The Swedish nobility (, or , ) has historically been a legally or socially privileged

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, 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 count ...

, and part of the so-called ''frälse'' (a derivation from

Old Swedish Old Swedish ( Modern Swedish: ) is the name for two distinct stages of the Swedish language that were spoken in the Middle Ages: Early Old Swedish (), spoken from about 1225 until about 1375, and Late Old Swedish (), spoken from about 1375 unti ...

meaning ''free neck''). The archaic term for nobility, ''frälse'', also included the clergy, a classification defined by

tax exemption Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

s and representation in the diet (the

Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...

). Today the nobility does not maintain its former legal privileges although family names, titles and coats of arms are still protected. The Swedish nobility consists of both "introduced" and "unintroduced" nobility, where the latter has not been formally "introduced" at the House of Nobility (''Riddarhuset''). The House of Nobility still maintains a fee for male members over the age of 18 for upkeep on pertinent buildings in Stockholm. Belonging to the nobility in present-day Sweden may still carry some informal social privileges, and be of certain social and historical significance particularly among some groups. Sweden has, however, long been a modern democratic society and meritocratic practices are supposed to govern all appointments to state offices by law. No special privileges, in taxation or otherwise, are therefore given to any Swedish citizen based on family origins, the exceptions being the monarch and other members of the

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

. In 1902, Sven Hedin became the last person, other than members of the

, to be ennobled in Sweden. Since 1974, the monarch is only permitted to confer titles of nobility on members of the royal family. As of 2004 there were about 619 existing noble families in Sweden, with about 28,000 members. They are classified as counts (46 families), barons (124 families) and untitled nobility (449 families). Until 2003 the nobility was regulated by a government statute, but in that year the statute was lifted so that governmental sanction and legal regulation of the nobility was discontinued. The House of Nobility is now a private institution, run as any private corporation under civil commercial law, and is owned by its members. Today, the only privilege of the nobility is the right to use a helm with an open visor in their coats of arms, this according to a 1762 royal act; commoners using open visors or "noblemen's shield" (Adelig Sköld) are subjected to a fine. When an association called ''Ofrälse och löske mäns samfund för bruk af öppne hjälmar'' (Commoners' and vagabonds' society for the use of open visors) petitioned the Swedish government for

amnesty Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...

(Swedish:

abolition Abolition refers to the act of putting an end to something by law, and may refer to: *Abolitionism, abolition of slavery *Capital punishment#Abolition of capital punishment, Abolition of the death penalty, also called capital punishment *Abolitio ...

) in regards to violations of the 1762 act, the petition was not tried nor granted. The

Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden The Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden (, before 2011 ''Regeringsrätten'', acronym ''RR'' or ''RegR'') is the supreme court and the third and final tier for administrative court cases in Sweden, and is located in Stockholm. It has a parall ...

ruled, in 2013, that, since no one has the right to amnesty, the government's decision did not concern anyone's civil rights according to the

European Convention on Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is a Supranational law, supranational convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Draf ...

, and could thus not be examined by the court.

Organization

Swedish nobility is organized into three classes according to a scheme introduced in ''riddarhusordningen'' ( Standing orders of the House of Knights) 1626 * the ''Class of Lords'' (), comprising

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: ...

s (''greve'') and

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 ...

s ('' friherre'', ''baron''), two titles introduced in 1561 by

Erik XIV Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He w ...

; * the ''Class of Knights'' (), untitled descendants of Swedish Privy Councillors and since 1778 the 300 oldest families in the Class of Esquire as well as the "

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

families", who are of the descendants of commanders of Swedish royal orders; * the ''Class of

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 gentleman ...

s'' (), other untitled nobles. The two last classes contains the so-called ''untitled nobility'' (). The division into classes has roots in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

when the nobility ''frälse'' was divided into lords in the Privy Council, knights and esquires. Until 1719 the three classes voted separately, but in the

Age of Liberty In Swedish history, the Age of Liberty () was a period that saw parliamentary governance, increasing civil rights, and the decline of the Swedish Empire that began with the adoption of the Instrument of Government in 1719 and ended with Gustav ...

all classes were voting together with one vote for each family head (). This made the vast majority of the untitled nobility in power, for example officers and

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

s were represented. In 1778

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he saw ...

restored the classes and class voting and at the same time he reformed the Class of Knights. Originally this class only contained family descendants of Privy Councillors and was the smallest class of the three classes. But Gustav III also introduced in this class the 300 oldest families in the Class of Esquire and also the "

families", who are of the descendants of commanders of the

Order of the North Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

and the Order of the Sword. No more commander families were introduced in the House of Knights after 1809, and thereafter also the class voting was abolished and the nobility was then voting as during the Age of Liberty. A Swedish duke ''( hertig)'' has almost always been of royal status and counted as such. The exception in

medieval times In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

was Bengt Algotsson. Two men were also created princes ( furstar) in the 18th century: Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein and Wilhelm Malte zu Putbus but neither were introduced. Following the elevation of a commoner into nobility by the

Swedish monarch The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. by law a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parl ...

, the new nobleman had to seek ''introduction'' in order to be a fully recognised member of the House of Nobility ''(Riddarhuset),'' a term that also refers to its function as a chamber in the

Riksdag of the Estates Riksdag of the Estates (; informally ) was the name used for the Estates of Sweden when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King. It was a Diet made up of the Fou ...

, the Swedish Parliament. In 1866 the Nobility was formally separated from government and incorporated as a separate institution, governed by statutes handed down by the monarch (from 1975: the government). This last link to the government and state was abolished in 2003. The Palace of the Nobility served as official representation for the nobility and was regulated by the Swedish government, but this regulation ceased completely in 2003, as have the privileges. The membership roster is published every three years.

Medieval nobility: Frälse

The institution of Swedish (and Finnish) nobility dates back to 1280, when it was stated by King Magnus III in the Decree of Alsnö that

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

s who could afford to contribute a mounted soldier to the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

were to be exempted from tax - at least from ordinary taxes - just as the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

already had been. The archaic Swedish term for nobility, ''frälse,'' also included the clergy with respect to their exemption from tax. Generally, the nobility grew from wealthier or more powerful members of the peasantry, those who were capable of assigning work or wealth to provide the requisite cavalrymen. These became knights, councilors and castle commanders. The background for this was that the old system of a '' leiðangr'' fleet and a king constantly on travel through the realm (between the estates of Uppsala öd) had by this time become outmoded. The

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

's court and castles were now to be financed through taxes on land. Soon it was agreed that the king should govern the realm in cooperation with a Privy Council (or Royal Council), in which the bishops and the most distinguished magnates (i.e. the most prominent contributors to the army) participated. When critical decisions were necessary, the whole ''frälse'' was summoned to the diets. Swedish nobility had no hereditary

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

s. In the case where a noble was granted a castle belonging to the crown, his heirs couldn't later claim their ancestors' civil or military rights. The lands of the magnates who constituted the medieval nobility were their own and not "on lease" from a feudal king. If they by their own means or exploitation of peasants built a castle and financed troops, then the castle was theirs, but the troops were expected to serve as a part of the army of the realm. In Sweden, there never existed

serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

. Hence, nobility was basically a class of well-off citizens, not owners of other human beings. In the Middle Ages and much of the modern age, nobles and other wealthy men were landowners, as well as lords of

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

s and servants. Members of the nobility utilized their economic power and sometimes also other powers to have small-farm owners sell their lands to manor lords, so landowning centralized gradually more in the hands of the noble class. For extended periods, the commander of Viborg at the

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

/Russian front did, in practice, function as a

margrave Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...

, keeping all the crown's income from the fief to use for the defense of the realm's eastern border. But despite heavy German influence during the medieval period, the elaborate German system with titles such as Lantgraf, Reichsgraf, Burggraf and Pfalzgraf was never applied in Sweden.

Ancient nobility

Swedish ancient nobility () is the term used for families whose ''de facto'' status as

nobility 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. T ...

was formalised by the Ordinance of Alsnö in 1280. These noble families have no original patents of nobility, the first known being from 1360. The somewhat loose cut-off date or rather rule of thumb for what constitutes ''ancient'' Swedish nobility is therefore set to during mid 14th century but no later than 1400. Some Swedish ancient families are still extant at the Swedish House of Nobility or the Finnish House of Nobility; some have been further elevated from Class of Esquires to Class of Knights or to titled nobility (

). In 1778 all ancient noble families in the Class of Esquires were elevated to the Class of Knights. Some ancient noble families: * Aspenäs * Banér * Bese * Bielke (extant, Sweden's second oldest noble family) *Björn * Bååt * Bonde (extant) * Carpelan (extant) * Eka * Hiort af Ornäs (extant) * Hård af Segerstad (extant) * Jägerhorn af Spurila (extant) * Leijonhufvud (extant) * Lilliehöök (extant) * Natt och Dag (extant, Sweden's oldest noble family) * Oxenstierna (extant) * Porse * Posse (extant) *Ribbing (extant) * Rosenstråle * Sparre (extant) *

Stenbock The Stenbock family is an old Swedish noble family, of which one younger branch established itself in Finland and another younger branch in Estonia, both of them in the mid 18th century, of which the first was entered into the rolls of the Finni ...

(extant) * Trolle (extant) * Ulfsparre * Örnsparre

Nobility after 1561

At the coronation of

Eric XIV Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He ...

in 1561, Swedish nobility became formally hereditary for the first time upon the creation of the higher titles of

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: ...

''(greve)'' and

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 ...

''(friherre)''. The House of Knights was organized in 1626. The grounds for introduction into this chamber became either birth into an "ancient" noble family or ennoblement by the sovereign. Consequently,

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

flourished. The Lord High Chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna, was the architect of the Instrument of Government of 1634, which laid the foundation of modern Sweden. It guaranteed that all government appointments were to be filled by candidates from the nobility, a move which helped mobilize support for, rather than opposition to, a centralized national government. Due to the many wars fought by Sweden, the crown needed some means of rewarding its officers, and since the royal coffers were not without end, ennoblement and grants of land were useful substitutes for cash payments. During the 17th century, the number of noble families grew by a factor of five. In less than a century, the nobility's share of Swedish land ownership rose from 16% to over 60%, which led to considerably lower tax revenue for the crown. The " Reduction" of 1655 and 1680, however, brought land back into the crown's possession. Historically all members of a noble family were generally titled. If the family was of the rank of a Count or a Baron, all members received that title as well. However, following the new

Instrument of Government The Instrument of Government was the first constitution of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and was also the first codified and written constitution in England. It was drafted by Major-General John Lambert in 1653. Anteced ...

from 1809, a change was made more in line with the British system so that, for later nobility, only the head of the family would hold the title (if there is one). There are a few families where these systems overlap such that the vast majority are nobles pre-1809 without title, while the heads of the families have been elevated to count or baron after 1809. The vast majority of noble families are still of the old kind where all members are regarded as nobles. No hereditary

title of nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...

has been granted since 1902, when explorer Sven Hedin was ennobled by the King (that honor was hereditary, but he left no heirs). Since 1975 the Swedish monarch and government no longer have the right to ennoble or to confer knighthoods and orders on Swedes. Titles are still given to members of the Swedish royal house where princes and princesses are made non-hereditary dukes or duchesses of selected provinces, but these are honorary titles within that house, not titles of nobility.

Unintroduced nobility

Unintroduced families could use their titles, if they had any, and noble elements and styles in their coats of arms. There has never been legislation in Sweden preventing anyone from purporting to belong to nobility. The recognition of such noble status in society was of a social, not a legal, nature, as has all Swedish nobility become since it was separated from the government more recently. Sweden has had a significant number of unintroduced noble families (as of 2010 comprising 99 living families and around 450 individuals), several of which have been historically prominent. The families fall into four groups: #Foreign nobility, being families of foreign origin (most commonly Baltic German) which had noble status in a different country than Sweden, and which partially or wholly live in Sweden. This group is the largest. #Families of Swedish origin which were granted noble status and/or titles by a foreign country (for example, members of the royal

House of Bernadotte The House of Bernadotte is the monarchy of Sweden, royal family of Sweden, founded there in 1818 by King Charles XIV John of Sweden. It was also the monarchy of Norway, royal family of Norway between 1818 and 1905. Its founder was born in Pau, Py ...

have been granted Belgian and Luxembourgish princely and comital titles). #Families which have been ennobled by the Swedish monarch, but which have not been introduced at the House of Nobility. This group is small. #

Armiger In heraldry, an armiger is a (natural or juridical) person entitled to use a heraldic achievement (e.g., bear arms, an "armour-bearer") either by hereditary right, grant, matriculation, or assumption of arms. Such a person is said to be armig ...

ous families of foreign origin which have traditionally been included in the various directories of unintroduced nobility, but whose original noble status has not been proven. They are included in Swedish unintroduced nobility for traditional reasons, such as having been considered noble in Sweden for an extended period of time. This group is also small. Three successive almanach series of unintroduced nobility have been published; the first in 1886, the second in 1912, and the third in 1935; it came out most recently in 2010. An association of unintroduced nobility, Sveriges Ointroducerade Adels Förening, private club with no official standing, was founded in 1911. Several branches of the

have chosen to become members of this association, as a result of members of the royal family being denied the use of Swedish titles upon marrying non-royals, but being granted foreign (

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

ish or Belgian) titles. Carl Johan Bernadotte was chairman of the association for many years.

Titles of high nobility

Introduced

According to the ''Nordisk Familjebok'': The first counts and barons, created in 1561 by

: * Svante Sture of Hörningsholm, 1562 count of Vestervik and later also Stegeholm * Peder Joakimsson Brahe of Rydboholm, 1562 count of Visingsborg * Göstaff Johansson of Haga, 1562 count of Bogesund (originally Enköping) *

Gustaf Olofsson, baron of Torpa * Leijonhufvud Sten Eriksson, baron of Grevsnes * Grip Birger Nilsson, baron of Vines * Oxenstierna Gabriel Kristersson, baron of Mörby * Lars Fleming, baron of Arvasalo (in Finland) *

Gera Gera () is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of ...

Karl Holgersson, baron of Björkvik * Gera Göran Holgersson, baron of Ållonö * Horn af Åminne Klas Kristersson, baron of Joensuu (in Finland) * Stenbock Erik Gustafsson, baron of Torpa (younger son of Gustaf Olofsson) John III granted the first baronial titles accompanied by territorial grants (earlier titles elevated the family's hereditary estate to comital or baronial status): * Öresten and Kronobäck to Erik Gustafsson of Torpa * Lundholm to Nils Göransson Gyllenstierna, new baron * Viikki (in Finland) to Klas Eriksson Fleming, new baron * Läckö to Hogenskild Bielke, new baron * Ekholmen to Pontus De la Gardie, new baron * Kungs-Lena to Olof Gustafsson Stenbock (elder son and heir of Gustaf Olofsson) * county of Raseborg (in Finland) to baron Sten Eriksson of Grevsnes' widow Countess Ebba Lilliehöök and heirs in 1571 Charles IX created only one: * barony of Nynäs (in Finland) to Abraham Leijonhufvud (he made Svante Bielke and Nils Bielke barons without grant of entailed lands)

Gustav II Adolf Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

granted: * county of Läckö Castle, Läckö to

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 ...

* county of

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...

(in northern Livonia, now Estonia) to Franz Bernhard von Thurn (son of

Jindřich Matyáš Thurn Count Jindřich Matyáš of Thurn-Valsassina (; ; ; 24 February 1567 – 26 January 1640), was one of the leaders of the Protestant Bohemian Revolt against Emperor Ferdinand II. He took part in events that led to the Thirty Years' War, and after ...

) * barony of

Kimito Kimito (; ) is a former municipality of Finland. On January 1, 2009, it was consolidated with Dragsfjärd and Västanfjärd to form the new municipality of Kimitoön. Prior to the consolidation, it was one of the four municipalities located ...

(in Finland) to Axel Oxenstierna * barony of Bergkvara to Carl Carlsson Gyllenhielm * barony of Tuutarhovi (in Ingria) to Johan Skytte * barony of Orreholm to Jakob Vilhelmsson Spens Christina granted: * county of Södermöre to Axel Oxenstierna * county of Vasaborg (in Finland) to Gustav Gustavsson, her illegitimate half-brother * county of Ortala to

Lennart Torstenson Lennart Torstensson (17 August 1603 – 7 April 1651), Swedish List of Swedish field marshals, Field Marshal and later Governor-General of Pomerania, Västergötland, Dalsland, Värmland and Halland. He adapted the use of artillery on the battlef ...

* county of

Kuressaare Kuressaare () is a populated places in Estonia, town on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Municipality and the seat of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded popul ...

(later exchanged for

) to

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 ...

* county of Sortavala (in Finland) to Johan Adam Banér * county of Björneborg (Pori) (in Finland) to Gustav Horn * county of Vestervik and Stegeholm to Hans Kristofer von Königsmark * county of

Korsholm Korsholm (; ) is a municipality in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Korsholm is situated in Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Korsholm is approximately , while the Va ...

and Vasa (in Finland) to Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna * county of Bogesund to Fredrik Stenbock * county of Salmi and Suistamo pogosta (in Finland) to

Carl Gustaf Wrangel ''Fältmarskalk'' Carl Gustaf Wrangel (also Carl Gustav von Wrangel; 23 December 1613 – 5 July 1676) was a Swedish statesman and military commander who commanded the Swedish forces in the Thirty Years' War, as well as the Torstenson, Bremen, ...

* county of Kruunupori (in Finland) to Ture Oxenstierna * county of Nyborg (in Finland) to Arvid Wittenberg * county of Karleborg (in Finland) to Klas Tott * county of Liljenborg to Axel Lillie * county of Mariestad to Lars Kagg * county of Skeninge to Robert Douglas * county of Skövde to Kristofer Karl von Schlippenbach * county of Enköping to Antonius von Steinberg * barony of Vibyholm to Gustav Gustavsson, her illegitimate half-brother * barony of Virestad to

Lennart Torstensson Lennart Torstensson (17 August 1603 – 7 April 1651), Swedish Field Marshal and later Governor-General of Pomerania, Västergötland, Dalsland, Värmland and Halland. He adapted the use of artillery on the battlefield, making it a more mobile we ...

* barony of Kronoberg to Peder Sparre * barony of Korpo (in Finland) to Nils Bielke * barony of Härlunda to Seved Bååt * barony of Kajaani (in Finland) to Per Brahe * barony of Örneholma (in Finland) to Johan Adler-Salvius * barony of Liperi (in Finland) pogosta to Hermann Fleming * barony of Oulu (in Finland) to Erik Gyllenstierna * barony of Kitee (in Finland) pogosta to Axel Lillie * barony of Loimijoki (in Finland) to Arvid Wittenberg * barony of Limingo (in Finland) to Matias Soop * barony of Marienburg to Gustav Horn af Marienborg and certain of his relatives * barony of Vöyripori (in Finland) to Carl Gustaf Paijkull * barony of Tohmajärvi (in Finland) pogosta to Lars Kagg * barony of Kokkola (in Finland) to Gustav Banér * barony of Sund to Erik Ryning * barony of Laihia (in Finland) to Karl Bonde * barony of Pyhäjoki (in Finland) to Klas Hansson Bjelkenstjerna * barony of Iijoki (in Finland) to Åke Axelsson Tott * barony of Ikalapori (in Finland) to Schering Rosenhane * barony of Hailuoto (in Finland) to Bernt Taube * barony of Hedensund (then Arnäs) to Knut Posse * barony of Vinberg to Gustaf Adolf Leijonhudvud * barony of Lindeberg to Carl Gustav Wrangel and his brothers * barony of Lindeborg to Lorentz von der Linde * barony of Willenbruch and Harzefeld to Pierre Bidal * barony of Ludenhof ( Luua, now in Palamuse Parish, Estonia) to Hans Wrangel * barony of Eksjö to Reinhold Lieven * barony of Elfkarleby to Mårten Leijonhufvud * barony of Gudhem to Lauri Cruus * baron of Skälby to Robert Douglas * barony of Koivisto (in Finland) to Hans Wachtmeister * barony of Lempäälä (in Finland) to Johan Kurck * barony of Wetter-Rosenthal to Adolf Friedrich Wetter, * barony of Närpes (in Finland) to Jakob and Anders Lilliehöök, * barony of Elimäki (in Finland) to Kasper and Karl Henrik Wrede af Elimä, * barony of Lais to Erik Fleming,

Charles X Gustav 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 Kleeburg, John Casimir, Count Palatine of Palatinate-Kleeburg, Zweib ...

granted: * county of Sölvesborg to Corfitz Ulfeldt ** (Lars Kagg, then Carl Gustav Wrangel, obtained the county of Sölvesborg in exchanges) * baron of Örneholma (in Finland) to P. Wuertz * barony of Kastell ladugården to Rutger von Ascheberg Charles XI granted: * county of Börringe and Lindholm to Gustaf Carlson, his out-of-wedlock half-brother

Unintroduced

The following ''titled'' families of high nobility are included in ''Kalender öfver i Sverige lefvande ointroducerad adel'' (1886–1899), ''Sveriges ointroducerade adels kalender'' (1912–1944), and/or ''Kalender över Ointroducerad adels förening'' (1935–), which are directories of the ''living'' (at the time of publication) unintroduced noble families resident in Sweden. Five of these families have titles as Princes, Dukes or Marquis, the others as Counts and Barons. Most unintroduced noble families, however, are untitled, similar to the introduced families. Some of these families, or their titled branches, have since become extinct. ;Princes * Bernadotte (Belgian princely title awarded to Prince Carl Bernadotte) * Cantacuzino (Romanian princely family) * Putbus (Created princes by king Gustav IV Adolf, Duke of

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania (; ) was a dominions of Sweden, dominion under the Sweden, Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish-Swedish War, Polish War and the Thirty Years' War ...

, in 1807, not included in the calendar) ;Dukes * D'Otrante ( Napoleonic nobility) ;Marquis * Joussineau de Tourdonnet (French nobility) * Lagergren (Papal/Italian nobility) ;Counts * Bernadotte of Wisborg (Luxembourgish title awarded to various members of the House of Bernadotte) * Crapon de Caprona * Fouché d'Otrante ( Napoleonic nobility) * von der Groeben (German nobility) * von Hallwyl (Swiss nobility) * Joussineau de Tourdonnet (French nobility) * Lagergren (Papal/Italian nobility) * Landberg * Moltke (German/Danish nobility) * Moltke-Hvitfeldt (German/Danish nobility) * de Paus (Papal/Italian nobility) * von Platen-Hallermund (German nobility) * Révay (Hungarian nobility) * Reventlow (Danish/German nobility) * Stolberg (German nobility) *

Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using pre-reform Russian orthography. ; ), usually referr ...

(Russian nobility) * von Trampe (German nobility) ;Barons * von Bonsdorff (Finnish nobility) *

von Bredow The term () is used in German surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means or . Nobility directories like the often abbreviate the noble term to ''v.'' I ...

(German nobility) * von Buddenbrock * von Buxhoeveden * Cronstedt * von Grothusen * von Gussich * von Leithner * von Mecklenburg * von der Osten-Sacken * von der Pahlen (Russian nobility) * von Rosen (Hoch-Rosen) * Rosenørn-Lehn (Danish nobility) * von Strauss * von Wangenheim * de Wendel (Portuguese nobility)

Peerage and families

* List of Swedish noble families * Duchies in Sweden ** Duke of Estonia ** Duke of Finland ** Duke of Halland * Swedish royal family

Surnames

Surnames in Sweden can be traced to the 15th century, when they were first used by the Gentry (''Frälse''), i.e., priests and nobles. The names of these were usually in Swedish, Latin, German or Greek. The adoption of Latin names was first used by the Catholic clergy in the 15th century. The given name was preceded by ''Herr'' (Sir), followed by a Latinized form of patronymic names. Starting from the time of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, a common naming practice among the clergy was to use the Latinized form of their birthplace (e.g. Laurentius Petri Gothus, from

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 ...

). Later merchants and other social groups discarded the formerly used family names (such as

patronymic surname A patronymic surname is a surname originated from the given name of the father or a patrilineal ancestor. Different cultures have different ways of producing patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based o ...

s). Instead they adopted high-sounding Latin surnames. Another subsequent practice was the use of the

Greek language Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...

, with the ending of -''ander'' (the Greek word for ''man''). The use of surnames was still quite uncommon in the 17th century among the nobility and the educated class. Furthermore, the concept of hereditary surnames was also limited to a few families. When a family was ennobled, it was usually given a name—just as with lordships of England and other Western European countries. This was a period which produced a myriad of two-word Swedish-language family names for the nobility (very favored prefixes were ''Adler''-, "eagle"; ''Ehren''-, "honor"; ''Silfver''-, "silver"; and ''Gyllen''-, "golden"). The regular difference with Britain was that it became the new surname of the whole house, and the old surname was dropped altogether.

Privileges

The noble estates are not abolished in

, but their privileged position has been weakened step by step since 1680. The nobility's political privileges were practically abolished by the reformation of the

in 1866, and the last rights of precedence to certain governmental offices were removed in the 1920s. By then the last tax exemption privileges had also been abolished. However, some minor privileges remained until 2003, including the right to be beheaded by sword, when the law granting these noble privileges was completely abolished and the government no longer has the right to call the heads of families to be assembled in session. The prerogatives of nobility today are limited to protection of noble titles and certain elements and styles used in their

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

(this according to a 1762 act): a helm with an open visor, a

coronet In British heraldry, a coronet is a type of crown that is a mark of rank of non-reigning members of the royal family and peers. In other languages, this distinction is not made, and usually the same word for ''crown'' is used irrespective of ra ...

showing rank, a medallion and the use of supporters. Modern Swedish law makes no distinctions on the basis of nobility.

Crowns and coronets of rank

File:Royal crown of the King of Sweden.svg, Royal (''Kunglig'') crown File:Grevlig krona.svg, Comital (''Grevlig'') coronet File:Friherrlig krona.svg, Baronial (''Friherrlig'') coronet File:Adlig krona.svg, Noble (''Adlig'') coronet

Exceptional cases

Outside Sweden, Saint

Bridget Bridget is an Irish language, Irish female name derived from the Goidelic languages, Gaelic noun , meaning "power, strength, vigor, virtue". An alternative meaning of the name is "exalted one". Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is largely re ...

(1303–1373) became known as the ''Princess of Nericia'',''Furstinnan från/av Närke'' Eivor Martinus in ''Barndrottningen Filippa'', pp 115, 164 & 167 which appears to have been a noble, rather than a royal title, since she was not the daughter of a king.

Gallery

File:Stein Sture II Regent of Sweden relief 2009 West Aros (crop).jpg,

Sten Sture the Younger Sten Sture the Younger () (1493 – 3 February 1520), was a Swedish nobleman who served as the regent of Sweden, during the era of the Kalmar Union. Biography Sture was born in 1493, as the son of Svante Nilsson (regent of Sweden) and Iliana G ...

, statesman and regent of

, during the era of the

Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then in ...

. File:John Benson (Oxenstierna) Regent of Sweden seal 1879.jpg, Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna,

archbishop of Uppsala The Archbishop of Uppsala (spelled Upsala until the early 20th century) has been the primate of Sweden in an unbroken succession since 1164, first during the Catholic era, and from the 1530s and onward under the Lutheran church. Historical ove ...

(1448–1467) and regent of

, under the

File:Margaret of Sweden (1536) effigy 2007.jpg, Margaret Leijonhufvud, noblewoman, Queen Consort of Sweden (1536-1551) and mother of kings File:British School 16th century - A Young Lady Aged 21, Possibly Helena Snakenborg - Google Art Project.jpg, Helena Snakenborg, noblewoman, Maid of Honour of Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

, and Marchioness of Northampton File:Portrait of count Jacob de la Gardie - Nationalmuseum - 19206.tif, Count

, statesman and a soldier of the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...

. File:Georg Stiernhielm, 1598-1672.jpg, Georg Stiernhielm, civil servant, linguist and poet. File:Vendela Skytte.jpg, Vendela Skytte, salonist and writer, poet and Lady of Letters File:Erik Dahlbergh-1849.jpg, Erik Dahlbergh, engineer, soldier, and

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

File:Uno von Troil.jpg, Uno von Troil, Archbishop of Uppsala File:Carl von Linné.jpg,

Carl von Linné Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organi ...

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

, physician, and

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

File:Porträtt föreställande Sophie Piper, målning av Carl Fredrik von Breda.jpg, Countess Sophie Piper, Swedish noble and

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

. File:Malla Silfverstolpe 1843.jpg,

Malla Silfverstolpe Magdalena Sofia "Malla" Silfverstolpe (''née'' Montgomery; 8 February 1782 – 17 January 1861) was a Sweden, Swedish writer and Salon (gathering), salon hostess. Her house in Uppsala was a meeting place for many prominent writers, composers ...

, writer and

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

hostess. File:MagnusBrahe.jpg, Magnus Brahe, statesman and soldier. File:Sofia Adlersparre self portrait.jpg, Sofia Adlersparre, painter File:Swedish Reichsmarschall Fredrik von Essen.jpg, Baron Fredrik von Essen, Marshal of the Realm and landlord ( Kavlås Castle) File:Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld by Axel Jungstedt 1902.jpg, Baron

Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (; 18 November 183212 August 1901) was a Finland-Swedish aristocrat, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer. He was a member of the noble Nordenskiöld family of scientists and held the title of a friherre (ba ...

, botanist, geologist, mineralogist and arctic explorer File:Johan Krouthén - Porträtt av Verner von Heidenstam.jpg, Verner von Heidenstam, poet and novelist, a laureate of the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

File:Portrait of Hilma af Klint.jpg, Hilma af Klint,

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

and mystic File:Evert Taube 1961.JPG, Evert Taube, author, artist, composer and singer.

References

External links

The House of Nobility
- Official site
Law on Privileges for the Nobility (1723)
- at Wikisource (''in Swedish'')
Constitution for the House of Knights (1866)
- at Wikisource (''in Swedish'')
A Who's Who of the Swedish Aristocracy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swedish Nobility