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 ...

'' Rutger Fuchs (2 April 1682 – 10 April 1753) was a Swedish army officer and politician who served as Governor of Stockholm from 1739 until his death in 1753. A soldier during the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

, Fuchs is best remembered for his role during the

Battle of Stäket The Battle of Stäket was a minor battle during the Great Northern War. A probing Russian force, circumventing Vaxholm Castle, attempted to pass through Baggensstäket, a very narrow passage in the Stockholm archipelago. After a counterattack ...

in 1719 where he stalled a Russian landing force intending to raid Stockholm.

Biography

Rutger Fuchs was born on 2 April 1682 in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

. His parents were Christian Fuchs and Susanna Eleonora Leijonsten. In 1699, at the age of seventeen, Fuchs joined the army as a volunteer in the Swedish Life Regiment of Foot. The following year, he served as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the Västgöta Three-''Männing'' Regiment. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1702 and then to the rank of captain in 1704. That same year Fuchs was apart of a Västgöta battalion that was sent to help relieve the city of

Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...

, which was once again besieged by the Russians. The relief force failed to reach Narva and had to travel by sea to

Reval Tallinn is the capital and most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and administratively lies in the Harju ''maakond'' (co ...

. Fuchs participated in Admiral

Cornelius Anckarstjerna Cornelius Didrikson Thijsen Anckarstierna (25 January 1655 – 19 April 1714) was a Swedish admiral of Dutch origin and a member of the Swedish House of Nobility. Early life Cornelius Anckarstierna was born on 25 January 1655 in Stockholm. His ...

's failed attack on

Kotlin Island Kotlin (; ) is a Russian island, located near the head of the Gulf of Finland, west of Saint Petersburg in the Baltic Sea. Kotlin separates the Neva Bay from the rest of the gulf. The fortified city of Kronstadt is located on the island and form ...

– which was planned to be used as a staging point for an attack on

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

– and was wounded. The battalion returned to Sweden in 1707, though Fuchs would remain in

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

until 1708. In 1709, he helped reorganise the

Dalarna Regiment The Dalarna Regiment (), designation I 13, is a Swedish Army infantry unit that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of Dalarna, where it was later garrisoned. The unit ...

following its loss at Poltava and was given the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

the very next year. At the onset of Magnus Stenbock's expedition to

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

and

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

in late 1712, Fuchs was promoted to lieutenant colonel after the previous officer who held that rank died. During the Battle of Gadebusch in December 1712, the Dalarna Regiment engaged the Danish Royal Life Guards where Fuchs reportedly fought the Life Guards commander in hand-to-hand combat. Though Fuchs killed his opponent, the fight left him badly wounded and he was taken to

Wismar Wismar (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar () is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city of Mecklenburg after Rostock, Schwerin and ...

to recover. He also sustained a severe injury to one of his legs which forced him to walk on crutches for a year. After recovering from his injuries, Fuchs was stationed in the province of

Uppland Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The name literally ...

from 1714 to 1715 in order to safeguard the coast from Russians attacks. He then participated in the 1716 invasion of Norway. Fuchs served with distinction during the campaign, and was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and given command of the Södermanlands Regiment after its previous commander, C. R. von Schlippenbach, was mortally wounded during an assault on the Fredriksten Fortress. Fuchs also participated in the 1718 invasion of Norway. In 1719, the Södermanlands Regiment became a part of the newly formed Stockholm Army. The purpose of this army was to protect Stockholm from enemy threats after the Russians began carrying out coastal attacks during the summer of that year. The Södermanlands along with the Dalarna and the

Västmanland Västmanland ( or ) is a historical Swedish province, or , in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland. Västmanland means "West Man Land" or, less literally, "The Land of the Western Men", where the "we ...

regiments were stationed near Baggensstäket to prevent the Russians from attacking the city through the narrow strait. On 13 August the Russians landed a force of 3,000 men in an attempt to gain entry to the strait. In the ensuing

, Fuchs led his regiment in a counterattack which stalled the Russian advance. After further reinforcements arrived the Russians abandoned their attempted raid and withdrew back to their

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

s. For his actions during the battle, Fuchs was raised to the rank of major general and given the title of ''

'' (

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

). In 1727, an offer to become a councilor was given to Fuchs, but he declined it as he believed he lacked the knowledge required for such a position. Fuchs was initially a supporter of

Arvid Horn Count Arvid Bernhard Horn af Ekebyholm (6 April 166418 April 1742) was a Swedish general, diplomat and politician, a member of the noble Horn family. He served twice as president of the Privy Council Chancellery of Sweden, privy council chancel ...

and his party, the

Caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

; however, during the 1738–1739 Diet, he joined the Caps' political opponents the

Hats A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

, who advocated for war with Russia in order to regain Sweden's lost territories. Later in 1739, Fuchs was made Governor of Stockholm. In 1740, after realising that Sweden's army was in a poor condition to fight the Russians, Fuchs defected to the Caps and openly opposed the Hats' war policy. Following Sweden's defeat in its 1741–1743 war with Russia, Fuchs was one of the men who sentenced Charles Emil Lewenhaupt to death, which caused further outrage against him from the Hats. In 1751, he was awarded the

Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the ...

. Fuchs died on 10 April 1753 in Stockholm.

Marriages

Fuchs married three times. He married his first wife Margaretha (Margareta) Eleonore Stackelberg (1676 – before 1715) in 1706. The couple had six children together, however, all of their children would die in infancy. In February 1715, he married his second wife Margareta Gyllenpistol; the two would remain together until Margareta's death in 1748. Fuchs would marry his last wife Countess Sigrid Margareta Mörner, daughter of the field marshal and councilor , in May 1750.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuchs, Rutger 1682 births 1753 deaths Swedish Army officers Military personnel from Malmö Swedish military personnel of the Great Northern War Swedish military personnel 17th-century Swedish military personnel 18th-century Swedish military personnel Swedish barons Swedish nobility Caroleans People from the Swedish Empire