The De la Gardie family (; ; also de la Gardie) is the name of a distinguished Swedish noble family of French origin, whose members held significant political and military positions throughout the history of the

Kingdom of Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic country by both area ...

History

The family's social status in France is uncertain; the founder, Ponce d'Escouperie, son of a tradesman, came to Sweden as a

mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

in 1565 and took the name

Pontus De la Gardie Baron Pontus De la Gardie ( – 5 November 1585) was a French nobleman and general in the service of Denmark and Sweden. Life and career He was born Ponce d'Escouperie in Caunes-Minervois (Aude), Languedoc, a son of Jacques Escoperier and X ...

when registered by the House of Knights. He was given the title

friherre (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in i ...

in 1571 and married

Sofia Johansdotter Gyllenhielm Sofia Johansdotter Gyllenhielm (1556/59 – June 1583) was a Swedish nobleman, the illegitimate daughter of King John III of Sweden and Karin Hansdotter. Life She spent her early childhood with her mother in Turku Castle in the Duchy of Finlan ...

, an illegitimate daughter of king John III in 1580. The baronial title ended with his eldest son John De la Gardie. Pontus De la Gardie's second son,

Jacob De la Gardie Field Marshal and Count Jacob Pontusson De la Gardie (20 June 1583 – 22 August 1652) was a wikt:statesman, statesman and a soldier of the Swedish Empire, and a Marshal from 1620 onward. He was Privy Council of Sweden, Privy Councilor from ...

, was given the title

count 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: ...

of Läckö in 1615; his grandson

Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (15 October 1622 – 26 April 1686) was a Swedish Empire, Swedish statesman and military man. He became a member of the Privy Council of Sweden, Swedish Privy Council in 1647 and came to be the holder of three ...

became a favourite of Queen Christina and married her cousin, Countess Palatine Maria Eufrosyne of Zweibrücken (a sister of

Charles X Gustav of Sweden Charles X Gustav, also Carl X Gustav (; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's ...

). The De la Gardie of Läckö comital lineage is extinct. The current head of the family, Carl Gustaf De la Gardie (1946– ), lives outside

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

Notable members

(1520–1585), Governor of

Swedish Estonia Estonia under Swedish rule signifies the period of time between 1561 and 1710, when present-day Estonia was under the rule of the Swedish Empire. In the wake of the breakup of the State of the Teutonic Order, the Baltic German Baltic nobility, ...

(1574–1575) and (1583–1585), married

, illegitimate daughter of

John III of Sweden John III (; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Erik XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap bet ...

(1583–1652), Swedish statesman and a soldier, son of Pontus. Led the Swedish army to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. * (1582–1640), Swedish statesman, son of Pontus *

(1622–1686), Swedish statesman, son of Jacob. *

Maria Sofia De la Gardie Maria Sofia De la Gardie (1627 – 22 August 1694) was a Swedish countess, courtier, banker and entrepreneur. She is most known for her industrial enterprises, and she has been referred to as the first female grand entrepreneur of her country. S ...

(1627–1694), industrialist, daughter of Jacob *

Axel Julius De la Gardie Axel Julius de la Gardie (1637–17 May 1710 in Stockholm) was a Swedish field marshal and was appointed Governor-General over Estonia from 1687 to 1704. Axel Julius was the son of military commander Jacob De la Gardie and Ebba Brahe. He became ...

(1637–1710), Swedish field marshal, son of Jacob. *

Johanna Eleonora De la Gardie Johanna Eleonora Stenbock (née De la Gardie) (1661 in Hamburg – 1708 in Stockholm), was a Swedish writer, poet, lady-in-waiting and noblewoman. Biography Johanna was a daughter of Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie and Beata Elisabet von Königsm ...

(1661–1708),

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

, poet *

Magnus Julius De la Gardie Magnus Julius De la Gardie (14 April 1668 – 28 April 1741), son of Axel Julius De la Gardie, was a Swedish general and statesman, member of the Swedish Hats Party. Magnus Julius De la Gardie was born in 1668 in Stockholm. He started his milit ...

(1668–1741), Swedish general and statesman, son of Axel. *

Brita Sophia De la Gardie Brita Sophia De la Gardie (22 April 1713 – 1797) was a Swedish Nobility, noble and amateur actress who later converted to Catholicism and became a nun. She was a central member of the cultural life in Stockholm in her time. She played a part i ...

(1713–1797), amateur actress, culture personality *

Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie Countess Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie (née Catharina Charlotta Taube; 5 April 1723 – 24 March 1763), also known as Catherine Charlotte de La Gardie, was a Swedish countess and courtier. She is famed for her support of the smallpox vaccin ...

(1723–1763), heroine *

Eva Ekeblad Eva Ekeblad (née De la Gardie; 10 July 1724 – 15 May 1786) was a Swedish agriculturist and salon hostess. She discovered a method to make alcohol and flour from potatoes, significantly reducing Sweden's incidence of famine. She became the fi ...

''née'' Eva De la Gardie, (1724–1786), scientist *

Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie Hedvig Catharina von Fersen, née De la Gardie (20 May 1732 in Stockholm – 24 April 1800 in Stockholm) was a Swedish noble. She was the daughter of the General and ''riksråd'' count Magnus Julius De la Gardie and the political salonist Hedv ...

(1732–1800), daughter of Magnus Julius, wife of

Axel von Fersen the Elder Count Fredrik Axel von Fersen (5 April 171924 April 1794) was a Swedish statesman and soldier of Baltic German descent. He served as Lord Marshal of the Riksdag of the Estates, and although he worked closely with King Gustav III before and thro ...

and mother of

Axel von Fersen the Younger Hans Axel von Fersen (; 4 September 175520 June 1810), known as Axel de Fersen in France, was a Swedish count, Marshal of the Realm of Sweden, a General of Horse in the royal Swedish Army, one of the Lords of the Realm, aide-de-camp to Rocham ...

. *

Hedvig Ulrika De la Gardie Hedvig Ulrika De la Gardie (29 November 1761 in Stockholm, Sweden – 7 February 1832 in Stockholm), was a Swedish lady-in-waiting. She was married to Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt. She was the head governess of the Swedish royal children in 1799–18 ...

(1761–1832), lady-in-waiting

References

External links

*
Ancestry.com De la GardieThe De la Gardie Archive
Swedish historic documents and family archives a
Lund University Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:De La Gardie

History

Notable members

See also

References

External links