Lord High Chancellor of Sweden

Lord High Chancellor of Sweden
State Coat of arms
Fredrik Sparre, the last officeholder
Style	Excellency
Residence	Oxenstierna Palace
Appointer	Monarch of Sweden
Formation	1 August 1538
First holder	Conrad von Pyhy
Final holder	Fredrik Sparre
Abolished	14 December 1799

The Lord High Chancellor (Swedish: Rikskansler, lit. 'Chancellor of the Realm') was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from 1538 until 1799, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Privy Council. From 1634, the Lord High Chancellor was one of five Great Officers of the Realm, who were the most prominent members of the Privy Council and headed a governmental branch each—the Lord High Chancellor headed the Privy Council. In 1792, more than a century after the office's abolition in 1680, it was revived, but was then finally abolished again seven years later in 1799.

Origins

During the Middle Ages, from the 13th century, the "chancellor of the King" was a close confidant of the King. The chancellor was in general a man of the church, and one part of his duty was to aid the King during negotiations with foreign powers. In 1560, during King Eric XIV's reign, Nils Gyllenstierna became the first to receive the title Rikskansler.

Function

The Lord High Chancellor was appointed by the King and was assigned to ensure that the orders of the King and the Riksdag of the Estates were followed. Along the way, the assignments of the chancellor increased to the amount that a chancellery, the Privy Council, had to be established. In 1634, the five Great Officers of the Realm were introduced as the most powerful among the Privy Council members. The Chancellor was fourth in rank among these. Albeit fourth in rank, the Lord High Chancellor became the most important figure in the Privy Council of Sweden. The Chancellor was responsible for maintaining relations with foreign powers and especially Axel Oxenstierna possessed massive influence during his tenure as Chancellor (1612–1654), when he more or less had the role of a head of government.

Abolition and revival of the office

In 1680, King Charles XI abolished the office and inaugurated a new position instead – "President of the Chancellery" (Swedish: Kanslipresident). In 1792, during the minority reign of King Gustav IV Adolph the office of Rikskansler was revived, but it was abolished once again in 1799.

Lord High Chancellors of Sweden

First creation

Portrait	Name	Lifespan	Term began	Term ended	Monarch(s)
	Conrad von Pyhy	c. 1500 – 1553	1 August 1538	1543	Gustav I
	Nils Gyllenstierna	1526 – 1601 (aged 74–75)	1560	1590	Eric XIV (1560–1568) John III (1568–1590)
	Erik Sparre	13 July 1550 – 20 March 1600 (aged 49)	1593	20 March 1600	Sigismund Vasa (1593–1599) Charles IX (1599–1600)
	Svante Bielke	1567 – 2 July 1609 (aged 41–42)	1602	2 July 1609	Charles IX
	Axel Oxenstierna	(1583-06-16)16 June 1583 – 28 August 1654(1654-08-28) (aged 71)	6 January 1612	28 August 1654	Gustav II Adolph (1612–1632) Christina (1632–1654)
	Erik Oxenstierna	(1624-02-13)13 February 1624 – 23 October 1656(1656-10-23) (aged 32)	28 August 1654	23 October 1656	Charles X Gustav
	Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie	(1622-10-15)15 October 1622 – 26 April 1686(1686-04-26) (aged 63)	13 February 1660	10 June 1680	Charles XI

Second creation

Portrait	Name	Lifespan	Term began	Term ended	Monarch(s)
	Fredrik Sparre	(1731-02-02)2 February 1731 – 30 January 1803(1803-01-30) (aged 71)	16 July 1792	14 December 1799	Gustav IV Adolph

See also

• King in Council (Sweden)
• Prime Minister of Sweden
• List of prime ministers of Sweden

External links

• Media related to Lord High Chancellors of Sweden at Wikimedia Commons