Liperi in Finland pogosta to Hermann Fleming barony of Oulu in Finland to Erik Gyllenstierna barony of Kitee in Finland pogosta to Axel Lillie barony of Loimijoki in Finland to Arvid Wittenberg barony of Limingo in Finland to Matias Soop barony of Marienburg to Gustav Horn af Marienborg and certain of his relatives barony of Voyripori in Finland to Carl Gustaf Paijkull barony of Tohmajarvi in Finland pogosta to Lars Kagg barony of Kokkola in Finland to Gustav Baner barony of Sund to Erik Ryning barony of Laihia in Finland to Karl Bonde barony of Pyhajoki in Finland to Klas Hansson Bjelkenstjerna barony of Iijoki in Finland to Ake Axelsson Tott barony of Ikalapori in Finland to Schering Rosenhane barony of Hailuoto in Finland to Bernt Taube barony of Hedensund then Arnas 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 Luua now in Palamuse Parish Estonia to Hans Wrangel barony of Eksjo to Reinhold Liewen barony of Elfkarleby to Marten Leijonhufvud barony of Gudhem to Lauri Cruus baron of Skalby to Robert Douglas barony of Koivisto in Finland to Hans Wachtmeister barony of Lempaala in Finland to Johan Kurck barony of Wetter Rosenthal to Adolf Friedrich Wetter barony of Narpes in Finland to Jakob and Anders Lilliehook barony of Elimaki in Finland to Kasper and Karl Henrik Wrede af Elima barony of Lais to Erik Fleming Charles X Gustav granted county of Solvesborg to Corfitz Ulfeldt Lars Kagg then Carl Gustav Wrangel obtained the county of Solvesborg in exchanges baron of Orneholma in Finland to P Wuertz barony of Kastell ladugarden to Rutger von AschebergCharles XI granted county of Borringe and Lindholm to Gustaf Carlson his out of wedlock half brotherUnintroduced Edit The following titled families of high nobility are included in Kalender ofver i Sverige lefvande ointroducerad adel 1886 1899 Sveriges ointroducerade adels kalender 1912 1944 and or Kalender over Ointroducerad adels forening 1935 which are directories of the living at the time of publication unintroduced noble families resident in Sweden Five of these families have titles as Princes Dukes or Marquis the others as Counts and Barons Most unintroduced noble families however are untitled similar to the introduced families Some of these families or their titled branches have since become extinct PrincesBernadotte Belgian princely title awarded to Prince Carl Bernadotte Cantacuzino Romanian princely family Putbus Created princes by king Gustav IV Adolf Duke of Swedish Pomerania in 1807 9 not included in the calendar DukesD Otrante Napoleonic nobility MarquisJoussineau de Tourdonnet French nobility Lagergren Papal Italian nobility CountsBernadotte of Wisborg Luxembourgish title awarded to various members of the House of Bernadotte Crapon de Caprona Fouche d Otrante Napoleonic nobility von der Groeben German nobility von Hallwyl Swiss nobility Joussineau de Tourdonnet French nobility Lagergren Papal Italian nobility Landberg Moltke German Danish nobility Moltke Hvitfeldt German Danish nobility de Paus Papal Italian nobility von Platen Hallermund German nobility Revay Hungarian nobility Reventlow Danish German nobility Stolberg German nobility Tolstoy Russian nobility von Trampe German nobility Baronsvon Bonsdorff Finnish nobility von Bredow German nobility von Buddenbrock von Buxhoeveden Cronstedt von Grothusen von Gussich von Leithner von Mecklenburg von der Osten Sacken von der Pahlen Russian nobility von Rosen Hoch Rosen Rosenorn Lehn Danish nobility von Strauss von Wangenheim de Wendel Portuguese nobility Peerage and families EditList of Swedish noble families Duchies in Sweden Duke of Estonia Duke of Finland Duke of Halland Swedish Royal FamilySurnames EditSee also Naming law in Sweden Surnames in Sweden can be traced to the 15th century when they were first used by the Gentry Fralse i e priests and nobles The names of these were usually in Swedish Latin German or Greek The adoption of Latin names was first used by the Catholic clergy in the 15th century The given name was preceded by Herr Sir followed by a Latinized form of patronymic names Starting from the time of the Reformation a common naming practice among the clergy was to use the Latinized form of their birthplace e g Laurentius Petri Gothus from Ostergotland Later merchants and other social groups discarded the formerly used family names such as patronymic surnames Instead they adopted high sounding Latin surnames Another subsequent practice was the use of the Greek language with the ending of ander the Greek word for man The use of surnames was still quite uncommon in the 17th century among the nobility and the educated class Furthermore the concept of hereditary surnames was also limited to a few families When a family was ennobled it was usually given a name just as with lordships of England and other Western European countries This was a period which produced a myriad of two word Swedish language family names for the nobility very favored prefixes were Adler eagle Ehren honor Silfver silver and Gyllen golden The regular difference with Britain was that it became the new surname of the whole house and the old surname was dropped altogether Privileges EditThe noble estates are not abolished in Sweden 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 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 until 2003 including the right to be beheaded by sword when the law granting these noble privileges was completely abolished and the government no longer has the right to call the heads of families to be assembled in session The prerogatives of nobility today are limited to protection of noble titles and certain elements and styles used in their coats of arms this according to a 1762 act 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 basis of nobility Crowns and coronets of rank Edit Royal Kunglig crown Comital Grevlig coronet Baronial Friherrlig coronet Noble Adlig coronetExceptional cases EditOutside Sweden Saint Bridget 1303 1373 became known as the Princess of Nericia 10 which appears to have been a noble rather than a royal title since she was not the daughter of a king Gallery Edit Sten Sture the Younger statesman and regent of Sweden during the era of the Kalmar Union Jons Bengtsson Oxenstierna archbishop of Uppsala 1448 1467 and regent of Sweden under the Kalmar Union Margaret Leijonhufvud noblewoman Queen Consort of Sweden 1536 1551 and mother of kings Helena Snakenborg noblewoman Maid of Honour of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Marchioness of Northampton Count Jacob De la Gardie statesman and a soldier of the Swedish Empire Georg Stiernhielm civil servant linguist and poet Vendela Skytte salonist and writer poet and Lady of Letters Erik Dahlbergh engineer soldier and field marshal Uno von Troil Archbishop of Uppsala Carl von Linne botanist physician and zoologist Countess Sophie Piper Swedish noble and lady in waiting Malla Silfverstolpe writer and salon hostess Magnus Brahe statesman and soldier Sofia Adlersparre painter Baron Fredrik von Essen Marshal of the Realm and landlord Kavlas Castle Baron Adolf Erik Nordenskiold botanist geologist mineralogist and arctic explorer Verner von Heidenstam poet and novelist a laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature Hilma af Klint artist and mystic Evert Taube author artist composer and singer References Edit Riddarhuset Archived 2010 08 17 at the Wayback Machine Svenska heraldiska foreningen Adelig skold och hjalm Archived 2014 01 07 at the Wayback Machine Skovde Nyheter Vapenskold rattighet bara for adeln 2013 05 31 Supreme Administrative Court decision 2013 05 20 case no 4346 12 Nordisk Familjebok 1926 http runeberg org nfcr 0604 html Tersmeden Carl Herman 1886 1899 Kalender ofver i Sverige lefvande ointroducerad adel Stockholm Gerber Tage von 1912 1944 Sveriges ointroducerade adels kalender Malmo Sveriges Ointroducerade Adels Forening from 1917 Rothstein Niclas von 2010 Ointroducerad Adel 2010 Kalender over Ointroducerad adels forening Vol 22 Stockholm Ointroducerad Adels Forening and Almqvist amp Wiksell ISBN 978 91 633 5038 2 Wilhelm Malte I Prince of Putbus website of Landesmuseum State Museum of Mecklenburg Vorpommern Furstinnan fran av Narke Eivor Martinus in Barndrottningen Filippa ISBN 978 91 7331 663 7 pp 115 164 amp 167External links EditThe House of Nobility Official site Law on Privileges for the Nobility 1723 at Wikisource in Swedish Constitution for the House of Knights 1866 at Wikisource in Swedish A Who s Who of the Swedish Aristocracy Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Swedish nobility amp oldid 1140748068, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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