The Countship of

Larvik Larvik () is a town and municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. The municipality of Larvik has about 46,364 inhabitants. The municipality has a 110&nbs ...

(also spelt Laurvig or Laurvigen) was created on 29 September 1671 when Brunla amt was made into the county of Laurvigen. It covered today's Larvik and

Tjøme Tjøme () is an island in Færder, and a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Tjøme. The parish of ''Tjømø'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see f ...

municipality, and parts of

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a city and the most populous municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838. The municipality of Sandar was merged into Sandefjord on 1 January 1969. On 1 ...

municipality (Sandar and Kodal). In 1821 the county was merged with Jarlsberg County to become Jarlsberg and Larvik amt. The county was created by king

Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decr ...

for general and ''Statholder'' (

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

) of Norway,

Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, Count of Laurvig (20 July 1638 – 17 April 1704) was Governor-general of Norway (''Stattholdere i Norge'') from 1664–1699. He was the leading general in Norway during the Scanian War, whose Norwegian leg is conventio ...

, illegitimate son of king

Frederik III Frederick III ( da, Frederik; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bi ...

. Laurvig was intended to be the leading countship in Denmark-Norway: "''hvilket Grevskab skal for vores Rigers første Grevskab herefter holdes og agtes skal.''". The count's estate comprised the former Brunla, Fritsø and Halsen estates and the Lange family's former estate. It also included the towns of Larvik and Sandefjord, and significant industry: Fritzøe Ironworks and Fritzøe sawmill. Most of the count's properties are today owned by the

Treschow family Treschow is a family originating in Denmark and with branches in Norway and Sweden. The family name means "wooden shoe-maker" and the family later counted many merchants in the 17th century and priests in the 18th century. A member of the famil ...

. Gyldenløve built a manor named ''Herregården'' in what was then the outskirts of

. The building was started in 1674 and completed in time for Gyldenløve's third wedding, with Antoinette Augusta von Aldenburg, on August 16, 1677. Herregården i Larvik

The coat of arms is blazoned as follows: "I blåt en oprejst, kronet hvidspættet løve med hovedet set for fra ("leopard") i en krum gul hellebard. Om skjoldet to grønne palmegrene med blå sløjfe, og på skjoldet en grevekrone.".

House of
Gyldenløve Gyldenløve, was a surname for several illegitimate children of Oldenburg kings of Denmark-Norway in the 17th century. Kings The surname Gyldenløve was given to the sons of the following Dano-Norwegian kings: * Christian IV of Denmark (1588 ...

Gyldenløve was

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

in 1655. In 1671 he received the title Count of Larvik, but he never used it. The titles could be inherited by both his male and female descendants after a further determination of succession. By patent of 11 February 1692, succession was changed, so that only Gyldenløve's sons and their male descendants could inherit. Coat of arms blazoned: "Et hvidt kors mellem 1. og 4. se grevskabet Laurvig, 2. og 3. sinister skrådelt af hvidt over gult og omvendt, 1 grevekronet rødt midterskjold to gående, kronede gule løver bag et hvidt kors. På skjoldet en grevekrone og en gul "leopard" som holder 2 x 3 Danneborgsfaner. To hvide elefanter.". "A cross argent between, 1st and 4th quarters, for the county of Laurvig, 2nd and 3rd quarters a bend sinister of argent and Or counterchanged, over all a count's coronet gules ..." * 1671–1704 Count

Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve Ulrik is a male name, a Scandinavian form of Ulrich. Ulrik may refer to: *Ulrik Frederik Christian Arneberg (1829–1911), Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party *Albert Ulrik Bååth (1853–1912), Swedish poet *Ulrik Balling (born 1975), ...

House of Danneskiold-Laurvig

Patent 1695 for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve's children with Countess Antoinette Augusta of Aldenburg, in the name Danneskiold-Laurvig. Coat of arms blazoned: "Som Gyldenløve, ovenfor, dog med følgende forskelle: midterskjoldet ikke kronet og løverne foran korset; et kronet hjerteskjold med et kronet gult F3 i rødt; på hovedskjoldet en "antik" krone; løven øverst med antik krone; dekster elefant erstattet af gul løve med hjelm med antik krone og hvide hejrefjer.". * 1704–1754 Count Ferdinand Anton Danneskiold-Laurvig * 1754–1762 Count Frederik Ludvig Danneskiold-Laurvig * 1762–1783 Count Christian Conrad Danneskiold-Laurvig

House of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

Granted in 1785 by the Supreme Court to major general Christian Ahlefeldt (1732-1791), count of Langeland with name Ahlefeldt-Laurvigen. He was the son-in-law of one of Gyldenløve's daughters. In 1805 his son, Count Frederik Ahlefeldt-Laurvig, sold the county of Laurvig together with Fritzø Ironworks to the king. However the family continued to use the name Ahlefeldt-Laurvig or Ahlefeldt-Laurvigen. The king sold the county again by royal resolution of August 26, 1817. Coat of arms blazoned: "Hvidt kors mellem 1. og 4. grevskabet Laurvig, 2. og 3. lodret delt af grevskabet Langeland og gult, hvori to røde fisk mellem tolv sorte græske kors. Grevekronet midterskjold, se Ahlefeldt. Hjelmfigurer: grevekrone; gul ørn; Danneskiold-Laurvig og Ahlefeldt. Skjoldholdere: se Danneskiold-Laurvig." 1785–1791 Count Christian Ahlefeldt-Laurvig 1791–1805 Count Frederik Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

House of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille

Patent 1883 for count J. L. Ahlefeldt-Laurvigen with name Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille. Coat of arms: "Hvidt kors mellem, 1. og 4. Bille, 2. og 3. grevskaberne Laurvig og Langeland; grevekronet midterskjold: se Ahlefeldt. Hjelmfigurer: grevekrone; Danneskiold-Laurvig, Ahlefeldt og Bille. Skjoldholdere: se Danneskiold-Laurvig og Bille."

House of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Lehn

Patent 1905 for count F. L. V. Ahlefeldt-Laurvig and his oldest son with name Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Lehn. Coat of arms: "Hvidt kors mellem 1. Grevskabet Laurvig, 2. og 3. Lehn, 4. Grevskabet Langeland; midterskjold: Ahlefeldt, Danneskiold-Laurvig og Lehn."

References

{{reflist Larvik House of Ahlefeldt