The House of Nobility ( sv, Riddarhuset) in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, 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 ''Literally'' is an English adverb. It has been controversially used as an intensifier for figurative statements. History The first known use of the word ''literally'' was in the 15th century, or the 1530s, when it was used in the sense of "i ...

translated as ''House of Knights'', as the knights ( sv, riddare) belong to the higher ranks of the Swedish nobility, sometimes also together with titles as count ( sv, Greve) and

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

( sv, friherre). All

esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

s are also represented in the corporation (most of the families are so called ''untitled nobility'', sv, obetitlad adel). This is a tradition from the Middle Ages when Sweden during the

Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under ...

only had one knight: Sten Sture.

History

Between the 17th and the 19th century the House of Nobility was a chamber in the Riksdag of the Estates. In the 18th century, the building was often used for public concerts. From 1731, public concerts were performed here by Kungliga Hovkapellet.

Elisabeth Olin Elisabeth Olin née ''Lillström'' (December 1740 – 26 March 1828) was a Swedish opera singer and a music composer. She performed the leading female role in the inauguration performance of the Royal Swedish Opera in 1773, and is referred to a ...

is believed to have debuted here in the 1750s, and foreign artists performed such as Elisabetta Almerighi, Giovanni Ansani (1772) and Rosa Scarlatti. In 1866, the Parliament of the Estates was replaced by the new Parliament of Sweden. From then on, the House of Nobility served as a quasi-official representative body for the Swedish nobility, regulated by the Swedish government. Since 2003, it has been a private institution which maintains records and acts as an interest group on behalf of the Swedish nobility, its main purpose being to maintain old traditions and culture.

Building

The ''Riddarhuset'' is also the name of the building maintained by the corporation in Stockholm old town. The

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

-born architect Simon de la Vallée started the planning of the building, but was killed by a Swedish nobleman in 1642. The plans were eventually finished by his son, Jean de la Vallée, in 1660. The south end of the building carries the Latin inscription CLARIS MAIORUM EXEMPLIS, ''after the clear example of the forefathers'', and holds a statue of Gustav Vasa, the king of Sweden 1523-1560. North of the building is a park in which is a statue of

Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre (; 1583–1654), Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a c ...

. The architecture of the old main library in Turku, Finland, was influenced by the Swedish House of Nobility.

Gallery

Image:Riddarhuset i Stockholm (1885, ur Svenska Familj-Journalen).png, Swedish House of Nobility in 1885 Image:Riddarhuset old.jpg, Swedish House of Nobility during the

Age of Liberty In Swedish and Finnish history, the Age of Liberty ( sv, frihetstiden; fi, vapauden aika) was a period that saw parliamentary governance, increasing civil rights and the decline of the Swedish Empire that began with Charles XII's death in 1718 ...

, in the 18th century. Image:Riddarhuset Stockholm Sweden.jpg, The Swedish House of Nobility, north end, with a statue of

External links

Official ''Riddarhuset'' websiteRiddarhuset.se: Archives
{{Coord, 59, 19, 33, N, 18, 03, 55, E, region:SE_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in Stockholm . Social history of Sweden Defunct upper houses Legislative buildings in Europe Seats of national legislatures 1660 establishments in Sweden Buildings and structures completed in 1660 Baroque architecture in Sweden

Name

History

Building

Gallery

See also

External links