Lord High Constable of Sweden
Encyclopedia
The Lord High Constable was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from the 13th century until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Council
and, from 1630 and on, the head of the Swedish Council of War. From 1634, the Lord High Constable was one of five Great Officers of the Realm
.
In a letter from 1268, during the reign of Valdemar Birgersson, the title marscalcus of the king is mentioned. The holder of the prestigious title is a nobleman, but it is not possible to decide much about the assignments belonging to it. It is possible that the marsk, or the constable, replaced the stabularius that previously governed the king's mounted following.
Constable Torgils Knutsson was the foremost among the powerful men that ruled Sweden during the childhood of king Birger Magnusson in the late 13th century. Later constables seem to only occasionally be called upon by the king, without having regular tasks to fulfill. Queen Margaret
, who tried to reclaim power that previous kings had lost, chose to have neither a Lord High Constable nor a Lord High Steward
. Her successor Eric of Pomerania
was forced by the Swedish noblemen to appoint a constable. Thus, in 1435, Karl Knutsson Bonde, a future Swedish king, became the first constable for quite some time. In a suggestion to a treaty of the Kalmar union
from 1436, the constable got responsibilities in two areas: law/justice and heading the country's army in war time. For most of the remaining part of the 15th century, the office was vacant.
Lars Siggesson Sparre, long-time constable of Gustav I, was a significant figure during his king's reign, but the office seemingly still lacked any specific assignment. When something reminiscent of a council of war was founded in 1540, the constable was not included. King Gustav's successor, his oldest son Eric XIV, apparently had plans to modernize the constable office, as did the following rulers John III
and Sigismund
, but those intentions remained unfulfilled.
The title meant no particular assignment until 1630, when constable Jacob De la Gardie
became president of the Council of War (Swedish: first Krigsrätten, later Krigsrådet and Krigskollegium). The Lord High Constable was second in rank of the five Great Officers of the Realm
, established in 1634, who was the five most prominent members of the Swedish Privy Council
. When Carl Gustaf Wrangel
died in 1676, the office was abolished. King Charles XI
, who had come to age four years earlier, wanted to avoid appointing new holders of the high offices, once these became vacant. The riksmarsk title has not been used since, in contrast to two other offices that Charles XI abolished, Lord High Chancellor
and Lord High Steward
, who were both revived for a relatively short period in the late 18th century.
Privy Council of Sweden
The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service...
and, from 1630 and on, the head of the Swedish Council of War. From 1634, the Lord High Constable was one of five Great Officers of the Realm
Great Officers of The Realm
The Great Officers of the Realm were the five leading members of the Swedish Privy Council from the later parts of the 16th century to around 1680. With the constitution of 1634, the five officers became heads of five different branches of government...
.
Middle Ages
Constable Torgils Knutsson was the foremost among the powerful men that ruled Sweden during the childhood of king Birger Magnusson in the late 13th century. Later constables seem to only occasionally be called upon by the king, without having regular tasks to fulfill. Queen Margaret
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and founder of the Kalmar Union, which united the Scandinavian countries for over a century. Although she acted as queen regnant, the laws of contemporary Danish succession denied her formal queenship. Her title in Denmark was derived from her...
, who tried to reclaim power that previous kings had lost, chose to have neither a Lord High Constable nor a Lord High Steward
Lord High Steward of Sweden
The Lord High Steward or Lord High Justiciar was a highly prominent member of the Swedish Privy Council from the 13th century until 1809, excluding periods when the office was out of use....
. Her successor Eric of Pomerania
Eric of Pomerania
Eric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...
was forced by the Swedish noblemen to appoint a constable. Thus, in 1435, Karl Knutsson Bonde, a future Swedish king, became the first constable for quite some time. In a suggestion to a treaty of the Kalmar union
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union is a historiographical term meaning a series of personal unions that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway , and Sweden under a single monarch, though intermittently and with a population...
from 1436, the constable got responsibilities in two areas: law/justice and heading the country's army in war time. For most of the remaining part of the 15th century, the office was vacant.
Early modern period
John III of Sweden
-Family:John married his first wife, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland , house of Jagiello, in Vilnius on 4 October 1562. In Sweden, she is known as Katarina Jagellonica. She was the sister of king Sigismund II Augustus of Poland...
and Sigismund
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
, but those intentions remained unfulfilled.
Jacob De la Gardie
Field Marshal and Count Jacob Pontusson De la Gardie was a statesman and a soldier of the Swedish Empire....
became president of the Council of War (Swedish: first Krigsrätten, later Krigsrådet and Krigskollegium). The Lord High Constable was second in rank of the five Great Officers of the Realm
Great Officers of The Realm
The Great Officers of the Realm were the five leading members of the Swedish Privy Council from the later parts of the 16th century to around 1680. With the constitution of 1634, the five officers became heads of five different branches of government...
, established in 1634, who was the five most prominent members of the Swedish Privy Council
Privy Council of Sweden
The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service...
. When Carl Gustaf Wrangel
Carl Gustaf Wrangel
Carl Gustaf Wrangel was a high-ranking Swedish noble, statesman and military commander in the Thirty Years', Torstenson, Bremen, Second Northern and Scanian Wars....
died in 1676, the office was abolished. King Charles XI
Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period in Swedish history known as the Swedish empire ....
, who had come to age four years earlier, wanted to avoid appointing new holders of the high offices, once these became vacant. The riksmarsk title has not been used since, in contrast to two other offices that Charles XI abolished, Lord High Chancellor
Lord High Chancellor of Sweden
The Lord High Chancellor was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from 1561 until 1680, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Privy Council of Sweden...
and Lord High Steward
Lord High Steward of Sweden
The Lord High Steward or Lord High Justiciar was a highly prominent member of the Swedish Privy Council from the 13th century until 1809, excluding periods when the office was out of use....
, who were both revived for a relatively short period in the late 18th century.
Related offices
A number of other high offices, that namewise are somewhat similar to the riksmarsk and to some degree inherited assignments that earlier had been attached to the constable office, have figurated in Swedish history.- The fodermarsk appeared in the late Middle Ages and was responsible for the foddering of the court's horses.
- The first hovmarskalk, Marshal of the Court, was appointed in c. 1540 and the office is still in use. Earlier, the office holder was supervising the economy of the court. Today's "First Marshal of the Court" is the head of the Office of the Marshal of the Court (hovmarskalkämbetet), which is responsible for preparing the public appearances and state visitState visitA state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
s of the Swedish royal familySwedish Royal FamilyThe Swedish Royal Family since 1818 consists of a number of persons in the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. They are entitled to royal titles and style , and some perform official engagements and ceremonial duties of state...
.
- Göran Klasson Stjernsköld became the first riksmarskalk, Marshal of the Realm, in 1607. As such, he was the head of the royal court, and that is still a valid description for the holder of the office.
Lord High Constables of Sweden
- Torgils Knutsson (c. 1290-1306)
- Karl Knutsson Bonde (1435-?)
- Nils Stensson Natt och Dag (1439)
- Tord Karlsson Bonde (1453 or 1454-1456)
- Svante Nilsson Sture the Elder (1497-?)
- Lars Siggesson Sparre (1523-1554)
- Svante Nilsson Sture the Younger (1561-1564)
- Gustaf Olofsson Stenbock (1569-1572)
- Klas FlemingKlas FlemingKlas Fleming may refer to:* Klaus Fleming , Finnish-Swedish admiral* Claes Larsson Fleming , Over-Governor of Stockholm * Clas Fleming , organised the first Swedish expedition to North America...
(c. 1591-?) - Magnus BraheMagnus BraheCount Magnus Brahe was a Swedish noble. Being both Lord High Constable and Lord High Steward of Sweden, he was a notable figure in the 17th century Sweden....
(1602-1611) - Axel Nilsson Ryning (1611-1620)
- Jacob De la GardieJacob De la GardieField Marshal and Count Jacob Pontusson De la Gardie was a statesman and a soldier of the Swedish Empire....
(1620-1652) - Gustaf Horn (1653-1657)
- Adolf Johan of Pfalz-Zweibrücken (1660)
- Lars KaggLars KaggCount Lars Kagg was a Swedish soldier and politician. He was appointed Privy Councilor in 1641, Field Marshal in 1648 and Lord High Constable in 1660. In the Thirty Years' War , he commanded troops at the Battle of Oldendorf, in 1633....
(1660-1661) - Carl Gustaf WrangelCarl Gustaf WrangelCarl Gustaf Wrangel was a high-ranking Swedish noble, statesman and military commander in the Thirty Years', Torstenson, Bremen, Second Northern and Scanian Wars....
(1664-1676)