Armfelt

Armfelt family coat of arms

The Armfelt family (also Armfeldt) is a Swedish, Finnish and a Russian noble family. Members of this family were awarded with the title of Baron and Count in Sweden. There were two lines of the family, one living in Sweden, which died out in 1868 and the other one in Finland, that in 1952 has regained the right of representation at Sweden's Knighthood.

History

The progenitor of the Armfelt family, Lars Eriksson, was originally from Frösön, Jämtland, Sweden, and he was knighted under the name Armfelt in 1648. ^[1]

General Carl Gustaf Armfeldt was granted the title of Swedish Baron in 1731, and all of his male descendants inherited this baronial title. ^[2]

In the Finnish War of 1809, the Russian Empire conquered Finland from Sweden. Following this, Emperor Alexander I of Russia, who also held the title of Grand Duke of Finland, established the Grand Duchy of Finland.

General, Baron Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt moved from Sweden to Finland in 1811. He is recognized as one of the founding fathers of Finland and was elevated to the rank of Count in 1812 by Emperor Alexander I. Additionally, he was promoted to Infantry General and appointed Adjutant General to the Emperor. Armfelt was deeply disliked by Napoleon, as they were long-time political and military rivals. ^[3]

The Armfelt family was registered in the House of Nobility in Helsinki, Finland, in 1818 and was represented in three classes: noble, baron, and count. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

The Armfelt family were also members of the nobility in the Saint Petersburg Province. ^[7]

Count Alexander Armfelt (1794-1876) served as the Minister-Secretary of State for Finland in Saint Petersburg. He became the most influential and prominent Finnish aristocrat due to his close relationship with Russian Emperors, which allowed him to promote the interests of the Grand Duchy of Finland in various fields. Additionally, he held the position of vice-chancellor at the Imperial Alexander University Finland, with the heir to the throne serving as the chancellor. ^[8]

Members of the Armfelt family became high-ranking officials in both the government and military of the Russian Empire.

Today, the noble and comital branches of the family reside in Finland, while the baronial line continues to live in Sweden. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Estates

Wiurila Mansion. Architect Charles (Carlo) Bassi.

Joensuu Manor was the home of Count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt.

The Armfelt family owned three large estates in Halikko, Salo: Wiurila Mansion, Vuorentaka Estate, and Joensuu Manor. Wiurila and Vuorentaka are owned by descendants of the family, while Joensuu was bought by Finnish banker Björn Wahlroos. ^[9]

Notable members

See also: Category:Armfelt family

• Carl Gustaf Armfeldt (1666-1736), Swedish baron, general ^[10]
• Claes Armfelt (1709-1769, Swedish baron, lieutenant colonel ^[10]
• Carl Gustaf Armfelt (1724-1792), Swedish baron, major general ^[10]
• Magnus Wilhelm Armfelt (1725-1795), Swedish baron, major general ^[10]
• Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt (1757–1814), Finnish count, general, courtier and diplomat ^[10]
• August Philip Armfelt (1768-1839), Finnish baron, owner of Wiurila Manor, chamberlain in the Russian imperial court ^[10]
• Alexander Armfelt (1794-1876), Finnish count, Minister–Secretary of State for Finland ^[10]
• Gustaf Magnus Armfelt (1792-1856), Finnish count, lieutenant general, governor, senator ^[10]
• Carl Magnus Vilhelm Armfelt (1797–1878), Finnish count, major general ^[10]
• Gustaf Vilhelm Arthur Armfelt (1821–1880), Finnish count, major general ^[10]
• Alexander Johan Fredrik Armfelt (1826–1898), Finnish rear admiral ^[10]
• August Magnus Gustaf Armfelt (1826–1894), Finnish count, chamberlain in the Russian imperial court ^[10]
• Mauritz Wladimir Armfelt (1827–1888), Finnish count, active state councillor and equerry in the Russian imperial court ^[10]
• Gustaf Johan Philip Armfelt (1830–1880), Finnish baron, author ^[10]
• Carl Magnus Mauritz Armfelt 1836–1890), Finnish count, industrialist, philanthropist ^[10]
• Carl Alexander Armfelt (1850–1925), Finnish count, chamberlain and hofmeister in the Russian imperial court ^[10]
• Alexander Armfelt (1862–1941), Finnish count, chamberlain and active state councillor in the Russian imperial court ^[10]
• Carl August Reinhold Lars Armfelt (1862–1942), Finnish count, owner of the Wiurila Manor ^[10]
• Carl Eugen Armfelt (1863–1908), Finnish count, architect
• Alexandra Zheleznova-Armfelt (1870–1933), Gustaf's granddaughter, a composer and collector of Russian folk music. ^[10]
• Karl Gustaf Hjalmar Armfelt (1873–1959), Finnish goldsmith ^[10]
• Carl Armfelt (b. 1956), Finnish composer ^[11]

See also

• The National Biography of Finland
• Swedish-speaking Finns

References

1. Autio, Veli-Matti [in Finnish] (20 October 2002). "suku Armfelt". BiographySampo  [ fi ] (in Finnish). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
2. Hornborg, Eirik; Faithfull, Erik (2021). Carl Gustav Armfelt and the struggle for Finland during the Great Northern War. Century of the soldier 1618-1721. Warwick: Helion. ISBN   978-1-913336-47-9.
3. Vaaskivi, Tatu (2021). Loistava Armfelt. SAGA Egmont. Copenhagen: SAGA Egmont. ISBN   978-87-26-81579-5.
4. "Suvut ja vaakunat - Finlands riddarhus". ritarihuone.fi. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
5. "Suvut ja vaakunat - Finlands riddarhus". ritarihuone.fi. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
6. "Suvut ja vaakunat - Finlands riddarhus". ritarihuone.fi. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
7. Российская родословная книга, Prince Dolgorukov, 1854—1857.
8. Savolainen, Raimo, "Armfelt, Alexander (1794-1876): ministerstatssekreterare, t. f. universitetskansler, verkligt geheimeråd", Biografiskt lexikon för Finland, Helsingfors, pp. 55–59, ISBN   978-951-583-185-9 , retrieved 2025-04-01
9. Montonen, Pia Maria; Standertskjöld-Brüninghaus, Anna Louise (2018). Wiurilan Anna Lisa: arkea ja juhlaa Armfeltien kotikartanossa. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Tammi. ISBN   978-951-31-9507-6.
10. "Armfelt nr 213". Adelsvapen-Wiki (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
11. "Armfelt, Carl". Suomen Säveltäjät (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-04-01.