Jarlsberg
Encyclopedia
Jarlsberg was a former county which forms part of Vestfold
county in Norway
. The former counties of Jarlsberg and Larvik were merged in 1821. Jarlsberg and Larvik
counties (Jarlsberg og Larviks Amt) were renamed Vestfold in 1919.
Created in 1673 as Griffenfeldt County (Griffenfeld grevskap), it was known as Tønsberg County (Tønsberg grevskap) until 1684 when the name became Jarlsberg. Dating to 1681, the county was associated with members of the Norwegian noble family, Wedel-Jarlsberg
.
Jarlsberg was originally established in 1673 for Count Peder Schumacher Griffenfeld, a Danish statesman and Chancellor of Denmark during the reign of King Christian V of Denmark
. The creation of the county meant that Count Griffenfeld, in addition to owning 14% of county land, received large tax revenues and also the right to appoint all civil and ecclesiastical officials, including officers and judges, who would serve within the county.
After Griffenfeld's arrest in 1676 in the aftermath of the Scanian War
, his properties were transferred by King Christian V to Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve, the Count of Larvik. Gyldenløve, an illegitimate son King Frederick III of Denmark
, was the Viceroy (Statholder) of Norway.
In 1683, Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve sold the county to Gustav Frederik Wilhelm Wedel
(1641-1717). Field Marshal Wedel, who had become commanding General in Norway in 1681,
received the title Wedel af Jarlsberg in 1684 and introduced the Jarlsberg county name.
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
county in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The former counties of Jarlsberg and Larvik were merged in 1821. Jarlsberg and Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
counties (Jarlsberg og Larviks Amt) were renamed Vestfold in 1919.
Created in 1673 as Griffenfeldt County (Griffenfeld grevskap), it was known as Tønsberg County (Tønsberg grevskap) until 1684 when the name became Jarlsberg. Dating to 1681, the county was associated with members of the Norwegian noble family, Wedel-Jarlsberg
Wedel-Jarlsberg
Wedel-Jarlsberg is a Danish and Norwegian noble family. It is also a branch of the family von Wedel, which comes from Pomerania, Germany...
.
Jarlsberg was originally established in 1673 for Count Peder Schumacher Griffenfeld, a Danish statesman and Chancellor of Denmark during the reign of King Christian V of Denmark
Christian V of Denmark
Christian V , was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 to 1699, the son of Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. The creation of the county meant that Count Griffenfeld, in addition to owning 14% of county land, received large tax revenues and also the right to appoint all civil and ecclesiastical officials, including officers and judges, who would serve within the county.
After Griffenfeld's arrest in 1676 in the aftermath of the Scanian War
Scanian War
The Scanian War was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark-Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish provinces along the border with Sweden and in Northern Germany...
, his properties were transferred by King Christian V to Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve, the Count of Larvik. Gyldenløve, an illegitimate son King Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
, was the Viceroy (Statholder) of Norway.
In 1683, Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve sold the county to Gustav Frederik Wilhelm Wedel
Wedel-Jarlsberg
Wedel-Jarlsberg is a Danish and Norwegian noble family. It is also a branch of the family von Wedel, which comes from Pomerania, Germany...
(1641-1717). Field Marshal Wedel, who had become commanding General in Norway in 1681,
received the title Wedel af Jarlsberg in 1684 and introduced the Jarlsberg county name.