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Johan Hadorph (May 6, 1630 – July 12, 1693) was a Swedish director-general of the Central Board of National Antiquities. He was appointed National Antiquarian at the
government agency A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...
for antiquities, and he became its
director-general A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...
. Hadorph documented ancient monuments during extensive voyages in Sweden. He collected a great many older manuscripts, such as collections of laws. He also made many drawings of
runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...
s,Liedgren 1967–69:697 and supervised the production of more than 1000
woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...
s of runestones.


Family and nobility

He was born at Haddorp manor in Slaka parish in
Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...
, Sweden to Nils Jönsson, who belonged to the Lindsbrosläkten, the Lindsbro family, an old family traceable to the 14th century, and his wife Anna Hansdotter of the old family Upplänning. His father was the head of a royal farm (''kronohemman''). and a bailiff of Linköping whose brother, Olof, became the progenitor of the noble family Stiernadler. His mother was the daughter of the vicar of Norrköping Hans Matthiae Upplänning and Brita Holm, thus a niece of bishop Johannes Matthiae Gothus and assessor Peder Mattsson Upplänning Stiernfelt, ennobled Stiernfelt and introduced at House of Nobility. Her paternal grandfather was Matthias Petri Upplänning, a vicar of Västra Husby. Hadorph married in
Skänninge Skänninge () is a locality situated in Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 3,140 inhabitants in 2010. It lies about 10 km north of the municipal seat Mjölby. Before the local government reform in 1971, the ''City of Sk ...
to Elisabeth Dalina, the daughter of vicar Daniel Dalinus and Elisabet Nilsdotter Enander, a niece of the Bishop of Linköping Samuel Enander. In 1671 and in 1674, his estate received exemption from taxation and in 1672, he, his wife and their descendants were
ennobled Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. Th ...
, a patent that was confirmed in 1681 but was not introduced at the House of Nobility in Stockholm until much later with his descendant Daniel Hadorph in the early 19th century. His sister, Christina, married national bookkeeper Olof Pedersson Krook, ennobled Ehrenkrook.


Career

Calling himself ''Hadorph'' or ''Hadorphius'', after the farm on which he grew up, he began to study at
Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...
, where he was appointed secretary of the academy in 1660. He was then noticed for his strong interest in national antiquities by
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 ...
and Count Erik Lindschöld (1634-1690). In 1666, he received a part of the salary of the director-general of the Central Board of National Antiquities, and he was appointed to be its seventh assessor in 1667.''
Nationalencyklopedin (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia with several hundred thousand articles. It is available both online and via a printed version. History The project was ...
'', 1992, ''s.v.'' "Johan Hadorph".
In 1669, he was promoted to be the secretary of the National Archives. In the same year, he and Elias Brenner joined de la Gardie on an excursion through de la Gardie's fiefs, and Johan Hadorph made drawings of all the ancient monuments the party encountered. He also had access to de la Gardie's extensive library and made a Swedish verse translation of the history of
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
, which was published during 1672. In the same year, he joined King
Charles XI of Sweden Charles XI or Carl (; ) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of History of Sweden, Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1721). He was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden ...
on his
Eriksgata Eriksgata (i.e. "Erik's Road") was the tour traditionally taken in the Middle Ages by a newly-elected Swedish king through the important provinces of the realm to have his election confirmed by the local assemblies. The actual election took place ...
through central and southern Sweden during which he was obliged always to be present and explain all the ancient monuments and curiosities that caught the king's attention.Hofberg et al. 1906:437 He received the whole position and salary as director-general of the Central Board of National Antiquities in 1679, when his co-director professor Olof Verelius was promoted to be the librarian of
Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...
. In 1692, the Central Board of National Antiquities was transferred to Stockholm to function as an archive of antiquities rather than a college, and Johan Hadorph became its director. He died in the capital on July 12, 1693.


Production

Hadorph was an assiduous and determined scholar, rather than a critical scientist. Unlike his co-assessors, he never published any Norse
saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
s, but he hired
Icelanders Icelanders () are an ethnic group and nation who are native to the island country of Iceland. They speak Icelandic, a North Germanic language. Icelanders established the country of Iceland in mid 930  CE when the (parliament) met for th ...
and arranged that they could travel and procure manuscripts for the Board and make copies of them. In 1674–76, he published the old Swedish rhyming chronicles and the rhyming saga of
Saint Olaf Saint Olaf ( – 29 July 1030), also called Olaf the Holy, Olaf II, Olaf Haraldsson, and Olaf the Stout or "Large", was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the ...
with extensive commentaries, something which is valuable to posterity, as many of the original manuscripts were destroyed in the
Stockholm Palace Stockholm Palace, or the Royal Palace, ( or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Palace is in Stadsholm ...
fire of 1697. He also edited the rhymed romances which bear the name of princess
Euphemia Euphemia (; 'well-spoken f), known as Euphemia the All-praised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a virgin martyr, who died for her faith at Chalcedon in 303 AD. According to tradition, Euphemia was martyred for refusing to offer sacrifices t ...
. He published a Swedish translation of a Latin history of Alexander the Great in 1672. In addition, he published several medieval Swedish provincial laws, beginning with the
Scanian Law Scanian law (, ) is the oldest Danish provincial law and one of the first Nordic provincial laws to be written down. It was used in the geographic region of Danish Skåneland, which at the time included Scania, Halland, Blekinge and the isla ...
in 1676,Liedgren 1967–69:698 but one of his most important works was the documentation of medieval letters.Liedgren 1967–69:699 As early as the 1650s, the future king
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 ...
sent him on an expedition to
Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Oland'' internationally) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. ...
, where he made drawings of runestones. In 1671, he was authorized to travel through the country in the search of national antiquities, accompanied by a staff of artists. From 1674 onward, he undertook such excursions every year, often accompanied by assistant artists. His studies concerned runestones, ruined monasteries and churches, castles, tumuli and other monuments, manuscripts, folklore and popular ballads.Thunberg, Carl L. ''Ingvarståget och dess monument'' (”The Ingvar Expedition and its Monuments”), University of Gothenburg, 2010, pp. 12-13. He also undertook the first archaeological excavation in Sweden, which took place at
Birka Birka (''Birca'' in medieval sources), on the island of Björkö, Ekerö, Björkö (lit. "Birch Island") in present-day Sweden, was an important Viking Age trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as many parts of Continent ...
. Johan Hadorph's collections constituted the basis of
Swedish Museum of National Antiquities The Swedish History Museum () is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden, that covers Swedish archaeology and cultural history from the Mesolithic period to present day. Founded in 1866, it operates as a government agency and is tasked with preservi ...
. A great number of runestones were depicted, and over 1000 such depictions were made into woodcuts under his supervision.


Published works

*''Dahlelagen'' 1676 *''Skånelagen'' 1676 *
Gothlands-laghen: på gammal göthiska med en historisk berättelse wid ändan, huruledes Gothland först år upfunnit och besatt, så och under Swes rijke ifran …
' 1687 *''Bjärköarätten'' 1687 *''Visby stadslag'' 1688 *''Visby sjörätt'' 1689 *''Alexandri Magni Historia på Svenska rijm'' 1672 *''St Olaffs Saga på Svenska rijm'' 1675 *
Två gamla Svenska rijmrönikor. Item en stor deel af the gamle konungars ''etc.'' Förlikningar, Försäkringar
'' etc. 1674–76 *''Färentuna runstenar'' 1680Hofberg et al. 1906:438


See also

*
Swedish National Heritage Board The Swedish National Heritage Board (; RAÄ) is a Swedish government agency responsible for World Heritage Sites and other national heritage monuments and historical environments. It is governed by the Ministry of Culture. The goals of the agen ...
*
Swedish History Museum The Swedish History Museum () is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden, that covers Swedish archaeology and cultural history from the Mesolithic period to present day. Founded in 1866, it operates as a government agency and is tasked with preservi ...
* Uppland Runic Inscription 92, Hadorph-17th century drawing of this runestone


References


Other Sources

*Hofberg, H.; Heurlin, F.; Millqvist, V.; Rubenson, O. (1906). ''Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon''. Stockholm, Albert Bonniers Förlag. *The article ''Johan Hadorph'' in ''
Nationalencyklopedin (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia with several hundred thousand articles. It is available both online and via a printed version. History The project was ...
'' (1992) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hadorph, Johan 1630 births 1693 deaths Swedish antiquarians People from Linköping Municipality Uppsala University alumni