Count of Wisborg

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Countship of Wisborg
Bernadotte af Wisborg, med krona.png
Coat of arms
Creation date2 April 1892 (1892-04-02)
Created by Monarch of Luxembourg
Peerage Peerage of Sweden

The Count of Wisborg (Swedish : Greve af Wisborg, French : Comte de Wisborg, German : Graf von Wisborg) is a title of nobility granted by the Monarch of Luxembourg to some male-members of the Swedish royal family, including their spouses and descendants. Since 1892, the title has been borne by the male-line descendants of four Princes of Sweden who married without the consent of the King of Sweden, thereby losing their right of succession to the throne for themselves and their descendants, and had their royal titles prohibited. [1]

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The four former Princes of Sweden, after use of their titles no longer was allowed, assumed the surname of Bernadotte. In each case they were given the title of nobility Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg by the reigning Grand Duke or Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. [2] [3] The latter title (count or countess) was shared with the children of each prince, since subsequent generations in the male line were authorized to bear only the title "Count of Wisborg", Bernadotte being recognized as their surname by birth. [2] In some cases, this titulature has not been adhered to, usage of the style Count [Firstname] Bernadotte af Wisborg having been adopted by some of the descendants. [2]

Their legitimate titles of nobility, however, have not been Swedish but Luxembourgish. In Sweden, none of these title holders were admitted to the Swedish House of Nobility. However, Prince Oscar was admitted in 1945 and his son Carl in 1963 as an honorary member of the Sveriges Ointroducerade Adels Förening (Association of the unintroduced nobility in Sweden), which brings together the bearers of non-Swedish titles living in Sweden. [4]

The original four Counts of Wisborg

Four original princes of Sweden were admitted in the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and given the title Count of Wisborg: [2]

First creation (1892–present)

Extended creation (1951–present)

A fifth prince of Sweden, Prince Carl, Duke of Östergötland (19112003), only son of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland and grandson of King Oscar II, married morganatically and relinquished his Swedish titles in 1937. He was given the title Prince Bernadotte by his brother-in-law King Leopold III of Belgium. His male-line descendants would have borne the title Count Bernadotte, but in fact his only child is a daughter (Mrs. Madeleine Kogevinas, Countess Madeleine Bernadotte).

Later title-holders

A monument to Folke Bernadotte in Denmark. Denkmal Folke Bernadotte.jpg
A monument to Folke Bernadotte in Denmark.

The agnatic (male-line) descendants of each of these four former princes of Sweden, after the first generation of children, are entitled to the title Count of Wisborg, but in practice, their surname is often included in the title, Count Bernadotte af Wisborg. [2]

The most well-known is Folke Bernadotte, a son of Oscar Bernadotte, the first Count of Wisborg. He was the United Nations Security Council mediator in the Arab–Israeli conflict of 1947–1948, assassinated in 1948 by Zionist militants.

A number of members of these families were guests at the 2010 Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling. [9]

See also

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References

  1. Bramstång, Gunnar (1990). Tronrätt, bördstitel och hustillhörighet (in Swedish). Lund: Juristförlaget i Lund. pp. 54–55. ISBN   978-91-544-2081-0.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1980). "Addendum: Burke's Royal Families of the World Volume I: Europe & Latin America". Burke's Royal Families of the World: Volume II Africa & the Middle East. p. 317. ISBN   0-85011-029-7.
  3. The Royalty, peerage and aristocracy of the world, Vol 90
  4. Ointroducerad Adels Förening
  5. Burke's Royal Families of the World vol. I 1977, p. 512.
  6. Lettres Patentes du Grand Duc Adolphe 1892-04-02
  7. Mémorial Archived 2015-07-21 at the Wayback Machine du Grand Duché de Luxembourg 1951-08-13 p 1135
  8. Marianne Bernadotte in Glimtar och scener Norstedts Stockholm 1986 ISBN   91-1-863442-7 (Swedish)
  9. Stockholm News Archived 2010-06-19 at the Wayback Machine