Creutz () is a Swedish

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

with the title ''

friherre (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

'' (roughly equivalent to baron) with its roots in Swedish-governed Finland. The family, both a branch of counts and a baronial branch, continues in Finland and Sweden.''Creutz'' (Nordisk familjebok)''Creutz'' (Suomen Ritarihuone)

History

The Creutz family is attested in source from the late 15th century. They had their seat at the manor of Malmgård in Pernå, eastern

Uusimaa Uusimaa (; sv, Nyland, ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. Naval commander Mårten Mattsson, lord of Sarvlaks, received a confirmation of privileges of nobility from King John III of Sweden on 2 August 1569. When the

Swedish House of Nobility The House of Nobility ( sv, Riddarhuset) in Stockholm, Sweden, is a corporation and a building that maintains records and acts as an interest group on behalf of the Swedish nobility. Name The name is literally translated as ''House of Knights'', ...

was established 1625-26, the family was registered under number 92 of untitled nobility and with the name ''Creutz''. The name imitated the Germanic trend of having actual surnames; in this case denoting a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

. Lorentz Creutz the elder, governor of the

Åbo Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

and Borgå county, later member of the

Privy Council of Sweden The Council of the Realm, or simply The Council ( sv, Riksrådet or sv, Rådet: sometimes in la, Senatus Regni Sueciae), was a cabinet of medieval origin, consisting of magnates ( sv, stormän) which advised, and at times co-ruled with, the Ki ...

, admiral of the Swedish navy,

lawspeaker A lawspeaker or lawman ( Swedish: ''lagman'', Old Swedish: ''laghmaþer'' or ''laghman'', Danish: ''lovsigemand'', Norwegian: ''lagmann'', Icelandic: , Faroese: '' løgmaður'', Finnish: ''laamanni'', kl, inatsitinuk) is a unique Scandina ...

of Northern Finland, was created

Creutz (baron) in 1654 by Queen

Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December ( New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death ...

on the day of her abdication. His family was registered under number 48 among baronial class. His wife was baroness Elsa Duwall, heiress of Abborfors. Baron

Johan Creutz Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...

, the Marshal of the nobility (

lantmarskalk Lantmarskalk, ( en, Lord Marshal) was the title of one of the speakers of the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates, from 1627 to 1866 and of the Diet of Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906. The Lantmarskalk was appointed by the Estate of the Nob ...

), member of the Privy Council, president of the Court of Appeals of

, was created count Creutz on 31 December 1719 by queen

Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden Ulrika Eleonora or Ulrica Eleanor (23 January 1688 – 24 November 1741), known as Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, was Queen of Sweden, reigning in her own right from 5 December 1718 until her abdication on 29 February 1720 in favour of her husband ...

and in 1720 his family was registered under number 68 among the

comital Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

class. His cousin, Baron Ernst Johan Creutz, was created Count but he did not register it into the Swedish House of Knights and Nobility, and upon his childless death, that comital creation became extinct. When

in 1809 became an autonomous

Grand Duchy A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Relatively rare until the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the term was often used in the o ...

, those members of the Creutz family who resided in Finland and swore fealty to the Grand Duke

Emperor Alexander I Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of Gra ...

, were confirmed in their noble privileges and titles as to the grand ducal estates of Finland. Accordingly, when the

Finnish House of Nobility The House of Nobility either refers to the institution of the Finnish nobility or the palace of the noble estate. The Finnish nobility was until 1906 the first of the four estates of the realm. The Estate The estate of nobility existed fully st ...

was established 1818, the comital family of Creutz was registered there under number 1 among the comital class.

Notable family members

Gustaf Philip Creutz Count Gustaf Philip Creutz (; 1 May 1731 in Anjala, Finland – 30 October 1785 in Stockholm), was a Swedish statesman, diplomat and poet. Biography Creutz was born in Finland and after concluding his studies at the Royal Academy of Turku he re ...

- Swedish statesman, diplomat and poet * Lorentz Creutz the elder *Baron Lorentz Creutz, American Thinker

References

Sources

* Lappalainen, Mirkka (2007) ''Släkten, Makten, Staten; Familjen Creutz i 1600-talets Sverige och Finland'' * Sirén, Olle (1985) ''Malmgård; Grevliga ätten Creutz' stamgods (Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland, Folklivsstudier XVII, ISSN 0085-0764)'' {{ISBN, 951-9018-12-3 Swedish families of Finnish ancestry

History

Notable family members

See also

References

Sources