Neha Patil (Editor)

Swedish Governors General

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A Governor-General, or generalguvernör, was appointed by the Swedish monarch as his permanent representative, with both civil and military jurisdiction, over parts of Sweden, from the 17th century to the early 19th century, when constitutional changes made the office obsolete. A Governor-General was always appointed as the highest representative of the Swedish monarch in the Dominions ruled, or the Possessions governed, by Sweden. Conquered, and unintegrated, territories were apart from this, more or less allowed to retain their internal political structure.

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The term viceroy is better reserved for the Stattholder, the representative of the Swedish Monarch in Norway when that neighboring country was in personal union with Sweden, as it concerns a whole kingdom, and notably in the several cases where the incumbent was no lesser than the Swedish Crown prince.

Governors-General could also be appointed over parts of Sweden proper, today's Sweden and Finland, and usually consisting of several counties in that part of the country, when circumstances so required. When this happened the Royal Governor of each county would report to the Governor-General instead of directly to the Monarch or the Privy Council. A Royal Governor, regardless if whether under a Governor-General or not, held the civil, but not the military, jurisdiction over his county. The Governors-General were always members of the Privy Council.

The list of Governors-General is not complete. Some of the listed held the title Governor, not Governor-General.

Finland

List of Governors-General of Finland:

  • Nils Bielke (1623–1631)
  • Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1631–1634)
  • Per Brahe the younger (1637–1641; 1648–1654)
  • Gustaf Evertsson Horn (1657–1658)
  • Herman Fleming (1664–1669)
  • Henrik Henriksson Horn af Marienborg (1674)
  • Carl Nieroth (1710–1712)

    • Ingria

    List of Governors-General of Ingria:

  • Carl Carlsson Gyllenhielm (1617–)
  • Nils Assersson Mannersköld (1626–1629)
  • Johan Skytte (1629–1633)
  • Bengt Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1634–1643)
  • Erik Stenbock (1651–1654)
  • Gustaf Evertsson Horn (1654–1657)
  • Krister Klasson Horn af Åminne (1657–1659)
  • Simon Grundel-Helmfelt (1659)
  • Jacob Johan Taube (1660–1668)
  • Simon Grundel-Helmfelt (1668–1673)
  • Jacob Johan Taube (1673–1681)
  • Martin Schultz (von Ascheraden) (1681–1682) (governor)
  • Hans von Fersen d.ä. (1682–1683) (governor)
  • Göran Sperling (1683–1690)
  • Otto Wilhelm von Fersen (1691–1698)
  • Otto Vellingk (1698–1708)

    • Estonia

    List of Governors-General of Estonia:

  • Anders Torstenson (1674–1681)
  • Robert Lichton (1681–1687)
  • Nils Turesson Bielke (1687)
  • Axel Julius De la Gardie (1687–1704)
  • Wolmar Anton von Schlippenbach (1704–1706)
  • Niels Jonsson Stromberg af Clastorp (1706–1709)
  • Carl Nieroth (1709–1710)

    • Livonia

    List of Governors-General of Livonia:

  • Jacob De la Gardie (1622–1628)
  • Johan Skytte (1629–1634)
  • Bengt Oxenstierna (1634–1643)
  • Herman Wrangel (1643)
  • Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (1655–)
  • Jacob Johan Hastfer (1687–1695)
  • Erik Dahlberg (1696–1702)
  • Carl Gustaf Frölich (1702–1706)
  • Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt (1706–1709)
  • Henrik Otto Albedyll (1709)
  • Niels Jonsson Stromberg af Clastorp (1709–1710)

    • Karelia

    List of Governors-General of Karelia:

  • Johan Skytte (1629–1634)

    • Scania

    The Scanian Dominion (Skånska Generalguvernementet in Swedish), was established after the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658 and initially included all of Skåneland. In 1660, Bornholm was returned to Denmark. Blekinge, which had been part of Kristianstad County while under the dominion, was removed in 1680 and placed under Kalmar County. The dominion was suspended in 1670, but recreated during the Scanian War. In 1675, Bohus County was added and it remained administered by the Scanian Governors-General until 1693. Halland County was removed from the dominion in 1693 and for the periods 1693–1719 and 1801–1809, the dominion included the counties in the province of Scania only.

    List of Governors-General of Scania:

  • Gustaf Otto Stenbock (1658–1664) (Bornholm was returned to Denmark in 1660.)
  • Gustaf Persson Banér (1664–1669)
  • Fabian von Fersen (1676–1677)
  • Göran Sperling (1677–1679)
  • Johan Gyllenstierna (1679–1680)
  • Rutger von Ascheberg (1680–1693) (Bohus County added 1675; Blekinge removed 1680.)

    • List of Governors-General of Scania (the province only):

  • Otto Vellingk (1693–1698)
  • Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld (July 4, 1698–December 27, 1705)
  • Magnus Stenbock (December 27, 1705–1711)
  • Jacob Burenskiöld (1711–1716)
  • Carl Gustaf Skytte (1716–1719)
  • Carl Gustaf Hård (1717–1719)
  • Johan Christopher Toll (February 9, 1801–March 27, 1809)

    • Prussia

    List of Governors-General of Prussia:

  • Axel Oxenstierna (1626–1631)

    • Pomerania

    List of Governors-General of Pomerania:

  • Carl Gustaf Wrangel (1648–)
  • Otto Wilhelm Königsmarck (1679–1685)
  • Nils Bielke (1687–1698)
  • Jürgen Mellin (1698–1711)
  • Johan August Meijerfeldt the elder (1713–1747)
  • Filip Julius Bernhard von Platen
  • Hans Henrik von Liewen (1766–1772)
  • Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein (1776–1791)
  • Eric Ruuth (1792–1796)
  • Hans Henric von Essen (1800–1815)

    • Bremen-Verden

    List of Governors-General of Bremen-Verden:

  • Jurgen Mellin (1696–1698)
  • Nils Carlsson Gyllenstierna af Fogelvik (1698–1711)
  • Mauritz von Vellingk (1711–1712)

    • References

    Swedish Governors-General Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA